Post-Game Talk: Game 84, same as the previous 83.

[Sugi21]

Well that's worthy off jacking up prices 49% then

Well when the fans sell out an arena for 10 years of no playoffs Ownership knows people are gonna pay no matter what the cost they have the fans by the scrotums!!! Sooner or later the fans are gonna have to draw the line and stop buying tix and maybe then Katz will take notice!!! I get it... it’s awesome to be a loyal fan base support the team through ups and downs but c’mon now you sending ownership the message that you’ll pay to see pylons play especially pre-McDavid!!!

 

[Oilers in NS]

Well when the fans sell out an arena for 10 years of no playoffs Ownership knows people are gonna pay no matter what the cost they have the fans by the scrotums!!! Sooner or later the fans are gonna have to draw the line and stop buying tix and maybe then Katz will take notice!!! I get it... it’s awesome to be a loyal fan base support the team through ups and downs but c’mon now you sending ownership the message that you’ll pay to see pylons play especially pre-McDavid!!!

I hope u realize I was sarcastic

 

[rboomercat90]

NHL.com - Stats

308-388-92

By a good margin the worst team in the NHL since he took over. Some teams appear below us because of their name changes. Just add their respective lines up to put them above the Oilers. Vegas can't be counted of course.

I’ll be honest, that record is a lot better than I thought it would be. Maybe we haven’t had it as bad here as we thought we have.

 

[ChaoticOrange]

I’ve got plenty of friends that are STH and they’re already selling tickets at half of face value in some cases.

Nothing speaks louder than empty seats.

 

[oobga]

I’ll be honest, that record is a lot better than I thought it would be. Maybe we haven’t had it as bad here as we thought we have.

Worst out of any team is pretty bad IMO. Especially in the age of loser points and every game having a winner. I think we are one of 2 or 3 teams that has a losing record (not counting OTL/SOL) since Katz took over.

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

Worst out of any team is pretty bad IMO. Especially in the age of loser points and every game having a winner. I think we are one of 2 or 3 teams that has a losing record (not counting OTL/SOL) since Katz took over.

I just did a quick analysis of the Chiarelli years.

25th.

NHL.com - Stats

I guess that's better?

 

[YakDavid]

When is this new system happening?

 

[bone]

I just did a quick analysis of the Chiarelli years.

25th.

NHL.com - Stats

I guess that's better?

Yeah, and even that is propped up by a season where they managed to finish 7th.

What's even lovelier is that if you try and run any prolonged stretch up until today the Oilers are last in any stretch of seasons beyond 2010-11 unless you run the total all the way back past 2000-2001 (the season Kevin Lowe took over as general manager) and even then the only franchise below them is Columbus (an expansion team from that season) and it is by 1 point as of today. With Columbus being good right now, Edmonton will likely have the worst NHL record overall during Kevin Lowes 19 career on the management side within the next week or two.

So what's really sad is that what we see today, is actually improvement.

 

[rboomercat90]

I cant believe the "wow typical Hf, everyone relax, its only 2 games" posts are still happening. Shocking.

Everybody needs to calm down. It’s only been twelve years.

 

[rboomercat90]

I actually for the first time feel sick as a lifelong fan. Iam over 50 and seen the best and worst from this franchise.

For all of you who keep saying its only xx number of games,, well **** we have been saying that for over 10 years and only once (2006) had this been true .

Having the best player in the world and feeling like this, like wtf.

Bob Nicholson is a fraud like everyone else.

I want Kevin Lowe back in charge as offside as that sounds.

I read this post and the first thing I pictured was Montgomery burns rubbing his hands and saying “excellent, Smithers. Excellent”.

 

[MaxR11]

i kind of wonder if the leashes are too tight on players. it's almost as if they are tethered and bound to a system and they can't play loose and relaxed. they might be thinking too much about the "system" and it slows them down just a bit much and makes their thinking just a bit slower because nothing feels natural and the flow is not there.

maybe tmac is out thinking himself... it tends to happen when you have less and less success as a team... as a coach you tend to want to control too much and that could actually make things worse. the talent here is questionable, no doubt, but is it really as bad as we are seeing or are they just playing too tight and bound to a system?

seems like other teams play with much more flow and natural improvisation with a basic system. maybe our system is too complex and takes too much natural instincts out of these guys?

 

[McFlash97]

This place is so depressing wow. It's been 2 games guys. Wait until 2 weeks

wait until its officially over ? how about do something about it now ? lol

 

[rboomercat90]

Just wondering, who is the vocal leader on this team? We all know McDavid is the leader. He's a silent leader and that's fine because he leads by example. But we need a guy to tell the boys get their heads in the game or when to calm down. In the past it was Hendricks. Since then, no one.

I'm thinking Upshall would've taken this role. Hopefully, he can join this team at some point.

This isn’t being talked about enough. We have the same problem we’ve had for most of the last twelve tears. We don’t have good veteran leadership. McDavid and Draisatl are still kids, focused on their own thing. They’re mature enough to handle their own games but not the rest of the circus that can be involved with a group of 23 players. I think Lucic was expected to be one of these guys but he hasn’t been. I don’t know what Brodziak is like, maybe he has those skills. Either way, it’s one problem in the midst of many.

 

[Jumptheshark]

Devil's victory removes travel as an excuse

 

[rboomercat90]

Worst out of any team is pretty bad IMO. Especially in the age of loser points and every game having a winner. I think we are one of 2 or 3 teams that has a losing record (not counting OTL/SOL) since Katz took over.

Of course it’s awful. I couldn’t be bothered to look for the sarcasm emoji.

 

[Soundwave]

This isn’t being talked about enough. We have the same problem we’ve had for most of the last twelve tears. We don’t have good veteran leadership. McDavid and Draisatl are still kids, focused on their own thing. They’re mature enough to handle their own games but not the rest of the circus that can be involved with a group of 23 players. I think Lucic was expected to be one of these guys but he hasn’t been. I don’t know what Brodziak is like, maybe he has those skills. Either way, it’s one problem in the midst of many.

Yet Toronto and Winnipeg are very young teams doing well, so is New Jersey.

The fantasy of having some great top end leader on a young team isn't realistic, those types of players tend to be on veteran teams.

You have to simply have talent and the ability to outscore some mistakes. Young teams are not going to be flawless, expecting that is stupid.

 

[Weitz]

The lack of leadership excuse is just made when a team had piss poor players.

If they were winning people would be fawning over how good of leaders the young guys are.

No amount of leadership is going to get bad players to be good.

 

[Soundwave]

The lack of leadership excuse is just made when a team had piss poor players.

If they were winning people would be fawning over how good of leaders the young guys are.

No amount of leadership is going to get bad players to be good.

Yup, well said.

 

[NeverForget06]

Devil's victory removes travel as an excuse

A shutout victory over the defending cup champs no less.

 

[Soundwave]

A shutout victory over the defending cup champs no less.

I'm so glad NJ did that too ... totally took that excuse/talking point right out of the mouthes of the apologists like Stauffer because you just know they were dying to use it.

 

[Took a pill in Sbisa]

"The penalties deflated us."

No Todd, you're shitty PK deflated us.

 

[bone]

"The penalties deflated us."

No Todd, you're ****ty PK deflated us.

In fairness, the first was a ridiculous individual effort in front of clown-shoes defensive display by 83, and the second a bit of a lucky bounce. Fault him for including said clown-shoes defenseman on the PK, but he doesn't really have that many options available to him. I thought the PK was aggressive which is good and the Bruins also have a decent PP to counter an aggressive PK. I could see that PK having success as the year roles along.

The PP on the other hand, seems almost completely designed to only have success if the other team gets out of position or chases McDavid too aggressively. However, the little movement it did generate created a few looks, but when a nice seam was found it was to a player of wrong handedness making the shot harder to make than if it was by someone of opposite handedness.

 

[rboomercat90]

Yet Toronto and Winnipeg are very young teams doing well, so is New Jersey.

The fantasy of having some great top end leader on a young team isn't realistic, those types of players tend to be on veteran teams.

You have to simply have talent and the ability to outscore some mistakes. Young teams are not going to be flawless, expecting that is stupid.

You bring up Toronto who brought in Marleau last year for that very purpose. I’m not talking about a high end veteran either. Those guys don’t exist anymore because the kids who don’t know enough yet to be good pros are getting all the money.

I’m talking about a guy that is old enough to know how to deal with the daily grind of being a professional hockey player. The kind of guys that have been around long enough to have seen everything and don’t get too high or too low and can help others deal with all the crap that happens during a season. The kinds of guys that are good with dealing with the media when things aren’t going well to maybe take the heat off others. The types of things you usually don’t see on the ice. I don’t think we have someone like that.

 

[Todd Parchment]

Is Backes suspended yet?

 

[nabob]

You bring up Toronto who brought in Marleau last year for that very purpose. I’m not talking about a high end veteran either. Those guys don’t exist anymore because the kids who don’t know enough yet to be good pros are getting all the money.

I’m talking about a guy that is old enough to know how to deal with the daily grind of being a professional hockey player. The kind of guys that have been around long enough to have seen everything and don’t get too high or too low and can help others deal with all the crap that happens during a season. The kinds of guys that are good with dealing with the media when things aren’t going well to maybe take the heat off others. The types of things you usually don’t see on the ice. I don’t think we have someone like that.

I’d say Brodziak was brought in to be that type of guy. Garrison is also that type of guy. Both well known for being solid veteran leaders. Russell is another one of those guys. We have them. The fans just don’t appreciate them.