a positive spin - we are making progress

[nexttothemoon]

I honestly don't know if we should collectively be trying to twist this team's performance into something that seems "decent".

We should be aiming a little higher than debating whether this last place team deserves to be a little better than last place.

 

[guymez]

I agree that there are signs that the team is playing a more structured game. I also think that veterans like Sekera and Purcell are getting better.

I haven't looked at any advanced team stats but it wouldn't surprise me if they showed improvement over last season as well.

I have been preaching patience with this team to allow for McLellans systems play to take effect. I think that time has arrived...this team has to start playing closer to .500 at this point. This current trend of win 1 and lose 2 simply cant continue.

There has to start being noticeable progress with their record at this point.

 

[Replacement*]

The Op topic should be taken with the grain of salt proviso that this team tends to perform to the level of its opposition often playing just under that level.

I don't know it really matters so much we had a hard schedule. We've seen this team often play its worst games against weaker opponents

What matters is that the team persevere through the McDavid injury duration, try to win some games, and try to make games even plausibly reasonable for as long as possible.

Which does require them to be winning some games immediately.

 

[McDeathbyCheerios*]

Fun fact.

Ottawa has 21 points.

We have 12.

We have more Regulation and Overtime wins.

 

[McHaNugYakEbNurDra]

I thought at the start of the season that the 2015-2016 Oilers would improve as the season progressed under McLellan (unlike under Eakins). Injuries early in the season have made this even more likely to me.

I thought at the start of the season that the Oilers would still be playing meaningful games in March, and nothing that I have seen out of the Pacific division has changed that opinion.

Do they need to play better? Yes of course. Do they need to quit giving up early goals and giving away games with bad goals late? of course, but I believe they will on both counts and I am encouraged by some of the comebacks they have made already this season.

I plan to remain positive until I have no reason to be positive anymore, and that has yet to happen.

 

[Burnt Biscuits]

Players who are better than last year:
- Hall
- Nuge
- Yakupov
- Leon
- Schultz
- Klefbom

Players who are worse than last year:
- Lander
- Fayne
- Ference (possible?)

Treading water (same as last year):
- Purcell
- Pouliot

Roster upgrades:
- McDavid
- Korpikoski
- Sekera
- Reinhart
- Gryba
- Talbot (recent troubles aside, still way better than Scrivens)
- Nilsson

Roster downgrades:
- Gordon - Letestu
- Derek Roy (still think he would've been a good fit as 13th forward)

Injuries:
- McDavid
- Eberle
- Korp
- Hendo
- Klink
- Schultz

Plus.. Chiarelli & McLellan

The team is better, and wikk be even better when players come back from injury.

We also lost Petry, Perron, and Marincin; while I believe in Reinhart's upside and I am willing to go through some growing pains he hasn't to this point been any better then Marincin was for us. Perron, has been bad in Pittsburgh, but he'd still make our team better then it presently is, if I could switch him out for Korpikoski I would do it in a heartbeat. Then ofcourse the big loss is Petry, Sekera was supposed to offset his loss and might still do that, but to this point his average level of performance is less than Petry average level of performance last year.

Performance wise I'd say Eberle & Pouliot are also worse this year, Eberle has the obvious excuse of injury which is fine and will assuredly bounce back & Pouliot has been a bit worse to my eye, but playing with McDavid masked that a bit, it's doesn't feel like his motor is running quite as high this year and he hasn't created as much off the forecheck as he usually does.


With respect to the OP I agree that we are a better team this year then we were last year, even if the record doesn't bare that out. Hopefully the wheels don't come off like it has in the past cause our record isn't where we want it to be.

 

[Bangers]

We also lost Petry, Perron, and Marincin; while I believe in Reinhart's upside and I am willing to go through some growing pains he hasn't to this point been any better then Marincin was for us. Perron, has been bad in Pittsburgh, but he'd still make our team better then it presently is, if I could switch him out for Korpikoski I would do it in a heartbeat. Then ofcourse the big loss is Petry, Sekera was supposed to offset his loss and might still do that, but to this point his average level of performance is less than Petry average level of performance last year.

Performance wise I'd say Eberle & Pouliot are also worse this year, Eberle has the obvious excuse of injury which is fine and will assuredly bounce back & Pouliot has been a bit worse to my eye, but playing with McDavid masked that a bit, it's doesn't feel like his motor is running quite as high this year and he hasn't created as much off the forecheck as he usually does.

Eh, I was looking at things that Chia and McL were responsible for, but you're right.

In that case, Petry - Sekera is a slight downgrade and Perron and Marincin are really a wash.

 

[Burnt Biscuits]

Eh, I was looking at things that Chia and McL were responsible for, but you're right.

In that case, Petry - Sekera is a slight downgrade and Perron and Marincin are really a wash.

Who is off-setting Perron, please don't say Korpikoski cause that's crazy. Marincin and Reinhart are kind of close, but while Marincin is low on flash he was just a little more stable and dependable, Reinhart hasn't even passed the 20 NHL games played marker, it wouldn't surprise me if he was hands down better than Marincin when he hits the 40 game marker.

 

[Narnia]

Who is off-setting Perron, please don't say Korpikoski cause that's crazy. Marincin and Reinhart are kind of close, but while Marincin is low on flash he was just a little more stable and dependable, Reinhart hasn't even passed the 20 NHL games played marker, it wouldn't surprise me if he was hands down better than Marincin when he hits the 40 game marker.

And Marincin is getting health scratched with the Maple Leafs.

 

[Bangers]

Who is off-setting Perron, please don't say Korpikoski cause that's crazy. Marincin and Reinhart are kind of close, but while Marincin is low on flash he was just a little more stable and dependable, Reinhart hasn't even passed the 20 NHL games played marker, it wouldn't surprise me if he was hands down better than Marincin when he hits the 40 game marker.

Top 6 wingers:
Hall - Draisaitl
Pouliot - Eberle/Yak

Perron isn't a 3rd line winger

 

[thadd]

A positive spin: We don't give up before the game is 1/3 over.

 

[Burnt Biscuits]

And Marincin is getting health scratched with the Maple Leafs.

Who's saying Reinhart wouldn't be starting in the minors in Toronto, Babcock has never been super quick to hand a job to a rookie. Marincin is getting minutes he hasn't been great in Toronto from most reports, but he's a player that often goes under-appreciated cause of the way he plays, but the stats bare out that the man knows how to be quietly effective, even now he has the 2nd highest corsi among Toronto d-men.

Top 6 wingers:
Hall - Draisaitl
Pouliot - Eberle/Yak

Perron isn't a 3rd line winger

Aside from his pay stub, I don't see what is stopping him from being a 3rd line winger, he played gritty hockey when he was here and defensively he was above average and then he has actual hockey skills on top of that which makes it gravy. The secret to great hockey teams is you have players play in positions they are too good for when you have 2nd line players who are good enough to be 1st line players on most teams, and 3rd line players who are good enough to be 2nd line players on most teams and so on.... That's what makes a team deep and strong.

 

[PinSeeker]

If I am looking at it, there is just no way Talbot can continue to struggle this much. It really is mystifying to watch. So, let's assume he stabilizes to .910 goaltending, which is still below league average but palatable.

After Chicago, which will be a tough game but is still winnable, we play NJ, WSH, CAR, DET, PIT, TOR. That is not a bad schedule to have, albeit all on the road after NJ.
There is some ability to grab some momentum here.

 

[Kepler 186f]

Well they are on pace for a goal differential of -50, last year it was -85. That's an improvement.

 

[Frank the Tank]

Wow, you guys are really pulling out all the stops.

Seriously though, through my eyes, despite the pathetic showing of points, I truly believe we are better than last year by a fair bit. We have a lot more positive younger players now than ever before. Eventually, the things will tilt that way. Problem is, instead of getting completely blown out and outplayed, dumb stupid mistakes are now killing us. And I believe that we can fix those, either with some more time and experience, or moving out the offending bodies.

My thoughts as well. I like what I am seeing from McDavid, Hall, RNH, Draisaitl, Pouliot on offense along with Nurse, Klefbom, and Sekera (now that he has settled down a bit) on defense. I have only been disappointed with the team's effort in two games - Dallas and Arizona. The other 16 they have shown effort and resilience. McLellan keeps preaching the right message (as opposed to tone deaf Eakins) to lead this team into doing the proper things it takes to win in the Western Conference.