NHL 2023-24 Recap Week 5 Oilers get new coach but no defense, Panarin streaks, Possible overtime rule change

Much like baseball made tweaks to fix their game, the NHL is contemplating making their own changes. Granted, baseball is boring, and anything they can do to make it more appealing should happen. But the NHL wants to change their most exciting offering: overtime. Sadly, it’s not making it longer. It’s fixing the one loophole teams have exploited. They aim to eliminate teams circling out of the attacking zone to regroup or make a substitution. Personally, it’s not a bad idea. It doesn’t happen often, and I like players making strategic decisions, but it does create lulls in play and lessens the likelihood the opposing team can get possession. Potential solutions include a shot clock, or you can’t leave the red or blue line after entering. But they don’t want to create more stoppages. However, there’s no way you can enforce these rules and not create stoppages. The red line rule is dumb because you can just leave the zone and not cross the center line. Most players don’t go that far. I like the idea of a shot clock once you cross the center line, as that will probably create the least amount of stoppage as long as the players can see it easily.

Things I like

1. I don’t like the Oilers firing Jay Woodcroft, but I do like new coach Kris Knoblauch’s strategy of not starting Connor McDavid in overtime and instead having two defensemen in case they lose the draw. They can always change if they win. The better teams utilize this strategy. Some teams have players that come out only for draws and change after that. But the conspiracy theories of McDavid pulling the strings in Edmonton is laughable. I mean, just look at him. Evil mastermind does not come to mind. It’s pretty standard for NHL teams to promote their AHL coach. Knoblauch coaching McDavid previously is just a coincidence. More on that Seattle Kraken game where McDavid didn’t start the overtime later.

2. Artemi Panarin has scored at least one point in all 15 games thus far. He’s got a long way to go to reach former teammate Patrick Kane at 26 and Wayne Gretzky’s record of 51. Panarian has yet to score 100 points in a season, but he’s got a great chance to do this season. While the Rangers rank first in goals against, they’re surprisingly 22nd in goals for. Strangely, their power play ranks second. The Rangers have scored half their goals on the power play. They’ll need to increase their even-strength scoring, but wins are wins, and they are winning.

Things I don’t

1. The Buffalo Sabres losing Tage Thompson to a wrist injury for a month or more is a blow to them and hockey in general. Thompson is having a decent season, but not the one that was expected. The Sabres have also been slow to start. Besides the Oilers, the Sabres and Ottawa Senators are the biggest disappointments thus far.

2. The Dallas Stars took a 3-0 lead at home into the second period against the Colorado Avalanche, and then it all went downhill. The Avalanche scored six unanswered, two in the second, two in eleven seconds in the third, and an empty net goal. Shots had been even until the Avalanche crushed them 15-6 in the third. Despite their uneven play lately, the Avalanche are a great team. But the Stars continuously choke away leads in the third period. It’s something that desperately needs to be rectified.

Fights of the Week

Special thanks to hockeyfights.com for making this section a little easier to do.

Jacob Middleton vs Zack MacEwen

A decent grapplefest.

Kurtis MacDermid vs Jamie Oleksiak

It was not the greatest fight, but it was long, and I appreciate the effort.

Goats of the Week

Jack Eichel - Vegas Golden Knights

While Eichel didn’t have many great options, what he did was the least best. Maybe he didn’t think he could go up the boards, but it would have been better than giving it away. Sean Couturier scores in overtime to give the Flyers a win over the Golden Knights, who only have two wins in their last seven games.

https://www.nhl.com/video/vgk-phi-couturier-scores-goal-against-golden-knights-6341405020112

Darnell Nurse - Edmonton Oilers

Nothing sums up why the Oilers will never win anything quite like his play. Nurse, their top defenseman, literally does nothing while the Lightning score on a break. While you don’t want to screen your goalie, Nurse could have skated up more to prevent the pass, lied down, and held out his stick to prevent it, or he could have skated toward Tanner Jeannot to make it harder for Jeannot to do anything. But standing there doing nothing works, too. New coach same old crappy defense. The Oilers lost by two but one was an empty-net goal.

https://www.nhl.com/video/edm-tbl-jeannot-scores-goal-against-oilers-6341408705112

Stat Line of the Week

11/15/23 Edmonton 4 vs. Seattle 3

The Oilers found themselves down 3-1 to the Kraken early but didn’t give up. Leading that charge was Evander Kane, who scored a natural hat trick, the seventh of his career, including the overtime winner. Kane is on pace to eclipse 30 goals for only the second time in his career. He has a chance to hit 40.

https://www.nhl.com/video/evander-kane-with-a-hat-trick-vs-seattle-kraken-6341210411112

Numbers, Numbers

0 – Goals for the Tampa Bay Lighting in back-to-back games, the first time that’s happened since October 2015

675 – Games played by Boone Jenner for the Columbus Blue Jackets, surpassing Rick Nash to become the all-time leader in franchise history

14 – Goals by Auston Matthews and Kyle Connor, first in the NHL

5 – Game-winning goals for Kyle Connor, first in the NHL, although it’s a misleading stat

1.52 – Goals a game for the San Jose Sharks, the only team not above two

Rankings

The rankings are based on how the teams are currently playing.

Top 5

1. Boston
2. New York R
3. Vegas
4. Vancouver
5. Dallas

Bottom 5

30. San Jose
31. Nashville
32. Columbus
33. Minnesota
34. Chicago