Post-Game Talk: Oilers 3 Bruins 2 in shootout

[oXo Cube]

Its Eakins level stupid. I really WANTED to buy into some blind faith on the new coaching hire but man in the last dozen games theres been a lot of indication McLellan has veered into the doesn't know what to do stream.

Nuge can't handle those minutes. Clearly, and theres no point to it. But its what a coach tried to do in desperation when running out of other ideas. Oddly enough you see coaches on short leashes run with their top players. So it oddly made some modicum of sense for Eakins to actually run with that and try to run Hall, Nuge, Eberle ragged. But for McLellan to do that is just kind of strange.

The cost of a Win like tonight is Nuge looking tired for more games.

This is a management problem, not a coaching one, and I'm surprised you don't see this since you hammer away about Derek Roy all the time.

McLellan has 4 centers on the roster and 3 of them are playing like garbage, so he is riding the one with a history of being good, like any coach would do.

 

[PaPaDee]

I will preface my thoughts by stating I didn't see the first period.

I thought the whole Hall line was decent, created some chances. Eberle looked slightly better than he has in the past few.

Nuge looks like he's lost a bunch of confidence, lots of giveaways (which is not like him). I think he'll pull it together yet, but he's definitely struggling right now.

I like Gryba's game - yes he took a couple of penalties and made a couple of gaffs, but we so desperately need somebody willing to throw a big hit.

Sekera was good IMO. I'm really liking his game. It would do wonders if they could bring in another top pairing guy to take off some of the pressure/load off of him.

Nice to see our depth players adding some offense, we'll need more of that going forward.

Nilsson was quite good again - a little concerned about his catching though, he made a few bobbles with the puck.

Overall I thought we were outplayed by the Bruins, but finally got some goal tending.

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

I slept through most of the game. Saw the first Bruins goal and not much else.

Oilers didn't create much in the OT save for the PP.

Onto Dallas. Bet they are pretty mad about being the Flames springboard.

 

[McDeathbyCheerios*]

Its Eakins level stupid. I really WANTED to buy into some blind faith on the new coaching hire but man in the last dozen games theres been a lot of indication McLellan has veered into the doesn't know what to do stream.

Nuge can't handle those minutes. Clearly, and theres no point to it. But its what a coach tried to do in desperation when running out of other ideas. Oddly enough you see coaches on short leashes run with their top players. So it oddly made some modicum of sense for Eakins to actually run with that and try to run Hall, Nuge, Eberle ragged. But for McLellan to do that is just kind of strange.

The cost of a Win like tonight is Nuge looking tired for more games.

I wonder if it was Nuge wanting to redeem himself and coach giving him every chance to.

 

[SoftDumps]

People like Drai because he's strong, big, physical, with good hands and is already playing a power forward game at the age of 19. Don't try to categorize why people are liking Drai. I'm not seeing him be ineffective either in recent games. I'm seeing a player continuing to go to hard and dangerous areas and get chances when he's not creating them. I continue to see him making plays and passes at a very high level. Player is playing a nice smart game, very hard to play against and controlling and protecting the puck well.

lolwut

That is what you did your entire post.

My post was so much less about Drai and so much more about Nuge, but it's HFOil so cherrypick?

 

[Replacement*]

If your going to point out the last 2 OT losses you have to point out the fact that Eberle won the last 2 shoot outs

The guy is gold in close. We all know that. So the shootout was almost perfectly designed for him. The trouble with Eberle since he's been knocked into neverland on several brutal hits years ago is its created a bit of reticence going into areas where he used to be less shy to go to. In effect Eberle in games isn't spending enough time with the puck in areas where he is typically the most dangerous. I'll never question his goal scoring acumen and I'm not one of the posters saying trade trade trade. I'm not. I just want to see more out of Nuge and Eberle. ON THIS TEAM.

I think that's fair and consistent. I still think we haven't seen enough and I want to be able to view this team again once McDavid comes back into the lineup and spots are in less disarray.

 

[PaPaDee]

This is a management problem, not a coaching one, and I'm surprised you don't see this since you hammer away about Derek Roy all the time.

McLellan has 4 centers on the roster and 3 of them are playing like garbage, so he is riding the one with a history of being good, like any coach would do.

I agree - not sure what other options TM has at this point, but to play RNH a lot. Lander has done little, Letestu is already playing more than he should & Draisaitl is young and inexperienced.

 

[Replacement*]

lolwut

That is what you did your entire post.

My post was so much less about Drai and so much more about Nuge, but it's HFOil so cherrypick?

What on Earth are you talking about when you refer to "your post" I post here a lot. Might help me if I knew what post you are referring to.

 

[McIce Whole]

Trading Nuge doesn't make any sense. We need the depth at centre, trade Nuge and if one of Drai or Mcdavid goes down, we have Letestu or Lander as our second line centre. When Hall - RNH - Drai were together as a line, they were dominant. I would roll with that and have Mcdavid play with Pouliot and Yak or whoever. Eberle and Yak should be the odd ones out, not RNH. And considering the value Yak has, Eberle is the one that should be gone.

RNH is going through a slump. He's fighting the puck, he's frustrated and doesn't have much confidence. I have faith in him to turn things around. We have two solid lines and more options if we keep Nuge, Mcdavid and Drai on this team.

 

[tempest2i]

[NHL][/NHL]

Its Eakins level stupid. I really WANTED to buy into some blind faith on the new coaching hire but man in the last dozen games theres been a lot of indication McLellan has veered into the doesn't know what to do stream.

Nuge can't handle those minutes. Clearly, and theres no point to it. But its what a coach tried to do in desperation when running out of other ideas. Oddly enough you see coaches on short leashes run with their top players. So it oddly made some modicum of sense for Eakins to actually run with that and try to run Hall, Nuge, Eberle ragged. But for McLellan to do that is just kind of strange.

The cost of a Win like tonight is Nuge looking tired for more games.

This is so wrong. McLellan is trying to win tonight and if playing Nuge for 24 mins AND limiting Lander to 7 mins is going to give his team the best chance to win tonight, he should do exactly that. What msg would he send to his team if he sat Nuge? "It's ok if they score on this PK, Nuge needs his rest."

Nuge plays a ton at EV, PK and PP. He's the best option for those minutes which is why is plays them.

If you're upset that Nuge has to play 24 mins a night, your anger should be directly towards the men who haven't given the team enough depth to allow McLellan the option to confidently play other guys in those situations.

 

[Replacement*]

This is a management problem, not a coaching one, and I'm surprised you don't see this since you hammer away about Derek Roy all the time.

McLellan has 4 centers on the roster and 3 of them are playing like garbage, so he is riding the one with a history of being good, like any coach would do.

Of course I see the shelf is limited. Mclellan as a vet coach coming in here could even have advocated and asserted with his GM that starting an NHL season with 3 young noob Centers and one vet (Letestu) is a lol bad idea from the outset which even my punter self could see from a mile away.

Its why that somebody within in this org should have been shouting loudly in the offseason that you don't let both Gordon and Roy go. You just don't. We needed either as insurance.

Still, these are the Centers. You make do with what you got. So balance the workload out a bit. Also, Nuge has been playing pk minutes when all of Letestu, Lander, even Korpi (has occasionally played dot on pk) can take that on. That's one way to free up Nuge and not tax him as much. Other guys can be doing that role. Its obvious with Nuges energy level is he's being overwhelmed. He'll never say so, its up to any credible coach to discern that and not keep doing the same thing.

 

[GMofOilers]

The guy is gold in close. We all know that. So the shootout was almost perfectly designed for him. The trouble with Eberle since he's been knocked into neverland on several brutal hits years ago is its created a bit of reticence going into areas where he used to be less shy to go to. In effect Eberle in games isn't spending enough time with the puck in areas where he is typically the most dangerous. I'll never question his goal scoring acumen and I'm not one of the posters saying trade trade trade. I'm not. I just want to see more out of Nuge and Eberle. ON THIS TEAM.

I think that's fair and consistent. I still think we haven't seen enough and I want to be able to view this team again once McDavid comes back into the lineup and spots are in less disarray.

I just think Eberle will be alright here really soon. I could see him putting up a 3 point game next game and taking off from there. Finishing the year in the top 10 of RW scoring yet once again.

 

[Replacement*]

[NHL][/NHL]

This is so wrong. McLellan is trying to win tonight and if playing Nuge for 24 mins AND limiting Lander to 7 mins is going to give his team the best chance to win tonight, he should do exactly that. What msg would he send to his team if he sat Nuge? "It's ok if they score on this PK, Nuge needs his rest."

Nuge plays a ton at EV, PK and PP. He's the best option for those minutes which is why is plays them.

If you're upset that Nuge has to play 24 mins a night, your anger should be directly towards the men who haven't given the team enough depth to allow McLellan the option to confidently play other guys in those situations.

The irony of this if you missed it has Nuge has struggled mightily in the last 5 GP and has been on the ice for nearly every one of the goals against in that stretch and has been culpable in several of them. Nuge is not on right now. Almost anybody notes this. I dare say putting Nuge out there so much is not necessarily giving the team the best chance to win and certainly didn't work on the roadtrip. You gonna speciously sight this game as evidence when Nuge has been on ice for 12 of the last 15 GA the team has allowed?

Seems an odd argument to make.

 

[SoftDumps]

What on Earth are you talking about when you refer to "your post" I post here a lot. Might help me if I knew what post you are referring to.

The one you quoted, which was then quoted directly by me literally 2 minutes later. This is not hard stuff. HFOil so unreasonable this morning, despite a win last night, I am out. Enjoy your day.

 

[tempest2i]

The irony of this if you missed it has Nuge has struggled mightily in the last 5 GP and has been on the ice for nearly every one of the goals against in that stretch and has been culpable in several of them. Nuge is not on right now. Almost anybody notes this. I dare say putting Nuge out there so much is not necessarily giving the team the best chance to win and certainly didn't work on the roadtrip. You gonna speciously sight this game as evidence when Nuge has been on ice for 12 of the last 15 GA the team has allowed?

Seems an odd argument to make.

Struggling Nuge is still the best option for those minutes and gives the team its best chance at winning.

Who could take those minutes and make music with them?

 

[Replacement*]

Struggling Nuge is still the best option for those minutes and gives the team its best chance at winning.

Who could take those minutes and make music with them?

Make music?! lol

Answer two questions.

Given Nuge is obviously tired, overstrapped, and lacking energy in recent games do you specifically continue to play this player in pk rotation and a lot in OT?

Would you continue to do that or make adjustments?

I'm not high on Letestu but probably had his best game as an Oiler last night. As far as Lander if you can't play him more than 7mins a night than damn well make you manager get on the ph. Its ridiculous that the team hasn't recruited a Center to fill in while McDavid is away. Landers stuggle has been very lengthy. This is not a new thing. An effective coach advocates for what he needs out there. He doesn't just tie his hands behind his back forever with what he's got. If this season meant anything to this org they HAD to fill the McDavid injury and they HAD to have gone into the season with more Center insurance and not assuming Lander could fill that responsibility.

 

[CantHaveTkachev]

went to the game yesterday:

-Nilsson was great...saved the first few minutes of the game and last few ,minutes of the game for us
-PP is atrocious...just HORRIBLE...everyone standing around and passing it to each other, and that's only when they had possession in the offensive zone
-Eberle was better...robbed a goal by Rask
-Nuge played ok but the puck dying on his stick too often....seriously lacking confidence and missing something
-Drai-Hall the best line was usual
-depth scoring for once
-refs were horrible...for both team

 

[McHilman]

Interesting stats from last year:

Oilers in October 2014: 4-5-1
Oilers in October 2015: 4-8-0
Oilers in November 2014: 2-9-3
Oilers in November 2015: 4-7-2
Oilers in December 2014: 2-8-4
Oilers in December 2015: 1-0-0
Oilers after 26 in 2014-15: 6-15-5, 17 points (-37 GD)
Oilers after 26 in 2015-16: 9-15-2, 20 points (-15 GD)

http://lowetide.ca/2015/12/03/nilsson-schmilsson-3/

 

[CupofOil]

So because we won 1 game has the mood changed?

It was a good game but the Oilers were still quite out classed for some stretched. WAY too many turnovers at the boston blue line. Major gear grinder for me haha.

Still need a ton of moves to make this team competitive long term.

Really? I must be reading a different thread then because in this thread, I see nothing but scapegoating of players (even solid contributors like Sekera) as is usually the case in an HFOil PGT win or lose.

Nevermind, I see that you were asking a question, not making a statement.

I'll start by saying I absolutely love Drai as a player.

But people like Drai right now because he is shiny and new. IMO, he has looked pretty bagged the last couple of games and he still isn't playing as much as Nuge has basically his entire career. That said, Nuge has been significantly underperforming as of late but he is a proven top-line center in this league and if you don't agree with that I am not sure I can have an intelligent discourse with you. Not to pick on you specifically but I am getting a little annoyed with all the Nuge hate on the board.

Precisely. New Shiny Toy Syndrome that seems to plague this forum annually.

Drai might make RNH expendable one day but today certainly isn't that day.
People don't realize how much easier it is to create offense when getting soft minutes. Drai doesn't have to play in all situations against the elite like RNH, he's playing sheltered minutes now so if RNH is dealt and he's asked to take on those harder minutes, he will likely struggle for a couple of years adjusting to more responsibility. He already looks gassed in a lesser role.

They simply can't afford to deal RNH now. It's easy to say he should be dealt when he goes through periods of struggle (I've been guilty myself in the heat of the moment) but dealing him to fill another hole is robbing Peter to pay Paul to quote a commonly used phrase around here.
If they do deal him, they absolutely need to have a center coming back this way. Otherwise, you're left with two top 6 teenage centers, Lander and Letestu and this is when healthy.
I don't think he's untouchable but they need to replace him immediately if he's dealt and I think they need a proven Dman, not a Dman like Jones who has never had to shoulder the responsbility of playing tough minutes.

 

[tempest2i]

Answer two questions.

Given Nuge is obviously tired, overstrapped, and lacking energy in recent games do you specifically play this player in pk rotation and a lot in OT?

Would you continue to do that or make adjustments?

I'm not high on Letestu but probably had his best game as an Oiler last night. As far as Lander if you can't play him more than 7mins a night than damn well make you manager get on the ph. Its ridiculous that the team hasn't recruited a Center to fill in while McDavid is away. Landers stuggle has been very lengthy. This is not a new thing. An effective coach advocates for what he needs out there. He doesn't just tie his hands behind his back forever with what he's got. If this season meant anything to this org they HAD to fill the McDavid injury and they HAD to have gone into the season with more Center insurance and not assuming Lander could fill that responsibility.

1. Yes. Playing Nuge in those situations gives the Oilers their best chance at winning. Even when he is tired, he is still a significant upgrade over any other player the coaching staff could use.

2. I'd continue to play the guys who give me the best chance to win.

The Oilers bottom 6 was centered by Letestu and Lander on opening night and continues to be centered by the same two players today. They were able to fill McDavid's injury with a highly skilled young center they already had in their system. Something very few teams could do.

The Oilers didn't need to get a C because McDavid went down, they've needed to get a C because Letestu and Lander have not been able to positively contribute towards enough wins this season.

 

[oXo Cube]

Interesting stats from last year:

http://lowetide.ca/2015/12/03/nilsson-schmilsson-3/

Vancouver record is so infuriating

We've pissed away too many loser points.

 

[tempest2i]

Interesting stats from last year:

http://lowetide.ca/2015/12/03/nilsson-schmilsson-3/

Keep in mind that the 14-15 Oilers won one game (Dec 7 vs Sharks) from Nov 11 to Dec 27.

 

[Replacement*]

1. Yes. Playing Nuge in those situations gives the Oilers their best chance at winning. Even when he is tired, he is still a significant upgrade over any other player the coaching staff could use.

2. I'd continue to play the guys who give me the best chance to win.

The Oilers bottom 6 was centered by Letestu and Lander on opening night and continues to be centered by the same two players today. They were able to fill McDavid's injury with a highly skilled young center they already had in their system. Something very few teams could do.

The Oilers didn't need to get a C because McDavid went down, they've needed to get a C because Letestu and Lander have not been able to positively contribute towards enough wins this season.

I think you were at the game and I wasn't. Just as a question the Oilers Centers played a combined 72mins in a 65min game. So approx. 7mins played out of position. I didn't catch those shifts, who it was, or why they were occurring on an already Center strapped lineup? Also, again, Hendricks and Korpi can also play the dot on occasion and fill in sometime. Why not utilize that sparingly?

I look at last night and think that both Drai and Nuge got too many minutes.

 

[SoftDumps]

I think you were at the game and I wasn't. Just as a question the Oilers Centers played a combined 72mins in a 65min game. So approx. 7mins played out of position. I didn't catch those shifts, who it was, or why they were occurring on an already Center strapped lineup? Also, again, Hendricks and Korpi can also play the dot on occasion and fill in sometime. Why not utilize that sparingly?

I look at last night and think that both Drai and Nuge got too many minutes.

I definitely agree with this post, especially the bolded.

I also like your idea re: Nuge's pk time. PK is also typically more strenuous ice time, I think this would go a long way in helping Nuge get back on track. I think he is a vital piece (for at least the next 1-2 seasons) while McD and Drai season up so easing back his minutes is a no brainer if it increases Nuge's productivity.

 

[tempest2i]

I think you were at the game and I wasn't. Just as a question the Oilers Centers played a combined 72mins in a 65min game. So approx. 7mins played out of position. I didn't catch those shifts, who it was, or why they were occurring on an already Center strapped lineup? Also, again, Hendricks and Korpi can also play the dot on occasion and fill in sometime. Why not utilize that sparingly?

I look at last night and think that both Drai and Nuge got too many minutes.

According to the Play by Play (http://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20152016/PL020371.HTM) Nuge and Draisaitl were on the same PP unit last night. I'd guess there's close to 5 minutes of overlap there alone.

I'm not sure replacing any of Draisaitl or Nuge's PP minutes with Hendricks or Korpikoski is a good idea.