McDavid is 3rd in points while Edmonton is 28th in NHL

[DearDiary]

Dude, Malkin is miles better than Backstorm and Semin, we were talking about pre 2010 here, no idea why you swerved into the future.

Add veterans like the great Dr.Recchi, and we're talking.

Clearly you believe that Malkin is inferior to Backstorm and Co, which is mind boggling.

My point is that Crosby can play against other teams top lines by himself, Ovechkin cannot. He needs elite linemates to be successful. Even pre 2010 he needed Semin and Backstrom to stand up against Crosby

Crosby/Malkin's career ppg is also higher when the other is out of the lineup (large sample size). So both have proved that they can put up points without elite linemates and without secondary scoring. Something Ovechkin has been unable to do

 

[KoozNetsOff 92]

My point is that Crosby can play against other teams top lines by himself, Ovechkin cannot. He needs elite linemates to be successful. Even pre 2010 he needed Semin and Backstrom to stand up against Crosby

Crosby/Malkin's career ppg is also higher when the other is out of the lineup (large sample size). So both have proved that they can put up points without elite linemates and without secondary scoring. Something Ovechkin has been unable to do

Ovechkin scored 98 goals in 2 seasons before Backstrom entered the league (Semin only had 73 total pts in this time) and then had his 65 goal ross/rocket/hart/lindsay season with Kozlov as his main C. Also, Semin only played with OV and Backstrom in certain situations, they were usually with Knuble. So clearly you have no idea what you're talking about in regards to line combos and OV not being able to carry a line himself.

You keep bringing up caps would've beat the pens if OV could carry a line, but there's a couple problems with that. 1) 2016 had nothing to do with OV carrying a line. It was Kuznetsov and co who shit the bed. If Kuznetsov showed up that series, Caps win. 2) OV of the last couple seasons isn't OV of 05-11, who could carry a line just fine. The problem is that when he was at his peak the rest of the team had glaring holes, most notably goalie and D. The last couple of years they've fixed that, but he's not the same player so it's more of an organizational problem than an Ovechkin problem.

And LOL at trying to mix guys like Backstrom and Semin in with Malkin

 

[snipes]

Lol

 

[The Grim Reaper]

It's too bad that the Hart trophy largely depends on if your team makes the playoffs.

 

[AlesHemskyIsMyGod]

If McDavid could finish on break aways more than 25 percent of the time he has 60 points right now

 

[rent free]

well this proves that players can't carry teams nor should they

 

[GreatGonzo]

Lemieux and Gretzky never even "carried" a team to greatness. They needed help, and McDavid has little of that.

 

[GreatGonzo]

My point is that Crosby can play against other teams top lines by himself, Ovechkin cannot. He needs elite linemates to be successful. Even pre 2010 he needed Semin and Backstrom to stand up against Crosby

Crosby/Malkin's career ppg is also higher when the other is out of the lineup (large sample size). So both have proved that they can put up points without elite linemates and without secondary scoring. Something Ovechkin has been unable to do

Except the Pens have had the 2 best players in the league for some time now, having Malkin on the 2nd line totally gives them that lethal edge offensively. That's why they have been so successful, the opposing team has to shut down both of them to win.

All the opposing team has to do is shut down Ovechkin, because he has little to no help with secondary scoring, something Sid has had plenty of the last few seasons. Even when Ovechkin has led his team and was their best player(which has been many times) they still lose....I wonder why.

You can't compare guys like Semin and Backstrom, who have terrible playoff numbers, to guys like Malkin, who is one of the best playoff performers in this era. Ovechkin is the best Cap in the playoffs and it isn't close, while Crosby has Malkin and Kessel, with Letang on defense.

Every great player still needs a great supporting cast, and your very mislead if you think Ovechkin has had just as good of one than Crosby, or even a good one overall.

 

[daver]

Age difference is easily offset by Ovechkin having to adjust to a new culture, style of game, language, etc. Actually I'd argue OV was at a bigger disadvantage.

Yeah, I said Crosby for playoffs. But the gap in regular season was way, way bigger. This is basically common sense, I've only seen extreme Crosby fans argue otherwise.

OV showed zero signs of culture issues but I will up it with Crosby dealing with the pressure of being the "Next One".

Both had incredible rookie seasons but Crosby clearly took it to another level in 06/07 and it took OV another year to get there. There is a thread in the HOH that puts them as co-best during those years. I would add Malkin in there after 2009. It is certainly not a clear cut case by any means.

Since 2010, we have seen one player never have a bad season while another has been up and down.

 

[Connor McConnor]

The solace for Oiler fans is that they have been playing much much better of late since splitting Drai and McDavid up. We are now able to run 4 lines effectively and have been a tougher out than early in the season. Hopefully with a healthy Talbot and Sekera they can make a 2nd half push but the damage may have already been done for any chance of playoffs.

 

[Scrantonicity 2]

4 point night for McDavid, he looks to be finally getting over his flue where he lost 10-15 lbs. I am not going to be as bold to say he will win the Art Ross this year, but it wouldn't surprise me if he ascends to the top of the scoring leaders by year's end. Generational talent.

Ahh yes, the magical 25 game flu. Maybe it's just called the Edmonton Flu?

 

[cpsman]

Ahh yes, the magical 25 game flu. Maybe it's just called the Edmonton Flu?

He apparently had two separate illnesses for what it is worth.

 

[txpd]

My point is that Crosby can play against other teams top lines by himself, Ovechkin cannot. He needs elite linemates to be successful. Even pre 2010 he needed Semin and Backstrom to stand up against Crosby

Crosby/Malkin's career ppg is also higher when the other is out of the lineup (large sample size). So both have proved that they can put up points without elite linemates and without secondary scoring. Something Ovechkin has been unable to do

Do you remember who Ovechkin had as linemates early on? Jeff Halpern was his first center. His first real regular line was Ovechkin Zubrus and Chris Clark.

 

[DearDiary]

Do you remember who Ovechkin had as linemates early on? Jeff Halpern was his first center. His first real regular line was Ovechkin Zubrus and Chris Clark.

If you read my early posts instead of jumping in the middle... you would have realized that I spoke about Ovechkins first 2 years in the league

 

[Future GOAT]

Except the Pens have had the 2 best players in the league for some time now, having Malkin on the 2nd line totally gives them that lethal edge offensively. That's why they have been so successful, the opposing team has to shut down both of them to win.

All the opposing team has to do is shut down Ovechkin, because he has little to no help with secondary scoring, something Sid has had plenty of the last few seasons. Even when Ovechkin has led his team and was their best player(which has been many times) they still lose....I wonder why.

You can't compare guys like Semin and Backstrom, who have terrible playoff numbers, to guys like Malkin, who is one of the best playoff performers in this era. Ovechkin is the best Cap in the playoffs and it isn't close, while Crosby has Malkin and Kessel, with Letang on defense.

Every great player still needs a great supporting cast, and your very mislead if you think Ovechkin has had just as good of one than Crosby, or even a good one overall.

They don't have the top 2 players in the league anymore. They haven't since 16/17 at least.

 

[Future GOAT]

Ahh yes, the magical 25 game flu. Maybe it's just called the Edmonton Flu?

Doesn't even matter how long it was. Since McDavid still produced during that span. I can see making fun of the flu and it's length if McDavid pulled a Matthews and went cold for weeks on end, but he stayed McConsistent and kept producing.

 

[GreatGonzo]

They don't have the top 2 players in the league anymore. They haven't since 16/17 at least.

That was just this past season.....have they really dropped that dramatically in not even a year?....

 

[TheAngryHank]

Best player in the league on a sub-par team.
He will make a great Red Wing one day.

 

[Jarey Curry]

As a Russian I really want to know what is wrong with McDavid? Is he secretly a lazy Russian like Ovechkin? Will he ever make a playoff again? After reading HFBoard I came to conclusion that the only explanation is his obvious lack of mental toughness, leadership and intangibles. Also, all his points means nothing, cause his team is not winning. He is scoring only when it is not important. When it really matters he never scores.

Did I miss something? I mean it is the only possible explanation. I am sure I cannot be wrong.

If you're really sure you can't be wrong then why didn't you post this on Hockey Facts Board? Instead you posted it here on a discussion board where everything is debatable and everyone is questioned

 

[Oilers Propagandist]

I'm not criticizing McDavid - I'm criticizing the organization that isn't surrounding him with a competent D or forward group that fits his skillset.

Then leave this thread about McDavid being 3rd in league scoring and make a thread about your concerns for the Oilers organization.

Lettuce celebrate the best player since Gretzky in peace.

 

[The Macho King]

Then leave this thread about McDavid being 3rd in league scoring and make a thread about your concerns for the Oilers organization.

Lettuce celebrate the best player since Gretzky in peace.

I'd point out that Edmonton's poor performance is literally in the thread title, so it's not exactly off-topic.

 

[Oilers Propagandist]

I'd point out that Edmonton's poor performance is literally in the thread title, so it's not exactly off-topic.

Touché, you got me there.
The title to op ratio is a mess though.

 

[Highmarker]

McDavid is a point scoring machine it's surprising that he is 3rd in the league in scoring while only having 9 PP points.

The oilers failures this year are due to the PP imo. The PP is a joke, and it's insane that a player like Mcdavid is essentially useless on it.

5 on 5 the oilers are fantastic and are probably one of the best teams in the league but their special teams is really letting them down. If they can get it figured out the oilers will go on another tear like last year and Mcdavid will run away with the scoring title again.

 

[La Masse]

Mcdavid is awesome and the rest of the team is meh. If Mcdavid wins the hart again I wonder who was the last player to win it whiteout taking his team to the playoffs?

 

[Bladerunner]

I'll try to not be too long as I've posted something similar in another thread.
No question McD is a great player. Yet the Oil have had top picks for like a decade and are near the bottom of the West. It's more a question of Oiler mgt than McD. Curious what there fans are saying on HF about the owner/ GM/ HC. I don't see how you can explain the current Oil position in the standings w/ "their PP is a joke". How? Is McD all they got from top picks year after year after...

Ovi had little to work with in his first few seasons in the NHL and had to adjust to the NHL, culture, language, etc. He was a superstar from the get go. Those above that suggested he has needed more help than Sid to perform are making garbage posts. One on one Ovi was, maybe still is the more dynamic player. Better scorer, much better hitter. He's also 2 years older. Sid has had the luxury of playing with a truly great C, so that opposing teams couldn't put there best defenders solely on 87. Exchange Ovi and Malkin and Ovi most likely has 3 SC. Sid has won Olympic goal. BFD, and I'm not disparaging the Olympics. Even casual fans know that with pros (or w/o) the Canadian team is stacked.

The never beyond second round comments are never mentioned in context. Only when Holtby arrived have the Caps had a top goalie and he was off last playoffs. Sure, Caps were upset in 2010 (so were SC champ Pens by the same team). The Pens had to go through the Caps in tough series in every one of their three SCs. If the NHL didn't use bizarre seeding at least one or two of those seasons they might have meet in the ECF.