Post-Game Talk: It’s beginning to look a lot like ****mas

[dssource]

Game managers. So Oilers have all the momentum, pesce clear as day takes rnh down in front of the net and no call. Can't give the Oilers more momentum. Heaven forbid the get another pp goal at that point. Kass touches Reimer (which he shouldn't have) after Reimer starts shit, then Kassian gets mugged by the whole canes team and game managers decide to give the pp that's 2/3 on the night and 5/7 in the last 2 another go. Good f***ing job you idiots!

Boys need to focus on D. That's how we were winning at the beginning of the year and that's what we need again. Bring the GA back down and they'll start winning again.

 

[snipes]

These last few pages are about as expected.

 

[RegDunlop]

I need a Drai-mbuie

 

[BlackDogg]

I need a Drai-mbuie

At least it's Drai hump day now.

 

[Cloned]

At least it's Drai hump day now.

That just means I'll have to use Draino to clean out the toilets tonight.

 

[ZJuice]

There are no single women in Mexico?

 

[Yablo21]

 

[Yablo21]

Were fine boys, whole lot of ridic bad luck last 4 games

 

[CycloneSweep]

Looking at simply the total in the standings omits some perspective on how the seasons played out though. At game 33 last year Edmonton had 39 points, but were just finishing up a 9-2-2 heater then proceeded to lose its next 6 straight (in regulation even). Looking further ahead that team went 6-17-2 over its next 25 games.

Leading up to game 33, Edmonton had been wildly inconsistent. They had started 0-2, followed by an 8-2-1 stretch, followed by a 1-6-0 stretch before the 9-2-2 run.

The big difference so far this year is the poor stretches haven't been nearly as devastating from a win-loss-Bettman point perspective. Could they go 6-17-2 over the next 25 games. Possibly, especially when we look at the last 7 games. But overall, the team this year has at least shown to be be able to pick themselves off the mat before the knockout punch. We've got to hope they can continue to do it so that hockey is at least worth watching come March.

Another thing to consider when looking at last year's team at this same point in time, the playoff team in 2016 was 16-12-5 after 33 games, so they're most certainly not done for the year, but there's obviously a lots of work still to do.

Now Holland has to find what the magic ingredient to get the train it back onto the track. Last year, Chiarelli thought the answer was Petrovic and Manning. Hopefully, Holland can do something smarter than that, which shouldn't be hard considering how badly that went.

Game 33 last year
18-12-3 95GF, 97GA 20%PP, 78%PK
Allowed 5+ goals 6 times

Game 33 this year
18-11-4 100 GF, 99GA
Allowed 5+ goals 9 times 32%PP, 85%Pk

What that tells me is for how great our special teams are our 5v5 play is actually WORSE than last year by a decent margin, with our massive PK we have actually given up more goals this year. A 3 goal differential and 1 point is the difference between last year and this year. We actually got blown up this year than last

 

[harpoon]

No matter what ,we have Mcdavid and Draisatl on a team, they’re great enough to drag this team into the playoffs. You have to expect some layup games now , they’re ice time is crazy, they’re tired, but I believe they can pull it off.

I don’t believe they can. Winning in the NHL requires more than two guys. At the very least they need a solid pair of defenders behind them and a goalie playing above league average.

So far this year they’ve had that. Nurse and Bear have been better than expected. Klefbom has been mostly decent, and Koskinen has been making the required saves. Any one of those guys falls off, and this team is not going to the playoffs no matter how many points McDavid and Draisaitl put up.

 

[harpoon]

To me, the PK cost them the game. What happened in the third was ridiculous, and not indicative of how the Oilers have played the last two games

Agree on both points. Someone pointed out the other day that the Oilers are burning up Draisaitl on the PK. Tippet needs to stop it. He has a slew of bottom six guys at his disposal some of whom are reportedly PK specialists. Use them ffs. Sheahan, Russell, Granlund and Archibald all played less than ten minutes last night. And Draisaitl was out for every kill.

I see why the coach wants to use Draisaitl on the PK. He’s excellent at it. But if Tippet is going to keep using him in that way maybe he should consider dressing Gagner who can take the odd ozone shift from Draisaitl and maybe make something happen out there.

 

[belair]

There are no single women in Mexico?

Best to assume they're all taken. People get murdered for like any reason down there.

I'm sorry, what?

 

[OfCorsiDid]

The team a few years ago was no stronger than the current one and they over achieved by barely making it through one playoff round.

Against the team that went to the Finals the year prior.

Like I can understand pessimism but this is less glass-is-half-empty more the glass-doesn’t-exist.

 

[Nunymare]

5-2 Oiler loss incoming.

Seriously though when Victor ****ing Rask looks to be drawing in as 1C, you have to get the two points. Do something I haven’t seen an Oiler team do in a freaking decade - take advantage of an injured opponent.

Not gonna pretend that they haven’t squandered countless opportunities like this in the past, but I’d say that the home game vs COL earlier this year we pretty well abused an injured opponent.

 

[OilerTitanFan]

The formula for this team is exactly the same it has been the last few years.

The top two players have to get about 3 points or more and they have to get really good goaltending.

The bottom 6 plus 2/3 of the 2nd line are just as trash as they have been in past years. Huge fail by Holland.

If the oilers do not get 3 points from mcdavid and drai and if they get less than avg or poor tending they will lose 19 times out of 20.

That's new to me. Early in the season everyone was praising Holland and the Holland effect. I guess honeymoon period is over. Time to fire Holland and hire another GM I guess.

 

[Mc5RingsAndABeer]

What was Holland supposed to do? The lack of depth is on Chia, not Holland.

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

The team a few years ago was no stronger than the current one and they over achieved by barely making it through one playoff round.

That team had at least three decent lines. This one has one.

 

[BoldNewLettuce]

Is Chiasson our best option for scoring or can he only score on the PP/Kassians spot?

 

[nabob]

That team had at least three decent lines. This one has one.

Lucic was stapled to the second line. Your post is invalid.

 

[nabob]

Against the team that went to the Finals the year prior.

Like I can understand pessimism but this is less glass-is-half-empty more the glass-doesn’t-exist.

it’s just the truth. They barely made the playoffs and barely made it through the first round. The team overachieved. The next season was essentially the exact same team and they were amongst the worst teams in the league...

 

[Aerchon]

What was Holland supposed to do? The lack of depth is on Chia, not Holland.

Holland, by fair metrics, "should" have been able to do better than he Haas.

Chiarelli completely gutted the third line. I think Holland should have been able aquire at least one solid third liner this offseason. He didn't.

 

[McDNicks17]

Lucic was stapled to the second line. Your post is invalid.

Lucic had a higher points-per-game that year than everyone other than McDrai and Kassian have this year.

 

[BlackDogg]

Effort level of Gd threads should match team level once again it looks like. Go straight to PGT?

 

[ohheyhemsky]

Effort level of Gd threads should match team level once again it looks like. Go straight to PGT?

"GDT: 2019-12-12 - It's been a Wild ride back to .500 - Who cares edition"

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

Lucic was stapled to the second line. Your post is invalid.

23 goals and 50 points that year. Ripping on Lucic is fun but he was fine for that season.