Post-Game Talk: Despite Eakins' attempts, the Oilers beat Tampa 3-2

[Da McBomb]

It really is too bad that the Oilers aren't in the Eastern Conference. This team is built much better for the Eastern teams compared to the much bigger Western teams.

In regards to Yak's ice time, I think Eakins doesn't trust him defensively enough yet to play him much when the Oilers are trying to protect a one goal lead in the 3rd period. With the way Yak has been playing this year, I do think he warrants more ice time though.

The more I watch Draisaitl, the more I think he should be sent down to Juniors this year to develop.

 

[Alex87]

No offense, but this is completely unproven. Whenever people don't want to admit they are in the minority they always break out this silent majority garbage.

Fans are justified to be pissed off at the brutal decision the coach is making. Especially when they often seem to negatively affect the same players all the time. Eakins flat out plays favourites. Suggesting that he doesn't and the"silent majority" of fans agree with that statement is hogwash.

I would have liked to see Yakupov get an extra few shifts on the ice, but if you look at the ice-time break down, it reveals a much more complicated story:

http://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20142015/TH020078.HTM

Yakupov played 16 shifts with an average of 40 seconds each. This is almost identical to Joensuu and is comparable with Purcell (19 shifts, 44 seconds avg), Arcobello (19 shifts, 36 seconds average), Draisaitl (17 shifts, 49 seconds avg)*, Perron (19 shifts, 47 seconds average), and even Pouliot (20 shifts, 37 seconds average).

* I don't have a problem with Draisaitl getting a push on the PP. You can't have him warming the bench the whole game and if he's on a 9 game tryout it's important for us to assess what we have.

The forwards noticeably getting a push were the 4-93-14 line, plus Gordon and Hendricks. When you consider that:

1. The Oilers were in a close game, and the #1 line was shadowing Stamkos, who played nearly 20 minutes;

2. The actual breakdown of Yak's icetime; only 3 shifts in the first, but we were on the PK for 4 minutes, and this increased to 6 and 7 shifts in the second and third periods. The #1 line appears to have the # of shifts taken increased in the third period when the game was on the line, which makes sense, so there's evidence Eakins shortened his bench, which is absolutely a defensible decision.

3. Positional/situational factors which could influence a coach's decision, such as the need to have two centres on the ice, who Tampa Bay is putting on the ice and how we're line matching, etc.

It appears that, while Yak's TOI looks paltry compared to the other forwards, he was being used as frequently or nearly as frequently as most of the other forwards on the team, save the obvious ones. Again, I would argue that Yak could have gotten more PP time, or maybe would have benefited from an extra couple of shifts, but to call it a "brutal" decision doesn't appear supported by the information we have available to us.

Eakins' post game comments also reflect a more favourable opinion of Yak and an increased willingness to put him on the ice. As the season continues, I think we'll see Yak more and his production should benefit as well.

Just my two cents!

 

[guymez]

It really is too bad that the Oilers aren't in the Eastern Conference. This team is built much better for the Eastern teams compared to the much bigger Western teams.

In regards to Yak's ice time, I think Eakins doesn't trust him defensively enough yet to play him much when the Oilers are trying to protect a one goal lead in the 3rd period. With the way Yak has been playing this year, I do think he warrants more ice time though.

The more I watch Draisaitl, the more I think he should be sent down to Juniors this year to develop.

I agree. In terms of Yaks ice time people have to recognize the importance of last nights game as well. It was a must win game against a very good team who played their top line a lot. If Yak can build a much bigger body of work showing that he is reliable then he should get more ice time in critical games.

Agree on Draisaitl as well. I am hoping that the team will acquire a veteran player like Brodziak which would allow Draisaitl to besent down. He is struggling big time and that doesnt help the team or the player.

 

[s7ark]

How is that any different than some poster saying a certain post is in the minority? How do you know 'they're in the minority' if it's unproven?
Just because not everyone is whining about Yak's icetime or staying silent doesn't necessarily mean it's one way or the other. That's why I said 'perhaps'..

Some fans are pissed off about the coach's decision..as per usual. Doesn't mean they're right.

I don't like many of Eakin's decisions. That doesn't mean I'm right or wrong as it's just an opinion.

In this case, Yak seems to be improving so I'm giving Dallas the benefit of the doubt. He was a plus last game and showed some good signs. I would think it's better to get his confidence up, keeping a plus number(after last year's disaster) and slowly increasing Yak's icetime based on a series of metrics.

I am not going to argue with you on this, I have work to do. If you want to believe the majority of fan silently agree with Eakins' decisions, go nuts. I will stick with my thought that the number of fans(even from outside fanbases) that think Eakins is misusing Yakupov is much larger. That is why they are more vocal.

I don't buy into silent majorities. I am stealing this next part from Wikipedia: The term "silent majority" is often invoked by people who decide to fall back on argumentum ad populum without any actual evidence that their view is at all popular. The flaw with the phrase is obvious: if the majority is silent, then how can one identify its views?

 

[McBooya42]

I would have liked to see Yakupov get an extra few shifts on the ice, but if you look at the ice-time break down, it reveals a much more complicated story:

http://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20142015/TH020078.HTM

Yakupov played 16 shifts with an average of 40 seconds each. This is almost identical to Joensuu and is comparable with Purcell (19 shifts, 44 seconds avg), Arcobello (19 shifts, 36 seconds average), Draisaitl (17 shifts, 49 seconds avg)*, Perron (19 shifts, 47 seconds average), and even Pouliot (20 shifts, 37 seconds average).

* I don't have a problem with Draisaitl getting a push on the PP. You can't have him warming the bench the whole game and if he's on a 9 game tryout it's important for us to assess what we have.

The forwards noticeably getting a push were the 4-93-14 line, plus Gordon and Hendricks. When you consider that:

1. The Oilers were in a close game, and the #1 line was shadowing Stamkos, who played nearly 20 minutes;

2. The actual breakdown of Yak's icetime; only 3 shifts in the first, but we were on the PK for 4 minutes, and this increased to 6 and 7 shifts in the second and third periods. The #1 line appears to have the # of shifts taken increased in the third period when the game was on the line, which makes sense, so there's evidence Eakins shortened his bench, which is absolutely a defensible decision.

3. Positional/situational factors which could influence a coach's decision, such as the need to have two centres on the ice, who Tampa Bay is putting on the ice and how we're line matching, etc.

It appears that, while Yak's TOI looks paltry compared to the other forwards, he was being used as frequently or nearly as frequently as most of the other forwards on the team, save the obvious ones. Again, I would argue that Yak could have gotten more PP time, or maybe would have benefited from an extra couple of shifts, but to call it a "brutal" decision doesn't appear supported by the information we have available to us.

Eakins' post game comments also reflect a more favourable opinion of Yak and an increased willingness to put him on the ice. As the season continues, I think we'll see Yak more and his production should benefit as well.

Just my two cents!

Cheers for this. \thread - or at least the BS whining about Yak not being used properly, or the BS whining about Canadian favouritism.

If this were ******, you'd be getting gold.

Edit - What? I can't mention that other website that has nothing to do with hockey? Really? LOL

 

[Master Lok]

No offense, but this is completely unproven. Whenever people don't want to admit they are in the minority they always break out this silent majority garbage.

Fans are justified to be pissed off at the brutal decision the coach is making. Especially when they often seem to negatively affect the same players all the time. Eakins flat out plays favourites. Suggesting that he doesn't and the"silent majority" of fans agree with that statement is hogwash.

Then let me state it.

I for one, have no problem restricting Yakupov's minutes.

The Oilers win, Yakupov's minutes get reduced and people complain.

Would you prefer Yakupov get more minutes and the Oilers lose?

 

[Aerrol]

I would have liked to see Yakupov get an extra few shifts on the ice, but if you look at the ice-time break down, it reveals a much more complicated story:

http://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20142015/TH020078.HTM

Yakupov played 16 shifts with an average of 40 seconds each. This is almost identical to Joensuu and is comparable with Purcell (19 shifts, 44 seconds avg), Arcobello (19 shifts, 36 seconds average), Draisaitl (17 shifts, 49 seconds avg)*, Perron (19 shifts, 47 seconds average), and even Pouliot (20 shifts, 37 seconds average).

* I don't have a problem with Draisaitl getting a push on the PP. You can't have him warming the bench the whole game and if he's on a 9 game tryout it's important for us to assess what we have.

The forwards noticeably getting a push were the 4-93-14 line, plus Gordon and Hendricks. When you consider that:

1. The Oilers were in a close game, and the #1 line was shadowing Stamkos, who played nearly 20 minutes;

2. The actual breakdown of Yak's icetime; only 3 shifts in the first, but we were on the PK for 4 minutes, and this increased to 6 and 7 shifts in the second and third periods. The #1 line appears to have the # of shifts taken increased in the third period when the game was on the line, which makes sense, so there's evidence Eakins shortened his bench, which is absolutely a defensible decision.

3. Positional/situational factors which could influence a coach's decision, such as the need to have two centres on the ice, who Tampa Bay is putting on the ice and how we're line matching, etc.

It appears that, while Yak's TOI looks paltry compared to the other forwards, he was being used as frequently or nearly as frequently as most of the other forwards on the team, save the obvious ones. Again, I would argue that Yak could have gotten more PP time, or maybe would have benefited from an extra couple of shifts, but to call it a "brutal" decision doesn't appear supported by the information we have available to us.

Eakins' post game comments also reflect a more favourable opinion of Yak and an increased willingness to put him on the ice. As the season continues, I think we'll see Yak more and his production should benefit as well.

Just my two cents!

I hate Eakins and think his handling of Yakupov has been awful, but this is a very good post.

Thanks for the detailed breakdown.

 

[redgrant]

Did anyone from the media call out Eakins on his lack of yak or is it a case of "we won who cares?"

Really getting fed up with all the crap. If 4-93 need ice time put Yak up there then. Eberle has not looked like a first line player in the past 2 seasons.

 

[Tw0Shoes]

I am not going to argue with you on this, I have work to do. If you want to believe the majority of fan silently agree with Eakins' decisions, go nuts. I will stick with my thought that the number of fans(even from outside fanbases) that think Eakins is misusing Yakupov is much larger. That is why they are more vocal.

I don't buy into silent majorities. I am stealing this next part from Wikipedia: The term "silent majority" is often invoked by people who decide to fall back on argumentum ad populum without any actual evidence that their view is at all popular. The flaw with the phrase is obvious: if the majority is silent, then how can one identify its views?

Don't agree with a lot of things that Eakins has done, but I think he is actually handling the young guys pretty well. It shouldn't be sink or swim in the NHL, Leon should go down I think and Yak should have his minutes limited until he can prove without a doubt that he can handle them. Just because they didn't do it right with a number of other prospects, doesn't mean that they shouldn't with the next ones. The goal at the end of the day is not for Yak to be another Jordan Eberle, it's for him to be a complete player, and put up points like Eberle. The offense will come, I have no doubt about that, it's the rest of the game that needs to be rounded out so that we don't end up with more one dimensional players.

 

[TheNumber4]

Did anyone from the media call out Eakins on his lack of yak or is it a case of "we won who cares?"

Really getting fed up with all the crap. If 4-93 need ice time put Yak up there then. Eberle has not looked like a first line player in the past 2 seasons.

Watch the post game press conference. He was asked SPECIFICALLY about Yak's ice time and his answer was logical and it made sense. Here's why Yak played less:

Our 4th Line was our most effective defensive line.
Our 1st Line was playing good 2-way hockey.

What he didn't say but it obvious:
It was a tight game, you want your scorers out there (1st Line)
You don't play the team leading and possibly league leading MINUS player in the 3RD period of a tied game

THIS IS OBVIOUS. YAK IS COMING ALONG DEFENSIVELY BUT STILL AS TO PROVE HIMSELF.

 

[nhlisajoke]

THIS IS OBVIOUS. YAK IS COMING ALONG DEFENSIVELY BUT STILL AS TO PROVE HIMSELF.

why you heff to be so mad

 

[Insta]

Yakupov has to prove himself to the coach still. He will get more ice time if he keeps being responsible defensively and playing with the passion he's shown quite often so far.

 

[Canovin]

I don't mind Yak having to prove himself and earn the minutes. I just hate having Yak being dragged down by Acro and Purcell. Please MacT get Anisimov or of some sort!

 

[McDeathbyCheerios*]

Did anyone from the media call out Eakins on his lack of yak or is it a case of "we won who cares?"

Really getting fed up with all the crap. If 4-93 need ice time put Yak up there then. Eberle has not looked like a first line player in the past 2 seasons.

He was top 30 in the league for scoring. Definitely not a top line guy

 

[StoveTopStauffer]

I would have liked to see Yakupov get an extra few shifts on the ice, but if you look at the ice-time break down, it reveals a much more complicated story:

http://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20142015/TH020078.HTM

Yakupov played 16 shifts with an average of 40 seconds each. This is almost identical to Joensuu and is comparable with Purcell (19 shifts, 44 seconds avg), Arcobello (19 shifts, 36 seconds average), Draisaitl (17 shifts, 49 seconds avg)*, Perron (19 shifts, 47 seconds average), and even Pouliot (20 shifts, 37 seconds average).

* I don't have a problem with Draisaitl getting a push on the PP. You can't have him warming the bench the whole game and if he's on a 9 game tryout it's important for us to assess what we have.

The forwards noticeably getting a push were the 4-93-14 line, plus Gordon and Hendricks. When you consider that:

1. The Oilers were in a close game, and the #1 line was shadowing Stamkos, who played nearly 20 minutes;

2. The actual breakdown of Yak's icetime; only 3 shifts in the first, but we were on the PK for 4 minutes, and this increased to 6 and 7 shifts in the second and third periods. The #1 line appears to have the # of shifts taken increased in the third period when the game was on the line, which makes sense, so there's evidence Eakins shortened his bench, which is absolutely a defensible decision.

3. Positional/situational factors which could influence a coach's decision, such as the need to have two centres on the ice, who Tampa Bay is putting on the ice and how we're line matching, etc.

It appears that, while Yak's TOI looks paltry compared to the other forwards, he was being used as frequently or nearly as frequently as most of the other forwards on the team, save the obvious ones. Again, I would argue that Yak could have gotten more PP time, or maybe would have benefited from an extra couple of shifts, but to call it a "brutal" decision doesn't appear supported by the information we have available to us.

Eakins' post game comments also reflect a more favourable opinion of Yak and an increased willingness to put him on the ice. As the season continues, I think we'll see Yak more and his production should benefit as well.

Just my two cents!

Good post.

Of course it's like this. This harping on his ice time is NEARLY as ridiculous as the Eakins / Hall confrontation.

 

[McDeathbyCheerios*]

I don't mind Yak having to prove himself and earn the minutes. I just hate having Yak being dragged down by Acro and Purcell. Please MacT get Anisimov or of some sort!

Getting dragged down? Purcell has looked good so far and Arcobello is doing a fine job

 

[McShogun99]

Yeah. nothing like having so many high draft picks that you have to play them on your third line. The way Yakupov has played this season there is no doubt in my mind that he will force the coach's hand into playing him a ot more by the end of this season.

 

[Crobby]

He was top 30 in the league for scoring. Definitely not a top line guy

Jason Gregor‏@JasonGregor·55m55 minutes ago
1/2 Since start of 2010/2011Eberle (181) has scored the 5th most pts amongst RW. Kessel (219), St.Louis (208) Kane (193) and Perry (185).

not bad company

 

[s7ark]

Then let me state it.

I for one, have no problem restricting Yakupov's minutes.

The Oilers win, Yakupov's minutes get reduced and people complain.

Would you prefer Yakupov get more minutes and the Oilers lose?

I believe Yakupov has been one of the better forwards this season at both ends and that playing him more would help the oilers win more.

 

[guymez]

I don't mind Yak having to prove himself and earn the minutes. I just hate having Yak being dragged down by Acro and Purcell. Please MacT get Anisimov or of some sort!

Exposing Yak at this point doesnt make a lot of sense IMO.
It doesnt help the team or the player.

Add a few more sheltered minutes over time is the way to go.

As for another centre...if MacT can do that then it would really help this team.

 

[GMofOilers]

I believe Yakupov has been one of the better forwards this season at both ends and that playing him more would help the oilers win more.

We should put him on the PK if hes one of our better player at both ends.

 

[McPuritania]

It sure is nice to win a game. I was actually cheering goals, and fist pumping the air when Nuge and Hall scored. Sure wish I could do more of that this season.

Any chance we can petition to be moved to the Eastern conference?

Eakins is a giant turd of a coach. People can talk all they want about Yak needing to be sheltered, or has comparable ice time to other players, but the fact of the matter is, he's been one of our best, if not the best player on the team. He's doing exactly what he needs to do to get more ice time, but instead gets stapled to the bench.

 

[BoldNewLettuce]

that game could have read 5-1 Oilers. which is real pathetic for Tampa.

 

[guymez]

It sure is nice to win a game. I was actually cheering goals, and fist pumping the air when Nuge and Hall scored. Sure wish I could do more of that this season.

Any chance we can petition to be moved to the Eastern conference?

Eakins is a giant turd of a coach. People can talk all they want about Yak needing to be sheltered, or has comparable ice time to other players, but the fact of the matter is, he's been one of our best, if not the best player on the team. He's doing exactly what he needs to do to get more ice time, but instead gets stapled to the bench.

I am going to challenge you on this. Based on what?

 

[Klimando Kostani]

Watch the post game press conference. He was asked SPECIFICALLY about Yak's ice time and his answer was logical and it made sense. Here's why Yak played less:

Our 4th Line was our most effective defensive line.
Our 1st Line was playing good 2-way hockey.

What he didn't say but it obvious:
It was a tight game, you want your scorers out there (1st Line)
You don't play the team leading and possibly league leading MINUS player in the 3RD period of a tied game

THIS IS OBVIOUS. YAK IS COMING ALONG DEFENSIVELY BUT STILL AS TO PROVE HIMSELF.

I'll buy that for a dollar but I wish he wasn't playing Terrence with seconds to go when holding on to a lead... That guy should be sheltered and if level of play was swapped between marincin and ferrence, marincin would be in the AHL. So Eakins might finally be making a couple understandable decisions but he still makes a lot of boneheaded ones.