Post-Game Talk: Oilers go Super Fly and win 5-3

[TheRebuild]

Unrelated to everything, I really hope this brings the Kings bad juju all season long:

WOW! not THE Whey-Anne Gretzacky. What an honour!

 

[AnAceOfKidneys]

I haven't been too interested in NHL hockey for the past bunch of years, but this might be a team worth following, fun hockey to watch so far. If the Oilers can somehow manage to snag a stud goalie?....wow. (not saying the present situation isn't ok)

 

[Aceboogie]

I think Giordano was supposed to be Seabrook and Brodie = Keith, at some point Hiller was supposed to be Crawford too.

Jankowski as Hossa too

 

[blue_n_copper]

I was at this game. With about a minute left, Gryba absolutely nailed Tkachuk with a nasty cross check to the back. I don't think it was on camera because I saw no mention of it in the game thread. The refs didn't see it and the Flames fans around me were just howling about it.

 

[Psychoil]

I was at this game. With about a minute left, Gryba absolutely nailed Tkachuk with a nasty cross check to the back. I don't think it was on camera because I saw no mention of it in the game thread. The refs didn't see it and the Flames fans around me were just howling about it.

that is music to my ears. God I love Gryba. We were in Thachuks face all night. The oilers are not going to get pushed around anymore.


Must of been amazing being in the joke saddledome last night.

 

[Ol' Jase]

I was at this game. With about a minute left, Gryba absolutely nailed Tkachuk with a nasty cross check to the back. I don't think it was on camera because I saw no mention of it in the game thread. The refs didn't see it and the Flames fans around me were just howling about it.

Perfect.

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

The Flames fans want to win tonight and the Canucks fans want to lose.

Not hard to cheer for the Canucks tonight.

 

[Red Deer Rebel]

The fall of Dennis Wideman has been a quick one.

Well, he's not playing with Kris Russell anymore. Apart, Wideman looks like absolute garbage - a complete pylon.

Russell looks fantastic playing with Sekera.

It's pretty obvious to me that Wideman's horrific play was partially being masked by Russell the last couple of years. I believe they spent about 75% of their time playing with each other.

Yet, according to the analytics experts, it was Russell who was bringing Wideman down.

TBH, Deryk Engelland is the Flames best defenceman right now. McDavid has completely exposed Giordano and Brodie. They may never recover ...

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

Well, he's not playing with Kris Russell anymore. Apart, Wideman looks like absolute garbage - a complete pylon.

Russell looks fantastic playing with Sekera.

It's pretty obvious to me that Wideman's horrific play was partially being masked by Russell that last couple of years. I believe they spent about 75% of their time playing with each other.

Yet, according to the analytics experts, it was Russell who was bringing Wideman down.

TBH, Deryk Engelland is the Flames best defenceman right now. McDavid has completely exposed Giordano and Brodie. They may never recover ...

Pretty much. If I were a Flames fan I'd be terrified at how much Giordano was exposed. Brodie will be fine but they're stuck with Giordano for like another 6 years.

 

[Red Deer Rebel]

Giordano and Brodie are probably lying in the fetal position in their hotel in Vancouver right now.

'Don't put me back out there coach!'

 

[guymez]

what impressed me the most in this win was how the team, after Calgary made it 4-3, did a good job of holding them off. Calgary came hard for a few minutes, but they didn't get much done, and the final 3 minutes they didn't really do anything.

there wasn't the usually, hanging on by a thread and inevitable tying goal, that I've come to expect over the years.

and, of course, the PP.

I agree.
I would even extend it further and suggest that the old team would have wilted after the first period. Something was said between periods and this team reacted and upped its game big time.
No doubt in my mind that doesn't happen with last years version of this team.

 

[slaman]

Disagree. People are always saying he plays this great Defensive game and yet his GA 5on5/60mins is typically high. Which is odd because his assignments are getting far less difficult.

Its been stated often, but the best D is an offense and having the puck most of the time. Nuges puck possession skills and offensive swagger have all but disappeared. Sure he makes clever picks here and there, strips pucks, even manages to squeeze the occasional player off a puck. But he also loses battles the many times he doesn't possess the puck. Striking this year is in two games I don't know that he even has been involved in a serious scoring chance. Which Calgary has been granting almost every shift.

People might think with these posts I'm against Nuge. I'm not. I'm very much against players being less than they can be and with Nuge its because he's bought into some kind of script that isn't the right one. You don't sacrifice offense to create defense. Its the other way around. Good D creates offense. The strictly hanging back stuff should be for guys like Letestu, Lander.

You two are making some good points about RNH. I tend to agree with Replacement here in that it seems as though RNH has deliberately changed his style of play. While none of us are privy to the internal conversations, it seems as though he has been coached to play this way. Perhaps it's that his defensive abilities have been praised that he has lost confidence in his offensive abilities, and no longer sees himself in that light?

I know Replacement has mentioned his poor GA 5on5 stats, but he is also the first person to question the validity of stats. It is quite clear to those watching the first two games that RNH is one of our best back-checking forwards and is not a defensive liability in any way. I see him drifting towards a ROR-type player as well.

 

[Stoneman89]

Gio at least has a job in his future as a parking lot pylon if so chooses. He'd be good at it based on what I've seen so far this year.

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

Also 2-0 with Hunter as our mascot. Coincidence?

 

[McShogun99]

Soon the league will be full of small, fast defenceman to counter Mcdavid.

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

Gio at least has a job in his future as a parking lot pylon if so chooses. He'd be good at it based on what I've seen so far this year.

Man I was SO SURE that his deal was an excellent one and he could keep up his level of play for many years.

Anyone catch Sportsnet last night?

"Oilers breakaways against the Flames is already the NHL's most common occurrence"

 

[Cerebral]

I'll admit, I really didn't want to see the Oilers bring back Gryba this year. However, I was really happy with how he played in a third pairing role. As long as they keep him on the third pairing and under 18 minutes a night, I think he'll have a good year and provide solid depth for us.

 

[48g90a138pts]

It's crazy to think that not just flame fans, but fans around the league think that the Flames defense is top 5 or top 10 in the league. They're looking more like bottom 5 or 10 in the league. Elliott proved in St. Louis he's a good goalie. It's not his fault for the 0-2 start.

 

[frag2]

It's crazy to think that not just flame fans, but fans around the league think that the Flames defense is top 5 or top 10 in the league. They're looking more like bottom 5 or 10 in the league. Elliott proved in St. Louis he's a good goalie. It's not his fault for the 0-2 start.

Maybe its one of those "visually top 5" things

 

[48g90a138pts]

Absolutely is.

 

[VainGretzky]

Drai and Eberle both with solid efforts on that working around the net. Drai got two knocks at it then Eberle was able to push it across goal line.

Must say this positive replacement is much more pleasurable to read lately

 

[snipes]

Drai and Eberle both with solid efforts on that working around the net. Drai got two knocks at it then Eberle was able to push it across goal line.

Must say this positive replacement is much more pleasurable to read lately

Agreed.

 

[CupofOil]

Yep. Nuge needs the help, Connor doesn't. Putting Maroon up with Eberle I think we hardly lose a beat on that line. But Lucic could have more success elevating on a line not seeing first D pairings/checking. Spread out the offense more.

Agreed. Been saying this for a while that Nuge needs Lucic more than McDavid does. Needs him to win puck battles and create space. Right now, the defense is crowding Nuge because there isn't much threat on his wings.
I also like Maroon with McDavid to state the obvious as they had instant chemistry last season.

I don't see Mclellan tinkering yet since they are winning but I hope he at least considers a change at some point to spread out the scoring because against better teams, the lack of secondary scoring will cost them and right now, the chemistry isn't really there with any line.

 

[booyakasha]

It's crazy to think that not just flame fans, but fans around the league think that the Flames defense is top 5 or top 10 in the league. They're looking more like bottom 5 or 10 in the league. Elliott proved in St. Louis he's a good goalie. It's not his fault for the 0-2 start.

not really, anywhere other than a Hitchcock coached team he's been brutal....Elliott is not good.
not a good goalie at all....CGY bought themselves a lemon.
They should've asked Ottawa what this guy was like...a sieve.

 

[frag2]

not really, anywhere other than a Hitchcock coached team he's been brutal....Elliott is not good.
not a good goalie at all....CGY bought themselves a lemon.
They should've asked Ottawa what this guy was like...a sieve.

He's just another Scrivens really.