Goaltending!

[guymez]

That's just not true

We'd just be the Montreal Canadiens of the West

Really?

The Oilers don't have 2 dmen even remotely close to the pairing of Subban and Markov.

Hell...at this point in time Petry would be the best dman on the team and he is a 2nd paring dman on the Habs.

 

[Tyrolean]

Yup. I have been saying this since Dubnyk was in net.

Watch how often the Oilers D backs in and surrenders prime scoring areas in front of the net.
I am surprised we haven't seen opposition players laughing on the bench about how easy it is to generate scoring chances on this team.

At this rate both Talbot and Nilsson will be done by the end of the season.

Edmonton is where goalies go to blow up their career.

Most of the players don't engage and give far too much room for the opposition to set up plays.

 

[TheRebuild]

Looking at Talbot's numbers, it's hard to believe how ****** he's playing this year. Yeah our D sucks, but Nilsson is performing on his average. Talbot is WAY below.

 

[guymez]

Most of the players don't engage and give far too much room for the opposition to set up plays.

I agree.
It really does look like a confidence issue to me as well...like they are afraid to commit to making a play so they just keep giving up ground.

I think that McLellan is driving the system home but they need to know that they can effectively execute it (consistently) in a game.
I dont think it takes any degree of toughness...just assertiveness.
A recognition that they need to impose their will instead of allowing the opposition to impose their will upon them.

 

[Mc5RingsAndABeer]

while this is true look at the type of goals are goalies consistently let in. Talbot/Scrivens given pucks away for empty nets, shots from the corner boards that squeak in through the pad and the post, unscreened shots from the point, and that third goal tonight (no backhand from that spot should go in on an NHL goalie) and it all adds up to losses. You could have Pronger out their during theses gaffs and our array of goalies over the last couple years would still let the puck through. It's not like goalies suddenly stop letting softies that they consistently let in just because the player changes to a much higher stature.

It might just be a combination of fatigue and overthinking the play. If you're getting beat on the backdoor a bunch because it's always open, you're gonna cheat a little.

 

[McDynasty]

I like Nillson more than Talbot so far this year, wish we would play Anders a little more, he looks more composed.