A common refrain around the National Hockey League for the last couple of seasons was that the Edmonton Oilers were nothing more than a two-man team and that two-man teams couldn’t possibly win a Stanley Cup.
Sorry, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, the hockey-following public didn’t like your chances. Playing on the same line meant offensive fireworks, but defensive problems while the other two lines tried their luck.
Suddenly, however, things changed. Oilers’ coach Dave Tippett apparently made a New Year’s resolution to split his two superstars — putting Draisaitl with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and the speedy mighty mite, minor-league callup Kailer Yamamoto, and McDavid with a variety of wing mates (Zack Kassian, Josh Archibald, newly acquired Tyler Ennis and Andreas Athanasiou were among the most regularly interchangeable parts).
It took only a few games, but suddenly Draisaitl stopped looking for McDavid — and vice-versa — and both carried on with offensive fireworks, meaning only one Oilers’ line had to concentrate on defence. And on that theme, opposing coaches could put their No. 1 defensive pairing on the ice against either Draisaitl or McDavid, but not both, further enhancing scoring chances for the Oil.
Edmonton streaked to a 15-9-1 record in the first 25 games after Tippett’s line-changing experiment, which started on Dec. 31. The Oilers have become a Stanley Cup contender again, challenging Vegas Golden Knights for top spot in the Pacific Division. Their power play, featuring Draisaitl and McDavid together, is No. 1 in the NHL, and their penalty killing numbers are in the league’s top five. Draisaitl in early March was running away with the NHL scoring race and — horrors! — some observers were suggesting the German-born centre was more deserving of the Hart trophy (MVP) than his glorified team-mate, McDavid.
Coinciding with the Draisaitl-McDavid split was the arrival of Yamamoto, a 2017 draft pick who showed little in the way of the offensive talent he exhibited with Spokane in the Western Hockey League. But he paid his dues in the minors, came up to the Oilers on New Year’s Eve and has been on a flashy point-a-game run by using his speed and playmaking ability to complement his two linemates.
With Mike Smith emerging as a solid No. 1 goalie (and Mikko Koskinen a solid No. 2), and the blueline with Oscar Klefbom, Darnell Nurse, Ethan Bear, Adam Larssen and Caleb Jones providing a more-than-competent top five, the Oilers have become a fun team to watch — perhaps all the way into June.
- Janice Hough of sportsdeke.com: “Tony Romo getting $17 million next year from CBS as an analyst, almost as much as he made as a QB. Seems like a good deal; Romo is a better analyst than he was a QB.”
- Dwight Perry of the Seattle Times: “Because of the coronavirus outbreak in Italy, five Serie A soccer matches — including the big Juventus-Inter Milan showdown — were slated to be played without any fans in attendance. ‘Playing in an empty stadium? So what’s the big deal about that?’ asked the Miami Marlins.”
- Norman Chad of the Washington Post, on Major League Soccer expansion: “The league also appears to be endlessly expanding, maybe to as many as 90 teams by 2030. One day, there might be more MLS clubs in Los Angeles than there are Jersey Mike’s.”
- Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic, on Cardinals’ coach Kliff Kingsbury spending $4.5 million on a home in Phoenix after moving from Lubbock, Texas, where he coached Texas Tech: “For $4.5 million in Lubbock, you can buy Lubbock.”
- Buffalo reporter Kevin O’Neill, on Twitter: “Buffalo Sabres suspend 2020 campaign, endorse Tampa Bay Lightning.”
- Janice Hough again, on Twitter: “NY Jets defensive tackle Quinnen Williams tried to board a flight at LaGuardia Airport with a gun last night. Wow, the offseason has barely begun and already the Jets are in midseason form.”
- Comedy writer Jim Barach: “364-pound lineman Mekhi Becton ran a 5.10 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine. The secret was putting the dinner table right at the finish line.”
- Comedy writer Alex Kaseberg: “The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim fired their visitor clubhouse manager after he helped teams doctor the balls. So now they're the Los Angeles Angels of New England.”
- YouTube video teaser: “Not news: Change a tire. Still not news: Change four tires. Formula One: Stop the car, change four tires, and drive away.... in 1.82 seconds.”
- Dwight Perry again: “The NBA is suggesting players utilize fist-bumps instead of high-fives as one safety measure against the coronavirus. ‘What’s a high-five?’ asked the Cleveland Cavaliers.”
- One more from Perry: “Nik Wallenda of ‘The Flying Wallendas’ family fame became the first to complete a tightrope walk — 1,800 feet across and 1,800 feet off the ground — across the active lava lake of Nicaragua’s Masaya Volcano. And now for his next death-defying move: PR man for the Houston Astros.”
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