Merry Christmas, Oilers fans. A holiday that will either distract you from how our team plays or a time to share your strong emotions with family members right beside you. I’ll be taking on the role of Santa Claus for this one. What do I have on my nice list, and what do I have on my naughty list? And what should we wish for?
Nice List
- McDrai: The two leading scorers in the NHL, when would the Ride Or Die duo ever be naughty? McDavid just became the first player to score 30 goals before Christmas since Alex Ovechkin in 2013. Draisaitl, the two-time 50-goal scorer, humorously told a story to Elliotte Friedman when he just told McDavid to shoot more because he had it in him, to which Connor just replied, “I know.” It doesn’t look like Leon will score 50 again, but the two buddies are mostly responsible for their team having the top-ranked PP in the league.
- The Stew Is Delicious: 24-year-old goaltender Stuart Skinner was signed to a three year contract extension earlier this week, and why not? He’s handled his recent starter’s role exceedingly well. Skinner was a 78th overall pick. For a team with a history of not drafting well after the first round, if he can continue his solid play and make his soon-to-be $2.6M per season a steal, they may’ve finally found a diamond in the rough. And of all the diamonds, it just happens to be a goalie.
- Secondary Scoring: Zach Hyman and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins are both on pace for career-best point totals this season. While I do think their production may dry out a tad, it’s refreshing to see players not named Connor or Leon contribute more on the scoresheet for a change. A fourth line of Mattias Janmark, Derek Ryan, and Klim Kostin has occasionally chipped in as well, and Tyson Barrie is in the top 10 for points among defensemen.
Naughty List
- Injury Bug: Kailer Yamamoto and Ryan McLeod both missed about a month of playing time. McLeod came back in Saturday’s game, and Yamamoto was back early in the month, but we’re hoping for a late holiday miracle with Evander Kane’s injury.
- Defensive Play: While our group of six have been allowing fewer shots on net lately, they can still be gaffe-prone from time to time. Darnell Nurse, for all his good moments, is really balancing that out with dreadful moments.
- The Soup Got Cold: When the season started, Jack Campbell was making key saves despite having below-average stats. Then after October, he wasn’t able to make any saves at all. In his last couple of starts, he’s a bit better, but he’s got a ways to go for that .876 SV% to drastically improve.
Wish List
- A top 4 defenseman who can take ice time and pressure off some of our defensemen.
- Another bottom-six depth forward who can be feisty and chip in for odd goals.
- No more roller coaster games. Stop breaking Ken Holland’s toilet seat.
Stanley Cup Aspirations – Cue’ the Duck Boats Pod
The boys are back after a long break but have plenty to talk about as the playoffs are in full swing. We go series by series, looking at how teams have fared so far and who will come out on top. Thanks for listening! Please rate and review our show on your favorite listening platform. Check out our partner's website at www.insidetherink.com for all your latest hockey news.
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