Get Draisaitl and McDavid some help

[Maria Sharapova]

Good goalies rarely play behind defence on the level of the oilers D. Almost like it helps goalies to not have to face2-1’s all the time or forwards who just completely disregard defensive assignments. Igor would look bad behind oiler D also. It’s insane they have blamed goalies for as long as they have

Sometimes teams play bad defense. Why is it expected that Skinner can't bail his team out? I don't get it. GOOD starting goaltenders can steal games your team has no business winning.

 

[HockeyWooot]

Please expand on how the 2009 Pens were better than any version of the Oilers the last three years.

I'll start by stating that in both the regular season and the playoffs, Crosby and Malkin had over 100% more points then the next best Pen.

For starters they’re a championship calibre team that they went to the finals the year prior to winning it all.

Hockey is true team sport. Outcomes are more random than other sports in that player capabilities on paper are less likely to dictate championship outcomes.

That Penguins team had a core of young cornstone pieces at all positions: Crosby, Malkin, Staal, Letang, Fleury.

That’s not the entire equation though, it’s not simply a matter of skill or capacity to put up great stats.The team would have leadership and culture balanced by a strong veteran presence.

The following were quality vets with cup experience: Sykora (cup winner with Devils and four SCF visits), Guerin (cup winner with Devils), Fedotenko (cup winner with Lightning), Gonchar (SCF visit with Capitals), Kunitz (cup winner with Ducks). Others like Satan had played in the league as a high performer for many years.

In addition you had a great group of support players, glue guys like Dupuis and Talbot that came up big. Dmen like Orpik, Gill, Eaton, and a young Goligoski rounded out their defence by committee group.

While the game has looks a bit different today, that 2009 championship team still had many comonalities that you see in cup winners today.

 

[Sniper99]

How much help do they need? Kane and RNH were #1 oa, Nurse #7 oa. Most teams can only dream of the draft positions they have had over the years.

Kane was 4th overall

 

[Frank Drebin]

Crosby and Toews, incredible intangibles

 

[Frank Drebin]

In Crosby's back to back, Conn Smythe winning playoff runs he was playing less than 20 minutes a night in the regular season. He did not win any regular season individual awards. The lines were balanced and were rolled accordingly. No one was playing more than was needed.

Compare that to McDavid's 22 or 23 minute a night regular season, where he's chasing individual awards and setting records, and then getting bounced in the first couple rounds. That's like playing 4 whole extra games. It's been consistent over these last years. How many blow out regular season games is McDavid out there still trying to run up the score? Should be on the bench if he wants a cup.

Priorities.

And I've said it for a long time: When McDavid loses his legs and doesn't have his speed - he's done. He's not going to be a player that has a long career into his 30s. Because he's already taking nights off in these playoffs. And I won't be shocked if he has a big game in game 6 because he didn't show up in game 5 (just 2 sog) and he has some rests, it fits the pattern.... But if this goes to a game 7 then I'd bet the farm on McGhost showing up.

Crosby recorded 19 points in 24 games in 2016. What did saving himself for the playoffs do?

 

[Gnome17]

Guys dont worry they got Skinner to help them again tonight, Stanley Cup bound!

 

[JAK]

Crosby recorded 19 points in 24 games in 2016. What did saving himself for the playoffs do?

Energy to play defense?

 

[RobertKron]

Crosby recorded 19 points in 24 games in 2016. What did saving himself for the playoffs do?

Yeah, maybe if he'd played more in the regular season he'd have been able to win the Cup and the Conn Smythe.

 

[Frank Drebin]

Yeah, maybe if he'd played more in the regular season he'd have been able to win the Cup and the Conn Smythe.

Intangibles right

 

[syz]

Interesting.

Where are the 5 v 5 goals for?

And how did the 5 v 5 stats work out last night?

Last night was my argument in a single game.

The pp didn’t help their team and when they don’t have that the 5 v 5 is where they should step up.

Didn’t work last night. Hopefully it will in game 6

Oilers have more goals for, 21 to 19. Colorado leads with 26, then Florida, Carolina, and Dallas have 22.

 

[34]

Some help? Try a team.

 

[syz]

The Oilers "lack of depth" discussion has less to do with what McDavid and Draisaitl are able to do with their wingers and more to do with their 3rd and 4th lines having like 1 goal all playoffs.

Their 3rd line in the 2nd round is Perry, McLeod, Foegele. They've combined for 0 points in 5 games. McLeod and Perry have 0 points all playoffs, Foegele has a goal and an assist (the goal was an empty netter in a 7-4 win, the assist was when he was on a line with Draisaitl).

McLeod and Foegele's regular season numbers were likely inflated by having stretches with Draisaitl. What the Oilers actually need is forwards who are capable of doing anything without McDrai putting them in their backpacks.

 

[JAK]

The Oilers "lack of depth" discussion has less to do with what McDavid and Draisaitl are able to do with their wingers and more to do with their 3rd and 4th lines having like 1 goal all playoffs.

Their 3rd line in the 2nd round is Perry, McLeod, Foegele. They've combined for 0 points in 5 games. McLeod and Perry have 0 points all playoffs, Foegele has a goal and an assist (the goal was an empty netter in a 7-4 win, the assist was when he was on a line with Draisaitl).

If it wasn't for McDavid and Nurse's contracts, they could have probably gotten more depth

 

[Three On Zero]

If it wasn't for McDavid and Nurse's contracts, they could have probably gotten more depth

What? How on earth is McDavid’s contract an issue?

Nurse, Brown, Kane and Ceci are the real issue

 

[JAK]

What? How on earth is McDavid’s contract an issue?

Nurse, Brown, Kane and Ceci are the real issue

Had McDavid signed a $9.7m cap to match his number, maybe Nurse would have signed a $2.5m cap to match his play.

 

[Three On Zero]

Had McDavid signed a $9.7m cap to match his number, maybe Nurse would have signed a $2.5m cap to match his play.

Nurse took full market value without a team discount for a 1 season sample size.

 

[WetcoastOrca]

What? How on earth is McDavid’s contract an issue?

Nurse, Brown, Kane and Ceci are the real issue

And Jack Campbell.

 

[Three On Zero]

And Jack Campbell.

Seeing how goalies perform in Edmonton I don’t think it’s a bad contract, it’s a bad system they’ve built to help the goalies

 

[Frank Drebin]

McDavid and draisatl clearly don't have it takes. If the Oilers had prime Toews, or a 20 year old Eric Staal, or a Ryan o Reilly in place of either one of those bozos Oilers would have had multiple cups by now like the Pittsburg penguins

 

[JAK]

McDavid and draisatl clearly don't have it takes. If the Oilers had prime Toews, or a 20 year old Eric Staal, or a Ryan o Reilly in place of either one of those bozos Oilers would have had multiple cups by now like the Pittsburg penguins

Everyone : Oilers wasted these two talented players' careers.

Oilers fan Frank Drebin : So you guys are saying they are the problem!

 

[WetcoastOrca]

Maybe my memory is getting bad but I remember series in the playoffs where Crosby was not great and secondary players plus Malkin took over until he found his game.

 

[Three On Zero]

Maybe my memory is getting bad but I remember series in the playoffs where Crosby was not great and secondary players plus Malkin took over until he found his game.

Problem is Draisaitl isn’t a Malkin. He can’t take games overs like Geno could

 

[WetcoastOrca]

Problem is Draisaitl isn’t a Malkin. He can’t take games overs like Geno could

Agree to disagree on that one.

 

[Three On Zero]

Agree to disagree on that one.

Good secondary player, but not a guy who tilted the ice like Malkin could.

 

[bambamcam4ever]

Penguins got MVP goaltending both cup years

Murray 15-6 .923 2.08

MAF 9-6 .924 2.56
Murray 7-3 .937 1.70

Last year

Skinner
5-6 .883/ 3.68

This year
Skinner
8-5 .877 3.22
Pickard
1-1 .915 2.21

When Crosby/Malkin got goaltending like that they couldn't get out of the first round.

But I know, maybe if mcdrai backchecked better skinner would have stopped more shots.

Look at the way the Penguins played in 2017, the whole team was committed to defense. The fact that they had two goalies put up good numbers might be an indicator of the team in from of them. As opposed to Edmonton recently, where every goalie's SV% plummets.