Pre-Game Talk: It's Always Sunny Against Arizona (isn't it??)

[Behind Enemy Lines]

Sun came up. Benchmark game fed a hard reality. Now just what the Dr. Nurse ordered the Arizona State Coyotes in town next.

What do we see from this team following their buy one give up three routine in Cowtown? It's alway sunny in Phila... against Arizona, isn't it?

Click to read more...

 

[Stoneman89]

Sun came up. Benchmark game fed a hard reality. Now just what the Dr. Nurse ordered the Arizona State Coyotes in town next.

What do we see from this team following their buy one give up three routine in Cowtown? It's alway sunny in Phila... against Arizona, isn't it?

Again, this one we have to have. Would be nice if we can clobber them and get some much needed confidence back too. This team looks shell shocked.

 

[Oilhawks]

 

[DingDongCharlie]

It took a brutal stretch of games for Tippett to be canned.

At this point maybe getting caved by Arizona would be a good thing. This goaltending tandem and as D core has zero chance of getting anything done in the post season.

If the team implodes now maybe we’d be lucky enough to see Nicholson and Holland fired. Least we have our 1st rounder for the draft.

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

Back to the hard reality of playing a structured system and not allowing players to ad lib.

Nurse and Ceci need to find their game. Bouchard should maybe sit for this week and let Manson coach him up big time in practice and lots of one on one and video time, and give Russell that spot in the bottom pair with Kulak.

Would like to see Archibald and Ryan come in place of Shore and Foegele in the bottom line.

Hopefully the 5v5 game comes back and we keep the momentum up that the PK and PP had in Calgary.

Lets get back in the win column boys...

 

[Stoneman89]

Back to the hard reality of playing a structured system and not allowing players to ad lib.

Nurse and Ceci need to find their game. Bouchard should maybe sit for this week and let Manson coach him up big time in practice and lots of one on one and video time, and give Russell that spot in the bottom pair with Kulak.

Would like to see Archibald and Ryan come in place of Shore and Foegele in the bottom line.

Hopefully the 5v5 game comes back and we keep the momentum up that the PK and PP had in Calgary.

Lets get back in the win column boys...

I'd also like to see Russell come in for Bouchard for a few as well.. Bouchard is shell shocked, you can see it a mile away. He needs some practice time with Manson, and some views from the top to let him get his bearings back. Russell isn't the "answer", I know, but he's a vet, and he can bounce back from bad plays. Bouchard is falling into a vortex and can't get out. I don't mind Shore, I think he continues to play well. But I'd sit Foegele and Kassian and replace them with Archie and Ryan. Ryan was also playing well, and while Archie isn't a big fella, he hits harder than Kassian, and at least is willing to show that he's in the game.

 

[yukoner88]

 

[Soundwave]

Back to the hard reality of playing a structured system and not allowing players to ad lib.

Nurse and Ceci need to find their game. Bouchard should maybe sit for this week and let Manson coach him up big time in practice and lots of one on one and video time, and give Russell that spot in the bottom pair with Kulak.

Would like to see Archibald and Ryan come in place of Shore and Foegele in the bottom line.

Hopefully the 5v5 game comes back and we keep the momentum up that the PK and PP had in Calgary.

Lets get back in the win column boys...

I think they are playing the system Woodcroft wants ... Woodcroft wants the D to activate and be aggressive because it works in the AHL.

The problem is this isn't the AHL and we don't have the personnel to pull off the system he wants us to play. Not against good teams anyway, they can exploit what the Oilers are trying to do.

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

I think they are playing the system Woodcroft wants ... Woodcroft wants the D to activate and be aggressive because it works in the AHL.

The problem is this isn't the AHL and we don't have the personnel to pull off the system he wants us to play. Not against good teams anyway, they can exploit what the Oilers are trying to do.

Disagree. The D can be aggressive but the high forward has to be in position and not rotate back down like they did yesterday. The 2-High1- 2 system is a proven NHL system used by many teams as a forecheck strategy.

We have shown this to work in most games this year including Tampa, Washington, Colorado and even Dallas and against many of the lesser lights.

Last night was a gong show because they didn’t play this system. Not because of the system.

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

I think they are playing the system Woodcroft wants ... Woodcroft wants the D to activate and be aggressive because it works in the AHL.

The problem is this isn't the AHL and we don't have the personnel to pull off the system he wants us to play. Not against good teams anyway, they can exploit what the Oilers are trying to do.

They didn’t play it last night.

 

[Shaquille Oatmeal]

Which goalie will they start after the clown show yesterday?

 

[ZJuice]

 

[Soundwave]

Disagree. The D can be aggressive but the high forward has to be in position and not rotate back down like they did yesterday. The 2-High1- 2 system is a proven NHL system used by many teams as a forecheck strategy.

We have shown this to work in most games this year including Tampa, Washington, Colorado and even Dallas and against many of the lesser lights.

Last night was a gong show because they didn’t play this system. Not because of the system.

I mean it isn't just last night.

Like what the f*** is Cody Ceci doing here:



He get's caught on what could be a 2 on 1 break but gets bailed out ... and then immediately gives up a 2 on 1 straight away costing the Oilers the game. Like how can you play this stupid in a 3-3 game with 5 minutes left in the 3rd period.

Detroit game was another gong show defensively. After the first 3 games of Woodcroft's tenure, they are right back in the sewer in goals against ... 3.67 GA average in the past 19 games, which is lottery team territory.

This D is not very good to begin with, but you ask them to be aggressively up in the system and they will make stupid mistakes because none of them think the game very well (maybe Keith, but his legs are two steps slower than they used to be).

I don't think they can play this system. They can maybe look OK for a game or two, but they will embarrass themselves eventually.

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

I mean it isn't just last night.

Like what the f*** is Cody Ceci doing here:



He get's caught on what could be a 2 on 1 break but gets bailed out ... and then immediately gives up a 2 on 1 straight away costing the Oilers the game. Like how can you play this stupid in a 3-3 game with 5 minutes left in the 3rd period.

Detroit game was another gong show defensively. After the first 3 games of Woodcroft's tenure, they are right back in the sewer in goals against ... 3.67 GA average in the past 19 games, which is lottery team territory.

This D is not very good to begin with, but you ask them to be aggressively up in the system and they will make stupid mistakes because none of them think the game very well (maybe Keith, but his legs are two steps slower than they used to be).

I don't think they can play this system. They can maybe look OK for a game or two, but they will embarrass themselves eventually.

They’ve played the system successfully most of the time. It’s one of the easiest and most effective forecheck system to play and transition to a 1-1-3 neutral zone defensive system with back pressure.

When they get in trouble is when they go away from this system.

Like last night.

 

[Soundwave]

They’ve played the system successfully most of the time. It’s one of the easiest and most effective forecheck system to play and transition to a 1-1-3 neutral zone defensive system with back pressure.

When they get in trouble is when they go away from this system.

Like last night.

I mean they've been shit defensively for a long time now. 3.67 GA in the last 19 games under Woodcroft is horrendous. They are playing like a bottom 3-4 team defensively in the league, it's actually a minor miracle they are in a playoff spot with D and goaltending this bad.

This isn't a "well they had one bad game" thing ... they're a very bad defensive team with no reliable goalie who can stop the goal light from going off.

 

[TopShelfGloveSide]

Koskinen is back to being doodoo. Like most people predicted.

 

[AddyTheWrath]

I mean it isn't just last night.

Like what the f*** is Cody Ceci doing here:



He get's caught on what could be a 2 on 1 break but gets bailed out ... and then immediately gives up a 2 on 1 straight away costing the Oilers the game. Like how can you play this stupid in a 3-3 game with 5 minutes left in the 3rd period.

Detroit game was another gong show defensively. After the first 3 games of Woodcroft's tenure, they are right back in the sewer in goals against ... 3.67 GA average in the past 19 games, which is lottery team territory.

This D is not very good to begin with, but you ask them to be aggressively up in the system and they will make stupid mistakes because none of them think the game very well (maybe Keith, but his legs are two steps slower than they used to be).

I don't think they can play this system. They can maybe look OK for a game or two, but they will embarrass themselves eventually.

You’re literally cherry-picking the 3 worst defensive games / moments of Woodcroft’s tenure. Most of those breakdowns happened because of poor personnel decisions not because of the system.

 

[Soundwave]

Koskinen is back to being doodoo. Like most people predicted.
View attachment 522524

We know Leako was always going to show up again. Granted it's not that the D is doing him any favors, but Markstrom made a huge save in the 3rd to swing the game and neither Leako or Smith were able to make that save.

 

[Soundwave]

You’re literally cherry-picking the 3 worst defensive games / moments of Woodcroft’s tenure. Most of those breakdowns happened because of poor personnel decisions not because of the system.

It's not 3 games ... the team is mediocre defensively outside of the initial new coach bump that most teams get.

They've been bad defensively for several weeks, masked by the odd Colorado game here or there where they tread water.

The goals against for Woodcroft was real good the first 3 games when they were playing off new coach adrenalin (4 GA in the first 3 games). Since then they've allowed 3.67 goals per game ... this is Montreal/Columbus/Detroit level rate of goals against.

 

[Shaquille Oatmeal]

Koskinen is back to being doodoo. Like most people predicted.
View attachment 522524

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

I mean they've been shit defensively for a long time now. 3.67 GA in the last 19 games under Woodcroft is horrendous. They are playing like a bottom 3-4 team defensively in the league, it's actually a minor miracle they are in a playoff spot with D and goaltending this bad.

This isn't a "well they had one bad game" thing ... they're a very bad defensive team with no reliable goalie who can stop the goal light from going off.

Agree we have issues with goaltending and defense. But play outside the system and the goals against rapidly inflate. Play inside the system they have shown they can keep goals and shots against down.

It will take an entire year to fully get this team to lock into a system just like it’s taken Calgary a year to become the team they have.

Do we need better defensive players, certainly.

But play fast and loose and we get embarrassed like we did last night. Takes time to wean a team off of complacency.

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

We know Leako was always going to show up again. Granted it's not that the D is doing him any favors, but Markstrom made a huge save in the 3rd to swing the game and neither Leako or Smith were able to make that save.

We are in full agreement here on this one.

 

[McShogun99]

Disagree. The D can be aggressive but the high forward has to be in position and not rotate back down like they did yesterday. The 2-High1- 2 system is a proven NHL system used by many teams as a forecheck strategy.

We have shown this to work in most games this year including Tampa, Washington, Colorado and even Dallas and against many of the lesser lights.

Last night was a gong show because they didn’t play this system. Not because of the system.

The only D man that should be allowed to be aggressive right now is Barrie. Everyone else, even Bouchard need to stay back. Ceci has been trying to act like Makar the past week and it’s always ended badly.

 

[Soundwave]

Agree we have issues with goaltending and defense. But play outside the system and the goals against rapidly inflate. Play inside the system they have shown they can keep goals and shots against down.

It will take an entire year to fully get this team to lock into a system just like it’s taken Calgary a year to become the team they have.

Do we need better defensive players, certainly.

But play fast and loose and we get embarrassed like we did last night. Takes time to wean a team off of complacency.

We're just bad defensively and in net, it's time to accept it.

The d-corps is Philly/Columbus/New Jersey/Arizona caliber.

The goaltending is bad, probably the worst tandem of any team trying to make the playoffs.

That's where we are.

Woodcroft wants them to play a more aggressive system, but I don't think this D can process the game fast enough to play that way. They're too stupid defensively and the forwards won't help them out and finally the goalie won't make the save so the result is going to be pain.

 

[TopShelfGloveSide]

View attachment 522526

That’s holland.