Post-Game Talk: Oilers beat Rangers, 3-1. They played a complete game!

[Bill Waters*]

That's a little presumptuous. Taylor Hall is the posterboy for professionality and consistency.

Pouliot has been the posterboy for near bust that rarely brings it.

Benoit was invisible on the topline until last night and will be again.

But yeah lets Demote Hall to make way for Pouliots size.

RNH Emerging...Could be a good mini series on HBO [b/c it would be full of swearing and nudity b/c of Hall and the oiler girls]. Look forward to seeing more of this guy.

 

[guymez]

Yeah, we're on the same page here, although sometimes I question my sanity for believing it, heh. At its best, this team is better than it has been for a long time. As you say, consistency is the key.

It's been a frustrating season so far though, because as well as they have played a lot of the time, they still find imaginative ways to lose. But, if they keep playing how they have, I think the results will follow.

Very frustrating because this team has been bad for 6+ years now.

That said these signs of improvement are clearly there and despite my wanting this team to compete for a playoff spot improvement of some kind is as good as it gets right now. When that improvement is structurally based then it will not likely happen quickly despite what most fans want.

Most of all, I really like how the team seems to be buying in. Maybe Eakins won't be the coach to take this team anywhere, but until they become a team that can BE coached, it wouldn't matter. It seems like that is happening at least. For all the talk of how Eakins is ruining Yakupov, it seems like the player is really blossoming right now. He still has some chaos in his game, but he's looking like legit again, which is awesome to see.

Completely agree and very well put.
Becoming a team that can be coached is a giant step forward for this bunch.

As for Yakupov being ruined...its just noise. There is no validity to it at all.
Yakupov has improved leaps and bounds getting sheltered minutes with Eakins direction. Its a pleasure to watch and exciting to think about the player he can now grow into being.

 

[BoldNewLettuce]

chalk up another win for Ramsey.

 

[Horseradish]

chalk up another win for Ramsey.

Dallas: "But Craig, I really think the swar..."
*SMACK*
Craig Ramsey: "Shut your filthy little mouth right now."

 

[missinthejets]

It's not a demotion, the icetime will be spread out fairly evenly amongst the top 2 lines. Yak's line got 17+ minutes last night. With Hall on his line, the icetime will likely spike up as a result.
It's about creating balance in the lines and having 2 potential line drivers in RNH and Hall on separate lines.

Put Hall back on the RNH line and it's very likely that RNH becomes a passenger again as he differs to Hall and lets him carry the puck and drive the offense.
I think it's better for the team, RNH and Hall themselves if they play on separate lines and create some semblance of balance where the team isn't depending on one line to consistently create offense.

I also think placing Hall with Yak will get Yaks offense going as he has looked his best offensively BY FAR on a line with Hall. Yak has played a lot better in other facets of his game but he really needs to pot a few goals to get his confidence going.
I'd honestly be choked if Eakins puts Hall back with RNH and Eberle. That would lead me to believe that it was Hall pushing for it and not Eakins especially if the team continues to play well up until Hall's return.

I agree. If RNH and Hall can both carry a line themselves it makes the team much more dangerous and harder to defend. Hell trying Hall with Arcobello and Eberle might not be a bad idea, they worked well in the AHL, or if you want to keep RNH and Eberle together that's fine too, Hall has shown that he can get the job done with pretty much anyone. With Arcobello showing he can be solid in both ends of the ice it gives some more options. This team still suffers from inconsistency in the scoring from lines other than the top line, if you can get the top 2 lines both being a threat night in and night out I don't see how it doesn't improve the teams chances.

 

[McDrai]

Best game of the season. RNH and Pouliot were scary good together. I'd keep that line when Hall gets back:

Pouliot/RNH/Eberle
Hall/Arcobello/Yakupov
Perron/Draisaitl/Purcell
Joenssu/Gordon/Hendicks

 

[BoldNewLettuce]

Dallas: "But Craig, I really think the swar..."
*SMACK*
Craig Ramsey: "Shut your filthy little mouth right now."

Craig: "Dallas, get back in the cage and this time think about what you've done."

 

[BoldNewLettuce]

Best game of the season. RNH and Pouliot were scary good together. I'd keep that line when Hall gets back:

Pouliot/RNH/Eberle
Hall/Arcobello/Yakupov
Perron/Draisaitl/Purcell
Joenssu/Gordon/Hendicks

I agree.

I think part of the thing with splitting Nuge and Hall up is it forces Nuge to play his game and carry the puck a lot more.

With Hall, half of the time he gets the puck and he's gone into the offensive zone. That's not a bad thing when they setup but if they don't then Nuge is just chasing the play.

I'd rather see Nuge drive a line and Hall drive a line....I'd also split Yak too.
Hell...just put Nuge with scrubs and see what happens.

Pouliot - Nuge - Pakarinen/Purcell
Hall - Arco - Eberle
Perron - Drai - Yakupov

 

[Digger12]

One might also argue that giving Hall 17-18 minutes/night instead of 20+, might actually be better for his overall game in both the short and long term over the length of a season. He wouldn't be run ragged in a game and looking dead at the end, and while 2 minutes/game doesn't sound like much, over the course of a season that would end up as just over 160 minutes less of total ice time, or in terms of an average of 20 minutes/game for a forward of his calibre, 8 fewer games of wear and tear on his body in the same time period. That would make for a less fatigued player at the end of the year, when the games matter most.

 

[doulos]

First full game of the year that I missed and sounds like it was a great one. Guess I'm going to fire up the archive tonight to see what I missed.

 

[Trafalgar Sadge Law]

This team just shows up to play against Easter Conference Teams lol. Now lets put up that same kind of effort against LA/Chicago/St. Louis and we might actually be playing meaningful games come March.

 

[Trafalgar Sadge Law]

Poor Hemsky can't escape the suck.

Based on his play and effort level, he's clearly a big reason for the suck. It was like that when he was on the Oilers the past 3 years as well.

 

[Slicknitty]

RNH future captain!

Well he did play like a leader out there. With Hall out and Nuge coming back from a good offseason and apparently finding a spark, things have gotten very interesting. It's the nicest thing I've seen in a while.

 

[Rafters]

Separating RNH and Hall might be best for the team......having both on the same line allows teams to easily Match their checking lines and best d pairing against our 2 best players .......at least it would free up one or the other from the other teams best defenders at evens....

 

[Quinteoilers]

Based on his play and effort level, he's clearly a big reason for the suck. It was like that when he was on the Oilers the past 3 years as well.

^ He could be reading this....and your blowing hundreds of theories out of the water, that the Oilers were the problem and not Hemsky.

 

[Kepler 186f]

That's more like it. Paid attention to detail. Kept working hard.

And most importantly, when a little adversity struck the cart wheels didn't come off. Which was the greatest accomplishment of all for me.

Please, keep it up. Thanks, a long suffering fan.

 

[dustrock]

And if you're going to separate Hall and RNH, then all the more reason to get a 2C right now.

 

[Aerchon]

I agree with everyone saying splitting RNH and Hall looks like a good idea to spread the wealth but we are all jumping the gun big time.

A couple decent games is not a big enough sample size and others have already mentioned the ice time problems this could start up.

We know Hall and RNH play well together, its nice to see he can play well with others but we will have to see how RNH does without Hall against some tougher match ups as well.

 

[CornKicker]

I agree with everyone saying splitting RNH and Hall looks like a good idea to spread the wealth but we are all jumping the gun big time.

A couple decent games is not a big enough sample size and others have already mentioned the ice time problems this could start up.

We know Hall and RNH play well together, its nice to see he can play well with others but we will have to see how RNH does without Hall against some tougher match ups as well.

if you are an opposing coach who do you put your best defenders on? I say its still Hall as he single handedly can tilt the ice in the oilers favor. It could get some easier 5v5 matchups for nuge. but like someone said above. We HAVE to get a #2 C to play that spot with hall.

 

[GDU]

And if you're going to separate Hall and RNH, then all the more reason to get a 2C right now.

this x1000

schenn-hall would be amazing until leon develops

 

[Da McBomb]

Petry was flying out there last night. After all these years, I'm still never sure what we have in this player.

 

[Crobby]

Petry was flying out there last night. After all these years, I'm still never sure what we have in this player.

He always looks really good and then does 2 things that drive me crazy.

1) Brainfart in his own end - he will make a ton of plays under pressure and make solid breakout passes or skate it out smoothly...and then all of a sudden while under seemingly zero pressure he will flub a puck directly to the opposite team

2) Cant get the puck through to the net - he would be much better offensively if he could learn to get his shot on net. He will keep the puck in at the line, make a pass D to D, cycle it around the boards, but when it comes time to shoot, Boom! right into the shin pads. He actually has a decent shot too, he just takes too long to fire it.

I really don't know what we are going to do with him going into free agency. Its nice to finally have some depth on D and it would be the most Oilers-thing-to-do to give him up so Nurse, Klefbom, Marincin, new D prospect, etc fills in regardless of being ready.

 

[Replacement*]

Petry was flying out there last night. After all these years, I'm still never sure what we have in this player.

I wasn't either when he no look passed the puck right to a Ranger in the slot with a couple minutes left in a 1 goal game..

 

[Throttlehead]

Petry was flying out there last night. After all these years, I'm still never sure what we have in this player.

A full year with Ramsey and we will know.

If he ever gains full confidence in playing offence when its presented, he will be pretty darn good. He seems so worried about making that big mistake that he makes that big mistake. He has a very hard shot and should use it more.

 

[Lock]

This team just shows up to play against Easter Conference Teams lol. Now lets put up that same kind of effort against LA/Chicago/St. Louis and we might actually be playing meaningful games come March.