Chapter 1: What are the latest updates on the Edmonton Oilers?
Hey, it's Bob Stauffer. I just wanted to let you know that you can listen to Oilers Now ad-free on Amazon Music, included with Prime. Second hour of Oilers Now, brought to you by World of Spas, yes, Eddie Vedder.
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44 48 to book your free testosterone test we welcome back ryan rashog from the got your back podcast and tsa all right here we go ryan uh you were talking about the fact for you maybe not so much calgary but vancouver is a bigger surprise how quickly this thing's unraveled
Well, they were so well-constructed, Bob. Like, you think about that fight they gave the Oilers in that playoff series, and the players that they had. I mean, they gave the Oilers everything they could handle and almost won that series.
So for it to have come unraveled as fast as it has, I was saying I've got a lifelong buddy who's a lifelong Canucks fan, and it's been kind of entertaining for me discussing this with him over the years, but... Oh, it's pretty staggering how that thing has come apart.
Now, they might say to you, hey, Thatcher Demko's been hurt two years in a row. That's played a massive part of it. And I think we'd agree. I would have Thatcher Demko ranked as the third best American goaltender. Hellebuck number one, Ottinger number two, and Demko number three. Is that just an excuse or has that been a part of it?
Well, it's a part of it, but it doesn't take out the magic eraser for all the other mayhem that's gone on there. It's like one thing after another with the ownership group and one thing after another, you know, in the locker room and one thing after another. Like it just, honestly, Bob, it's just been, yeah, it's just been kind of mayhem there. And so Patrick Alvin gets let go here.
I think we all know the way that place has been operating and he's the one that ends up on the outside looking in here. Rutherford takes full responsibility, all being the one that's gone. I don't know, man. It just feels like it hasn't been functioning very well internally and just hard to get stuff done.
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Chapter 2: How has Vancouver's performance impacted the Oilers' playoff outlook?
Why would he throw chaos into his lineup? I kind of... I asked him that, and he kind of explained why it might make sense. I don't really buy it. Like, if you think dry saddle's unlikely, you're skating different lines over the next two days of practice. So I think the signs are good. And dry saddle's in really good spirits out there, Bob. Like, you can see him. He's bouncing around.
Yesterday, he was out there, you know, smiling, laughing, gave TD a high five at one point. Then today, it was kind of a funny moment. We went into the locker room to start our interviews, and Dreisaitl was walking, and he sees us coming, and so he faked a really bad limp for like two or three steps and got us all kind of chocolate, and he had sort of a bad smirk on his face.
So I don't know, buddy. You know, the tea leaves I'm reading are saying that guy's going to be there for puck drop in game one unless somebody steps in and throws up the Heisman and says, no.
This is a very different team than last year. Ryan, do you know who the six defense were that started the playoffs against L.A. last year? Off the top of your head.
You know how much I love your quizzes. Yes. I mean, Ekholm wasn't around, so you had Bouchard, you had Wallman was healthy, right, to start?
That was his first game back, yes.
Yeah, his first game back. Klingberg, I think, was in the mix, right? Bouchard. Who am I missing? I don't know. Emerson was in the mix, I think. I can't remember if he played. I don't know.
You have the freakish memory, Bob. You just tell me. McComb did not play until game five against Dallas. You know that. I remember that. Coleman had just come back. Kulak was critical early. Nurse. But the fact that Josh Brown played game one of the playoffs last year. The seventh defenseman was Cam Dineen. So here's where I'm at. Are the Edmonton Oilers, I know the record wasn't better.
Are they actually better?
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Chapter 3: What are the implications of Thatcher Demko's injuries for the Canucks?
And they didn't know what they were going to get from a bunch of guys if they were able to play. So I think they're, healthier, I would say, especially if Dreisaitl's ready to go here. And I think they're different, Bob. Like, they are younger, and I think they are faster, and I think they have more players who are kind of willing to throw the body around and play physically.
I think they've got a different energy to them. Last year, you know, you would sacrifice some of that speed for the, you know, sage veteran gamesmanship, and they had some of that last year with Corey Perry. But they were older. Like, they were older and had different older players. And this year, there's better legs in the lineup, to my eye.
You know, where there was Skinner and Perry and, you know, King was healthy. Yeah, now there's Savoy, who's a burner.
right you've got doc who is for his size skates really really well trent frederick is skating as well as he skated in an oiler sweater right now you know you've just got you know ross levick is an exceptionally good skater the way he gets around out there so you've just got more speed and some more youth in your lineup and i think it sets them up a little better to not get bogged down the way they might have a little bit with some older guys is that fair
Yep, so here's, I looked it up for you. Bouchard, 28 minutes in game one last year. Kulak played 24-58. Nurse played 25-17. Wallman played 19-35. Emerson played 13-10, and Josh Brown played 4-54. Kane, of course, came back for game two last year. But I don't think there's any question that there are different teams.
And I think Connor Murphy being a steadying influence on the right side of the second pairing of Darnell Nurse, pushing Wallman into the three-hole with Ty Emerson. And Ekholm being healthy. I don't think there's any debate that the team's defense is better going into this year's playoffs than they were last year.
Careful, Bob. You get yourself in trouble when you allow the Oilers' defense core too much.
You run yourself into problems when you do that, Bob. You mean like when I quote the Athletic and say, it's not me, it's them. They're saying they're one of the top. I know. Has Connor Murphy changed the complexion of the defense?
Well, this was a departure for Stan Bowman, right? Bowman was bringing in puck movers, guys that were primarily puck movers.
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Chapter 4: What factors contributed to the Oilers' recent victory over the Ducks?
Because Todd Folden, the results have been strong. Savoy... He's been steady all year, but he's hit another level. You know, I don't think you're overstating it. Roslevic had a good, solid number of holes that he put forward this season. Fascinating to see what he can do here in the postseason. You know, Dickinson, when he's back, has been a good add.
Like, you know, Nugent Hopkins, you know, he had some pretty big life stuff going on, too, here late in the season, which, you know, it's not an excuse, but they're human beings. I think we need to remember that. If he finds his A game in the playoffs, you're going to forgive whatever, you know, whatever setback there might have been here. late in the season, but I like the forward unit, Bob.
I like the fact that they have clearly defined identities and roles, and I like the fact that I don't think anybody's out of place. Everybody is kind of either where they're supposed to be or maybe even playing a little below their station, right? Nugent Hopkins could easily be a second-line winger. Well, here he's going to start on the third line, right? Todd Coleson?
To your point last week, is he a top six forward? Well, he's probably going to start in that spot in the playoffs. That's been earned. Kapanen may be a little out of place based on the quality of his play recently, but he's shown he can do it and he has the skill set. I like it, man. I think it all fits together pretty nicely here.
Now, the big question for me, Bob, the big question for me, Chris Alblock said this the other day, we're at our best when our backs are against the wall. That is the truth about this team. Has been for years. Their best hockey does not surface until they've been kicked around a little bit. And that is not a good trait. It is not. I know you might want to say, that's awesome.
A great team has to have that trait. You're at your best when your backs are against. No, that's not a good trait. Now, it's good that when your backs are against the wall, they can conjure it up. But you know what's better, Bob? playing their best from the time the puck drops and asserting themselves. That's what they need to be able to say about themselves in this playoff.
Not, boy, we scrapped back hard. They almost biffed it last year. We saw what happened, right? They were lucky. Byfield on the wall. Byfield on the wall. They cannot get themselves into a byfield on the wall situation again. They need to be more mature and better out of the gates and not just be the team that's at their best when they're back there against the wall.
That is not a good trait. One more for you, Ryan. We haven't even talked about goaltending. People say, well, Connor Ingram's unproven as a goaltender in the playoffs. Well, guess how many playoff appearances Lukasz Dostal, who, by the way, has given up more goals against in the league from outside of 20 feet than any other goaltender in the National Hockey League.
Guess how many playoff appearances he has.
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