Player Discussion Connor McDavid Part VI: Hart, Ross and Lindsay Winner

[Laineux]

The fact that there is more priority given to get Lucic scoring than anything else will cost McD the Art. He's 6 points back now, and Kuch has a game in hand.

McDavid has a game in hand actually. Oilers have 15 games and Tampa 14.

 

[Bryanbryoil]

McDavid has a game in hand actually. Oilers have 15 games and Tampa 14.

Not according to NHL.com

EDIT-You're right, he's missed 2 games for Tampa so they have 14 games left and we have 15.

 

[Cloned]

Kucherov isn't the problem. He's been slowing down as of late. Malkin has been absolute fire over the last 30 games. He's put up legitimate 2 PPG numbers over that stretch. He's going to overtake Kucherov IMO and win the Art Ross.

 

[Jimmi McJenkins]

Plus he has 2 games against the Flames just this month, and we're well aware they have no answer for him.

 

[Jeff Lebowski]

16 goals in his last 18 game played.

Has he really figured out how to score in the NHL?

50 next year?

If we had a good coach, he probably could have got to 50 this season. How this team can have such a bad power play is beyond me. With a good coach, we'd be in the playoffs.

 

[GMofOilers]

If we had a good coach, he probably could have got to 50 this season. How this team can have such a bad power play is beyond me. With a good coach, we'd be in the playoffs.

Scoring hasnt been the problem this year. Goaltending has been.

Islanders have the most 50 point players in the league, and goaltending like ours.

 

[Jimmi McJenkins]

If we had a good coach, he probably could have got to 50 this season. How this team can have such a bad power play is beyond me. With a good coach, we'd be in the playoffs.

Do you mean the coach who's playing the 3rd most in the entire league for forwards and every 2nd shift in the last 15 minutes of last game? I think he's figures out to use McDavid just fine.

 

[Little Fury]

Scoring hasnt been the problem this year. Goaltending has been.

Eighth worst GF in the league.

 

[CantHaveTkachev]

Eighth worst GF in the league.

12th in the league in 5 on 5 goals

31st in the league in PP goals

fire the PP coach

 

[GMofOilers]

Eighth worst GF in the league.

29th in GAA

Talbot the worst save % in the league.

Islanders 8th in GF, worst GA in the league, and Halak just a hair better then Talbot.

Doesnt matter how many Goals you get with goaltending like that.

 

[Little Fury]

29th in GAA

Talbot the worst save % in the league.

Islanders 8th in GF, worst GA in the league, and Halak just a hair better then Talbot.

Doesnt matter how many Goals you get with goaltending like that.

No it doesn't. But if you gave both team's league average goaltending, who'd be home and dry in the playoffs and who would still be on the bubble?

 

[GMofOilers]

No it doesn't. But if you gave both team's league average goaltending, who'd be home and dry in the playoffs and who would still be on the bubble?

If we had average goaltending, and with the amount of OT games that would give us, and how good we are there, we would be better then bubble. IMO.

Islanders would be in the playoffs also.

Was kinda my original point of my post in this thread.

 

[BlackDogg]

I am trying to find the % of goals hes been involved in so far this year, it was an amazingly high 43% a few games ago I believe.

 

[McShogun99]

If Talbot was playing at a .920 SP pace for the entire year ( 0.14 better) , our PP was 5% better and our PK was 7% better we'd be challenging for top 3 in the Pacific. That's how small the margin for error is. 5 more wins and 5 more OT losses and we'd be challenging for 2nd. How many 1 goal games did we lose because we couldn't get that PP goal or tie the game with the extra skater on or Talbot had a bad first period? Anyone saying we have to blow it up is just asking for an endless rebuild. The biggest change for next season should be the coaching staff, other then that just some small tweaks will bring us back into the playoffs.

As for Mcdavid, if we had a league average PP he would be the leagues leading scorer right now by 6 to 10 points. Right now the team is playing for nothing so just stack the first line, RNH-Mcdavid-Draisaitl and play them 24 minutes a game. For the other 3 lines just use Strome, Khaira and call up a center from the AHL for the 4th line.

 

[Soul8]

Do you mean the coach who's playing the 3rd most in the entire league for forwards and every 2nd shift in the last 15 minutes of last game? I think he's figures out to use McDavid just fine.

He only has to do that because he doesn't know how to use any other players at their strengths. He talks about the oilers players deferring to McD too much, he does this as well. Him using McD this way is smart, bit it is also necessary due to his lack of ability to coach effectively throughout the rest of the lineup it seems.

 

[Jimmi McJenkins]

He only has to do that because he doesn't know how to use any other players at their strengths. He talks about the oilers players deferring to McD too much, he does this as well. Him using McD this way is smart, bit it is also necessary due to his lack of ability to coach effectively throughout the rest of the lineup it seems.

totally, I often find the best coaches are the ones who don't use their best players the most because of coaching. That is definitely a thing.

 

[Faelko]

Crazy to think that McDavid has no “Player of the Week” awards this year.

 

[oobga]

totally, I often find the best coaches are the ones who don't use their best players the most because of coaching. That is definitely a thing.

No joke, the Leafs actually do this They are really into analytics for fitness tracking and recovery and intentionally play a guy like Matthews less so he is able to keep energy up all year and into the playoffs.

 

[bone]

No joke, the Leafs actually do this They are really into analytics for fitness tracking and recovery and intentionally play a guy like Matthews less so he is able to keep energy up all year and into the playoffs.

[sarcasm] Sounds like Eakins-esque malarkey. Granted even he played RNH 25 minutes first game back from a major injury. [/sarcasm]

There may be something to this line of thinking, but watching McDavid lately it seems like the more he plays the more he amps up, so I don't think usual assumptions apply to him. He's a freak.

 

[Jimmi McJenkins]

No joke, the Leafs actually do this They are really into analytics for fitness tracking and recovery and intentionally play a guy like Matthews less so he is able to keep energy up all year and into the playoffs.

lol oh yeah, and he's been perfectly healthy all year as a result.

 

[Aerrol]

I have to say, McDavid's shot has really improved this season. He talked about it being an area of focus for him in the offseason, and I didn't really notice it earlier in the year, but man, the last few games he's really fired some beautiful shots. For instance, look at this goal from the top of the circle in the last game against the Wild:



He didn't have the power or the accuracy to score from that spot last year.

Now he just needs to work on that one-timer like Crosby has, and improve his faceoffs. Closer and closer to the complete package offensively, and he's already incredible. It's such a treat to watch him develop over time.

 

[Delicious Pancakes]

If we had a good coach, he probably could have got to 50 this season. How this team can have such a bad power play is beyond me. With a good coach, we'd be in the playoffs.

He's got 18 goals in the last 19 games. He needs 17 goals in the last 14 games to hit 50. I wouldn't put it out of the realm of possibility that he could still hit 50 this year. He's certainly got the drive and the confidence seems to be there too right now.

 

[Aerrol]

He's got 18 goals in the last 19 games. He needs 17 goals in the last 14 games to hit 50. I wouldn't put it out of the realm of possibility that he could still hit 50 this year. He's certainly got the drive and the confidence seems to be there too right now.

I... Don't think that's very likely at all lol. IIRC the last player to score at a goal per game pace that long was Ovie a few years back. If McDavid broke 50 he'd suddenly be one of, if not the best, goal scorers in the league. I think he's improved a ton at scoring this year, but he's not there yet.

 

[oobga]

lol oh yeah, and he's been perfectly healthy all year as a result.

Yeah, not sure if it is paying off so well But I have read multiple stories about the leafs touting their new analytics based training/recovery stuff. And when Matthews is playing, his minutes are pretty constrained, so they are trying to do something there. Who knows if it can actually pay off though. He is a pretty big boy, I do wonder if playing him more would hurt his performance. I actually bet it would.

 

[Laineux]

I... Don't think that's very likely at all lol. IIRC the last player to score at a goal per game pace that long was Ovie a few years back. If McDavid broke 50 he'd suddenly be one of, if not the best, goal scorers in the league. I think he's improved a ton at scoring this year, but he's not there yet.

Laine with 15 goals in his last 11.