Post-Game Talk: Gary your krakken is showing

[Spawn]

Really is mindboggling. Quite fun to go back and read our threads from back then.

It’s even crazier than that. Oilers were 20 points back of Vegas on December 20th.

As much of it being the Oilers playing well it’s also Vegas really struggling. They were the best team in the league on December 20th.

They’ve been the 7th worst team in the league since.

 

[mkatcherin00]

Skinner stole one. Credit where credit is due.

Didn’t think Oilers would get up for this one. And they didn’t really.

Take the 2 points. But this team sleepwalks too much for my liking.

They really do and it gets very frustrating, but deep down, I know these guys can give it 100% from the get go when the playoffs come. I believe they are getting over the hump after losing so many times in the dance. I don't think they will look like this when the games mean everything TBH

Doesn't mean I won't freak out on them every game lol

 

[mkatcherin00]

It’s even crazier than that. Oilers were 20 points back of Vegas on December 20th.

As much of it being the Oilers playing well it’s also Vegas really struggling. They were the best team in the league on December 20th.

They’ve been the 7th worst team in the league since.

from that Shannon tweet comments

Imagine if Vegas was where Edmonton was in powerplay differential in the league ? How fitting is it that Vegas is #1 in the whole League but Edmonton (who posses the puck as much as any other team) is 30th in powerplay differential

 

[alanschu]

Interesting that this is the first game since the ALL Star break that the Oilers have had the lead going into the 3rd period.
Here's hoping there's more of that.

Wasn't it something like first game without giving up first goal in the first period too?

Was nice to score the first goal for sure!

 

[KarmaPolice]

Feels great to be in 2nd place in the Pacific. Hopefully we can stay there or perhaps even catch up to Vancouver. Skinner was fantastic, and that's 3 straight strong games from him, rocking a 0.949 SV% and 3-0-0 record in that span. Hope he can keep it going.

 

[McAsuno]

from that Shannon tweet comments

Imagine if Vegas was where Edmonton was in powerplay differential in the league ? How fitting is it that Vegas is #1 in the whole League but Edmonton (who posses the puck as much as any other team) is 30th in powerplay differential

Bottom 3 for PP call differentials

Top 5 for PP calls differentials

Makes total sense.

 

[KCC]

Team has been an absolute disaster in their own zone which starting showing just before the all star break. They are lazy, passive and can’t clear a puck to save their lives. It’s turnover after turnover. I swear it feels like it is happening every single shift. Any forecheck pressure and they are crumbling badly. And opposing team’s are fully aware of it.

 

[Louis Cypher]

Bottom 3 for PP call differentials

Top 5 for PP calls differentials

Makes total sense.

We take a lot of stupid penalties. But yeah optics look really bad.

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

You realize he plays for a contender right? He should have a top 5 winning percentage.

Campbell had the best winning percentage in the league last year.

Man he just can't win with some people.

 

[rboomercat90]

Team has been an absolute disaster in their own zone which starting showing just before the all star break. They are lazy, passive and can’t clear a puck to save their lives. It’s turnover after turnover. I swear it feels like it is happening every single shift. Any forecheck pressure and they are crumbling badly. And opposing team’s are fully aware of it.

Doesn’t seem to matter which line it is either. They’re all playing this way now.

 

[guymez]

Wasn't it something like first game without giving up first goal in the first period too?

Was nice to score the first goal for sure!

That sounds about right.

 

[KCC]

Doesn’t seem to matter which line it is either. They’re all playing this way now.

As soon as the other team gets the puck it’s like they go into pk mode. Players set up in a distinct formation and defend. They just need to work harder in their own zone. It is really what it boils down to. And this team seems to only ever wait until the third period to do that. Lol

 

[Stoneman89]

You realize he plays for a contender right? He should have a top 5 winning percentage.

Campbell had the best winning percentage in the league last year.

You realize he plays for a contender right? He should have a top 5 winning percentage.

Campbell had the best winning percentage in the league last year.

A contender that started out 2-9 and has had defensive issues in forever before this year. He's right up there with the rest of them, ahead of other contenders Shesterkin and Ottinger. To me, that's encouraging for a guy in his second year, that wasn't even supposed to be our starter, but for 2 straight years has been told he needs to be the lifeline to get us to the playoffs. Hopefully this year for the rest of this year and in the playoffs, the lessons learned from his first year will play off.

 

[PULSATING]

Crazy that two of the biggest whipping boys on this forum are a 100pt scorer and our sophomore starter.

You dont know what you got till its gone i guess.

Louie is so nauseating, siding with the opposition team on every penalty/review. It was hard to watch this one because of his nonsense.

I think he tries to balance out Jack cause Jack is a little… well… intense.

 

[Drivesaitl]

It's 100% a penalty lol, people trying to act dramatic about it is hilarious.

That's just a dumb play.

I don't know what our players are thinking sometimes, why in the world would you do that for no reason.

You can just grab a player like that, maybe you can get away with it if its in the middle of a scrum or something and no one's watching, but dude literally just skated up to the Seattle player with the puck who everyone in the building is looking and dragged him down, lol.

Like what the f*** is going on upstairs. We didn't need an empty net goal that bad.

Sure you can get away with this and laugh it off against a Seattle, you do that against a Colorado or Vegas and you could be in deep, deep shit.

But the game IS against Seattle. Really if Seattle gets one point in this game and the Oilers win in extra time it arguably services making the logjam of WC teams fighting and gnashing against each other harder. With the Oilers as beneficiary playing a WC, and it is looking like the Oilers will finish first.

For decades top clubs would lose to our opposition in our fight for a WC spot or playoff spot when we were a non stellar club.

I like how every play made is reason to lambast a player. Nor is Drai "greedy" as one poster said. In the same game DRai actually handed Kulak a goal saying it was his goal, despite Drai touching the puck. He doesn't need the goal, doesnt' care about stats, as long as its an Oilers goal.

What happened on the play is what happens in a lot of hockey plays. you get locked in on pursuit and you don't give up on the play. This happens around the league and to many players. If anything it exhibits the competitive nature of players. From our coaches its easy to say well just let that play go Drai. Let the player walk it up ice. But we're not the ones engaged emotionally in the game making plays.

But I realize people (not you) want to see it as some kind of fault.

As soon as the other team gets the puck it’s like they go into pk mode. Players set up in a distinct formation and defend. They just need to work harder in their own zone. It is really what it boils down to. And this team seems to only ever wait until the third period to do that. Lol

With all due respect we just saw the Bruins, one of the top teams in the league for pts play two periods of games in a row in ownzone jsut treating it like an opponent PP. Several times in the road trip the Bruins got caught in ownzone for 3minute contiguous stretches. This rarely happens to the Oilers. We're one of the best defending teams in the league right now, even when we play sloppy. watch other clubs throw hand grenades around in their own zone coughing up pucks. The Oilers are playing relatively clean hockey. Not giving up a ton. This has been the case almost continuously since KK and Coffey arrived.

Its a distortion that the Oilers are passive in own zone. WE have several players that are specialists in TKA. We don't let opponents setup office easily in our zone.

 

[Stoneman89]

Does Draisaitl not deserve to be defended?

We're talking about a guy pacing for his 6th 100 point season while making 8 million bucks. The following players have this many 100 point seasons - Crosby has 6, Malkin 3, MacKinnon has 1, Matthews has 1...

He's basically second to McDavid in scoring across McDavid's career.


Meanwhile, he's having an off season this far, but he's improved his defensive metrics substantially. He's improved his margin of scoring chances by substantial amounts by decreasing the amount of chances against significantly while maintaining the number of chances he does get at an exceptional level.


View attachment 828548

Data pulled from; Leon Draisaitl - Summary - Natural Stat Trick

Does that look like a player that's been "lazy defensively" or "not committed to winning" or whatever the latest anti Draisaitl narrative is?

Basically the only reason his season hasn't been his best ever from an analytical perspective is his teams high danger save percentage is atrocious and he's been relatively snake bitten. He's generating just as many chances as ever while allowing less.

He's also a 3rd overall pick, playing with the best player in the world on the PP and most times in his career paired with him. Ask Patrick Maroon how that worked for 1/2 a year, or Zach Hyman after coming out of Toronto. Not everyone can do it (see Puljujarvi) but it sure helps.
He's been tremendous throughout his career, but when he's off it really looks bad because he stops skating and tries to rely on his passing and instincts, and many times that doesn't work so well. I think the series against the Kings a couple years ago, where he played on one leg, maybe worked against him a bit, in that he probably thought going forward, maybe I don't have to skate as much to get things done. We've seen when that happens, he is a much easier target to hit as well as check or strip the puck from. And for a guy that piles up the points like he does, his plus/minus hasn't really stood out in a good way, 128 points last year and only a plus 7 on a team that was plus 65. And a plus 44 total in his entire career. I realize plus/minus not the end all, but it certainly helps show there is plenty of room for improvement.
Once again, just some constructive criticism on my part. When he plays well, I enjoy showering him with praise, as he so justly deserves, and that happens a lot. And I'm not alone, lots of other posters react the same way, probably most of them. Unfortunately, there are also 2 other types on here. Ones that have an personal dislike of the player for whatever reason (and we've seen that with Skinner as well), that will trash anything and everything he does, no matter what. And also a poster who blames everyone and everything else for the few times when Leon struggles, and it helps to throw gas on the situation, infuriating the haters and deflating the status of the arguments for the player.

Once again, I think he's a great player and we are really lucky to have him, and hope we can sign him next year to an extension.

 

[Drivesaitl]

Louie is so nauseating, siding with the opposition team on every penalty/review. It was hard to watch this one because of his nonsense.

Same view I had. The whole time I'm thinking why am I listening to this guys analysis that has scrambled eggs in his head from eating too many punches in hockey fights. Sp we get crazed Jack that seems like he's high, and louie making random comments on stuff that falls out of his brain.

Other broadcasts can actually be informational. Delve deeper in the game, give us more insight. Not these guys who are another sign of clown planet.

 

[brentashton]

Crazy that two of the biggest whipping boys on this forum are a 100pt scorer and our sophomore starter.

You dont know what you got till its gone i guess.

yup. We should put the discussion out in the parking lot.

 

[Drivesaitl]

I think Skinner is settling down into games. Not sure statistically if this checks out but seems like his first periods are hardest. Might indicate that his pregame prep could be better but he's generally getting tougher to beat as games going on and making stops. Seems like he even made a pokecheck in third period. I feel the Oilers are containing well enough for him and getting to clear rebounds. Been areas of work for both Skinner and the D communicating and being more clear on what each other is doing. So some positve comments, again, on Skinner and I have commended him on several games recently. One other area of work though is Skinner to be more aware of incoming when he's handling puck and not getting caught by opposition when he's behind net with puck. That is dangerous.

 

[guymez]

Leon was great, still a dumb penalty. Both things are true.

Exactly.
Your post essentially underscores the issue. There is a contingent on here that treat Draisaitl like he is a sacred cow. A player immune from any criticism what so ever just because he is a star player.
Such utter (or should I say...Udder ) nonsense.

 

[Stoneman89]

Yup...100%.
Its funny because as I saw Drai agressivley pursuing the Karken player from behind my first thought was...be careful. Then the refs hand went up.
Drai (especially being a leader)has to have better game awareness in a situation like that.

Absolutely, it's called game management and being aware of the time in the game, your positioning, the score and the refs tendencies to lean on the side of penalizing us (whether true or imagined). Unless you have a clear breakaway or a guy throws his stick, you're rarely going to get a call from the refs as a defending team.

I think Skinner is settling down into games. Not sure statistically if this checks out but seems like his first periods are hardest. Might indicate that his pregame prep could be better but he's generally getting tougher to beat as games going on and making stops. Seems like he even made a pokecheck in third period. I feel the Oilers are containing well enough for him and getting to clear rebounds. Been areas of work for both Skinner and the D communicating and being more clear on what each other is doing. So some positve comments, again, on Skinner and I have commended him on several games recently. One other area of work though is Skinner to be more aware of incoming when he's handling puck and not getting caught by opposition when he's behind net with puck. That is dangerous.

Good and reasoned comments on the player, finally, but it comes in a situation where he's playing well and the team is playing well, and not a whole lot to bitch about. At least for now, you're not insisting that Skinner "demands' that he play and the team accommodates him, or that he's trying to "be like Grant Fuhr" by wearing the same colour pads Fuhr wore during the Heritage game, or tossing his hair back to try to be like Mike Smith.

 

[belair]

It's 100% a penalty lol, people trying to act dramatic about it is hilarious.

That's just a dumb play.

I don't know what our players are thinking sometimes, why in the world would you do that for no reason.

You can just grab a player like that, maybe you can get away with it if its in the middle of a scrum or something and no one's watching, but dude literally just skated up to the Seattle player with the puck who everyone in the building is looking and dragged him down, lol.

Like what the f*** is going on upstairs. We didn't need an empty net goal that bad.

Sure you can get away with this and laugh it off against a Seattle, you do that against a Colorado or Vegas and you could be in deep, deep shit.

I actually agree with you on this. Draisaitl needs to have better situational awareness sometimes. You can see that he lets his emotions take over on occasion and it results in borderline dumb plays that are really easy to call.

He's a big, star player. The attention is often going to be on him. And if he's grabbing at a guy or barreling down on someone throwing a late hit, odds are a ref is watching. I've definitely seen a number of these incidents where the ref was willing to look the other way. But in a neck-and-neck playoff series, you can't afford to take that risk.

And I mean, look at our penalty differentials. We're statistically not going to get the benefit of the doubt.

 

[AM]

A Jack Michaels Masterclass

If only we could have more of Singh.

 

[oilinger]

He's also a 3rd round pick

You certainly know a lot about Leon Draisaitl, don't you?

 

[Stoneman89]

You certainly know a lot about Leon Draisaitl, don't you?

Sorry, 3rd overall, edited and corrected. I'm sure you know what I meant.

No other comments? Yah, didn't think so.