GDT-Edmonton Oilers at Sabres Monday 3/10/25-7pm, ESPN+ and WGR

[PerreaultForever]

2 hours ago, PromoTheRobot said:

Better defensive play in front of Upie. They weren't getting behind them. Still lucky with all the posts, though.

Oh definitely. Could have easily lost that one with a bounce or two the other way but that's hockey. Some nights you get more luck than others. Still, if the new guy and Thompson develop some chemistry we might have something there. Thompson as a winger will however put us back to the 2C question. McLeod should really be 3C and I really hope they won't just try not to block Kulich for next year. 

[Doohickie]

9 hours ago, Thorner said:

Particularly wild his first point was a primary assist too, considering:

 

D-Lo 😄 

[bob_sauve28]

10 hours ago, Pimlach said:

Norris is more skilled and a legit  top 6 forward, I saw that every time we played Ottawa.  It will come down to his health and how much Cozens matures down the road as to who “wins” the trade.  

Right now it looks like we improved at center, a position we grade poorly at.  

They traded him because they thought he is injury prone? 

Lots of players have injury problems early in their careers it seems to me. Seems like a stupid reason to trade a skilled hockey player because injuries are so unpredictable. But who knows, maybe he can't stay in line up. Hope that is not the case 

Nice to see Tager get a skilled line mate  

[Pimlach]

53 minutes ago, bob_sauve28 said:

They traded him because they thought he is injury prone? 

Lots of players have injury problems early in their careers it seems to me. Seems like a stupid reason to trade a skilled hockey player because injuries are so unpredictable. But who knows, maybe he can't stay in line up. Hope that is not the case 

Nice to see Tager get a skilled line mate  

Part of the reason Ottawa moved Norris was reliability and availability.  He had a nagging shoulder injury that spanned a few seasons. 

They also wanted to get bigger and more physical.   Cozen has 17 hits in two games, they want him banging people. 

[thewookie1]

31 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

Part of the reason Ottawa moved Norris was reliability and availability.  He had a nagging shoulder injury that spanned a few seasons. 

They also wanted to get bigger and more physical.   Cozen has 17 hits in two games, they want him banging people. 

Most of those hits are BS though, just so you know.

[Pimlach]

1 minute ago, thewookie1 said:

Most of those hits are BS though, just so you know.

hit tracking in the NHL is not a consistent stat from what I can see.  

[Archie Lee]

33 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

Part of the reason Ottawa moved Norris was reliability and availability.  He had a nagging shoulder injury that spanned a few seasons. 

They also wanted to get bigger and more physical.   Cozen has 17 hits in two games, they want him banging people. 

I agree. Lots of comments out of Ottawa that their GM, Staios, was not enamoured with Norris’s game. It’s pretty clear that this trade was as much about two teams moving on from players that they no longer had faith in, as it was about them acquiring players that they coveted. With that in mind, it might be more likely this does not go well for either team, than it is that it will be a win/win. 

[Jorcus]

The PK seemed odd last night when Norris was on it. At least twice there were two men deep in the opponents zone when they were setting up for the break out. Norris seemed to stay very deep at times. I don't know if it was by design or just not adapting to the system. Have to wait and see what happens next time. 

[DarthEbriate]

4 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

hit tracking in the NHL is not a consistent stat from what I can see.  

Yup. Cozens has had the benefit of 2 home games where the statisticians are crediting everything.

His first period with the 5 hits was more like 1 hit, maybe a 2nd, and then 3 nothings. If that statistician were tracking Owen Power like that, he'd have over 200 hits already this season.

[HOUSE]

Great game, to much McDavid worship from the broadcast team but.....good game

[dudacek]

Gotta say, the game-winner was one of the better hockey plays we've seen from the team this season.

Nice effort and hands by Norris, sweet finish by Tage.

Can't recall ever seeing a goal quite like it; I wouldn't call it remarkable, but it was original: two forecheckers flanking a dman on either side like that, the sublime hand skills for the steal and pass, and then the patience gliding backwards east-to-west from Tage, before roofing it: skill, smarts, creativity, teamwork and effort — all in a clutch time situation.

I'll take any little bit of joy this year where I can find it.

Edited March 11 by dudacek

[GASabresIUFAN]

I already like Norris better than Cozens.

[_Q_]

8 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

I already like Norris better than Cozens.

Agreed, Cozens was the anti-Benson.  Always going to the wrong spot and making the wrong decision.  Only time Cozens was playing average was when Quinn, Peterka and Cozens were hard charging all game every game.  Still was -3 that year.

[LTS]

1 hour ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

I already like Norris better than Cozens.

Every time I see a face-off win.

[GASabresIUFAN]

11 minutes ago, LTS said:

Every time I see a face-off win.

The play last night on the game winning goal kind of sealed it for me.  He is clearly a high motor player that the Sabres need more of.  Cozens doesn't make that play.

[DarthEbriate]

Got to watch some of the rest of the game I missed live yesterday. Solid home win for the once-road goatheads.

McDavid skated 26 minutes, Draisaitl added 23 minutes. Good thing Edmonton has both of them because when they're off the ice, there isn't a lot there to worry about.

[mjd1001]

25 minutes ago, DarthEbriate said:

Got to watch some of the rest of the game I missed live yesterday. Solid home win for the once-road goatheads.

McDavid skated 26 minutes, Draisaitl added 23 minutes. Good thing Edmonton has both of them because when they're off the ice, there isn't a lot there to worry about.

Interesting stat on the year...for the year the team is at its worst (performance-wise) when McDavid is on the ice without Draisaitl.

Draisaitl and McDavid together: +9 goal differential on the season (1 goal scored every 14 minutes, 1 allowed every 21 minutes)

Draisaitl without McDavid:  +6 goal differential (1 goal scored every 23 minutes, 1 allowed every 28.8 minutes)

Neither Draisaitl or McDavid:  -2 goal differential (1 goal scored every 28.4 minutes, one goal allowed every 28.5 minutes)

McDavid without Draisaitl:  -12 goal differential (1 goal scored every 25.4 minutes, one goal allowed every 17.2 minutes)

Those are even strength

PP effectiveness is hard to look at statistically, they are both out there almost all the time.

PK has neither of them out there pretty much ever.

If you take stats back 3 seasons and look at the past 3 seasons combined, the numbers are more 'even' across Draisatl and McDavid.  One thing is for sure, there is not an outperformance of McDavid over Draisaitl statistically. They contribute statistically equally to the success of Edmonton, with Draisaitl getting the statistical edge this season.

 

Edited March 11 by mjd1001

[DarthEbriate]

22 hours ago, mjd1001 said:

McDavid without Draisaitl:  -12 goal differential (1 goal scored every 25.4 minutes, one goal allowed every 17.2 minutes)

This one is interesting, but I think it makes sense given their depth at forward. When McDavid is on the ice alone, I'm guessing it's a lot of guys standing around waiting for McDavid to do his magic.

I remember one instance of this against the Sabres. McDavid held onto the puck, looking to make something happen, but in either a line change or just no one having the instinct to attack, he had to pull up and it became a turnover and transition the other way.