Post-Game Talk: A win is a win…

[PositiveCashFlow]

Woody is done

 

[guymez]

Come on dude. Look at him on the bench. Look at him after the win tonight. This isn’t a reach. 1 freebie tap in in 10 games. He’s not on pace for 100 points anymore that dropped to 94 last night. McDavid is on pace for 70 something.

My fandom of Drai goes back longer than just about anyone on this board. I watched him live when he played for PA 7 or 8 times. I saw the potential in him and argued that entire year on here against all the idiots on here who wanted Bennett. Draisaitl is my favorite player in the game right now because I followed his career so early.

I’m not a jay Woodcroft type poster where I only hold the 4th line accountable. Lots of those on here. I call out anyone not playing their best I don’t care who it is or how much I like them.

Exactly.
There shouldnt be any sacred cows on this team especially considering how this season has unfolded.

 

[PositiveCashFlow]

may be a panic move because of the rumblings McDrai want out (as per Tim Peel who has proven to be accurate when it came to Kane)

 

[Duke74]

I think Drai has gotten used to consistently playing with the most dynamic skating offensive player in the game for too long, he's let some lazy habits creep into his game. With Mcdavid injured, he can't keep on doing everything from a standstill, nor can he fade into the background and wait to get setup, and his confidence has taken a hit as his frustration grows as the game probably doesn't feel like it's coming as easy as it used to.

He'll be fine in time though, he's too good a hockey player to not figure it out. Every player goes through some adversity sometimes, and Drai has been living a rather charmed life for a hockey player for about half a decade now.

He was able to adjust in previous seasons with McDavid out of the lineup. And he's spent lots of time centering his own line over the past 5 years to a 50-goal, 100-point pace. I don't believe in jinxes, hexes, or curses, but something's definitely not right with him, and, to a greater extent, McDavid. He's obviously frustrated with whatever is going on and that probably makes things worse rather than better as he's gripping the stick more tightly and not putting enough effort into other parts of the game. Hopefully it gets turned around sooner rather than later.

 

[Duke74]

Draisaitl is playing very poorly by his standards. There’s no harm in recognizing that. Missing the net, fanning on shots, skating back to the bench like it’s warmups when he loses the puck. You’ve been a big proponent of body language on this board. Draisaitl’s is terrible right now. He looks checked out. You can only quote the ‘wasted season’ comment so often before it starts to sound like an excuse. He needs to get his head right.

I have no idea what's going on with him. I'm not one to believe in curses, hexes, or jinxes, but this is crazy. Obviously, he's very frustrated, so he's going to show it on his face. I don't know if he's "checked out" but if so that can mean it's his last year in Edmonton.

 

[Tarus]

He was able to adjust in previous seasons with McDavid out of the lineup. And he's spent lots of time centering his own line over the past 5 years to a 50-goal, 100-point pace. I don't believe in jinxes, hexes, or curses, but something's definitely not right with him, and, to a greater extent, McDavid. He's obviously frustrated with whatever is going on and that probably makes things worse rather than better as he's gripping the stick more tightly and not putting enough effort into other parts of the game. Hopefully it gets turned around sooner rather than later.

Mcdavid hasn't had any significant injury problems since he blew out his knee 3 or 4 years ago, he's been remarkably healthy since that incident. Mcdavid was also remarkably healthy even before that incident, only missing time for the collarbone break. Drai has had a dominant, uninjured Mcdavid pushing back matchups and running the powerplay for like 99% of his career at this point. Last time he had to adjust to Mcdavid being out of the lineup he had Hall as a running mate, and most of the lines he's centered on his own were playing secondary competition behind Mcdavid's lines.

Going into a season with a much less effective Mcdavid, a 3rd straight year of changing the defensive systems, coming off a letdown of a playoff run, all while pushing 30 - probably a lot going on for Drai right now.

 

[Duke74]

Mcdavid hasn't had any significant injury problems since he blew out his knee 3 or 4 years ago, he's been remarkably healthy since that incident. Mcdavid was also remarkably healthy even before that incident, only missing time for the collarbone break. Drai has had a dominant, uninjured Mcdavid pushing back matchups and running the powerplay for like 99% of his career at this point. Last time he had to adjust to Mcdavid being out of the lineup he had Hall as a running mate, and most of the lines he's centered on his own were playing secondary competition behind Mcdavid's lines.

Going into a season with a much less effective Mcdavid, a 3rd straight year of changing the defensive systems, coming off a letdown of a playoff run, all while pushing 30 - probably a lot going on for Drai right now.

True - and he hasn't been right since the dirty P slash in the Vegas series so I wonder if there are any lingering effects - physical or mental - from that incident. He also mentioned working on his shot during the summer. I wonder if he inadvertently messed with his shot mechanics during that process.

 

[Stoneman89]

Guy puts a lot of pressure on himself to perform. And right now he’s not performing. It’s a good thing, he cares.

I get all that, but when things are not going well, he needs to put the brave face on. Teammates are triggered by visual signals as well as verbal.

 

[guymez]

Well...amazing what happens when you consistently go to the tough areas of the ice. You score goals.
Better effort..the team was much more engaged. Offensively and defensively.
Hyman was obviously the player of the game but Skinner wasnt far behind.
Holloway was really solid.
Still some bad defensive breakdowns and zero shots in the 3rd is not a positive at all.
As a matter of fact the 3rd period looked too much like the previous 12 games.

Now a new coach. A new start.

Here's hoping that this is the beginning of something meaningful.

 

[Stoneman89]

Well...amazing what happens when you consistently go to the tough areas of the ice. You score goals.
Better effort..the team was much more engaged. Offensively and defensively.
Hyman was obviously the player of the game but Skinner wasnt far behind.
Holloway was really solid.
Still some bad defensive breakdowns and zero shots in the 3rd is not a positive at all.
As a matter of fact the 3rd period looked too much like the previous 12 games.

Now a new coach. A new start.

Here's hoping that this is the beginning of something meaningful.

No kidding. Every one of those goals was scored from anywhere between 2 feet and 10 feet. I believe that is how McDrai will break out of their slumps. By digging into those dirty areas, and getting a couple greasy ones instead of the picture perfect classic goals they usually score.