Post-Game Talk: OT Heartbreaker

[Stoneman89]

Nurse and Skinner. The biggest obstacles to winning a Cup

I didn't think Nurse was bad. Tough deflection on the winner.

 

[guymez]

It isn’t just one game though, it’s nearly every playoff game

Smith had a worse team in front of him and was able to make the conference finals vs a better LA team and a vaunted, but skilled Flames team.

Contenders need more consistency from their goalies. Niemi was more consistent than this guy and no one even remembers he won a Cup. I honestly don’t think that Hawks team was much better than this one (even as stacked as it was it had holes too).

Its a 7 game series.
Talbot wasnt as great as people on here are suggesting but he was good enough.
IMO Skinner should have had 2 of those goals. Probabaly the same thing for Talbot.
The Kings as a team played a superior game than the Oilers did.
The boys need to be much better on Friday.

Some of these overreations are a little much IMO.

 

[iCanada]

Definitely a lot of truth to your first point. You watch guys like Vasi or Quick in his prime and they're dipping, crouching, leaning, on their tip toes looking over, under, around guys to pick up shot releases to have an idea where pucks are going even when they can't see it the whole way through and I have never seen that with Skinner. Screened point shots are yet another weakness of his alongside his glove hand and lateral movement.

At the end of the day I think Skinner is 100% a systems goalie. He can thrive in a system that covers his weaknesses, but he needs to be able to at least make the saves he should and he didn't do that tonight.

100% a systems Goaltender is the same as 100% a bad Goaltender.

This isn't football where there is talent in being able to pick out which of your teams options are winning out - either you recognize and read the play or you don't.

Skinner generally doesn't.

 

[CornKicker]

Kane hit on Doughty sparked the Oilers I agree Holloway deserves more ice time but to single out Kane is unjustified

kane moves the ice every time he was on

Its a 7 game series.
Talbot wasnt as great as people on here are suggesting but he was good enough.
IMO Skinner should have had 2 of those goals. Probabaly the same thing for Talbot.
The Kings as a team played a superior game than the Oilers did.
The boys need to be much better on Friday.

Some of these overreations are a little much IMO.

the save talbot made on the drai 1T was a game changer. drai doesnt miss that shot again

 

[Drivesaitl]

It’s only one loss, we weren’t going 16-0 yet some here are really losing their shit.
Skinner could have been better but in OT you’re playing with fire. We never had the lead all night, the Kings were desperate not to go back to LA down 2-0 and Talbot gave them some great goaltending.
Turn the page, look around the league, most series were a split after game 2.
It’s called adversity and now it’s our turn.

Skinner is causing the adversity. With even average goaltending we would up 2-0 in games. Thats the point. Now we've lost home ice advantage and 3/5 of the next games, (if it goes that many are played in LA.

To repeat this isn't throwing in any towels the Oilers have been great at overcoming adversity against LA but it would have been nice to have a shorter first series for once. Now its going to be long.

 

[guymez]

I didn't think Nurse was bad. Tough deflection on the winner.

Nurse was bad on the O/T goal.

 

[K1984]

It isn’t just one game though, it’s nearly every playoff game

Smith had a worse team in front of him and was able to make the conference finals vs a better LA team and a vaunted, but skilled Flames team.

Contenders need more consistency from their goalies. Niemi was more consistent than this guy and no one even remembers he won a Cup. I honestly don’t think that Hawks team was much better than this one (even as stacked as it was it had holes too).

Any praise of Smith's performance in the 2022 playoffs is with rose coloured glasses.

He had his moments where he played well, but he also totally imploded in several games. Not to mention the horrendous goal he gave up late against the Avalanche in a tied Game 3, and by the time Game 4 rolled around pretty much every shot was going in. Game 4 against the Flames was a circus, and the OT winner in Game 5 against the Kings sucked too. Those are just the duds that stick out from memory, there were more.

 

[Stoneman89]

Didn't see much of game 1, but if the game 2 is what might happen the rest of the way, this could be a coin flip.

- Skinner was not good at all, although to be fair, the Kings are getting a royal amount of breaks in the 2 games, some of them earned and others just pure fluke. His attempt at the save on Doughty was brutal, and the 4th one, while screened should have been stopped. He definitely will need to up his game if we are to have a chance.

- I thought Ceci and Kulak were both excellent. Bouchard, not so much. He needs to up his awareness and overall game big time.

- McDavid and Drai were both great, but not much to show for it.

- Nuge was awful. His lack of awareness of the old man Doughty coming up for a 2 on 1 was something you'd see from a rookie. And he's not generating anything offensively. On a lesser note, McLeod, Foegele and Kane need to contribute at some point for us to have success as well. At least Kane has an excuse with his reported sports hernia.

- absolutely can't stand Arvidsson. A little f***ing weasel that goes down way too easy in an attempt to draw a penalty. Definitely should have got a diving penalty in the game.

 

[Oilhawks]

Its a 7 game series.
Talbot wasnt as great as people on here are suggesting but he was good enough.
IMO Skinner should have had 2 of those goals. Probabaly the same thing for Talbot.
The Kings as a team played a superior game than the Oilers did.
The boys need to be much better on Friday.

Some of these overreations are a little much IMO.

Sure is, but it also isn't.

These patterns go back to his playoffs last year. Most of us assumed (hoped?) that his game would take the next step these playoffs, particularly after a more consistent season by Skinner. So far, it looks like it hasn't.

 

[Not Canada Drai]

The thing that pissed me off the most was Kempe scoring one of the best goals I've seen. f*** that guy.

 

[guymez]

kane moves the ice every time he was on


the save talbot made on the drai 1T was a game changer. drai doesnt miss that shot again

That IMO was more about the predictability of the Oilers PP. Talbot knew that play and all he had to do was push off strong and make himself big.
Make Drai make a perfect shot.
Good save for him but the Oilers need to be a little less predictable.

 

[Stoneman89]

Nurse was bad on the O/T goal.

He wasn't in the best position, but he was playing where the puck was expected to go, which was around the boards to the right side. I doubt anyone could have predicted Byfield was going to deflect it right into the middle of the ice. A great play by him if he meant to do it, but pretty flukey nonetheless. I think the most surprised guy on the ice was Kopitar, who suddenly found himself in the absolutely perfect spot, and was more than happy to accept the gift.

 

[Oilhawks]

Any praise of Smith's performance in the 2022 playoffs is with rose coloured glasses.

He had his moments where he played well, but he also totally imploded in several games. Not to mention the horrendous goal he gave up late against the Avalanche in a tied Game 3, and by the time Game 4 rolled around pretty much every shot was going in. Game 4 against the Flames was a circus, and the OT winner in Game 5 against the Kings sucked too. Those are just the duds that stick out from memory, there were more.

Oh he was an adventure, no doubt. But the results matter. He also had two shutouts in those playoffs and aside from those games was solid (they were not going to win that series vs the Avs, I guess we could feel better if they won game 4 and lost the next game but it's a moot point).

Skinner has been mostly mediocre both playoffs so far, and had to get Campbell to bail out the team from going down 3-1 last year against the Kings

 

[Stoneman89]

That IMO was more about the predictability of the Oilers PP. Talbot knew that play and all he had to do was push off strong and make himself big.
Make Drai make a perfect shot.
Good save for him but the Oilers need to be a little less predictable.

Yah, agreed. The announcers keep giving credit to the goalies, and yes, they should get some, but when you expect that play to happen more often than not, they just guess right by going to that area. If McDavid could start actually scoring when he gets the puck in the slot, that play would open up.

 

[guymez]

Sure is, but it also isn't.

These patterns go back to his playoffs last year. Most of us assumed (hoped?) that his game would take the next step these playoffs, particularly after a more consistent season by Skinner. So far, it looks like it hasn't.

There are vet players on this team that I dont think are good enough. The top of that list is Darnell Nurse. His play on the O/T goal was bad.
Regarding other players....
Bouchards play on the first goal was bad. Corey Perry had a bad game. So did RNH.
How many times did McDavid try to beat 3 or 4 Kings players by himself? How many big hits did McDavid take.
Draisaitl was a non factor.
A lot of bad decisions by a lot of players.
The Kings deserve some credit in this game too.

Ultimately its one game. The series isnt over.

 

[frag2]

Didn't see much of game 1, but if the game 2 is what might happen the rest of the way, this could be a coin flip.

- Skinner was not good at all, although to be fair, the Kings are getting a royal amount of breaks in the 2 games, some of them earned and others just pure fluke. His attempt at the save on Doughty was brutal, and the 4th one, while screened should have been stopped. He definitely will need to up his game if we are to have a chance.

- I thought Ceci and Kulak were both excellent. Bouchard, not so much. He needs to up his awareness and overall game big time.

- McDavid and Drai were both great, but not much to show for it.

- Nuge was awful. His lack of awareness of the old man Doughty coming up for a 2 on 1 was something you'd see from a rookie. And he's not generating anything offensively. On a lesser note, McLeod, Foegele and Kane need to contribute at some point for us to have success as well. At least Kane has an excuse with his reported sports hernia.

- absolutely can't stand Arvidsson. A little f***ing weasel that goes down way too easy in an attempt to draw a penalty. Definitely should have got a diving penalty in the game.

Not sure if it's just me but does he seem a lot slower this year? I know there was that great backcheck he did in the latter half of the season but the guy seems to move like he's in molasses in general these days.

 

[Messrules11]

Skinner is causing the adversity. With even average goaltending we would up 2-0 in games. Thats the point. Now we've lost home ice advantage and 3/5 of the next games, (if it goes that many are played in LA.

To repeat this isn't throwing in any towels the Oilers have been great at overcoming adversity against LA but it would have been nice to have a shorter first series for once. Now its going to be long.

I can agree with all of this but if McLeod scores on the breakaway, if Nuge showed up, if Perry didn’t look 50...
Look at Ottenger, great goalie, down 2-0, Helle getting lit up, it happens.
We could still win in 5, never know.

 

[K1984]

Oh he was an adventure, no doubt. But the results matter. He also had two shutouts in those playoffs and aside from those games was solid (they were not going to win that series vs the Avs, I guess we could feel better if they won game 4 and lost the next game but it's a moot point).

Skinner has been mostly mediocre both playoffs so far, and had to get Campbell to bail out the team from going down 3-1 last year against the Kings

I also think that the legendary "Campbell saving the day" narrative from Game 4 last year is overblown.

There were 2-3 chances early when he came into that game where he had no idea where the puck was, but was fortunate to have it hit him. Outside of that the Oilers dominated down the stretch in that game and didn't really give up too many looks. With time (and a bit of spin from Campbell lovers) the story has seemed to morph into Campbell standing on his head to save the day, when I just don't think that is in any way true.

 

[guymez]

He wasn't in the best position, but he was playing where the puck was expected to go, which was around the boards to the right side. I doubt anyone could have predicted Byfield was going to deflect it right into the middle of the ice. A great play by him if he meant to do it, but pretty flukey nonetheless. I think the most surprised guy on the ice was Kopitar, who suddenly found himself in the absolutely perfect spot, and was more than happy to accept the gift.

Nurse reacted much too slowly.
Not to take anything away from the Kings but Nurse has to play that one better.

 

[bone]

Any praise of Smith's performance in the 2022 playoffs is with rose coloured glasses.

He had his moments where he played well, but he also totally imploded in several games. Not to mention the horrendous goal he gave up late against the Avalanche in a tied Game 3, and by the time Game 4 rolled around pretty much every shot was going in. Game 4 against the Flames was a circus, and the OT winner in Game 5 against the Kings sucked too. Those are just the duds that stick out from memory, there were more.

There was a reason most of us were okay with him retiring after that.

All that said, Skinner has not once given a game like Smith did in Game 7 vs. LA or Game 3 vs. Calgary or Games 1 and 2 vs. Winnipeg the year before.

The Oiler have had to score at least 4 in every single one of Skinner's wins so far, more often than not they scored 5 or more. Even in the games where they did score exactly 4 with Skinner in net, they are only 3-2. So they basically need to score 5 to ensure a win with Skinner in net. That's a tall order to go into every night.

 

[brentashton]

It’s only one loss, we weren’t going 16-0 yet some here are really losing their shit.
Skinner could have been better but in OT you’re playing with fire. We never had the lead all night, the Kings were desperate not to go back to LA down 2-0 and Talbot gave them some great goaltending.
Turn the page, look around the league, most series were a split after game 2.
It’s called adversity and now it’s our turn.

I dont see people “losing their shit” either way in the discourse. But I do see concern with how many goals are being let in in play off hockey. The major concern going into the playoffs was goaltending and the first two games haven’t done much to dispel the concern. There’s lots of series left and only one way for goaltending to go. It would be hard to be worse.

 

[guymez]

@Oilhawks
I should also mention that the Kings are having a lot of puck luck as well.
Crazy good bounces going their way in both games.

 

[Drivesaitl]

The thing that pissed me off the most was Kempe scoring one of the best goals I've seen. f*** that guy.

Yet Kempe, even this season goes through extended stretches where he lacks confidence and isn't scoring consistently. But put Skinner in net and he's scoring consistently.

 

[guymez]

I dont see people “losing their shit” either way in the discourse. But I do see concern with how many goals are being let in in play off hockey. The major concern going into the playoffs was goaltending and the first two games haven’t done much to dispel the concern. There’s lots of series left and only one way for goaltending to go. It would be hard to be worse.

What happened in the first game that suggests Skinner didnt play well?

 

[Drivesaitl]

I can agree with all of this but if McLeod scores on the breakaway, if Nuge showed up, if Perry didn’t look 50...
Look at Ottenger, great goalie, down 2-0, Helle getting lit up, it happens.
We could still win in 5, never know.

Dallas deserve to be down 2-0. They are failing at the elemental thing in hockey. They are failing to score goals. You lose 99.5% of games where you score one goal. Just what it is.

hellebucks constant curse is he plays for Winnipeg a team that doesn't defend very good imo. Despite the GAA stats this season being tops, this is because of Hellebuck saving bacon, and not because of the Jets in front of him. But against a top Vegas team or this year Colorado, both SC threats, Hellebuck can't save the fort. The teams he's pllaying against in playoffs are too good and generate fantastic scoring chances, like the Oilers do.