Post-Game Talk: Ducks 4 Oilers 3 in OT - Ducks lead series 3-2

[PBandJ]

I'm a lot less angry than I was last night.

This team has shown the mental fortitude to battle. I don't think this is over.

I believe.

 

[Raoul Duke]

I liked the thinking behind the line juggling. It gets Draisaitl away from the Kessler line, at least. Some plays were slightly out of sync. That should improve. I hope they continue those lines but find some shifts for Draisaitl and McDavid together.

 

[rboomercat90]

I think McGeough came out after that one "hand pass" and said he botched it. But other than that...

I doubt it. Mick McGeough was probably the most arrogant referee the league ever had. I can't see him ever admitting to making a mistake. Pretty sure Mactavish got fined for his comments about Mcgeogh after that game. That would have absolved him from any feelings of guilt.

 

[McFlyingV]

I have this funny feeling that the Oilers are going to have a goal called back tomorrow on offside or goalie interference from coaches challenge. I think my head will probably explode if that happens.

Still think we have a good shot in this series. I think keeping McDavid and Drai apart is a good idea, and line matching Drai with Getzlaf. I'd like to see RNH-Drai-Slepy as our Getzlaf line tbh. I don't understand putting Lucic or Maroon out there against that line as their lack of speed becomes an issue when that line gets cycling. Lanes open up way too quickly when those slower guys are out there and that just exacerbates the problem.

 

[SometimesY]

I liked the thinking behind the line juggling. It gets Draisaitl away from the Kessler line, at least. Some plays were slightly out of sync. That should improve. I hope they continue those lines but find some shifts for Draisaitl and McDavid together.

In sudden death ot, I would have put the best offensive pairing we have together.

 

[CupofOil]

I'm a lot less angry than I was last night.

This team has shown the mental fortitude to battle. I don't think this is over.

I believe.

Same here. I went out for a while today in this beautiful weather, breathed in the fresh air and came back home with a different perspective.

I wasn't even mad at the team, I was mad at another call going against the Oilers but it's over and done with and it's time to move on. This team always shows a ton of resiliency, just look at how well they played in OT after most teams would have wilted after blowing a 3-0 deficit. This is a really good team with a bunch of guys playing like warriors, there's no reason why they can't win Game 6 and send it to a Game 7 where anything can happen.

It's time to put the past behind and get fully behind this team that has more than earned our support. It sort of feels like us against the world and I think that will be a great rallying cry for the team and fans. Even if they don't win this series, I'm damn proud of these guys and look forward to bigger and better things in the coming years.

 

[MoneyGuy]

Ask Calgary.

Nah, they dropped four in a row. We're not there yet.

 

[Jeff Lebowski]

I'm a lot less angry than I was last night.

This team has shown the mental fortitude to battle. I don't think this is over.

I believe.

They still have a chance. The league is being exposed as the fraud that it is right now. They're probably gonna tell the refs to tone it down a bit and try not to be so obvious with their bias. The Oilers are gonna come out hard on Sunday. I think these brutal calls are only gonna galvanize this team even more. This one will be going to 7.

 

[Echodek]

We all know we dont go all the way, the team has pushed their limits already and has had a h ell of a season.Knocked out last years runner up, Pushed the Ducks into their bones and could easily won last game.

I dont want this young talent team get smashed in a conference final, the cup is all that matters, we are running out of gas and doubleshifting our best players way to much because of weakness in the team. we cant rush the team for something they arent ready for.

Need to think for future years, 3-4 changes + a reliable backup for next season, probabably need to add more depht also, this season we have been lucky on the injury front, that can change very quick!

This makes no sense. We are in the Stanley Cup playoffs...we are here to win. Wishing we get knocked out now rather than suffer a heavy loss in the conference finals doesn't make any sense at all. The players are here for one purpose...to win. And the farther they go the more experience they get

 

[CantHaveTkachev]

Ask Calgary.

we're much better than Calgary

 

[rboomercat90]

I remember a story TSN had early this year where they had quotes from Ken Holland about how the NHL loves close games and don't want to see blowouts. That is a much bigger problem than the video review process IMO.

The fact that a team can play well and create a 2 or 3 goal lead only to have the rulebook switched against them completely undermines the integrity of the game.

This is the "game management" thing people have been talking about for a while. It's not a tin foil hat thing. It's real. The league manipulates games to keep them as close as they can for as long as they can. People lose interest in blowouts, they keep watching if the game continues to be up for grabs. That's why they don't do anything to try to increase scoring. Higher scoring games increase the chance for lopsided games. League loves 2-1 and 3-2 scores. Games that stray from this formula are the ones that get managed.

 

[belair]

I liked the thinking behind the line juggling. It gets Draisaitl away from the Kessler line, at least. Some plays were slightly out of sync. That should improve. I hope they continue those lines but find some shifts for Draisaitl and McDavid together.

When it comes to line-matchups it's a damned if you do, damned if you don't scenario with Draisaitl and McDavid. They are a larger threat when they're together but our depth is being exposed when they are. When they're alone they're easier to key on and shut down, or expose, as was the case in the final three minutes last game.

Off-topic, if Sekera is out on Sunday, I'd almost be all for dressing 7 defensemen. Judging by their usage last game, I wonder if sitting either Descharnais and Kassian would be an option and bringing in another decent face-off guy in Hendricks. Sekera is a mainstay on all three units and we don't have a single guy capable of covering him with confidence.

Maroon - McDavid - Draisaitl
Lucic - RNH - Eberle
Caggiula - Letestu - Slepyshev
Pouliot - Hendricks

Klefbom - Larsson
Russell - Fayne
Nurse - Benning
Reinhart

It'd take some heat off of Nurse, who's likely to see time on the PP. Fayne would fill the Russell role on the right side and play at evens and PK. And Reinhart can step in when needed on the bottom pair. Nurse could even potentially roll on a fourth line considering his speed and ability to rush the puck.

It's not likely but it'd be an interesting setup.

 

[Chooch]

How many more times is Nurse going to make a bone-headed play in his own end before he learns? Getting old fast.

 

[BlackDogg]

Thought I wouldn't watch the game but decided to until the refs ****ed it all up again - unfortunately it happened to be right at the end of the game this time.

Only teams I don't think they could beat legitimately are the Pens and possibly the Predators.

 

[ChaoticOrange]

I have this funny feeling that the Oilers are going to have a goal called back tomorrow on offside or goalie interference from coaches challenge. I think my head will probably explode if that happens.

Still think we have a good shot in this series. I think keeping McDavid and Drai apart is a good idea, and line matching Drai with Getzlaf. I'd like to see RNH-Drai-Slepy as our Getzlaf line tbh. I don't understand putting Lucic or Maroon out there against that line as their lack of speed becomes an issue when that line gets cycling. Lanes open up way too quickly when those slower guys are out there and that just exacerbates the problem.

I really hope that doesn't happen. The fan base is incredibly pissed off and rightly or wrongly the officiating is front and centre. Bad things could happen.

 

[ChaoticOrange]

How many more times is Nurse going to make a bone-headed play in his own end before he learns? Getting old fast.

He's played 115 regular season games and 11 playoff games.

Let's give him 300 before we give him the Petry treatment, mmmmkay?

Try not to forget how good he looked before he got hurt.

 

[ChaoticOrange]

Man I'm so disappointed


How do you drop 3 games in a row? Baahhhh

It happens. It sucks but it happens. It gets even more frustrating when you realize we've blown 2-0 and 3-0 leads in those games.

McDavid, Drai, Klefbom, Larsson, RNH, Nurse, Caggiula, Slepy, Benning, Puljujarvi. All under 25.

This team is only scratching the surface of what it's capable of, where the Ducks have a window of this year and next. We're not done yet but if we do go down, we'll be back - over and over and over again.

 

[RegDunlop]

Well at least we now know how much attention needs to be paid to your comments going forward. Thanks for the clarification!

Bin - F ing - go

 

[ChaoticOrange]

I hope we win game 7 on the most controversial goal possible. Duck fans deserve as much with the way they are acting.

banks off three players, Kassian punches it in off of Lucic who is standing in front of the net kicking the air while Maroon sits on Gibson.

'Good goal'.

 

[gordonhught]

I go back and remember what it was like at the beginning of the season.

After the Hall trade and all that, if someone said that:

- the Oilers would finish second in the division (after SJS had been to the finals)
- the Oilers would make the playoffs
- the Oilers would beat the Sharks in 6 games in the first round of the playoffs
- the Oilers would be down 3-2 to the Ducks in round 2 of the playoffs

I think most people would have taken this in the preseason and been quite happy.

 

[Slicknitty]

I'm a lot less angry than I was last night.

This team has shown the mental fortitude to battle. I don't think this is over.

I believe.

Same here, there's still one more game left at least. I think the boys can dig deep again, like they've shown all year, and take it to 7. If it does go 7 games, we're taking it. Anaheim is a **** team top to bottom.

 

[Mr Positive]

Just look at the Caps. They were down 3-1 and things were grim for them. It's easy to get wrapped up in the narratives, but they don't really mean anything. We're not going to be distraught over being down by a single game. We just got to win at home like Washington just did, and then we've got a game 7.

I'm pretty stoked that we're basically even with the Ducks. They are considered a major cup contender, and if not for their crazy luck at the end of the third, and some bad reffing, we'd be the ones with the upper hand.

 

[RegDunlop]

I'm in the same boat.
We played bad, we played well, Kelsler, I think, got hold of Talbots pad and wouldn't let go, they score, they review, they stabbed us with their steely knives, again, then we lose.
League is broken, review system is broken, rules don't apply one moment, the next they do. Officials are blind/don't care/have been paid off.
Even when we win I just don't enjoy game, where has my NHL gone!?

While I don't agree with a lot of your posts - you've summed up some of my feelings very accurately.
Where the hell IS my NHL? This is not the sport that comes before absolutely everything else in my life, right or wrong.
Dangerously close to feeling what the Oilers made me almost feel BC (before Conner). The NHL needs to realize that that is tge worst thing possible. To make a lifelong fan not care.

And by reading this forum, I'm certainly not alone by the sounds of it. What kind of professional hockey league could you possibly have with LA, San Jose, Anaheim, Vegas, and Phoenix only? Shame on them.

 

[Mcnofool6110]

Last game should have been elimination. Now we're too pissed. We'll win tomorrow then we'll win on Wednesday. We'll be emotionally spent for the Conf Finals, but this right now won't stand.

 

[Quinteoilers]

Any word on Sekera?