Oilers battle out a greasy win 3-1!

[Oiltankjob Fail]

This. Even when Gagner is good to go, it's going to take him a few games to get his game back - might as well keep playing Arco the way he's been played until Gagner forces him out (or he drops off).

Arco has won 2nd line spot its his till he loses it imo as well. And I am a big Gagner fan , also Gagner has lots experience on wings Arco does not.

 

[fuswald]

?...

The difference is Colorado has actually surrounded these guys with support players who can help them. Tanguay, Parentau, Hejda, Sarich, EJ. Players who can help their young talent play to their full ability. We kind of threw ours into the deep end and kinda just said "swim".

You mean just said "swarm"

 

[Gord]

not going to comment on the game as I did not watch it.
I heard that the PP was really bad, including a 5 on 3, where the oilers could have put the game away.
anyone feel like offering an analysis of why the PP is so poor this season so far?

 

[KlimasLoveChild]

not going to comment on the game as I did not watch it.
I heard that the PP was really bad, including a 5 on 3, where the oilers could have put the game away.
anyone feel like offering an analysis of why the PP is so poor this season so far?

No Corey Potter

 

[Lacaar]

not going to comment on the game as I did not watch it.
I heard that the PP was really bad, including a 5 on 3, where the oilers could have put the game away.
anyone feel like offering an analysis of why the PP is so poor this season so far?

some things I think and they're realated.

1. The Oilers are brutal along the boards or really puck battles in general. They lose at least twice as many 1 on 1 battles for the puck as they win. If the pk team manages to isolate an Oiler for a 1 on 1 battle... it's pretty much a given that it's out of the zone.

2. They won't/can't dump the puck in because well.. they can't win the battle for the retrieval. Their odds of winning the puck battle don't seem to go up much even when they outnumber the opposition 2 to 1. So the other teams stacks along the blue line to gain entry.

3. They don't know when to go to the net. They almost pass too much. When you pass too much on the powerplay everyone just hangs out wide waiting for the pass. They don't know when to anticipate a shot coming. So they're always late getting to the rebounds.

 

[Halibut]

not going to comment on the game as I did not watch it.
I heard that the PP was really bad, including a 5 on 3, where the oilers could have put the game away.
anyone feel like offering an analysis of why the PP is so poor this season so far?

It looked to me like they were trying to simplify, slow things down and find an opening. Instead what they ended up with was a lack of urgency and really just bad attempts to enter the zone.

Overall not a bad game. I did see a few too many times where they'd through it forward to an opening which ended up causing a turnover rather than pull it back into the corner in their own zone.

 

[slaman]

some things I think and they're realated.

1. The Oilers are brutal along the boards or really puck battles in general. They lose at least twice as many 1 on 1 battles for the puck as they win. If the pk team manages to isolate an Oiler for a 1 on 1 battle... it's pretty much a given that it's out of the zone.

2. They won't/can't dump the puck in because well.. they can't win the battle for the retrieval. Their odds of winning the puck battle don't seem to go up much even when they outnumber the opposition 2 to 1. So the other teams stacks along the blue line to gain entry.

3. They don't know when to go to the net. They almost pass too much. When you pass too much on the powerplay everyone just hangs out wide waiting for the pass. They don't know when to anticipate a shot coming. So they're always late getting to the rebounds.

Pretty good summation.

 

[Koto]

Hall-Arcobello-Ganger
Yakupov-Hopkins-Eberle
Perron-Gordon-Hemsky
Smyth-Acton-Joensuu

Maybe? Something like that? Real small and lots of pieces to move up and down or something?

those are exactly the 12 players and 4th line i would choose, more or less the lines i would use...i expect to always see shuffling.

 

[Soli]

Lines at morning practice per Stauffer:

Yakupov - RNH - Gagner
Perron - Arcobello - Hemsky
Smyth - Gordon - Jones
Gazdic - Acton - Brown

Eberle not out there. Gagner filling in for him.

EDIT: Montreal practice lines:

Bournival-Plekanec-Gionta
Galchenyuk-Eller-Gallagher
Moen-Desharnais-Bourque
Blunden-White- Holland

 

[Koto]

Lines at morning practice per Stauffer:

Yakupov - RNH - Gagner
Perron - Arcobello - Hemsky
Smyth - Gordon - Jones
Gazdic - Acton - Brown

Eberle not out there. Gagner filling in for him.

oh how quickly our talent pool has evaporated...pretty sweet ahl bot-6 though.

 

[Kepler 186f]

Lines at morning practice per Stauffer:

Yakupov - RNH - Gagner
Perron - Arcobello - Hemsky
Smyth - Gordon - Jones
Gazdic - Acton - Brown

Eberle not out there. Gagner filling in for him.

No Eberle? Flu? Maintenance day? Didn't notice him get dinged up.

 

[Mcnofool6110]

Lines at morning practice per Stauffer:

Yakupov - RNH - Gagner
Perron - Arcobello - Hemsky
Smyth - Gordon - Jones
Gazdic - Acton - Brown

Eberle not out there. Gagner filling in for him.

Maybe just a chance for Eberle to get a break from lifting the team on his shoulders.

Or just, more likely, a chance for Gagner to get into the lineup. Which me like.

 

[Up the Irons]

some things I think and they're realated.

1. The Oilers are brutal along the boards or really puck battles in general. They lose at least twice as many 1 on 1 battles for the puck as they win. If the pk team manages to isolate an Oiler for a 1 on 1 battle... it's pretty much a given that it's out of the zone.

2. They won't/can't dump the puck in because well.. they can't win the battle for the retrieval. Their odds of winning the puck battle don't seem to go up much even when they outnumber the opposition 2 to 1. So the other teams stacks along the blue line to gain entry.

3. They don't know when to go to the net. They almost pass too much. When you pass too much on the powerplay everyone just hangs out wide waiting for the pass. They don't know when to anticipate a shot coming. So they're always late getting to the rebounds.

hmmm. not bad. pretty much nailed it.

 

[Stoneman89]

some things I think and they're realated.

1. The Oilers are brutal along the boards or really puck battles in general. They lose at least twice as many 1 on 1 battles for the puck as they win. If the pk team manages to isolate an Oiler for a 1 on 1 battle... it's pretty much a given that it's out of the zone.

2. They won't/can't dump the puck in because well.. they can't win the battle for the retrieval. Their odds of winning the puck battle don't seem to go up much even when they outnumber the opposition 2 to 1. So the other teams stacks along the blue line to gain entry.

3. They don't know when to go to the net. They almost pass too much. When you pass too much on the powerplay everyone just hangs out wide waiting for the pass. They don't know when to anticipate a shot coming. So they're always late getting to the rebounds.

Disagree with the bolded. This team has the speed to get in there first and grab the puck before any dman gets there, if they do it right. With the rules in place regarding interference on dump-ins, this team should be winning the majority of those races. If you get there first, there are no puck battles to be contested. Too many fancy dan plays and stubbornness to try to work it in at the blueline. The talent is there to do it. The willingness is not at this point. When they decide to dump the puck in and go get it, things will open up or them on the entry. At the very least, they'll have the opposition guessing.

 

[Replacement*]

some things I think and they're realated.

1. The Oilers are brutal along the boards or really puck battles in general. They lose at least twice as many 1 on 1 battles for the puck as they win. If the pk team manages to isolate an Oiler for a 1 on 1 battle... it's pretty much a given that it's out of the zone.

2. They won't/can't dump the puck in because well.. they can't win the battle for the retrieval. Their odds of winning the puck battle don't seem to go up much even when they outnumber the opposition 2 to 1. So the other teams stacks along the blue line to gain entry.

3. They don't know when to go to the net. They almost pass too much. When you pass too much on the powerplay everyone just hangs out wide waiting for the pass. They don't know when to anticipate a shot coming. So they're always late getting to the rebounds.

Its not that they can't win a dump, its that they either refuse to do it, or dump it in poor probability areas instead of zones that they intend to setup in. Some more fine tuning of that and players having a couple dump schemes and forecheck schemes would help. Its not apparent right now that we have preferred dump areas which players are assigned to get to.

That stated I'm a fan of players who can think on the spot and see the ice and see where an effective dump location will be. So little of this happens with the oilers.

But heres the worst play of the afternoon. Nuge is rushing the puck on a 5 on 3. His head for some reason is down as he's trying to gain the line and skating right into the only 3 Sens defenders on the ice. He skated right into them, of course turning over the puck. I have no idea what Nuge was thinking or doing on that play but all the Sens recognized that for some reason he was going to skate into pressure and converged. All Nuge had to do on that play is dump it ANYWHERE. It would have led to a free unimpeded path to goal for any Oiler retrieving that puck. Instead Nuge stubbornly for some reason tried to gain the line. Even though the Sens were so over committed positionally on that play.

I was kind of depressed at that play because I consider Nuge one of the smartest players on this club. I still think he's seeing way too many minutes and its effecting his decision making out there.

 

[McBeastMode]

I PVR'ed the game so I could watch it after dinner....I was on twitter ,changed the trends to Canada, and #oilers was number one. As soon as I saw this, I knew they must have won..Watched the game later, and the ONLY reason they won was because of Dubnyk. Not their best effort by a long shot ,but at least a better defensive effort...

 

[OilerTyler]

Horcoff just got his first goal of the season from in front of the net on the power play.

I think we are really missing him there.

 

[Digger12]

Horcoff just got his first goal of the season from in front of the net on the power play.

I think we are really missing him there.

Prior to tonight's game his statline read: 7-0-0-0, -5

I don't think we're missing him all THAT much, especially with Boyd Gordon here.

 

[knockoutpanda]

Prior to tonight's game his statline read: 7-0-0-0, -5

I don't think we're missing him all THAT much, especially with Boyd Gordon here.

I think Gordon has some how replaced both Horcoff and Belanger. He has been really good to start the season.

 

[Replacement*]

Horcoff just got his first goal of the season from in front of the net on the power play.

I think we are really missing him there.

This is sarcastic post?!?

I don't know that his mom would miss him here..

 

[OilerTyler]

This is sarcastic post?!?

Nope.

Over the last two seasons our power play always performed better when Horcoff was in the lineup and the lack of a solid net presence has really hurt it this year.

 

[Tad Mikowsky]

Prior to tonight's game his statline read: 7-0-0-0, -5

I don't think we're missing him all THAT much, especially with Boyd Gordon here.

Yeah sure are missing him here.

 

[OilerTyler]

Prior to tonight's game his statline read: 7-0-0-0, -5

I don't think we're missing him all THAT much, especially with Boyd Gordon here.

Gordon scored a power play goal in our season opener and hasn't done anything on it since.

Horcoff played a pivotal role on one of the most successful units in the league over the last two seasons. Our power play has been pretty bad without him.

Remember, I'm saying our power play misses him. We're probably better off with Gordon at even strength.

 

[harpoon]

the lack of a solid net presence has really hurt it this year.

The words "solid net presence" haven't been used seriously in association with Horcoff's name since about 2008.

 

[OilerTyler]

The words "solid net presence" haven't been used seriously in association with Horcoff's name since about 2008.

You should watch over some highlights of our power play goals from the last two seasons and count how many of the goals involved Horcoff screening the goalie or tying up a defenceman to create space for our other forwards to work down low.

He was quite effective.