Post-Game Talk: Oilers 2 Rangers 1 - Victory!!!!!!!

[CycloneSweep]

Bouchard also makes less mistakes AND more importantly actually sometimes makes good plays. Bouch has a calmness to him, he reads the play well; even when he makes an error he was trying to make an offensive play.

Benning is just like a scared child getting to get rid of a grenade every time he touches the puck. Most of the times he makes an error he just panicked and then forced the first option he saw.

Benning makes a mistake and then makes more mistakes trying to correct the first cause he panics.

Bouchard makes a wrong play, a mistake and he then calmly reacts to the new situation.

One leads to ridiculousness. The other leads to learning and good recoveries.

 

[Drivesaitl]

Watched Leon today get the puck and then get swarmed as he tries to skate away with it slowly, and I thought "Jesus, he reminds me of Lucic." Not a good sign.

Doesn't take much to figure out whats wrong. Watch the games. He's getting double teamed, swarmed as you say any time the puck is going his way. Opponents are scheming to shut down McD and Drai. its all you have to do. Theres nobody else on Drais line that remotely worries the opposition. So they're just interested in chopping the tree down at the trunk. Stop Drai and nothing is happening on that line. Same with McD. Every game this has been the opponent plan.

 

[Jepprey]

i'm not an oiler fan so feel free to ignore, but I watched the game today and this team feels so much like a Darryl Sutter team. I bet he could take them to the playoffs with a whole lot of 1 goal victories and intense puck support.

You feel that because both Darryl and Todd love the old school dump and chase along with low probability chances. And it's why it cost him his job.

 

[TheNumber4]

He can't be played with slow players. He does well with McDavid or Hall, they are both obviously fast.

One of the best things about the Drai-McDavid combo was Leon finding him in the neutral zone for a McDavid rush. Need Drai to produce on his own line, so the logical step would be to put someone fast with breakaway speed on his line: Pulju is one option. Reider is another. And neither are being used to take advantage of Drais strengths.

 

[Aerchon]

I thought the Oilers looked better.

I thought they played at about 50% of what they are capable of. Went up against a significantly worse Rangers team and squeezed out a win. Where again, McDavid was the only one truly generating points for the whole team.

I dont think I have ever wanted the a Oilers to lose. Today I did and even after the win it felt hollow. PP sucked still. Very little chemistry and execution. I would have preferred a loss if it meant Mclellan would be fired.

Now, as great as the win was, I fully expect the Oilers to lose more than win moving forward based on everything I seen in these three nhl games to date.

I hope I am wrong. This team can easily repeat most of what they did in 2016-2017 even without Sekera. Just so hard to imagine doing so with a coach with so little imagination/flexibility for the way the game is being played today.

One big shout out, and for the record every time I have done this he gets jinxed and goes on an extended suckage streak, to Klefbom. Had a good clean game, and has been good all three games, and has outplayed his partner to date as well. Which I am very pleasantly surprised.

If Bouchard can develop into a top 4 guy this year. Yes I know, unlikely. A top 4 of Klefbom Larsson and then Nurse Bouchard could be something very special by the end of this year.

I hope they play Koskinen soon. It would make the most sense if they played him Tuesday and had Talbot fresh for the season opener Thursday. Mclellan would never even consider it, but it would be a smart thing to do in this circumstance.

 

[Drivesaitl]

Draisaitl is a more cerebral player than a fast paced passer...some of his passes are sublime and more of a chess match, rather than "fast off the rush" type of player.
He is more like Thorton, where he slows the pace to his game and should be paired with linemates that can read his play hen he dictates it.
Lucic and Yamamoto aren't suited for him.....I wish TMac would realize that.

You actually get it, good for you. Most people don't even understand Drais game. He made half a dozen excellent passes tonight, a handful that were dangerous, I doubt anybody commented on it.

Drai found some pretty extraordinary seam passes today.

But he gets fed seldom. He's had about 3 feeds from his line in 3 games. He's had about half a dozen his short time off his line. Lucic can play with Drai but they need the right 3rd.

 

[TheNumber4]

Doesn't take much to figure out whats wrong. Watch the games. He's getting double teamed, swarmed as you say any time the puck is going his way. Opponents are scheming to shut down McD and Drai. its all you have to do. Theres nobody else on Drais line that remotely worries the opposition. So they're just interested in chopping the tree down at the trunk. Stop Drai and nothing is happening on that line. Same with McD. Every game this has been the opponent plan.

Very high likelihood this is what's going on. And if this team could actually execute simple passes, they might build the team speed up to a point where they beat that swarm. Unfortunately Lucic on a line is pretty much a non starter for that possibility.

 

[CycloneSweep]

I thought the Oilers looked better.

I thought they played at about 50% of what they are capable of. Went up against a significantly worse Rangers team and squeezed out a win. Where again, McDavid was the only one truly generating points for the whole team.

I dont think I have ever wanted the a Oilers to lose. Today I did and even after the win it felt hollow. PP sucked still. Very little chemistry and execution. I would have preferred a loss if it meant Mclellan would be fired.

Now, as great as the win was, I fully expect the Oilers to lose more than win moving forward based on everything I seen in these three nhl games to date.

I hope I am wrong. This team can easily repeat most of what they did in 2016-2017 even without Sekera. Just so hard to imagine doing so with a coach with so little imagination/flexibility for the way the game is being played today.

One big shout out, and for the record every time I have done this he gets jinxed and goes on an extended suckage streak, to Klefbom. Had a good clean game, and has been good all three games, and has outplayed his partner to date as well. Which I am very pleasantly surprised.

If Bouchard can develop into a top 4 guy this year. Yes I know, unlikely. A top 4 of Klefbom Larsson and then Nurse Bouchard could be something very special by the end of this year.

I hope they play Koskinen soon. It would make the most sense if they played him Tuesday and had Talbot fresh for the season opener Thursday. Mclellan would never even consider it, but it would be a smart thing to do in this circumstance.

I'd like if Nurse bounced back. He hasn't really looked good since Jan of last year.

Klefbom has looked decent. Just wish he wasn't another guy on the team that can't hit the broad side of a barn with his shot.

 

[PBandJ]

I thought Yamo looked solid tonight too. He's going to really frustrate players with penalty drawing because of his size. He was the only one going on that putrid second line.

 

[Drivesaitl]

One of the best things about the Drai-McDavid combo was Leon finding him in the neutral zone for a McDavid rush. Need Drai to produce on his own line, so the logical step would be to put someone fast with breakaway speed on his line: Pulju is one option. Reider is another. And neither are being used to take advantage of Drais strengths.

Theres even been post game comments on it from the opponents. Bruins went with 5 player units to shutdown the Oilers topsix. They're playing head to head matchups, undeterred, because McLellan is the coach and all the games have been on the road. Opponents are looking at 5 player coverage to take McD and Drai out of the games. If you're an opponent why wouldn't you specifically be doing that?

 

[iCanada]

Doesn't take much to figure out whats wrong. Watch the games. He's getting double teamed, swarmed as you say any time the puck is going his way. Opponents are scheming to shut down McD and Drai. its all you have to do. Theres nobody else on Drais line that remotely worries the opposition. So they're just interested in chopping the tree down at the trunk. Stop Drai and nothing is happening on that line. Same with McD. Every game this has been the opponent plan.

Why I'd like to see pulju on that line. In that situation you have drai open to a soft area pass where pulju just gets to utilize his physical gifts and get a prime scoring chance. You see it everytime they touch the ice together. They've seen maybe 2 minutes of ice together this year and likely had 3 or 4 high danger scoring chances.

That threat then lets drai just totally control and dominate the game, or pulju totally dominate the game. It's the same reason why McDavid is so good with drai, just less reciprocal in nature.

 

[Drivesaitl]

I thought Yamo looked solid tonight too. He's going to really frustrate players with penalty drawing because of his size. He was the only one going on that putrid second line.

Oh sure he was. (sarcasm)


. He's the reason the line is putrid.

Yama made two good passes in the first period and drew a bogus call in the 3rd. If he did anything else in this game let me know. But as per pumping flat tires its usually the players doing nothing that get inflated around here.

 

[PBandJ]

Oh sure he was. (sarcasm)


. He's the reason the line is putrid.

Yama made two good passes in the first period and drew a bogus call in the 3rd. If he did anything else in this game let me know. But as per pumping flat tires its usually the players doing nothing that get inflated around here.

LOL "bogus call". Didn't know Staal posted here.

Speaking of pumping flats, keep trying to fluff up Drai sulking and doing nothing for 8.5 million a year.

 

[booyakasha]

You actually get it, good for you. Most people don't even understand Drais game. He made half a dozen excellent passes tonight, a handful that were dangerous, I doubt anybody commented on it.

Drai found some pretty extraordinary seam passes today.

But he gets fed seldom. He's had about 3 feeds from his line in 3 games. He's had about half a dozen his short time off his line. Lucic can play with Drai but they need the right 3rd.

 

[Drivesaitl]

Why I'd like to see pulju on that line. In that situation you have drai open to a soft area pass where pulju just gets to utilize his physical gifts and get a prime scoring chance. You see it everytime they touch the ice together. They've seen maybe 2 minutes of ice together this year and likely had 3 or 4 high danger scoring chances.

That threat then lets drai just totally control and dominate the game, or pulju totally dominate the game. It's the same reason why McDavid is so good with drai, just less reciprocal in nature.

exactly. Almost by mistake Pulju and Drai and Rieder were together once today for 20 secs and two scoring chances were generated with Pulju reading that Drai was going to make a board pass in NZ and Jesse read it well and broke in.

Drai works better with strong players that can stretch D out and tire them out. Ridiculously, instead, he gets to work with the smallest player in the league.

 

[KCC]

*looks at box score* of course mcDavid factored in both goals. Sad how much he had to try and carry the team because he has zero help.

 

[Drivesaitl]

LOL "bogus call". Didn't know Staal posted here.

Speaking of pumping flats, keep trying to fluff up Drai sulking and doing nothing for 8.5 million a year.

Nothing must be making half a dozen setups a game, getting scoring chances every game, and being a ppg.

No wait, nothing is Yama's contribution, I would say obviously, but apparently it still isn't. How many games will be required to open eyes to what isn't working?

Yama is the give the puck away cooler on that line.

 

[PBandJ]

I would honestly take Pasta over Drai at this point, and Boston would laugh us off the phone if we offered that trade.

 

[rboomercat90]

Still fire Todd.

Benning never playing again confirmed.

McDavid’s bid to factor into every single goal this season is still safe.

We should get a pool going to see which Oiler will be scored without McDavid. I’ll start and say 11.

 

[TheNumber4]

*looks at box score* of course mcDavid factored in both goals. Sad how much he had to try and carry the team because he has zero help.

He also single handedly saved a goal against with his back check and clearing an empty net.

Lucic on the other hand cost us a goal by not skating 5 f***in feet in our own zone to cover an open Ranger.

 

[CycloneSweep]

exactly. Almost by mistake Pulju and Drai and Rieder were together once today for 20 secs and two scoring chances were generated with Pulju reading that Drai was going to make a board pass in NZ and Jesse read it well and broke in.

Drai works better with strong players that can stretch D out and tire them out. Ridiculously, instead, he gets to work with the smallest player in the league.

Your hate on for Yamamoto is ridiculous and your inability to see any bad play Draisaitl makes and only focus on his few good ones.

Yamamoto and Draisaitl are both good players. Still can mean they can play bad together. Draisaitl has looked better away from Yama and Yama looks better away from Drai.

Your hate on the kid is ridiculous. Sorry he is a better player than Slepyshev

 

[GameChanger]

Why I'd like to see pulju on that line. In that situation you have drai open to a soft area pass where pulju just gets to utilize his physical gifts and get a prime scoring chance. You see it everytime they touch the ice together. They've seen maybe 2 minutes of ice together this year and likely had 3 or 4 high danger scoring chances.

That threat then lets drai just totally control and dominate the game, or pulju totally dominate the game. It's the same reason why McDavid is so good with drai, just less reciprocal in nature.

Puljujarvi may still be developing his game and just warming up, but one of the things he does well is help with creating room for others with his speed and size and I believe (like you said) that'd help Drai a lot.

I also feel the current 3rd line strips away some of Jesse's strengths as there's no help with rush play and there's nobody to assist with getting the puck to the offensive way in a controlled manner. At least last season him and Drai did that beautifully when I watched them together.

 

[nabob]

Doesn't take much to figure out whats wrong. Watch the games. He's getting double teamed, swarmed as you say any time the puck is going his way. Opponents are scheming to shut down McD and Drai. its all you have to do. Theres nobody else on Drais line that remotely worries the opposition. So they're just interested in chopping the tree down at the trunk. Stop Drai and nothing is happening on that line. Same with McD. Every game this has been the opponent plan.

Interesting. Watched every game, including the preseason. For the most part I just see a big guy who isn’t keeping his feet moving that looks mostly disinterested unless he’s playing with MCDavid. I’ll have to watch for him getting “double teamed” as you say.

Interesting that teams would never have tried that against McDavid.

 

[PBandJ]

Your hate on for Yamamoto is ridiculous and your inability to see any bad play Draisaitl makes and only focus on his few good ones.

Yamamoto and Draisaitl are both good players. Still can mean they can play bad together. Draisaitl has looked better away from Yama and Yama looks better away from Drai.

Your hate on the kid is ridiculous. Sorry he is a better player than Slepyshev

Yamamoto is his whipping boy now that Drai has decided to take the season off.

 

[iCanada]

exactly. Almost by mistake Pulju and Drai and Rieder were together once today for 20 secs and two scoring chances were generated with Pulju reading that Drai was going to make a board pass in NZ and Jesse read it well and broke in.

Drai works better with strong players that can stretch D out and tire them out. Ridiculously, instead, he gets to work with the smallest player in the league.

Its bizarre to me that a guy that watched Thornton light the on fire in his prime doesn't recognize it. It just makes no sense to me.

 

[Soundwave]

LOL "bogus call". Didn't know Staal posted here.

Speaking of pumping flats, keep trying to fluff up Drai sulking and doing nothing for 8.5 million a year.

Still 2nd on the team in points, lol, so what does that say about the other Oilers?