Post-Game Talk: 4-2 Lightning

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So now we're supposed to expect our players to send out requests to others if it's fine to send them a pass? What's Hall supposed to do - text Yak and ask him if he's ready for a pass? In hockey, you're supposed to be skating with your stick on or near the ice, especially so when your team has the puck. Everyone is a viable target for that pass. That mistake is all on Yak.

Because passing the puck to covered middle ice makes all kinds of sense with Stamkos nearby. For instance looking at what actually transpired on the play.

The simple play is Hall skating the puck out or chipping the puck out. he had entirely free ice to do that. How is it unreasonable to suggest he should've done that?

A pass to ownzone center ice that is contested is inherently risky, I would think obviously. Perhaps why so much playoff hockey you see clubs transition puck carefully up sides when other options are unavailable you know, teams that play playoff quality hockey. Not this garbage that we play forcing bad passes into ill advised areas of ice.
 

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If Yakupov catches the pass cleanly...and no doubt he should've...most of the open ice for him to skate into was actually skating across the ice towards his RW. That translates to "east<>west" hockey. Its very easy to create turnovers against players moving perpendicular...or "...east west..." to the forecheck because they're creating a blind spot for themselves as well as running themselves out of skating room.

I think...IF he would've ended up getting to where it looks like he would've ended up going...his next play would've been to chip the puck up the boards...or...best case scenario...he gains centre ice with some evasive effort and dumps the puck in.

There was not a fast break option there because T-Bay was all in position...on the defensive sides of the puck.

Therefore...we basically made an extra pass to create something we could've initiated from a safe spot...without ever transferring the puck from player to player.

Its beyond me how the simplest deduction, Hall simply skating the puck out through free lane, as many times as I've mentioned it gets zero response. With every response instead being "nothing wrong with that play, all on Yak" etc. on the play that led to a GA.

Hall turned a routine simple play into an adventure. For whatever reason. Simply skating the puck out of zone too simple?

jebus
 

Everest

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As far as executing an actual centre lane breakout there...

It was impossible because RNH was not inside the zone...nevermind being below the circles...which is where he HAS to be in order for any centre lane breakout to happen.

You can "interchange" positions between wingers & centres...but only if BOTH players are available to do the switch.

The fact RNH was up high...should tell everyone...automatically...there is NOT an opportunity to run a controlled breakout...because were essentially a man short in our end of the rink.

If we would've turned the tables and chipped the puck up the wall...we gain a strong side advantage where we actually have 3 players working on the puck against one T-Bay defenceman. That is EXACTLY the man count we want coming out of our end of the rink while utilizing the LW.

It also enables Yak to attack the far side of the rink with speed...or better yet...make a line change now that Stamkos is on the ice.
 

Everest

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Its beyond me how the simplest deduction, Hall simply skating the puck out through free lane, as many times as I've mentioned it gets zero response. With every response instead being "nothing wrong with that play, all on Yak" etc. on the play that led to a GA.

Hall turned a routine simple play into an adventure. For whatever reason. Simply skating the puck out of zone too simple?

jebus

To be fair...both Hall & Yak turned the play into an adventure. Yak presents himself...half-assedly albeit...but...IMO...if Yak is going to vacate his wing and fill ANY lane...he should be coming all the way across the rink and presenting himself for an even shorter bank pass from Hall...off the boards and up for Yak. Here again...were supporting the puck in a vicinity where a turnover doesn't happen in the middle of the rink.

Thing is...5 guys have to share a common commitment to making these chip plays happen. It requires lots of hustle & a little bit of bumping and grinding

The Oilers don't run this way. Unfortunately
 

Mr McV

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Absolutely nothing wrong with that pass upon further review.:nod:

Hall has nothing but open ice ahead of him. Why pass the puck into an area where there are opposition players? Hall could have easily carried the puck out of the Oiler zone.
 

sabresEH

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My apologies if this has been brought up and discussed already but while I was watching TSN last night the interview after the game with Hall was concerning to me. Maybe I was half a sleep and heard it wrong but did I not hear Hall call out Dubnyk. Something along the lines of "sometimes, your goalie has to steal/win one for you". I was surprised there wasn't a thread on the main board or even one in the Oilers forum. To me that comment screams what I have been thinking for awhile, the players have lost trust in Dubnyk. Did I imagine this or did it happen? And are you fans just sweeping it under the rug?
 

Aerchon

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My apologies if this has been brought up and discussed already but while I was watching TSN last night the interview after the game with Hall was concerning to me. Maybe I was half a sleep and heard it wrong but did I not hear Hall call out Dubnyk. Something along the lines of "sometimes, your goalie has to steal/win one for you". I was surprised there wasn't a thread on the main board or even one in the Oilers forum. To me that comment screams what I have been thinking for awhile, the players have lost trust in Dubnyk. Did I imagine this or did it happen? And are you fans just sweeping it under the rug?

Very inappropriate if true.

Also incredibly accurate.

I haven't heard that any which way.
 

yukoner88

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GMofOilers

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My apologies if this has been brought up and discussed already but while I was watching TSN last night the interview after the game with Hall was concerning to me. Maybe I was half a sleep and heard it wrong but did I not hear Hall call out Dubnyk. Something along the lines of "sometimes, your goalie has to steal/win one for you". I was surprised there wasn't a thread on the main board or even one in the Oilers forum. To me that comment screams what I have been thinking for awhile, the players have lost trust in Dubnyk. Did I imagine this or did it happen? And are you fans just sweeping it under the rug?

Eakins has been saying similar things. Its no secret the team and coaching isnt happy about the goaltending.
 

tantalum

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No question Yakupov should handle the pass better. Then again even the best in the world bobble pucks on a regular basis. Had he handled the pass properly it still doesn't change the fact he was likely to have two Bolts on him immediately. He then has to make a very quick play. In short, yes he should handle the pass better but it was also not a great time to go up the middle with a breakout pass with two bolt players lurking to strip the puck from the guy in the middle. Heck it looks like when Yakupov receives the pass the three closest players to him in his own defensive zone are all bolts....and they are all skating towards him. So yes he might have done better but he shouldn't have been facing 2 or 3 bolts immediately after accepting a pass in his own zone like that. It is very much the antithesis of a smart breakout IMO.
 
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sabresEH

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Is this the interview you had seen?

http://video.oilers.nhl.com/videocenter/console?catid=4&id=478773

At 0:20, he says "...sometimes the goalie has to give you one and their goalie has to give you one". Not sure that was a shot at Dubnyk, but aside from that in this interview he was very complimentary of Bishop's game.

Yes that's the one. However TSN stopped it after sometimes the goalie has to give you one. Definitely didn't play the last part which helps.
 

SoftDumps

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Long time reader, first post...reading all the analysis on the Hall-Yak breakout, finally decided to throw my 2 cents out there. There is absolutely no issue with Hall moving that puck to Yakupov. One of the huge problems the oilers have is getting the puck out of their zone with possession. Those calling for Hall to chip and chase in this situation likely don't realize this is a large reason we spend 90% of the game chasing the other guys. Furthermore, Yakupov's brain (as per usual) is racing ahead to what he wants to do with it before he reels it in...100 times out of 100 an NHL player should handle this puck and make the play before he is even within 5-10 feet of the blue line.
 

SoftDumps

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The result of this breakout, provided Yakupov doesn't blow it (am a huge Yak fan, btw, but this was a brain-dead play), is a 1v1 in the open ice with killorn skating towards him...which is an offensive players dream. Those who see 3 guys 'hounding' Yakupov are out to lunch. St Louis is back pressuring hall, and he blows by stamkos if he handles this pass. Such a standard breakout, don't know how anyone could possibly have an issue with Hall here.
 

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Hall has nothing but open ice ahead of him. Why pass the puck into an area where there are opposition players? Hall could have easily carried the puck out of the Oiler zone.

As usual nobody responds to the most salient point, that Hall could've simply skated out with the puck with full possession. In fact he easily could've reached Center ice or opposition blue line with any food speed. Instead Hall limited his options by almost being stationary.

Hall had a much clearer path forward than Yak did. Kind of stupid to pass the puck there when you don't have to, in own zone, with Stamkos nearby.
 

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Long time reader, first post...reading all the analysis on the Hall-Yak breakout, finally decided to throw my 2 cents out there. There is absolutely no issue with Hall moving that puck to Yakupov. One of the huge problems the oilers have is getting the puck out of their zone with possession. Those calling for Hall to chip and chase in this situation likely don't realize this is a large reason we spend 90% of the game chasing the other guys. Furthermore, Yakupov's brain (as per usual) is racing ahead to what he wants to do with it before he reels it in...100 times out of 100 an NHL player should handle this puck and make the play before he is even within 5-10 feet of the blue line.

No, one of the worst problems the Oilers have is turning puck over in own or neutral zone resulting in GA. Which happened 3 times on the night. Which happens multiple times almost every night.

Not that I disagree about the importance of puck possession but this is a club that gives the puck away willingly countless times a night trying to force unnecessary passes to plays that aren't there. This club squanders the puck willingly time after time when they do execute a breakout and gain opposition zone. Maybe when this club starts to respect the puck and not throw it away what you state will have relevance.

The reason we chase the puck is giving it away all the time. Not respecting puck possession in the first place when we do have it.
 

Ragss

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He just needs to learn to calm down. I've never seen a player so ****ing jacked out there. I can't think of anyone else who stick handles as quickly as he does, and its not working for him.
 

SoftDumps

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No, one of the worst problems the Oilers have is turning puck over in own or neutral zone resulting in GA. Which happened 3 times on the night. Which happens multiple times almost every night.

Not that I disagree about the importance of puck possession but this is a club that gives the puck away willingly countless times a night trying to force unnecessary passes to plays that aren't there. This club squanders the puck willingly time after time when they do execute a breakout and gain opposition zone. Maybe when this club starts to respect the puck and not throw it away what you state will have relevance.

The reason we chase the puck is giving it away all the time. Not respecting puck possession in the first place when we do have it.

I'm sorry Replacement but seriously this breakout was executed perfectly up until Yak bobbled it. He is literally staring at Hall, clearly expecting the pass, and fails to make a really easy play and skate it out. Honestly, a simple 10 foot pass to a guy with speed (you will notice that Hall receives the puck standing still and has back pressure), is exactly what you want in a breakout. As someone not that far removed from competitive hockey, I can honestly say that any coach trying to run a possession type system has zero problem with Hall's pass here. Just poor execution by Yak. again, I will say I am a huge Yak fan, but in this case he mishandles the puck and then bails on the play hard. Nothing more, nothing less.

On the turnover in the neutral zone part, that was on Yak. Not that Hall hasn't had his share of those this season either. In this case, he is certainly not the goat though.

I am a long time reader and find more often than not that I disagree with your point of view, so maybe we will agree to disagree.

I wholeheartedly agree with your assessment on Eberle's turnover. That was beyond lazy. Inexcusable really.

I will say that I enjoy your posts more than many others as they are typically well thought out and don't belittle others.
 

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I'm sorry Replacement but seriously this breakout was executed perfectly up until Yak bobbled it. He is literally staring at Hall, clearly expecting the pass, and fails to make a really easy play and skate it out. Honestly, a simple 10 foot pass to a guy with speed (you will notice that Hall receives the puck standing still and has back pressure), is exactly what you want in a breakout. As someone not that far removed from competitive hockey, I can honestly say that any coach trying to run a possession type system has zero problem with Hall's pass here. Just poor execution by Yak. again, I will say I am a huge Yak fan, but in this case he mishandles the puck and then bails on the play hard. Nothing more, nothing less.

On the turnover in the neutral zone part, that was on Yak. Not that Hall hasn't had his share of those this season either. In this case, he is certainly not the goat though.

I am a long time reader and find more often than not that I disagree with your point of view, so maybe we will agree to disagree.

I wholeheartedly agree with your assessment on Eberle's turnover. That was beyond lazy. Inexcusable really.

I will say that I enjoy your posts more than many others as they are typically well thought out and don't belittle others.
Its OK to disagree. I looked at the video a lot and watched the game and sometimes I wish for more of a wide angle shot so you could see more of whats in play. I do think that its harder to see whats going on in the screen then what Yak would be seeing on ice. What do you think Yaks options were there? He can't pass the puck without high risk of interception, clearly he couldn't gain the blueline. I think the only option Yak had there is an attempt at deflecting it out of zone. Which is stupid because hall could easily have skated it out if he kept his feet moving. Eberle and Hall have a bad habit of waiting stationary for passes.

Anyway welcome to the board and hopefully you contribute more.
 

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