Post-Game Talk: Oil hold off the Devils, 2-1.

[McDeathbyCheerios*]

Eberle is our current only top line worthy player. We need a top line center.

 

[McDeathbyCheerios*]

If we base it off production here is where the players would fall in..

1st Line: Hall, Eberle

2nd Line: RNH, Pouliot, Purcell,

3rd Line: Roy, Lander, Hendricks, Yakupov

4th Line: Gordon, Fraser, Klinkhammer

So from a strict production standard we are missing a top center from our forward group.

 

[Throttlehead]

If we base it off production here is where the players would fall in..

1st Line: Hall, Eberle

2nd Line: RNH, Pouliot, Purcell,

3rd Line: Roy, Lander, Hendricks, Yakupov

4th Line: Gordon, Fraser, Klinkhammer

So from a strict production standard we are missing a top center from our forward group.

Thats why you never judge individual players or current lines on point production alone, in fact ONE game ago you had a different idea. Is it because Eberle had a good game that you now moved him up?

So.. We have the following roster next year, having players play where they belong at their current skill level...

Hall - Blank - Blank
Blank - RNH - Eberle
Pouliot - Blank - Yakupov
Hendricks - Gordon - Klinkhammer

Blank - Blank
Klefbom - Fayne
Blank - Schultz
Ference

Blank
Scrivens

So we need 2/3 of a top line, including a 1 c, two top pairing defenders, and a 3c... Oh and a goalie...

God we are so screwed.

We need to load out Ference, Nikitin and Purcell in free agency...

 

[ZJuice]

The Devils had no "jam".. Looked like they were standing still when the Oilers had control of the puck. How did we not score more?!

 

[ohheyhemsky]

The Devils had no "jam".. Looked like they were standing still when the Oilers had control of the puck. How did we not score more?!

They had no ejam.

 

[McPuritania]

i know right, but hey its the first regulation road win in 3 months, that has to count for something lool

Lol, I won't complain. Other than being exhausted and falling asleep for the first two periods and missing all the good stuff.

This is a post game thread based on this particular game though. I can't speak for other posters but the only critical post I had issue with was how we played in this particular game. There were a lot of great things about this game.

Every team has rough stretches btw, and Toronto is a lot better than their losing streak suggests. They aren't like Buffalo. The same basic squad was fighting for 1st in the East several times. Pittsburgh is the best team in the East with their players back from injury

Nah, I get that. I guess I just feel like I need to defend the position of negativity when it comes to this team. There were many posters who attacked any one who spoke in anything less than absolute positivity. Those people have pretty much all disappeared though.

I called out the trend of, Oilers win and people come up with excuses for the other team losing. "So and so wasn't himself tonight" "They didn't bring it"

You can celebrate, not celebrate, talk about every mistake we made, point out the good I don't care. I just want to note that our fans make up excuses for other teams losing.

Also yeah this team is garbage, one of the worst lineups in hockey, one of the worst D corps in hockey. Yet they have still found ways be .500 since Nelson got here in spite of losing two of our best forwards. I hope it doesn't make me crazy to be happy about that.

By all means man, be happy. I'm just pretty disheartened by the last two outings though. This team has been playing a lot better under Nelson, and that's great, it's just, this team is built so poorly, and we have such substandard players. It'll take more than Nelson to get this team going the right way. We need a Nelson in the POHO, GM, and Owner positions.

The compete factor was the main reason this team lost against Pitts and most def against the Leafs. Under Nelson there have been some brutal games, make no mistake about it. But under Nelson there have been many more good games where the team actually showed up. All we ask for as fans is for hard work and if they lose, at least won't have to question their work ethic. Tonight was a perfect example. if the team lost I'd have been okay with it because they battled.

Enjoy the win guys, Odin knows we haven't had many opportunities to celebrate wins this season. I'm finding it harder, and harder to be happy with a win with how this season, and the last decade has turned out. If we ever oust the Ol', Terrible, Boys Club, and Katz gets his **** together, I'll be able to be a happy fan again.


I'm not trying to rain on any parades, by all means, be happy, and enjoy the win guys. Maybe I jumped the gun, but I hate to see people get a verbal thumpin' for criticizing the team.

 

[ZJuice]

They had no ejam.

My plan is to make the NHL in 3 years, they'll get it soon

 

[ChaoticOrange]

If we base it off production here is where the players would fall in..

1st Line: Hall, Eberle

2nd Line: RNH, Pouliot, Purcell,

3rd Line: Roy, Lander, Hendricks, Yakupov

4th Line: Gordon, Fraser, Klinkhammer

So from a strict production standard we are missing a top center from our forward group.

Glenn Healy? I didn't know you posted here.

Who is supposed to deflect some of the heavy matchups away from RNH? Roy? Lander? Gordon, who's already taking ALL the non-icing defensive zone starts?

We don't need a centre better than RNH. We need another RNH.

 

[ChaoticOrange]

RNH takes everything that other teams can throw at him. He faces the Webers, Kopitars, Getzlafs, and Pietrangelos of the Western Conference, and holds his own - at 21.

 

[Mr Positive]

RNH takes everything that other teams can throw at him. He faces the Webers, Kopitars, Getzlafs, and Pietrangelos of the Western Conference, and holds his own - at 21.

+1

I'm not too worried about RNH. Give Nelson more time with this squad and I think everyone will come around. Nuge is getting some good looks out there. We're also not getting a 1C from elsewhere so we might as well try and cultivate one out of RNH. I'm sure Nashville is desperate to get a player like him. There's no hurry for us since the season is lost.

 

[ChaoticOrange]

+1

I'm not too worried about RNH. Give Nelson more time with this squad and I think everyone will come around. Nuge is getting some good looks out there. We're also not getting a 1C from elsewhere so we might as well try and cultivate one out of RNH. I'm sure Nashville is desperate to get a player like him. There's no hurry for us since the season is lost.

I frequent the trade boards more than is good for a healthy psyche, and even fans of teams that hate the Oilers and think we're scum want RNH and Nurse from us.

 

[Tyrolean]

Boring game and the Devils played badly thus misleading Oiler fans to think the team performed well. I am sure the team wil be back to their losing ways the next game and the complaints which we all know about will start all over again.

 

[Tarus]

I frequent the trade boards more than is good for a healthy psyche, and even fans of teams that hate the Oilers and think we're scum want RNH and Nurse from us.

That's a really poor way to look at a player's value.

It's not really surprise that hockey fans of other teams who rarely watch the Oilers want a hyped up prospect that isn't in the NHL, and a hyped up center who doesn't get a lot of bad press because he plays such a low event game.

 

[Mc5RingsAndABeer]

The problem with this team is that they are inconsistent as hell. Hall played his best hockey early in the season, RNH played his best after Hall hit the skids and now Eberle is going and RNH isn't and Hall is out. Hopefully that changes and we can get all hands on deck at the same time next season.

Consistency is one thing that's supposed to get better with development so, yea, hopefully we'll see that.

 

[Bryanbryoil]

Consistency is one thing that's supposed to get better with development so, yea, hopefully we'll see that.

That's what it'll take for our team to turn the corner. If we have all of Hall, RNH, Ebs, Yak, Schultz, Klefbom, etc. firing on all cylinders at the same time we have ourselves a team to be reckoned with. If not we have what we have now

 

[BarDownBobo]

I don't know if anyone else noticed this, but on Klefbom's goal all 5 Oilers were below the hash marks when it went in. Luckily it worked out for the best, but if the puck had bounced on him or he had missed the net the Devils probably had a 2 on 0 heading back the other way. Not trying to be negative nelly here, but it was one thing that worried me about this game.

 

[darkwave09]

Good to see my favorite oiler get a goal. Too bad he only has 6. RNH and Yak are horrible 1st overalls.

 

[Spawn]

Glenn Healy? I didn't know you posted here.

Who is supposed to deflect some of the heavy matchups away from RNH? Roy? Lander? Gordon, who's already taking ALL the non-icing defensive zone starts?

We don't need a centre better than RNH. We need another RNH.

So instead of one defensively okay, inconsistent 50 point center we need two?

We either A) Need a better center than RNH; or B) Need a center as good as RNH is right now, and need RNH to get way better. Maybe show even a glimmer of development.

Think about this... the San Jose Sharks have Joe Thornton, Logan Couture and Joe Pavelski. All vastly better hockey players than Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. And that doesn't even include Marleau who has basically made a full-time shift to the wing. And they have to fight tooth and nail to stay in the playoffs.

There's not a single team in the playoffs, or battling for the playoffs that doesn't have a center better than RNH. And most have two.

Is there more than 1/2 a dozen teams in the league with a worse #1 center than ours?

 

[Throttlehead]

So instead of one defensively okay, inconsistent 50 point center we need two?

We either A) Need a better center than RNH; or B) Need a center as good as RNH is right now, and need RNH to get way better. Maybe show even a glimmer of development.

Think about this... the San Jose Sharks have Joe Thornton, Logan Couture and Joe Pavelski. All vastly better hockey players than Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. And that doesn't even include Marleau who has basically made a full-time shift to the wing. And they have to fight tooth and nail to stay in the playoffs.

There's not a single team in the playoffs, or battling for the playoffs that doesn't have a center better than RNH. And most have two.

Is there more than 1/2 a dozen teams in the league with a worse #1 center than ours?

Is there another team in the league with a #1 centre younger than RNH? He is the best centre we have and its not even close, its going to take a little time before you can start to compare to guys like Thornton, Pavelski, etc. Wait and see when he is 24 or so, and hopefully we have a better team by then. You can look at a guy like Datsyuk, he didn't even come into the league till he was 23.

 

[Spawn]

Is there another team in the league with a #1 centre younger than RNH? He is the best centre we have and its not even close, its going to take a little time before you can start to compare to guys like Thornton, Pavelski, etc. Wait and see when he is 24 or so, and hopefully we have a better team by then. You can look at a guy like Datsyuk, he didn't even come into the league till he was 23.

Of course he's the best center we have. Before we got Roy he was the only one on the roster who had even had a 30 point season.

That doesn't mean he's good enough to be a #1 center. And the fact that he's 21 is sort of irrelevant too. The argument isn't that he'll be good when he's 24. It's that we don't need someone better because he's good enough.

Which obviously isn't the case. Maybe it'll be the case in 3 years (I doubt it. He hasn't shown any development in 4 years, not sure why he would over the next 3).

Right now, RNH is an okay 2nd line center in this league. The suggestion that we don't need better than that is the kind of thinking that keeps the team in the basement imo. Just look at MacT's latest interview about Klefbom/Schultz being top pairing d-men next year... it's crazy.

 

[Bps21*]

Is there another team in the league with a #1 centre younger than RNH? He is the best centre we have and its not even close, its going to take a little time before you can start to compare to guys like Thornton, Pavelski, etc. Wait and see when he is 24 or so, and hopefully we have a better team by then. You can look at a guy like Datsyuk, he didn't even come into the league till he was 23.

As in a player who is a #1 C for real or as in a team has a younger player taking #1 C minutes? Because unsurprisingly the only player tasked to do that at an even younger age is on the only team behind you in the standings. Girgensons turned 21 last month...but the other C options on Buffalo are Torey Mitchell, Matt Ellis and Brian Flynn. ... How in the hell are you guys still within 4 points of us lol.

 

[Fourier]

As in a player who is a #1 C for real or as in a team has a younger player taking #1 C minutes? Because unsurprisingly the only player tasked to do that at an even younger age is on the only team behind you in the standings. Girgensons turned 21 last month...but the other C options on Buffalo are Torey Mitchell, Matt Ellis and Brian Flynn. ... How in the hell are you guys still within 4 points of us lol.

I'll take Dallas Eakins for $1000 Alex.

 

[blupye*]

How was Marincin tonight? Playing like an NhLer?

If you don't hear much from the player, it usually means he had a good game. Marincin looked solid last night

 

[blupye*]

I'll take Dallas Eakins for $1000 Alex.

That is a Double Jeopardy. I put forth the motion we never mention Dallas Eakins name again. All for say Yay, all against say Nay.

 

[Kolja]

When using our best options at D we allow 15 shots.

Sounds ok.