Post-Game Talk: Oilers 3 Bruins 2 in shootout

[Bangers]

Sekera one step up from Schultz???

IMO, Sekera has finally been playing as advertised the last 5 or so games.

Nurse was the weak one in that pairing tonight, which is going to happen. As I posted after he had a bad game on the 2nd night of a back to back, he's a young player not used to the constant grind of playing 2-3 games/week in the NHL.

The great thing about Leon? Even though he and Hall haven't been producing (again, to be expected from a 2nd year player), he still holds his own and isn't invisible (unlike 'bad Eberle').

 

[Bryanbryoil]

Awesome to see Letestu and Hendricks being key contributors to the win.

As for Leon looking slower, hell even McDavid slowed down a tad the last couple of games before his injury play wise. Leon is a big player and has been asked to play a ton and a ton of it against the best on the other team = welcome to RNH's world the last 3-4 years. When McDavid returns I'd like to see Leon moved back to the RW.

 

[Narnia]

The Oilers should fire Drew Remenda and campaign to have Sportsnet re-assign Mark Spector too.

Terrible.

Agreed.

 

[Narnia]

Awesome to see Letestu and Hendricks being key contributors to the win.

As for Leon looking slower, hell even McDavid slowed down a tad the last couple of games before his injury play wise. Leon is a big player and has been asked to play a ton and a ton of it against the best on the other team = welcome to RNH's world the last 3-4 years. When McDavid returns I'd like to see Leon moved back to the RW.

Apparently Letesu was a game-time decision. He didn't take the morning skate for unspecified reasons.

 

[guymez]

Sekera got double teamed behind his own net and no Oiler gave him support or an outlet. Two guys just sitting there watching from in front of our net. The missed coverage on Chara is all on Pak and Purcell... It's their job to take a pinching Dman, not Sekera's.

The first goal, he was blocking the shot as he should have. If he moved out of the way, you would have called him a coward! It was an unfortunate deflection off his stick, not a screen on the goalie.

Both of Gryba's big hits resulted in penalties. I'd much rather he didn't do it, but to each his own.

Completely agree with this. Glad to see someone mention that Sekera was left hung out to dry on the play behind the net.

Also you are 100% correct on the 2nd Boston goal...that goal was on the forwards...not Sekera.

Also thought Gryba had a strong game. The physicality was a welcome addition and the 1 giveaway was a bad decision but he did far more good than bad in this game.

Good to see Schultz shoot the puck with some authority. He has a decent shot.

Really nice to see Letestu and Hendricks contribute like they did tonight.

 

[Replacement*]

Btw: Fun Nuge stats:

Played 24:52, 56% on the dot, three shots.

McLellan's got RNH's back, so sheathe your screwdrivers, kids. RNH is not going anywhere until the offseason at earliest.

Fun facts;

Nuge has been on ice for 12 GA in last 5GP, had culpability in many of those goals, and is -9 during that stretch. For clarity the team allowed 15 Ga in total during that span and Nuge with a brutal line change was responsible also for one of the game winning GA that was being scored while he was taking 10 secs to get on the bench.

This player has zero goals in the last 9 GP. He has 3 assists. One of those was for winning a faceoff. Not one of his assists was even noteworthy.

This player has 9 of his 17 pts this year within a 6 game stretch of fleeting fire. He's had 8pts in the other bookend 19GP. The net result being this is far from a player that can be relied to be there on a roadtrip or on a difficult spell with the team without McDavid.

This is Nuge after 5 years in the NHL still completely disappearing for long stretches at a time and not ever coming even close to what he established in his rookie season.

But theres always some excuse. Sick, injured, flu, etc. When is this player 100%?

It is really sad that Nuge is playing this poorly when the club, without McDavid, needs Nuge to be at his best.

At least Drai picked up the slack.

 

[Senor Catface]

Must be nice to form an opinion on a player and stick with it, so when bad times come, you can say "told you so."

HF style right there.

 

[Senor Catface]

If we had kept it together against Calgary that one game, and if we weren't jobbed a goal against the Kings, and beat EITHER Toronto/Carolina we would be in 23rd place, a whopping 4 points back of 13th in the league. Keep in mind I'm only giving those first two games the standard single OT point.

I hope these jokers realize how possible this season is. Not for playoffs, but for something respectable.

 

[SupremeTeam16]

If we had kept it together against Calgary that one game, and if we weren't jobbed a goal against the Kings, and beat EITHER Toronto/Carolina we would be in 23rd place, a whopping 4 points back of 13th in the league. Keep in mind I'm only giving those first two games the standard single OT point.

I hope these jokers realize how possible this season is. Not for playoffs, but for something respectable.

I agree we've had some bad luck, if they put in a consistent effort every single night and work hard and every then things will start going our way more often.

We need to be the harder working team every single night because I think other teams really play hard against the Oilers for 3 reasons:

- You always play your best when you are having fun playing. Nothing is more fun then playing the Oilers, can usually impose your will and probably hit the scoresheet.

- I bet a lot of players look at the franchise as a joke, how the team was built, how they paraded all these young kids around as the future juggernaut. Teams and players probably want to keep the Oilers in the basement and the easy wins coming.

- Nobody wants to lose to the Oilers. It's embarrassing.

 

[harpoon]

Sekera got double teamed behind his own net and no Oiler gave him support or an outlet. Two guys just sitting there watching from in front of our net. The missed coverage on Chara is all on Pak and Purcell... It's their job to take a pinching Dman, not Sekera's.

He got double teamed ... good grief. He gave up the puck without a whimper and then chased Beleski almost all the way to the blueline - long after he'd already dished off. WTF is that? Big looping curl back into the play, no urgency whatsoever. Standing there doing nothing when Chara scores. Sekera's a d-man, he's supposed to be ****ing defending the net. Not talking loopy little skates out to the blueline. And yes Pakarinen could have played that better. But that doesn't absolve Sekera of doing nothing useful at all on the play.

The first goal, he was blocking the shot as he should have. If he moved out of the way, you would have called him a coward! It was an unfortunate deflection off his stick, not a screen on the goalie.

Yeah, I'd love it if Sekera would block some shots. But that was not a block attempt. That was Sekera only at the very last second realizing the danger and moving in the direction of the puck carrier. Goalies usually don't like it when you attempt to block shots right outside the crease. And WTF was the three seconds prior to that? Falling into his own goal? Not covering anyone at all? Its just bad defense.

Add to that the fact that he can't seem to hit the net and is allergic to skating the puck out of his own end, what's to like about Sekera?

Both of Gryba's big hits resulted in penalties. I'd much rather he didn't do it, but to each his own.

Didn't see the second one, but the first one was a cheap call and exactly the play you want to see an Oiler defenceman making. I'd buy Gryba's dinner for that hit if I was coach.

 

[Young Lions*]

Fun facts;

Nuge has been on ice for 12 GA in last 5GP, had culpability in many of those goals, and is -9 during that stretch. For clarity the team allowed 15 Ga in total during that span and Nuge with a brutal line change was responsible also for one of the game winning GA that was being scored while he was taking 10 secs to get on the bench.

This player has zero goals in the last 9 GP. He has 3 assists. One of those was for winning a faceoff. Not one of his assists was even noteworthy.

This player has 9 of his 17 pts this year within a 6 game stretch of fleeting fire. He's had 8pts in the other bookend 19GP. The net result being this is far from a player that can be relied to be there on a roadtrip or on a difficult spell with the team without McDavid.

This is Nuge after 5 years in the NHL still completely disappearing for long stretches at a time and not ever coming even close to what he established in his rookie season.

But theres always some excuse. Sick, injured, flu, etc. When is this player 100%?

It is really sad that Nuge is playing this poorly when the club, without McDavid, needs Nuge to be at his best.

At least Drai picked up the slack.

Two words everyone: Sam Gagner.

 

[Dorian2]

Glad everybody is happy, as I am as well, with the SO win. BUT.

First off, I'll admit that I watched most of the 1st, and was really happy with the play. I missed much of the 2nd, but I did catch the 1 goal lead. When I got back from what I was doing, it was 1-1. Then I saw that it was 2-1 Oil, so I decided to put the guitar down and watch. This was at about the 3 min remaining mark of the 2nd. Then the extended B's play in our zone.

As a fan, watching on TV, even I could smell a goal coming. I felt the change in momentum like a thundering clap across the jaw. I could both see and sense that the Oilers D was running around in their own zone scared....along with the forwards who didn't seem to be anywhere close by to help. Mainly hangin' around the blue line and boards. So in the end, Sekera is left to take on 2 bruins in a fight for the puck, while Nurse and who knows who was standing, absolutely still, as if Medusa herself stared at them from a distance in a Bruins jersey, and Chara walks in to tie it. At that point I turned it off again. Didn't care for the outcome whatsoever.

There are a couple of points in that rant. One is that Sekera was left to tend the back of the net alone, without any support from anybody while 2 Oilers stood in front of the net, apparently waiting for Sekera and Nilsson to dig them out of trouble somehow. The 2nd point is that if even I, a fan who is becoming even more casual by the day, can see and feel that they are scared, what do you think the B's players on the ice itself thought. I'm thinking "Lunch time!!!"

Anyways, that's my one big beef of the day. Otherwise they played a good game except for, yet again, a 3 minute total lapse of character. That has burned them too many times already, and it really has to change quickly. They just don't seem to get it.

 

[BoldNewLettuce]

Glad everybody is happy, as I am as well, with the SO win. BUT.

First off, I'll admit that I watched most of the 1st, and was really happy with the play. I missed much of the 2nd, but I did catch the 1 goal lead. When I got back from what I was doing, it was 1-1. Then I saw that it was 2-1 Oil, so I decided to put the guitar down and watch. This was at about the 3 min remaining mark of the 2nd. Then the extended B's play in our zone.

As a fan, watching on TV, even I could smell a goal coming. I felt the change in momentum like a thundering clap across the jaw. I could both see and sense that the Oilers D was running around in their own zone scared....along with the forwards who didn't seem to be anywhere close by to help. Mainly hangin' around the blue line and boards. So in the end, Sekera is left to take on 2 bruins in a fight for the puck, while Nurse and who knows who was standing, absolutely still, as if Medusa herself stared at them from a distance in a Bruins jersey, and Chara walks in to tie it. At that point I turned it off again. Didn't care for the outcome whatsoever.

There are a couple of points in that rant. One is that Sekera was left to tend the back of the net alone, without any support from anybody while 2 Oilers stood in front of the net, apparently waiting for Sekera and Nilsson to dig them out of trouble somehow. The 2nd point is that if even I, a fan who is becoming even more casual by the day, can see and feel that they are scared, what do you think the B's players on the ice itself thought. I'm thinking "Lunch time!!!"

Anyways, that's my one big beef of the day. Otherwise they played a good game except for, yet again, a 3 minute total lapse of character. That has burned them too many times already, and it really has to change quickly. They just don't seem to get it.

I saw that play.

It was ok by sekera since everyone else was doing jack **** all.

He did take himself way out of position which may have generated some confusion.

On the other hand I'm not confident another player would have pressured the puck carrier had sekera backed off.

Nurse in particular seemed confused and I thin the wingers were expecting sek (who had the puck briefly) to break it out somehow.

In conclusion, weaksauce tenderfoot mistakes. The forward needed to xome back to help against the boards and (eberle?) needed to check the guy coming from the high slot.

 

[BlackDogg]

I agree in that you can feel the fear in them when they have the lead. Its like they completely fall apart. When they are behind, they play hard as they must feel they have nothing or less to lose. Other than the Calgary game and maybe Philly, when have the Oilers looked confident and pulled ahead and won by at least a couple goals? This is where they need some veteran leadership and soon...

They are probably so tense they are holding their sticks too tight too.

I have to say, if they trade Eberle, the one thing they will miss is that nasty shootout shot.

 

[AJGass4]

I just cannot get on the get rid of RNH train.

Guy is 22 years old and has been a professional since the day he put the jersey on and has played against top lines since he got here. Kid is light as a feather and yet he still seems to be able to do more defensively than a lot of people on this team.

He's not playing well right now but I think it's more mental than anything. He is probably harder on himself than anyone right now so maybe we should put the knives away and just cheer him on.

 

[Hawkeyfan99]

Glad everybody is happy, as I am as well, with the SO win. BUT.

First off, I'll admit that I watched most of the 1st, and was really happy with the play. I missed much of the 2nd, but I did catch the 1 goal lead. When I got back from what I was doing, it was 1-1. Then I saw that it was 2-1 Oil, so I decided to put the guitar down and watch. This was at about the 3 min remaining mark of the 2nd. Then the extended B's play in our zone.

As a fan, watching on TV, even I could smell a goal coming. I felt the change in momentum like a thundering clap across the jaw. I could both see and sense that the Oilers D was running around in their own zone scared....along with the forwards who didn't seem to be anywhere close by to help. Mainly hangin' around the blue line and boards. So in the end, Sekera is left to take on 2 bruins in a fight for the puck, while Nurse and who knows who was standing, absolutely still, as if Medusa herself stared at them from a distance in a Bruins jersey, and Chara walks in to tie it. At that point I turned it off again. Didn't care for the outcome whatsoever.

There are a couple of points in that rant. One is that Sekera was left to tend the back of the net alone, without any support from anybody while 2 Oilers stood in front of the net, apparently waiting for Sekera and Nilsson to dig them out of trouble somehow. The 2nd point is that if even I, a fan who is becoming even more casual by the day, can see and feel that they are scared, what do you think the B's players on the ice itself thought. I'm thinking "Lunch time!!!"

Anyways, that's my one big beef of the day. Otherwise they played a good game except for, yet again, a 3 minute total lapse of character. That has burned them too many times already, and it really has to change quickly. They just don't seem to get it.

If two guys are in front you want one to leave, create an odd man situation in front? Can't collapse the wingers or your high slot is wide open. One good dman should be OK one on one.

 

[Mc5RingsAndABeer]

Let's get rid of RNH even though he is worth 6m so we can replace him with a less talented player

 

[BlackDogg]

Sure would like to see getting a veteran "grinder" who can add some solace and leadership to this team and calm things down a bit before making the more brash moves like Eberle and RNH. But what would we give up for this? Possibly a Yak or a draft pick?

 

[SaskOilers]

So Fayne played the second most minutes on D...

I mentioned this in the GDT, but the amount of times Fayne defers to Klefbom to head-man the puck is ridiculous. Klefa has to make every play for that pairing, Faynes go to plays are to ice the puck or throw the puck back to Klefa. Don't get me wrong I'd rather have Klefbom with the puck but when the other team knows all they need to do is force the puck towards Fayne on the forecheck because he will give it away it can't be too comforting for Klefbom.

Good to see Letestu and Hendricks awarded for some hard work.

Good games by Drai and Hall, what's new?

The fourth line had some sustained pressure in their limited minutes. In my eyes Korpikoski had one of his better games as an Oiler, or at least he wasn't as useless as usual.

We beat BOS on the dot, which is nice.

I don't miss Yakupov one bit. This year's version of Pouliot isn't missed either, I am a fan of his game when he's playing with an edge and driving the net, but I haven't seen much of it this year yet.

Lastly, have to feel good for Nilsson.

 

[Gord]

Glad to hear we won.
I listened on the radio because watching the Oilers hasn't been very enjoyable for quite some time.

kudos to you. when I'm out, I try to listen on the radio nut I just can't stand hearing Michaels. I can last maybe 5 minutes tops.
I'm not even kidding.

 

[BlackDogg]

Have not listened to the games on the radio for a long time. I just hope our play by play isn't as annoying as that Sabres guy on the NHL network on XM.

 

[Gord]

If we had kept it together against Calgary that one game, and if we weren't jobbed a goal against the Kings, and beat EITHER Toronto/Carolina we would be in 23rd place, a whopping 4 points back of 13th in the league. Keep in mind I'm only giving those first two games the standard single OT point.

I hope these jokers realize how possible this season is. Not for playoffs, but for something respectable.

I hate these "if only" situations.
at some point the oilers have to just win the dang games.

 

[Dorian2]

If two guys are in front you want one to leave, create an odd man situation in front? Can't collapse the wingers or your high slot is wide open. One good dman should be OK one on one.

Problem was it wasn't 1 on 1 at all. It was 2 B's on 1.

 

[tempest2i]

I hate these "if only" situations.
at some point the oilers have to just win the dang games.

Like they did last night.

 

[Crobby]

Must be nice to form an opinion on a player and stick with it, so when bad times come, you can say "told you so."

HF style right there.

How to post on Hf Oil

- make a bold prediction that we will be bad

- are we bad? Post that you called it right

- are we good? Predict we will be bad again

- wait until we are bad

- I told you so!

We should almost make one of those flowcharts

EDIT: and maybe a mod can sticky it