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Article Archive
On hockeyRAGE.com
I write monthly articles for hockeyRAGE.com. Below is my most current article:
By: Phil Austin
Date: 02/02/2000
The Edmonton Oilers have made the playoffs the past three seasons, and are gunning for a fourth appearance this year. But making the playoffs and winning a round are two different things as they haven't won a round since '98.
Well, the first half of the 1999-2000 season has come and gone in the blink of an eye. The many surprises we've experienced this season have been coupled perfectly with the expectations that we had in the pre-season for the NHL. Who would have thought that the New York Rangers would trip so clumsily from the start of the season, only to recover at the halfway mark by putting together an unprecedented seven game winning streak that boosted them right back into the thick of the playoff race. As well, the Calgary Flames have endured the negative reviews that everybody outside of Calgary gave them in the off-season, only to thus-far challenge the division title of the perennial Northwest Division leaders, the Colorado Avalanche. Take into account the continued success of Jaromir Jagr and Martin Brodeur, matched by the resurgence of Owen Nolan and Mark Recchi in the Art Ross scoring race, and it all equates to a rather pleasant, if not spectacular NHL season.
So how have the Edmonton Oilers managed to comply with the NHL's mix of safe-bets and surprises this season? Well, they certainly have not done anything to stand out in the NHL, so it requires a deeper look into the franchise to evaluate the Edmonton Oilers. When the Oilers traded their last "star" Esa Tikkanen to the New York Rangers for Doug Weight in the 1992-93 season it signified the end of an era. The Edmonton Oilers had gone from being considered the greatest team on the planet in the eighties to the laughing stock of the NHL in the matter of only a few years. Without the financial freedom to sign star-players, let alone sign their own stars in many cases, general manager Glen Sather has had to assemble a group of wallflowers year-in and year-out. Can you honestly say that you remember the following list of players that had tenures of at least half a season with the Edmonton Oilers from 1993-94 to 1995-96?
Joaquin Gage (Goal)
Adam Bennett (Defense)
David Oliver (Left-Wing)
Vladimir Vujtek (Center)
Ralph Intranuovo (Right Wing)
The Edmonton Oilers have made the playoffs the past three seasons, and are gunning for a fourth consecutive appearance this year. However, the team that upset the heavily-favored Dallas Stars in the first round during the 1997 playoffs is so different from this year's squad, that only five players (Doug Weight, Rem Murray, Mike Grier, Todd Marchant, Ryan Smyth) still play with the team to this day.
Okay, so the Oilers undergo drastic changes each year, and fill one nobody with another. Not exactly nobodies, they do boast one of the best young defenses in the league. Janne Niinimaa and Roman Hamrlik continue to excel in their offensive-defenseman genre, while Tom Poti has the billing of a future superstar in this league. He has been described as a "young Brian Leetch", and is a pleasure to watch every game. Poti makes an unbelievable play at least twice a game, and consistently makes the perfect first-pass that is crucial to the fast-paced run-and-gun game that the Edmonton Oilers play. It is known league-wide that when you play the Oilers and they have the powerplay in your zone, that you shadow their defensemen on the point. While many teams that play the neutral zone trap base their offence on turnovers, and their forwards ability to react quickly to an offensive chance, the Oilers' entire offence is backboned by the stellar play of their crisp, stick-to-stick passing defensemen. Overall, the defense has played above expectation, and have held the Edmonton Oilers in many games, when the forwards cannot penetrate the opponents.
The Edmonton Oilers forwards thus-far have been inconsistent and rather disappointing. The goal-reduction that pre-season holdouts Mike Grier and Bill Guerin (coming off twenty and thirty goal seasons, respectively) have faced can be attributed to their missing pre-season, and having to jump right into the thick of the season. The mind-boggling drop in offence of Josef Beranek has been an unpleasant surprise. Having recorded an impressive total of 49 points (19-30-49) in the 1998-99 season, he has put up a measly 12 points (8-4-12) in 44 games this season. Again, there probably is a reason for his drop. Last season when Doug Weight was injured early in November, and didn't return until January he was the first-line center, had lots of powerplay time, and had Bill Guerin riding shotgun on his right wing. This season, he started off poorly, and hasn't had the support on his wings to put up decent numbers on the scoreboard. Considering Alexander Selivanov scored most of his goals up front playing with Weight and Ryan Smyth, Beranek might be excused for his drop in totals. His play otherwise has not been acceptable.
Selivanov has been the biggest surprise thus far for the Oilers. Even though as of January 31, he had only scored one goal in 22 games, he did post a stunning 18 goals in the first 24 games of the season. It is difficult to give Selivanov a grade on his season thus far, because his play has been divided into two categories: When he's scoring, and when he's not. When he is putting the puck in the net, he's been the Oilers' best player, but when he is not scoring he has been even worse than Josef Beranek. Doug Weight has been his usual consistent self. With 44 points (10-34-44) in 46 games this season, he is once again one of the best playmakers in the NHL. It is good to see that he has recaptured the form that has seen him lead the Oilers in points for six of the last seven seasons after having major-reconstructive knee surgery last season.
Rounding out the Oilers forwards are Ryan Smyth and Todd Marchant. Smyth seems to have regained his form that saw him pester goalies in front of the net for 39 goals in the 1996-97 season. In 51 games this year he has scored 19 goals, which would put him in the above-average category in the NHL. Marchant has been the Oilers' most consistent forward this season that has many people breathing the word "Selke" when they mention Marchant's name. Best remembered for his series-ending game 7 overtime goal against the Dallas Stars in 1997, he is having a career year. Ignore his plus-minus totals (-2 in 51 games) to this point of the season. That comes when you play every game against the league's best forwards and top lines. Playing on a checking line that could be more accurately called a "shut-down line" with Ethan Moreau and Mike Grier, Marchant has pestered the game's greats like few others can. To add icing to his cake, he has put up respective totals this season (11-13-24) that puts him on pace for a career-best season. This is all when the other forwards are supposed to be doing the scoring!
Finally, the Edmonton Oilers goaltending has been on two levels: The excellent play of Tommy Salo, and the poor play of Bill Ranford. Ranford has not done much to prove that he belongs in the NHL. These days, having a 3.80 goals-against-average is simply not acceptable. He has made some highlight-reel saves that have prevented his GAA from going any higher, but too often he has been caught out of position flopping around on the ice, and the opposition forwards have capitalized on this by popping 41 goals by Ranford in only 13 games played. Bottom line: Pick yourself up off the ice and stand up a little more, and all those awful goals that make the opponents look like creative masterminds will become fewer. Salo has played spectacular, and has deserved his first nod to the All-Star Game. With a 2.29 GAA and a save percentage of .916 in 42 games played this season, he has saved the Oilers' skins from the headhunters of the NHL this year. Not dazzling in goal, he makes the simple save and steers it into the corner. This is the secret to successful goaltending in the NHL, paired with adequate defense.
The coaching staff is difficult to mark because of the fact that they are almost the same as last year. Kevin Lowe is at the helm with Ted Green and newcomer Craig MacTavish as his first officers. The fast-paced style that the Oilers play is the exact same way that the Oilers have done it for years. In fact, the Oilers have a better points total this season than last, a respectable 54 points in 51 games. Mind you, this could all be attributed to the seven overtime losses that the Oilers have recorded so far this season, tops in the NHL. Without those single points, the Oilers would be sitting with 47 points, while Calgary would be five points ahead with 52. The Oilers are surely thankful that the NHL established the new overtime rule where the losing team gets one point.
All in all, the Oilers have fulfilled the NHL's yearly criteria of surprises and constants. They have managed to keep pace with Colorado and Calgary, and fought through minimal injuries. At the beginning of February, we ask whether the Oilers will still be nipping at Colorado's heels in the Northwest Division when March rolls around. If things continue to flow the win-one lose-one way the Oilers have played so far, then probably not. The Oilers need to improve on their miserable (6-15-4-5) record this February because they play 8 of 13 games on the road. Considering that the Oilers have a fairly easy schedule in the last third of the season, and that the Oilers have their annual "sprint to the finish" where they put up unbeaten streaks heading into the playoffs, they should fare well. Which goes to say that "Oil's well with the Edmonton Oilers!".