Pre-Game Talk: Draisaitl needs to do Dallas.

[TopShelfGloveSide]

He's actually playing well at times. But deserves to be said with less minutes and with careful usage of. Drop Brown into a 4th line situation where not much of anything is expected and he can exceed that. Put him in topsix and he gets wrecked, and also playing against stiffer opposition.

I'll note as well that all the uptick in Browns game came subsequent to Perry, Henrique, Carrick being options here and the very prospect of brown getting healthy scratched was much more likely.

Browns problem potentially is that he never carved out a position here for himself other than pk. Its not enough of a niche to consistently be in lineup. He will sit out games at times now.

Whatever one thinks of soldiers like Derek Ryan or Janmark that have done everything asked of them how do you sit those guys every night when they brought it all season in favor of Connor Brown who hasn't? All of Carrick, Ryan, Janmark pk as well and bring the same and more intangibles. Janmark has also been flying since the team added extra players. Guys are being pressured into better play.

So we should play Ryan over Brown even though he gets absolutely pumped every game because he was a good soldier?

Brown is playing light years better than him. People who are playing the best should be in the lineup. Simple as that.

 

[Drivesaitl]

So we should play Ryan over Brown even though he gets absolutely pumped every game because he was a good soldier?

Brown is playing light years better than him. People who are playing the best should be in the lineup. Simple as that.

You didn't argue this when Jack Campbell was playing better in playoffs than Skinner. You argued the opposite, just saying.

Not opposed to Ryan getting benched and he has been. "light years better" not really. The Notable Brown has just been last couple weeks. Before that nothing.

In anycase Ryan has mroe goals, points than the player your'e saying has been miles better. Really its a coin flip at best.

That said this is 37yr old Ryan we're talking about. Mostly I've been saying Old Ryan should be put out to pasture. Still moments where his hustle and ability to still make some plays surprises me. He's probably done.

 

[TopShelfGloveSide]

You didn't argue this when Jack Campbell was playing better in playoffs than Skinner. You argued the opposite, just saying.

Not opposed to Ryan getting benched and he has been. "light years better" not really. The Notable Brown has just been last couple weeks. Before that nothing.

In anycase Ryan has mroe goals, points than the player your'e saying has been miles better. Really its a coin flip at best.

That said this is 37yr old Ryan we're talking about. Mostly I've been saying Old Ryan should be put out to pasture. Still moments where his hustle and ability to still make some plays surprises me. He's probably done.

I said soup should get a start haha

I said currently playing way better than Ryan so your season total points thing is completely irrelevant. Like I said ice the player who is currently playing better. If you think their games recently have been even close or a flip of the coin I don’t know what to tell you.

I like Ryan but he’s been getting caved every game.

 

[FlameChampion]

Knoblauch is the polar opposite of both Tippett and Woodcroft.

The guy changes his lines like he changes his underwear.

Which is it’s own brand of frustration. I watched us demolish Anaheim and LA only for him to swap things before STL.

It’s weird.

I don’t know if hes polar opposite of Woodcoft or not. Maybe I am starting to forget what Woodcroft was like.

I am surprised of Knoblauch versus in the guy who came. He spoke about stability and empowerment. Not sure we are really seeing both. We are winning though.

I felt like last year we went into the playoffs and we didn’t know what the lines were. Feels like we are going down that route again.

To be fair to Knoblauch, he never got a training camp. So he might be trying to figure out things. Guess we will see. I do wonder how much upper management and players are impacting his decisions though.

 

[Louis Cypher]

Knoblauch is the polar opposite of both Tippett and Woodcroft.

The guy changes his lines like he changes his underwear.

Which is it’s own brand of frustration. I watched us demolish Anaheim and LA only for him to swap things before STL.

It’s weird.

I like what he is doing with the lines. Mix it up in the regular season so if injuries or dry spells happen there will be familiarity with each other.

 

[Drivesaitl]

I said soup should get a start haha

I said currently playing way better than Ryan so your season total points thing is completely irrelevant. Like I said ice the player who is currently playing better. If you think their games recently have been even close or a flip of the coin I don’t know what to tell you.

I like Ryan but he’s been getting caved every game.

Sorry, I thought you were among the many here saying Soup shouldn't get a start based on former play here.

Yeah, Brown is currently playing better. I don't know that Ryan is getting caved. He and Janmark tend to be low event players. But again Ryan is 37. My position to be clear is he shouldnt' even be here.

We don't disagree much on this.

 

[Stoneman89]

The only fortunate part of the mid-90s through to about 2010 is that we did get to see some pretty fun third and fourth lines but unfortunately we were always 3 players short for the first two lines. MGM Grand line was fun to watch. Dowd, Devereaux and Laraque on a 4th line where all three players had hat tricks in the same season. Even that fun run with with I believe Brodziak Stortini, and Glencross that almost got us into the playoffs in 2008 or 2009.

It's nice to finally see strength in the top 6 with actual NHLers in the bottom 6. Hopefully this newfound chemistry carries over and we get to witness a third and fourth line that can contribute 4-5 goals in a series would be monumental for this team.


For sure, I can't dispute it, just more of an age thing with the game totals piling up here he (and some others higher up the lineup) may benefit from a night off, much like Ekholm came back after a night off looking better than he ever has.

Boyd Devereaux. Wow, that's a name from the past, and another busted pick for the org. Drafted 6th overall in the 1996 draft and never scored in double figures once in his entire career, confined to 4th line duty. Got a cup in Detroit playing with a batch of future HOFers, so good for him. To be fair though, that '96 draft is arguably one of the worst ones in history. The best player by far is Zdeno Chara, and he didn't get selected until the 3rd round.

 

[5 14 6 1]

After last nights game of hockey, played on the worst ice surface imaginable with two of the worst refs imaginable, the Oilers need a rebound against one of the hottest teams in the league and a top Cup favourite.

Knobby still can’t seem to get settled with his middle 2 lines and it appears Ryan, Brown and Carrick are in a 3 man rotation to sit on the 4th line so we will see we what he comes up with tomorrow.

Stetcher instead of Ceci probably won’t happen against the big team that Dallas has, maybe Colorado Friday night. Pickard probably gets the Calgary game with Skinner starting vs Dallas tomorrow and Colorado Friday is my uneducated guess.

McDavid probably only gets one McPoint as Dallas is stingy as they come and we struggle in that rink. Two very tough teams coming up. Oilers will need to be at their very best these two games.

Dallas is not stingy as they come, they are below Edmontom in GA/G this year. (EDM is 8th best, Dallas is 11th)

 

[Stoneman89]

I think McDavid gets 3 points against the Stars. He just seems to elevate against the really good teams. Hopefully he gets some company in that regard.

 

[yukoner88]

Boyd Devereaux. Wow, that's a name from the past, and another busted pick for the org. Drafted 6th overall in the 1996 draft and never scored in double figures once in his entire career, confined to 4th line duty. Got a cup in Detroit playing with a batch of future HOFers, so good for him. To be fair though, that '96 draft is arguably one of the worst ones in history. The best player by far is Zdeno Chara, and he didn't get selected until the 3rd round.

Wasn't that the year the draft was held in Edmonton? And the crowd was chanting for Sather to pick Shane Down?

 

[tiger_80]

The Oilers will knob Dallas drai times.

I think McDavid gets 3 points against the Stars. He just seems to elevate against the really good teams. Hopefully he gets some company in that regard.

Seguin vs Perry.

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

Dallas is not stingy as they come, they are below Edmontom in GA/G this year. (EDM is 8th best, Dallas is 11th)

I’d be curious what it since the TDL?

 

[FlameChampion]

Dallas is not stingy as they come, they are below Edmontom in GA/G this year. (EDM is 8th best, Dallas is 11th)

They seem to fluctuate between being great or being ass. Really bi-polar team just looking at game scores

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

They seem to fluctuate between being great or being ass. Really bi-polar team just looking at game scores

I think their big TDL pickup Tanev is injured as well (Surpise surprise)

 

[yukoner88]

They seem to fluctuate between being great or being ass. Really bi-polar team just looking at game scores

Lol bi-polar ass

 

[Mr Kot]

 

[CROTT]

Wasn't that the year the draft was held in Edmonton? And the crowd was chanting for Sather to pick Shane Down?

Unfortunately that was the 1995 draft when the Oilers passed on Doan to draft real state agent superstar Steve Kelly. Atleast Devereaux was an okay depth option, Kelly busted.

 

[Ritchie Valens]

Unfortunately that was the 1995 draft when the Oilers passed on Doan to draft real state agent superstar Steve Kelly. Atleast Devereaux was an okay depth option, Kelly busted.

He’s selling houses now? Last I heard he was cop in Calgary.

 

[yukoner88]

Unfortunately that was the 1995 draft when the Oilers passed on Doan to draft real state agent superstar Steve Kelly. Atleast Devereaux was an okay depth option, Kelly busted.

Right right I remember now.

I was a bit of a Devereaux fan as a kid. I also remember him getting absolutely rocked (I think it was in a game against Dallas) at center ice. If I remember correctly (if my memory is wrong please tell me), he was KO'd from the hit and wasn't there some hesitancy by Oilers staff to clear him to play after?

Or am I mistaking that hit and it was delivered on someone else?

I'm gonna have to go watch some old Don't Cherry Rock em Sock em, cause I know for a fact the hit made the real one year.

 

[Louis Cypher]

Boyd Devereaux. Wow, that's a name from the past, and another busted pick for the org. Drafted 6th overall in the 1996 draft and never scored in double figures once in his entire career, confined to 4th line duty. Got a cup in Detroit playing with a batch of future HOFers, so good for him. To be fair though, that '96 draft is arguably one of the worst ones in history. The best player by far is Zdeno Chara, and he didn't get selected until the 3rd round.

The kid almost got killed with head shot by... can't remember. He was never the same after.

 

[Oilers in NS]

I think Kane scores tonight. Very important to get him going. I think we are gonna win Pacific as well. Vancouver sliding at right time. FEw months after I called it but it is happening. Soft team

 

[Oilers in NS]

checking out schedule
OIL vs DAL Apr 3 VAN vs ARZ Apr 3 VGS vs ARZ Apr 5
AVS vs OIL APR 5 VAN vs LA APR 6 VGS vs VAN APr 8
OIL vs CGY APR 6 VGS vs VAN APR 8 VGS vs OIL APR 10
VGS vs OIL APR 10 ARZ vs VAN APR 10 MIN vs VGS APR 12
ARZ vs OIL APR 12 VAN vs OIL APR 13 AVS vs VGS APR 14
VAN vs OIL APR 13 CAL vs VAN APR 16 CHI vs VGS APR 16
SJ vs OIL APR 15 VAN vs WIN APR 18 ANA vs VGS APR 18
OIL vs ARZ APR 17
OIL vs AVS APR 18

WTF did we do to deserve this schedule at this time of year? TWO B2B games. Second games are against very strong opponents and one of the games is against the Canucks possibly for a division title
Oilers definitely have the tougher schedule. Need to make up 6 points to take outright lead. Vegas has the easiest schedule outta the 3 teams with 4 straight home games to finish the schedule. After that, their "injured" players will all be playing. They have Rattlesnake Preachers in Vegas healing the players each year

 

[Fourier]

Unfortunately that was the 1995 draft when the Oilers passed on Doan to draft real state agent superstar Steve Kelly. Atleast Devereaux was an okay depth option, Kelly busted.

Devereaux was a local hero. People out here were crushed when he was picked by the Oilers. That was such a weak draft in retrospect, at least as far as round 1 was concerned.

 

[TB12]

Some very NSFW game-day tunes, Dicked Down in Dallas (hope it's not how we all feel about the reffing tonight):

 

[CycloneSweep]

I’d be curious what it since the TDL?

Dallas is 3rd, Edmonton 9th