Pre-Game Talk: Lers vs Leafs - Jan 4, 2022

[Behind Enemy Lines]

I think the whole Koskigate thing is being blown out of perspective. Just a good soundbite for media to pick up perceived controversy within a team that's sunk like a rock through poor play, excessive injuries and covid. Jump on the wounded animal for clicks and eyeballs. Tippett in an unguarded raw moment after a bad loss jumped into the first media question being asked and pointed to two opening moment gaffs as killers for a fragile team, 15 seconds into the game a delay of game penalty followed within minutes by a bad dangle that sets the Oilers off and running to another loss. Tippett's next day press conference was much more measured and I encourage people to listen to it.

Koskinen does a foreign press interview and gives at least by translation what I read as a reasoned perspective on the situation. I don't perceive him as a guy to throw his team under the bus, just some perspective of other areas where this team has struggled. But it gets inflamed by media peeps like this:

Goaltending is a significant issue for this team. It is a vital piece of winning teams but there are significant holes across this roster which are exposed further with major injuries to its platoon A goalie, defense which at times has had to dress the organization's fourth best AHL prospect, and holes in forward quality support scoring depth. This NAHL team facing the Leafs tonight is being held together with bailer twine and duct tape. This team has had multiple times to quit on its effort and coach in Jersey, Long Island and New York. They've fought their way back into games while spotting opposition first goals.

Tippett might pay the price if the L's continue. "Coaches are hired to be fired" as the time tested expression goes. But there are no miracle workers until the roster is healthy, they plug significant roster holes beginning in net (well and defense, imo). Team will reset to normalize as a good, not great team.

 

[Oilhawks]

Lol Staples on Tippett, thinks he might get let go in a month or so if they stay under .600

So when are they supposed to make the playoffs? Next season?

 

[Oilhawks]

Not saying that Tippett was right for calling it out in public but FFS, Koskinen sailed a puck over the glass, mishandling the puck again leaving a wide open net goal and then mishandled it again shortly thereafter in a game that the Oilers started off with some strong shifts in a game that they needed badly. I'd be pissed off as all hell too if I was the coach in this particular instance. That was Beer League shit by Koskinen.

Again, not saying he should have called it out in the presser but his emotion in this particular instance was understood.

Oh it was as brutal as Tippett said. The problem is, he said it when he could have given the non verbal cues that are expected like a frustrated scoff and adding a “no comment” or something.

It should have been kept to the locker-room or something. It’s like a boss reaming out an employee in front of customers. You can’t do that anymore

 

[joestevens29]

The lack of a 3rd line center is a real issue though. McLeod has held his head above water in a small sample size but it has been, by and large, arguably the biggest issue for the Oilers for YEARS with this year being no different.

This really was his rant yesterday when talking about Koskinen. Mentioned we have guys playing above where they should be and then fans get mad when a player does poorly. Like expecting Kassian to produce on a line with McDavid, not his fault that he was miscast into that position. Same goes for a lot of guys on this team.

With that being said there are others that are cast into the right position on this roster that need to be better.

 

[McGreat One]

Has it gotten so bad that we're not even doing GDT's now?

Anyway If it were me I'd try a fwd lineup of:

Hyman-Drai-Yams
Benson-McLeod-Puljujarvi
Foegele-Turris-Kassian
Perlini-Shore-Sceviour

I'd keep McLeod and Benson together. They played well together last game and we all know they have chemistry from playing together in the minors.

 

[Ninety7]

Has it gotten so bad that we're not even doing GDT's now?

Anyway If it were me I'd try a fwd lineup of:

Hyman-Drai-Yams
Benson-McLeod-Puljujarvi
Foegele-Turris-Kassian
Perlini-Shore-Sceviour

I'd keep McLeod and Benson together. They played well together last game and we all know they have chemistry from playing together in the minors.

woof that’s ugly.

 

[bone]

Lol Staples on Tippett, thinks he might get let go in a month or so if they stay under .600

So when are they supposed to make the playoffs? Next season?

Based of the current schedule they have ten games between today and a month from now. They'd need to go 7-3 to even get back to .600.

Those 10 games.. Toronto, Ottawa, Chicago, Florida, Calgary, Vancouver, Nashville, Montreal, Ottawa, Washington. That's four pretty winnable games, three top 5 teams, 2 more vs. teams 5-11, and Vancouver who's pretty much top of the league percentage wise since the coaching change. Why delay the inevitable, I have a hard time seeing this going doing better than 5-5.

 

[Oilhawks]

Based of the current schedule they have ten games between today and a month from now. They'd need to go 7-3 to even get back to .600.

Those 10 games.. Toronto, Ottawa, Chicago, Florida, Calgary, Vancouver, Nashville, Montreal, Ottawa, Washington. That's four pretty winnable games, three top 5 teams, 2 more vs. teams 5-11, and Vancouver who's pretty much top of the league percentage wise since the coaching change. Why delay the inevitable, I have a hard time seeing this going doing better than 5-5.

 

[elmeroil]

I think the whole Koskigate thing is being blown out of perspective. Just a good soundbite for media to pick up perceived controversy within a team that's sunk like a rock through poor play, excessive injuries and covid. Jump on the wounded animal for clicks and eyeballs. Tippett in an unguarded raw moment after a bad loss jumped into the first media question being asked and pointed to two opening moment gaffs as killers for a fragile team, 15 seconds into the game a delay of game penalty followed within minutes by a bad dangle that sets the Oilers off and running to another loss. Tippett's next day press conference was much more measured and I encourage people to listen to it.

Koskinen does a foreign press interview and gives at least by translation what I read as a reasoned perspective on the situation. I don't perceive him as a guy to throw his team under the bus, just some perspective of other areas where this team has struggled. But it gets inflamed by media peeps like this:

Goaltending is a significant issue for this team. It is a vital piece of winning teams but there are significant holes across this roster which are exposed further with major injuries to its platoon A goalie, defense which at times has had to dress the organization's fourth best AHL prospect, and holes in forward quality support scoring depth. This NAHL team facing the Leafs tonight is being held together with bailer twine and duct tape. This team has had multiple times to quit on its effort and coach in Jersey, Long Island and New York. They've fought their way back into games while spotting opposition first goals.

Tippett might pay the price if the L's continue. "Coaches are hired to be fired" as the time tested expression goes. But there are no miracle workers until the roster is healthy, they plug significant roster holes beginning in net (well and defense, imo). Team will reset to normalize as a good, not great team.

Maybe the team would have more confidence to play offensively if he didn't let the first goal in early so often. That sucks the life out of the team quickly.

 

[K1984]

I've watched nearly every pre/post-game interview Tippett has done this year. Whenever the topic of Koskinen letting in bad goals comes up, he skirts around the issue and says it's on the whole team and that they have to start better.

Tippett has been biting his tongue the whole season and the one time he lets his frustration out (which I think is justified), everyone is saying how Tippett (now considered 100% evil and wrong about everything) shouldn't have said it.

I want a new coach but I have no problem with what Tippett said. This is like the 300th time Kosko has done this. He makes the most basic mistakes. Having Kosko in net must be so stressful for the players. One slight mistake and there's like an 90% chance the puck is in your net.

If anything the team might have needed that. No teammate (I hope) is going to rip Koskinen directly, but it could be a signal to them from Tippett that he knows and shares the pain.

 

[Oilers]

This would be horrendous. The one good thing about Koskinen is that he has an expiring contract. To commit several more years to Koskinen tier goalie would be the ultimate fail.

Yes, Mrazek is injury prone, but I really don't think they are in the same tiers.
I'm just not sure what else is out there that is actually feasible to get.

Fleury is okay, but we're giving assets on top of Koskinen to get him for 1 year.

 

[Shaquille Oatmeal]

Has it gotten so bad that we're not even doing GDT's now?

Anyway If it were me I'd try a fwd lineup of:

Hyman-Drai-Yams
Benson-McLeod-Puljujarvi
Foegele-Turris-Kassian
Perlini-Shore-Sceviour

I'd keep McLeod and Benson together. They played well together last game and we all know they have chemistry from playing together in the minors.

I'll do another really quick one then. Give me a few minutes I'll have it up

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

Lol Staples on Tippett, thinks he might get let go in a month or so if they stay under .600

So when are they supposed to make the playoffs? Next season?

Writing for the Oilers must be so easy. Just write the opposite of what you should be writing.

 

[Fixed to Ruin]

Haha. For your wife/girlfriend sake, me too. I hope your aim is better than Darnells

I like being parked in front of the net rather than shooting from the top of the circles.

 

[K1984]

Easy fix. Our wingers play way too low in their end and too far in. All the teams cycling us to death are using their wide open D.

Pinch higher and cut the board pass out. Boom.

Tippett....you getting this

Its so obvious it hurts. This team gets absolutely smoked by low -> high plays and vice versa because the d men have issues with net front defensive positioning and the centre is usually equal parts out of position. When the puck starts moving along the walls low to high in our zone quickly I pretty much assume that there is about a 70% chance we are about to get scored on. Good thing we have a lot of cycle breakers on D!

Look at any of the goals that we've given up lately that aren't off the rush. All point shots, all plays that moved low to high quick, all because the winger didn't get on top of the puck on time. Force the C to play low slot the entire time the puck is in the zone and get the wingers to aggressively check the points. I'm so tired of our wingers playing too deep and recognize that the point is a problem too late.

To add to this, both our goalies, especially Mikko stink at tracking the puck from distance, both are pretty good in tight. So it would only make sense to devise a system that gives up point shots

 

[Oilhawks]

Writing for the Oilers must be so easy. Just write the opposite of what you should be writing.

Seems that way

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

I'll do another really quick one then. Give me a few minutes I'll have it up

You might as well skip right to the PGT.

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

Seems that way

Given that the team blackballs anyone who dare criticize management, I guess I can't say I blame them for being completely spineless.

 

[K1984]

Spector is such an idiot. Yeah, they’re losing because of McLeod.

He's such a pompous little worm.

 

[Behind Enemy Lines]

Maybe the team would have more confidence to play offensively if he didn't let the first goal in early so often. That sucks the life out of the team quickly.

Fully agree. I've been on the priority 1 need to get elite goaltending train forever. Patchworking a 1B and 1B goalie platoon might get you through a regular season. But going up against better goaltenders in long playoff series is going to lead to early extinctions. Course you have to get their first and suspect goaltending is a killer.

 

[K1984]

Indeed. Tough thing with Talbot was the 1st shot goals were at a meme level here that season. I think Stolarz took some time to get to where he is today as well

Talbot on the first shot against that season makes Mikko look like Patrick Roy on first shots against this season haha.

 

[CupofOil]

Oh it was as brutal as Tippett said. The problem is, he said it when he could have given the non verbal cues that are expected like a frustrated scoff and adding a “no comment” or something.

It should have been kept to the locker-room or something. It’s like a boss reaming out an employee in front of customers. You can’t do that anymore

For sure. I just think Tippett got caught up in the emotion of the moment and channeled his inner HFOil fan haha.

 

[Oilhawks]

Given that the team blackballs anyone who dare criticize management, I guess I can't say I blame them for being completely spineless.

True. To be fair, I seem to recall hearing that the Aquilini’s were going to blackball some radio stations (sponsorship?) when they had their circus going on before the firings. I think it’s a Canadian sports media thing. The Canadian NHL clubs make them very aware that reporting for them is a privilege and if they want to criticize, someone else will line up to take their spot, writing at a 4th grade level or whatever the requirements are nowadays

 

[Oilhawks]

Talbot on the first shot against that season makes Mikko look like Patrick Roy on first shots against this season haha.

It’s true. Koskinen’s meme is within the first 5 shots, and letting in the least dangerous looking one

 

[Oilhawks]

He's such a pompous little worm.

I think I hate Spector more than Jones and Matty. They’re just washed up, he’s an eternal “never was”