2017-18 Around the League | Congratulations Washington Capitals!

[CantHaveTkachev]

Vancouver's season is done...no Boeser and Horvat
yikes

Flamers continue to be super healthy yet can't find a wild card spot yet

 

[Drivesaitl]

Hawks just destroyed the Wild today. Kind of confirming my thought yesterday that the Wild are playing some stinky hockey that won't beat any team. We must have met them just on the cusp of a nosedive.

 

[CupofOil]

Hawks just destroyed the Wild today. Kind of confirming my thought yesterday that the Wild are playing some stinky hockey that won't beat any team. We must have met them just on the cusp of a nosedive.

The Wild won 6 of 7 before Edmonton beat them. That "stinky hockey" beat a lot of teams recently.

 

[Tobias Kahun]

Hawks just destroyed the Wild today. Kind of confirming my thought yesterday that the Wild are playing some stinky hockey that won't beat any team. We must have met them just on the cusp of a nosedive.

Do you ever think that when the oilers win its cause they played well? or just that the other team played bad?

 

[Drivesaitl]

The Wild won 6 of 7 before Edmonton beat them. That "stinky hockey" beat a lot of teams recently.

I'm well aware of their record. I have no idea how they have been beating anybody the way they played us.

I discern a good opponent performance from a bad one. The game the Wild played against us beats few teams. I didn't watch any of their prior games. The Wild assisted on 2/3 of our goals. For a team that needs to play smart hockey to win that ain't too smart.

If the Wild played us like that in a 7 game series we would win 4 straight.

The Wild won't even make the playoffs this season. Pretty boring lineup. Not sure what they're trying to build in Minnesota, that club is going nowhere. The better Wild players are geriatric and only getting older, and worse. That club is going to be the next Coyotes.

I think from patterned losing only Oiler fans would think the Minnesota Wild are any good.

 

[Drivesaitl]

Do you ever think that when the oilers win its cause they played well? or just that the other team played bad?

It was a not well contested afternoon game. Afternoon games are often played subpar, by most teams involved in them. For some reason it seems players have difficulty adjusting to playing games in that time frame. Afternoon games are almost always forgettable affairs. A team with a passing effort can win.

 

[NeverForget06]

Looking at the west... who do you guys see as the contenders... the legitimate threats?

For me, its the Blues, Preds, Jets and Kings. After that I think we can handle anybody.

Vegas and the Hawks are the other two that I would think could be in the mix.

If we are on our game...... which we haven't been nearly enough this year.... I still believe that we could/should be among that group.

 

[Drivesaitl]

Looking at the west... who do you guys see as the contenders... the legitimate threats?

For me, its the Blues, Preds, Jets and Kings. After that I think we can handle anybody.

Vegas and the Hawks are the other two that I would think could be in the mix.

If we are on our game...... which we haven't been nearly enough this year.... I still believe that we could/should be among that group.

The Sharks could be in that mix as well. I think the Hawks aren't anymore and that Vegas will fizzle at some point one would think. But sometimes teams just go on a tear for a whole season. Knights make the playoffs for sure imo, just not sure how they place.

As I said in the previous post the Wild are slowly dying. Age being the cause. That team is really old from a hockey standpoint. They have a full dozen starters in that lineup that were born in the 80's or before. All their go to players are old.

Its a weird season, or back to a normal season depending on perspective. Last season there were only two good teams in West other than the Oilers, and that being the Preds and Blues. It was kind of a weak year for the WC. But the 4 teams you mention all seem improved and playing better.

 

[BoldNewLettuce]

leafnet hockey central blathering on about how the leafs have been coached into a boring dump and chase team

 

[CupofOil]

I'm well aware of their record. I have no idea how they have been beating anybody the way they played us.

I discern a good opponent performance from a bad one. The game the Wild played against us beats few teams. I didn't watch any of their prior games. The Wild assisted on 2/3 of our goals. For a team that needs to play smart hockey to win that ain't too smart.

If the Wild played us like that in a 7 game series we would win 4 straight.

The Wild won't even make the playoffs this season. Pretty boring lineup. Not sure what they're trying to build in Minnesota, that club is going nowhere. The better Wild players are geriatric and only getting older, and worse. That club is going to be the next Coyotes.

I think from patterned losing only Oiler fans would think the Minnesota Wild are any good.

Unless you watched all 7 of those games prior to the game they played the Oilers, how can you know that they played stinky hockey during those 6 wins?

When the Oilers play at the top of their game, they could beat just about any team in the league. I don't think the Wild laid down for the Oilers, the Oilers outplayed them the majority of that game, dictated the pace. Maybe they stunk because the Oilers made them stink.

This is why the start to the season was so frustrating because I really feel that the Oilers are better than a lot of these bubble playoff teams and should be in contention with the top teams in the division. Unfortunately, that poor start is going to wind up being the death of their season, just too big of a hole to climb out of.

 

[oXo Cube]

Hawks just destroyed the Wild today. Kind of confirming my thought yesterday that the Wild are playing some stinky hockey that won't beat any team. We must have met them just on the cusp of a nosedive.

I fail to see why this is our problem.

Other teams don't apologize for beating the Oilers when they take a game off.

 

[Drivesaitl]

I fail to see why this is our problem.

Other teams don't apologize for beating the Oilers when they take a game off.

Because the Oilers still are not imposing their will on other teams, they are not taking control of games, they are not guaranteeing many results. This was a very unconvincing W and the Wild as you recall did everything but tie it up late and with McD making a game saving defensive play.

It matters because each game can't be viewed in a microcosm. The Oilers barely eked out a W that they had to have against a team playing poorly.

I have a hard time not paying attention to stuff like that because its also indicative of where the team is at. Damn straight we need to be better against the Blues, Jets, Kings coming up. Even against the Sharks tonight.

So win or lose I always try to get a pulse on how the team is playing. We are giving up less, but we're not creating a lot of chances out there. You can still see why the team is getting shutout occasionally.

 

[CantHaveTkachev]

Because the Oilers still are not imposing their will on other teams, they are not taking control of games, they are not guaranteeing many results. This was a very unconvincing W and the Wild as you recall did everything but tie it up late and with McD making a game saving defensive play.

It matters because each game can't be viewed in a microcosm. The Oilers barely eked out a W that they had to have against a team playing poorly.

I have a hard time not paying attention to stuff like that because its also indicative of where the team is at. Damn straight we need to be better against the Blues, Jets, Kings coming up. Even against the Sharks tonight.

So win or lose I always try to get a pulse on how the team is playing. We are giving up less, but we're not creating a lot of chances out there. You can still see why the team is getting shutout occasionally.

the Wild won 4 in a row before losing to the Oilers

 

[Drivesaitl]

Unless you watched all 7 of those games prior to the game they played the Oilers, how can you know that they played stinky hockey during those 6 wins?

When the Oilers play at the top of their game, they could beat just about any team in the league. I don't think the Wild laid down for the Oilers, the Oilers outplayed them the majority of that game, dictated the pace. Maybe they stunk because the Oilers made them stink.

This is why the start to the season was so frustrating because I really feel that the Oilers are better than a lot of these bubble playoff teams and should be in contention with the top teams in the division. Unfortunately, that poor start is going to wind up being the death of their season, just too big of a hole to climb out of.

Not sure how it isn't clear. The Wild gave the Oilers 2 of their goals. 1 on the pk. Anytime a team does that in a low scoring game they are off their game. Wild looked slow, didn't generate shit, and CLEARLY were not focused or ready to start this game. The biggest challenge for Talbot in the game was wondering when he would get his first action as it took so long. Wild got 2 shots in first period. The wild looked drunk or hungover on their first PP. It was obvious the Wild started this game poorly.

If you think that was the Oilers dictating terms, fine, I don't agree. The Wild bounced back a bit, evened up the shot clock after an uneven first period and were probably the slightly better club the rest of the way.

Further, the way the Wild played against the Hawks is indicative of the slide they took against the Oilers. The Hawks aren't that good this year and just tore the wild apart. Every team in the NHL trends, has patterns of playing well, or not well for periods. Wild look like they are on a slide.

I never said the wild played stinky in the prior games. I said I don't know how they were winning games the way they played us. The last Wild game I had watched was when the Kings walked all over them 5-2 on December 5. The wild, to me, just aren't any good. Really veering off to old vet team and just prior to a crash and burn like what happened in Arizona. I feel sorry for Wild fans as the collapse of that team is inevitable this season or next.

in the present day speed based NHL the only reason a team should be as old as the Wild is if you think the veteran leadership will result in a winning or contending club. Wild are not and will sink back out of playoff contention just like they were say 10 games ago.

 

[Drivesaitl]

the Wild won 4 in a row before losing to the Oilers

What bearing does the play in those games have of how they played us or are playing now? The wild have lost 2 in a row THIS WEEKEND and played badly in both games. just saying.

 

[CupofOil]

Not sure how it isn't clear. The Wild gave the Oilers 2 of their goals. 1 on the pk. Anytime a team does that in a low scoring game they are off their game. Wild looked slow, didn't generate ****, and CLEARLY were not focused or ready to start this game. The biggest challenge for Talbot in the game was wondering when he would get his first action as it took so long. Wild got 2 shots in first period. The wild looked drunk or hungover on their first PP. It was obvious the Wild started this game poorly.

If you think that was the Oilers dictating terms, fine, I don't agree. The Wild bounced back a bit, evened up the shot clock after an uneven first period and were probably the slightly better club the rest of the way.

Further, the way the Wild played against the Hawks is indicative of the slide they took against the Oilers. The Hawks aren't that good this year and just tore the wild apart. Every team in the NHL trends, has patterns of playing well, or not well for periods. Wild look like they are on a slide.

I never said the wild played stinky in the prior games. I said I don't know how they were winning games the way they played us. The last Wild game I had watched was when the Kings walked all over them 5-2 on December 5. The wild, to me, just aren't any good. Really veering off to old vet team and just prior to a crash and burn like what happened in Arizona. I feel sorry for Wild fans as the collapse of that team is inevitable this season or next.

What I'm saying is that maybe the Oilers are the reason why the Wild played poorly. The Wild have been one of the hottest home teams in the league and the Oilers beat them in a game where they were the better team for the most part. Don't know why the win needs to be nitpicked so much. The Oilers are playing their best hockey of the year over the last 10 games or so and that continued in this game.

Just because you don't like the Wild, that doesn't discredit the victory. The Oilers played a solid game and deserved the W in a very tough arena. I've seen wins this season (like the Coyotes victory at home for example) which the Oilers didn't really deserve to win, this wasn't one of those times IMO but fair enough if you think otherwise. After all, this place would be pretty boring if we all agreed.

 

[joestevens29]

leafnet hockey central blathering on about how the leafs have been coached into a boring dump and chase team

Has that been all year or just since Matthews went down?

 

[oXo Cube]

Because the Oilers still are not imposing their will on other teams, they are not taking control of games, they are not guaranteeing many results. This was a very unconvincing W and the Wild as you recall did everything but tie it up late and with McD making a game saving defensive play.

It matters because each game can't be viewed in a microcosm. The Oilers barely eked out a W that they had to have against a team playing poorly.

I have a hard time not paying attention to stuff like that because its also indicative of where the team is at. Damn straight we need to be better against the Blues, Jets, Kings coming up. Even against the Sharks tonight.

So win or lose I always try to get a pulse on how the team is playing. We are giving up less, but we're not creating a lot of chances out there. You can still see why the team is getting shutout occasionally.

I mean, fair enough but this post strikes me as somewhat hypocritical given your position on our recent loss against the Leafs.

The Oilers played great in that game and you didn't care because they lost.

 

[BoldNewLettuce]

Has that been all year or just since Matthews went down?

just the last few games

 

[Drivesaitl]

I mean, fair enough but this post strikes me as somewhat hypocritical given your position on our recent loss against the Leafs.

The Oilers played great in that game and you didn't care because they lost.

But its the same thing. The Oilers didn't ensure a result in either game. The Win or loss is not really flip sides of the coin. Its hockey bouncing the way it does if neither team really grabs the result. Its the Oilers playing a good enough game to maybe get results. Which given the Oilers position in the standings is not good enough. The Oilers need to be better than other teams the rest of the way, due to the position they are in. Playing well enough to win one, lose one, is clearly not good enough. I think you know what I'm saying.

ps I'm a purist. I have a higher expectation of teams. Getting scored on in the first shift of a game doesn't meet my criteria of a "great game", nor does padding a ton of easy shots meet it while trailing the game the entire way. Getting shutout is rarely a case of playing a great game. Much of the game could be considered a result of score effects. We faced a back up goalie and got shut out and lost. Is that really a great game?

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

What I'm saying is that maybe the Oilers are the reason why the Wild played poorly. The Wild have been one of the hottest home teams in the league and the Oilers beat them in a game where they were the better team for the most part. Don't know why the win needs to be nitpicked so much. The Oilers are playing their best hockey of the year over the last 10 games or so and that continued in this game.

Just because you don't like the Wild, that doesn't discredit the victory. The Oilers played a solid game and deserved the W in a very tough arena. I've seen wins this season (like the Coyotes victory at home for example) which the Oilers didn't really deserve to win, this wasn't one of those times IMO but fair enough if you think otherwise. After all, this place would be pretty boring if we all agreed.

Honestly the Oilers played well for the first part of the game and then just kinda settled in afterwards. The Wild aren't much of a threat offensively.

 

[CupofOil]

Honestly the Oilers played well for the first part of the game and then just kinda settled in afterwards. The Wild aren't much of a threat offensively.

They were playing with the lead most of the game, almost any decent team at home is going to make a push at some point when they are down. I don't see why the Wild making a push in the 3rd discredits the Oilers victory.
They were undefeated in 8 at home before the Oilers beat them. The Oilers deserve credit, bottom line.

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

They were playing with the lead most of the game, almost any decent team at home is going to make a push at some point when they are down. I don't see why the Wild making a push in the 3rd discredits the Oilers victory.
They were undefeated in 8 at home before the Oilers beat them. The Oilers deserve credit, bottom line.

It doesn't, I just don't see the Wild as a potent opponent. You have to beat the mediocre teams and credit to the Oilers for doing that, but let's not act like they beat the Preds or Kings.

 

[oobga]

leafnet hockey central blathering on about how the leafs have been coached into a boring dump and chase team

I do enjoy how Babcock loves guys like Polak, Komarov and Martin. Must drive their analytics crowd fans nuts.

 

[Drivesaitl]

They were playing with the lead most of the game, almost any decent team at home is going to make a push at some point when they are down. I don't see why the Wild making a push in the 3rd discredits the Oilers victory.
They were undefeated in 8 at home before the Oilers beat them. The Oilers deserve credit, bottom line.

The Oilers "Deserve" credit for being a 14th place team barely surviving a result against a club that played a poor game?

Well, that position is supposition and opinion. This org doesn't deserve a lot other than criticism generally speaking. Even a gift McD draft pick and a gift Talbot hasn't altered the path entirely.

Why is it important to others what one feels about any particular result or what this means to the teams fortunes. Is it that we deep in our hearts know this season is done that we need to hang on so dearly to the most tenuous W results to somehow think the team has "turned the corner" which we've been hearing for over a month?

Not even Connor McDavid feels that this team has really turned any corner. In his words; We might play well in a couple of games and then we come home and lay an egg"