Post-Game Talk: Hitch puts Koalas on the endangered species list

[Panda Bear]

Looks like I'm too late for the prize, but I did the work so:

Another hero!!! $22.50!!

 

[Panda Bear]

Eh. $4.00.

 

[booyakasha]

What am I missing that everyone else is so hyped about this play?

I'm with you....I just see a routine play.
not sure what people are seeing.

 

[Panda Bear]

Seriously, though, I really do appreciate everyone who took time out of their day to capture that clip. Thank you!!

 

[I am the Liquor]

So who do you start on Sunday? They still need to clean up a few things. Talbot allowed one leaky goal but still bailed them out a few times.

Team wins 7-2 and he still finds something to be negative about.

 

[Tobias Kahun]

So who do you start on Sunday? They still need to clean up a few things. Talbot allowed one leaky goal but still bailed them out a few times.

So what you’re saying is, the goalie did his job?

No team is going to play perfect defence for 60 minutes.

Team wins 7-2 and you still complain.

 

[Cloned]

What can I say, I'm a great guy.

Make HF Great Again

 

[tabs]

It’s interesting that some posters claim others are ignoring the bad stretches to pretend that we’re a great team...if we lose tomorrow, worst case scenario, we’d be 6-3-1 in Hitch’s first 10 games, 0.650 win percentage which is a 106 point pace. We were also 6-3-1 in our first 10 games...Games 11-20 we were 3-7-0. Maybe games 31-40 will be the most telling.

 

[blue_n_copper]

What am I missing that everyone else is so hyped about this play?

Its not a fantastic play but it is a very good play of the type that Larsson makes routinely without being noticed. That is what I like about it.

 

[RegDunlop]

He's the #1 goalie. It isn't at the point that he stopped being it.

let me get this straight. Koski plays a few good games in a row and he's anointed #1 here by select members of the fan base. Talbot, who has often been heroic for this club, and was the big story all of 16-17, plays two excellent back to back games and its Koskinen still #1..

I want to see this play out.
But keep in mind that teams don't spend 2.5M on simple 'backup tenders'. Hes here for a reason.

... And as for your assessment of Dubnyk - I'll take his premium play since he left here anytime. Guy is a certified elite tender. Every single goalie has s**t the bed on occasion.

 

[RegDunlop]

I agree.
I heard Stauffer on Oilers Now suggesting that the sv% was a large part of why TMac got fired.
I agree with that to a point because goaltending is obviously important BUT the team was giving up way more high danger scoring chances before Hitch came on board and that had been the case for a long while. I think it messed up Talbot to an extent. Now I dont know if the reason for that is because of a flawed system being implemented by TMac (too much man to man coverage for example) or if it was because the team wasnt/couldnt execute the system. Maybe it was that they just werent hearing the message.
Its impossible to know but these posts dragging TMac through the mud (he quit on the team....he just didnt care...he doesnt know how to coach...et al) are just classless (and baseless bull****) IMO and it seems to be derailing thread after thread as this team continues to win.

Like you I wish him the best...I wish it could have been here but it just didnt work out. that happens all the time in hockey...coaches get fired...learn...and go on to different challenges. So I dont buy for a minute that Hitchs success with this roster is proof that TMac is a really bad coach. Its a baseless correlation IMO.

As for Hitch....I completely agree he has been a breath of fresh air. His ability to re frame things for the players is golden. I am hugely biased though as I am a big Hitch fan...always have been. He is a perfect fit at the perfect time for this team.
As much as I am not a fan of Chia this was a brilliant move.

I'm not into the goalie controversy. But I think I need to call BS on the save% rhetoric as a reason. He could've turned to an experienced (albeit unknown) tender a lot sooner that he did. That's on him.

POOR COACHING decision. One of many but that belongs in another thread.

 

[RegDunlop]

Yeah no question the team was leaking high danger chances and Talbot was struggling with making the everyday save a bit too, was a combination of both. TMac's d-zone system required very detailed execution and was also energy expelling. The Oilers often got hemmed in and were gassed at the end of a 30 second d zone stand, followed by the high winger break to the red line and chip and chase a long bomb in but by now the entire line has no wind left and its a line change for the Oilers and an easy out for the opposition who just regroups and attacks again, rinse and repeat.

A zone with a low C to the middle is easier to implement and execute and I dont think we had the personnel required to execute the system under TMac. We have more energy and can break it out in a transition so much easier and have the energy to get in on the forecheck. The defensive system leads to offensive zone time. Simple but effective, but like Hitch says when we have a breakdown, whoo boy its a doozie.

That all said it doesn't mean TMac was an idiot or didn't care. The system for this group of players just didn't work and he was working under Damocles Sword from the beginning of the year. Chiarelli gave him literally zero help in the off season outside of Reider and thank goodness Gulatzan recommended we sign Chaisson to that PTO....

But for everyone comparing...
If this was the case, why did it work in 16-17?

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

But for everyone comparing...
If this was the case, why did it work in 16-17?

We used a very different breakout and forecheck then. Talbot was playing out of skin good. Team got on a run in the final 3rd of the season which breeds all kinds of confidence but as last season and this proves was not sustainable over the long haul.

 

[RegDunlop]

We used a very different breakout and forecheck then. Talbot was playing out of skin good. Team got on a run in the final 3rd of the season which breeds all kinds of confidence but as last season and this proves was not sustainable over the long haul.

Yup. I agree with all of that. But what is it about this board that it has to be one specific or another for issues?

I know what I know. Not trying to dis any other posters but its ridiculous when some say someone's not playing great or had a crappy game. If its their opinion, and especially when it seems by the majority at times that it's true, then posters should be able to asses the game / player how they see fit.

So... to me, not that I dislike Talbot, but he has been very pedestrian since his ONE good year. Yes the systems sucked (in my opinion - pure garbage), but that dosent excuse his play.

Small sample size but as I said, those systems were in place when Koski first came in. Didn't seem to have much problem with it.

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

Yup. I agree with all of that. But what is it about this board that it has to be one specific or another for issues?

I know what I know. Not trying to dis any other posters but its ridiculous when some say someone's not playing great or had a crappy game. If its their opinion, and especially when it seems by the majority at times that it's true, then posters should be able to asses the game / player how they see fit.

So... to me, not that I dislike Talbot, but he has been very pedestrian since his ONE good year. Yes the systems sucked (in my opinion - pure garbage), but that dosent excuse his play.

Small sample size but as I said, those systems were in place when Koski first came in. Didn't seem to have much problem with it.

Like they say, they could change the name of the league to the National Goalie League.

Any system is as good or bad as the goalie. Talbot seems to have early season challenges and then gets dialed in. Last year he got injured and didn’t get going till late in a lost season.

For me I think the system Hitch is using works to our advantages and limits our disadvantages.

 

[RegDunlop]

I don't know that there are Cam haters, he's been terrible for awhile and ragging on him has been warranted. I doubt any true Oiler fan hoped he would suck....a true fan wants every player to play good so the team wins.

Mikko has carried the load lately and put up wins. If Cam can regain his confidence then we will have 1a 1b which is awesome!

Fantastic post.
I think you sum up a lot of people's feelings.

Not sure why it has to be 'one or the other'. Why not cheer on both? Are they not aspiring to achieve the same thing?

 

[RegDunlop]

Beyond awful is what Dubnyk looked like yesterday. Behind a team with typically much better structure. But last night Dubs was the story. He was the SOLE reason the game untracked the way it did. Like I said earlier he completely created the 2nd goal against.

Find one goal Talbot has let in that you think is as bad as that sequence. Where Dubnyk mishandles a routine dump in (with plenty of time) and fumbles the puck twice on what should have been an easy cover situation for him.

On this board we carve our own. Grass is always greener is well developed here. Koski, in the eyes of some here was already better before he played a minute here.

We're still talking about a goalie with a Career .917 save % that has played on some bad teams. Its uncanny for instance that Talbots Career save % percentage is as good as Quicks. Quick, playing his whole career in defensive minded LA should have much better numbers.

Did you not read the GDT? Pretty sure our board let it be known what they thought of Dubnyks game.

And while crapping on a top tier goalie, what's your take on Draisaitl's first goal? Great pass, great snipe, no? Should he be blamed for that?

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

Fantastic post.
I think you sum up a lot of people's feelings.

Not sure why it has to be 'one or the other'. Why not cheer on both? Are they not aspiring to achieve the same thing?

We need both goalies to be playing well for this team to be successful.

 

[RegDunlop]

We need both goalies to be playing well for this team to be successful.

Absolutely.
And those who realize that two competent tenders can push each other to greater team success, understand this!

 

[RegDunlop]

How about " Chaisson you were great with Nuge before I moved you up to top Line and seeing how you clicked with RNH and Khaira for that one shift u were back down I think we can get the most out of you on a cycle line.
Chaisson made some good little plays on the top line but has also looked lost at times.
There really is no harm in swapping Pulju and Chaisson..

What has Pulji done (ever) to be swapped to the first line?

 

[RegDunlop]

who cares about Dubnyk..it's not about a comparison

Talbot wasn't good enough in previous games...plain and simple

and Koskinen has 2 shutouts to Talbot's zero.

This is driving me crazy and I can't help responding a day later!

Posters are saying we bi**h about our players but not there's???!!!
Who the f**k cares? Is this the Minnesota board? We praise when we win and heap crap when deserved.

 

[Drivesaitl]

What am I missing that everyone else is so hyped about this play?

Its a pretty standard play a top pairing D in the NHL has to be able to make. Really Jason Smith would win this kind of battle and forward the puck routinely 2o times a game dominating opponents on the endboards. I think a bit of artistry points in that Larsson kicks the puck to position where he can then handle it. But again these are rote moves that players do very often in a game.

My own take is that if plays as innocuous as this need citing than it kind of has me harken back to Panda's past hyperbole about Adam Larssons game. I mean really if we're being real none of that game has really come to pass. Not as surmised.

I'm not trying to out anybody. Just that Panda described Larssons offensive prowess in NJ as untapped, but with considerable potential. The emphasis on such an ordinary hockey play is perhaps revealing in how much theres a want to be impressed by the player.

I mean I could post some things that Ryan Strome does adroitly well. These are NHL players. Its fairly assumed, and should be, that they have commensurate skillsets. But certainly nothing about the play that necessitated this degree of attention. Really what it is, is player specific cheerleading.

 

[Drivesaitl]

This is driving me crazy and I can't help responding a day later!

Posters are saying we bi**h about our players but not there's???!!!
Who the f**k cares? Is this the Minnesota board? We praise when we win and heap crap when deserved.

I'm honestly not following for sure what you said in that post. I think I need to interpret what the amount of question marks and exclamation marks are meaning.

what do you mean?

Do you mean its OK to cite when opponent players are playing like shit? I think it is. Because its part of the NHL, pro hockey, and what happens. Seeing it, commenting on it provides perspective on what looks worse. I did it because of the frequent comments that Talbot is TERRIBLE. Dubnyk did us a favor, he let us fans know what terrible actually looks like. That was the worst 9mins of goaltending I have seen from anybody in years.

 

[RegDunlop]

I'm honestly not following for sure what you said in that post. I think I need to interpret what they amount of question marks and exclamation marks are meaning.

what do you mean?

Do you mean its OK to cite when opponent players are playing like ****? I think it is. Because its part of the NHL, pro hockey, and what happens. Seeing it, commenting on it provides perspective on what looks worse.

Well... first of all I probably reply to posts that are already responded to and discussed so I apologize about that. I often watch the game PVRd as I did then look at threads later.
Just responding to some of your posts, not trying to direct any ill intent.

I took offence to some posts where you continue to defend Talbot consistantly even though the majority of posters see the last years of his play differently. Then when you add in your opinion about Dubnyks play, which is totally fine to have, I feel that you are using your personal preferences as an agenda.
I find a lot of insight in your posts. But I also find a lot of denial and cheerleading when it dosent seem appropriate.

I can state a few facts here that I would be surprised if at least 70% of posters did not agree with.
- Leon Draisaitl has had some very disinterested, poor effort games, even while obtaining points.
- Cam Talbot has not played like a number 1 upper echelon tender for over a season. Like your reference to small sample sizes, a few good games don't keep posters from feeling uncomfortable in the net. He needs to instill our confidence in us again.
- Coaching was a huge issue with this team. Debating whether our GM is good or bad is moot and dosent change that our coaching sucked for whatever reason since 16-17. It was exposed.
What grinded me up tonight is that posters seem to always take a side over things. Again, my responses were to a few posters, I don't mean to single you out. But I can't understand why everyone can't just state their opinion on players good and bad, based on their current play, not how they feel about them.

And I do once again apologize for responding late in a thread. I should no better. I didn't mean to fire people up but I think I did! Sorry about that!

 

[nabob]

I'm with you....I just see a routine play.
not sure what people are seeing.

It’s a play that Nuge probably makes 10 times a game. But it is rare to see an Oilers Dman make it.