Post-Game Talk: Cli(e)nched

[Slats432]

I want Singh and louie for the WCF

No thank you. Cuthbert and Simpson are way better.

 

[Jimmi McJenkins]

Are the boys in Dallas or did they go home first

I suspect they get a day off at home before heading to Dallas. These guys have earned it.

 

[guymez]

Rewatching this morning and while I know that everyone is going to be screaming for McLeod's removal, the coaches watching the tape will see an otherwise fine game marred by two mistakes. Yes, that giveaway can't happen and the team needs confidence in their roster. But RM made several good plays and was a good force on the forecheck and an excellent PK guy. He played generally smart hockey and was an effective bottom six and PK forward.

The oilers won this game not because their offense was particularly dangerous but because they could roll four lines and their bottom 6 two checking lines gave Vancouver fits for the first two periods. Very tough call to scratch a good player who is playing an effective system on the basis of one mistake. Obviously his playoff boxcars need to improve but this is not like the Corey Perry disappearance. Tough call in my opinion.

I agree.
They should not scratch McLeod next game and hopefully he learns from that mistake.
It was really his only mistake in the game that I noticed.
He is a valuable player for this team and for the most part I like what he brings to the table. Sure he could be more physical but there are other elements to his game that make him hard to play against.

 

[Drivesaitl]

I'd also like to ride out in defense of McLeod.

He has been a great checker all playoffs and killing penalties.

Sure, there's wind blowing between his ears past the offensive blue line for long stretches, but if he were good there too he'd quadruple his salary and play top 6.

That mistake wasn't even a Foegele-esque turnover off a bad read, but more of a technical error by a fatigued player late in a game and series.

He'll bounce back, and if he can find some of that scoring touch he sometimes exhibits in the next round he'll be money.

Yeah. The board wasn't ready to hear this last night. But I didn't even like the pass going to him there in the slot. Part of what possibly contributed to his fanned pass was pressure coming in a vulnerable area.

Vinnie has the puck clean behind net. Theres 9mins left in the game. Why you making a hot pass to McLeod there right in the slot when pressure is coming. Nurse is the release valve who was available for the pass, and nobody was on Nurse. All VD has to do there is pass it to Nurse.

It boggles my mind. VD is a take the safer play guy all day but in that one he's passing it up the slot when forecheck heat already coming. Sure Its McLeod primary error but even if he doesn't fan on the pass theres a possibility of it being picked there.

The whole sequence should not have occurred that way with a 3-0 lead and 9mins left. Make a safer play.

 

[McDoused]

We as a fanbase may have issues here and there but I absolutely love our fanbase. The kid and his parents will cherish this for a life time.

not all heroes wear capes but they do wear mcdavid jerseys

 

[Drivesaitl]

No thank you. Cuthbert and Simpson are way better.

Simpson is awful unless you want to hear him bleating about Vancouver all day. Wonder if he likes Dallas as well. Simpson has Oilers issues. Can't remember what the tension was due to but there was some past conflicts.

 

[Jimmi McJenkins]

I agree.
They should not scratch McLeod next game and hopefully he learns from that mistake.
It was really his only mistake in the game that I noticed.
He is a valuable player for this team and I for the most part I like what he brings to the table. Sure he could be more physical but there are other elements to his game make him hard to play against.

McLeod tends to learn from those, it was out of character for the game he was having, imo, because he was managing puck so well until then.

Sometimes shit just happens, the team end up locking it down, which is the important part.

 

[Oilslick941611]

No thank you. Cuthbert and Simpson are way better.

They really aren't. Cuthbert is only looked at as a number 1 PbP guy because he does HNIC for Toronto. He is terribly biased, his voice is awful and stunted, his calls lack emotion and investment unless he rooting for your team (compare the 3 oiler goal calls from last night to the 2 Vancouver calls)


As far as im concerned that team is not good and I don't want them to continue with us to the next round.

Simpson is awful unless you want to hear him bleating about Vancouver all day. Wonder if he likes Dallas as well. Simpson has Oilers issues. Can't remember what the tension was due to but there was some past conflicts.

He was fired as a assistant coach.

 

[Drivesaitl]

Are the boys in Dallas or did they go home first

I'm sure they go home but with the crap ass rainy cold weather here would be better just to go to Dallas to help get over all the infections the team seems to have. Hopefully they all got the same thing so its not a matter of multiple virus or something going around.

A lot of people sick in Edmonton too. Apparently as well any hygiene learned during pandemic is erased now. People will walk right in a mall coughing at anybody and not even holding hand to mouth or anything. We're back to that again.

 

[Slats432]

Simpson is awful unless you want to hear him bleating about Vancouver all day. Wonder if he likes Dallas as well. Simpson has Oilers issues. Can't remember what the tension was due to but there was some past conflicts.

I hear lots of people talk about how announcers etc are biased one way or another. I guess I don't see it as much and like his insights regardless of who he is talking about. And Cuthbert pxp over the Harnarayan? 100/100.

 

[Drivesaitl]

If you had said this before game 6 you’d have been proven to be wrong. Why you saying it now. If anything we want twon us 16 strhe Skinner that aight and broke Fuhr’s record. The sharpest Skinne has ever looked. With confidence and mojo maybe we get that from him moving forward. 100% worth the try which is probably why Knob is trying.

This stuff is nonsense for a number of reasons;

1)In Fuhrs day there were ties. Multiple games in that streak of Skinners went to extra time. Thus they would have been ties under the same rules. So apples to oranges record off the bat.

2)Its a team metric. Its based on how good or bad the team is. In the case of the 2024 Oilers its a team being dominant, filling the net, and giving up hardly anything.

3Further to that would anybody even argue Cujo was miles better than say Skinner or anything we've seen in recent years? This underlines its a team record. If you happen to be on the top winning team in the league you have a chance of being around a stat like that. It really has very little to do with Skinner specifically.

 

[oobga]

PDO Kings.

Regular season 5v5: 1.028 (1st in NHL)
Playoffs vs Oilers 5v5: 1.022

Regular season All situations: 1.025 (1st in NHL)
Playoffs vs Oilers All situations: 1.016

The dip was enough. Now can they kindly regress hard next year?

 

[BlackDogg]

Connor needs to get his throat painted with silver nitrate the way he sounded

 

[Drivesaitl]

McLeod tends to learn from those, it was out of character for the game he was having, imo, because he was managing puck so well until then.

Sometimes shit just happens, the team end up locking it down, which is the important part.

Yep. He's involved in so many good zone outs it seems people don't pay attention to it because with his speed and skating he makes it look easy. Next to Nuge he's probably the best defensive forward we have and he breaks up a lot of plays as well or gets sticks on pucks. It was uncharacteristic and was the mechanical error of fanning on pass. Frustrating that it is that it occurs in that moment mistakes do occur.

Connor needs to get his throat painted with silver nitrate the way he sounded

Hate to say it but with the constant stress, all the infections on the team and the hardship of playing every other night (thanks NHL for this ridiculous scheduling. and secondary infections can even occur. Things like Bronchitis. People have been tossing around Strep. Hopefully it isn't that and its just a rumor.

 

[McAsuno]

Good morning, you absolute beauties. Still smiling after last night's G7 win

 

[Ladyfan]

Congrats and I hope you win it all.

...from a Bruins fan

 

[Drivesaitl]

Oilers top 4 in playoff scoring race. I think the last time that would have occurred is the 80's. Pretty dominant group here on a "one player team" lol the one player isn't even leading in any production category.

 

[KickHimPedro]

McLeod is a solid bottom 6 forward. People want more from him, but if you accept him for what he is, you realize he’s very good in that role. Great entries, very good defensively. He has a great stick and covers a lot of ground. Rarely turns over the puck in the neutral zone.

If you want a team to not sit on their heals with a lead, you have to accept some mistakes.

0 chance McLeod gets benched. That’s crazy talk.

 

[5 14 6 1]

I'd also like to ride out in defense of McLeod.

He has been a great checker all playoffs and killing penalties.

Sure, there's wind blowing between his ears past the offensive blue line for long stretches, but if he were good there too he'd quadruple his salary and play top 6.

That mistake wasn't even a Foegele-esque turnover off a bad read, but more of a technical error by a fatigued player late in a game and series.

He'll bounce back, and if he can find some of that scoring touch he sometimes exhibits in the next round he'll be money.

The quote by Knoblauch last night speaks to this very well. He is a very valuable player for this team and will be key in a match up with a less physical, better skating Dallas team.



knoblauch on mcleod's turnover, how to make sure it doesn't leave too big of a dent: "you have to be careful with that. one, you don't know how he's going to handle that the next play, the next time the puck is on his stick, what's he going to do. part of being a good defensive player is being able to make the play with the puck, but i'll tell you, that last seven, eight minutes of the game, i missed him. i wanted him out there. but you also have to be careful with how he's going to handle that. he probably would've handled it fine. i think he would've made the play, but you are not sure. i know there's a very strong, supportive team, group of players that are giving him a lot of support, and i'm sure he's going to put it behind him and he might be starting game one, opening draw against dallas, because i don't know how far we're going to get without him playing well, and playing some key situations."

 

[LTIR]

Simpson is awful unless you want to hear him bleating about Vancouver all day. Wonder if he likes Dallas as well. Simpson has Oilers issues. Can't remember what the tension was due to but there was some past conflicts.

Since we are the last Canadian team left it's time to bring on Jack Michaels rest of the way on SN

 

[Drivesaitl]

McLeod is a solid bottom 6 forward. People want more from him, but if you accept him for what he is, you realize he’s very good in that role. Great entries, very good defensively. He has a great stick and covers a lot of ground. Rarely turns over the puck in the neutral zone.

If you want a team to not sit on their heals with a lead, you have to accept some mistakes.

0 chance McLeod gets benched. That’s crazy talk.

For sure. Coaches love players like this that are very good in coverage and cover so much area with their speed and stick. Its no accident he gets so much pk. Also undersold is he's somebody you can move around in lineup. Put him up with Drai on wing, he won't look out of place there. Play him Center in bottomsix, not out of place. Theres plenty minutes for low event players like this. Its not just McLeod not producing in bottomsix but he seems to get all the blame for it.

 

[Frank the Tank]

Simpson is awful unless you want to hear him bleating about Vancouver all day. Wonder if he likes Dallas as well. Simpson has Oilers issues. Can't remember what the tension was due to but there was some past conflicts.

Oilers fired him as the assistant coach. He's had an axe to grind against the organization since then.

 

[syz]

Yeah. The board wasn't ready to hear this last night. But I didn't even like the pass going to him there in the slot. Part of what possibly contributed to his fanned pass was pressure coming in a vulnerable area.

Vinnie has the puck clean behind net. Theres 9mins left in the game. Why you making a hot pass to McLeod there right in the slot when pressure is coming. Nurse is the release valve who was available for the pass, and nobody was on Nurse. All VD has to do there is pass it to Nurse.

It boggles my mind. VD is a take the safer play guy all day but in that one he's passing it up the slot when forecheck heat already coming. Sure Its McLeod primary error but even if he doesn't fan on the pass theres a possibility of it being picked there.

The whole sequence should not have occurred that way with a 3-0 lead and 9mins left. Make a safer play.

The Oilers started going to the middle of the ice more for their outlets after game 5 because the Canucks go-to play is to just seal the walls. That Desharnais pass was a good one and he was likely just doing what the system was instructing him to do. But sure it's 3-0 you can just go hard off the glass at that point if you want, I guess, but McLeod needs to be able to handle that.

 

[NeverForget06]

Holloway has been great. So critical to have a functioning second line. Now if Henrique can come back healthy and give a little bit more on that third line then we will be in business

 

[Drivesaitl]

The quote by Knoblauch last night speaks to this very well. He is a very valuable player for this team and will be key in a match up with a less physical, better skating Dallas team.



knoblauch on mcleod's turnover, how to make sure it doesn't leave too big of a dent: "you have to be careful with that. one, you don't know how he's going to handle that the next play, the next time the puck is on his stick, what's he going to do. part of being a good defensive player is being able to make the play with the puck, but i'll tell you, that last seven, eight minutes of the game, i missed him. i wanted him out there. but you also have to be careful with how he's going to handle that. he probably would've handled it fine. i think he would've made the play, but you are not sure. i know there's a very strong, supportive team, group of players that are giving him a lot of support, and i'm sure he's going to put it behind him and he might be starting game one, opening draw against dallas, because i don't know how far we're going to get without him playing well, and playing some key situations."

Good on Knob to realize as well the kid was a bit rattled and shaken after that and give him some time off. Nobody feels worse than McLeod there and you could see it on the bench how much he was hurting for that.

So glad the team had his back both on the bench and on the ice. The players on this team, and coaching staff know how hard McLeod works for the team.

"I missed him out there" is a very nice thing for Knob to say.

KK handling of players is not up and down as it is with some coaches. He's got the maturity, the patience to treat the players with respect. Players tend to love that and remember it. You get stability from a calm coach that isn't losing his head. A coach that just beat Tocchet who comes from another school.

We'll see more of some bad Tocchet next year in Vancouver. Honeymoon season can often go well enough.