Speculation: Oilers habits that drive you nuts.

[Cloned]

Losing.

Since they all sucked tonight, I'm going to focus on the stars. I posted this in the PGT too.

Nurse: Plays far too much of a high risk, chaotic game. Activates a lot of times before the puck is even safely out of our own zone. Tends to get shot focused and lacks patience in the offensive zone.

Draisaitl: Tries to protect the puck too much and make a hero pass instead of making the simple play. The amount of times per game he absolutely refuses to cycle the puck back down low is astounding. It's like he treats a down low cycle as a last resort option instead of as one of his first options as it should be. Every time he slowly brings the puck up the boards with pressure coming I dread what kind of turnover it'll result in.

McDavid: Overpasses and overhandles the puck. Also has this tendency to pass the puck back to the point on first touch and it's been scouted out because opposing forwards often read it and intercept it (especially when he does it on his backhand).

Hyman: Hogs the puck a lot and often loses it. Also alarming how many empty net setups from Drai he's missed this year.

 

[CookiesAndMilk]

For me it's the fact that one player always does something incredibly stupid every game. Like something so boneheaded you gotta ask yourself why the player came to that decision when there are literally a million better options.

If it's not the goalies making these mistakes it's a lazy pass, a turnover or just plain obvious missed coverage.

It's really hard to keep up hope for this season and the ones that are coming

 

[Weitz]

Hiring the wrong people. Signing the wrong players to long deals. Trading for the wrong players.

Never learning anything.

 

[Stoneman89]

Zero physicality.

 

[Ritchie Valens]

My biggest pet peeve is they don't have a very good record against teams who are 5 or more points behind them in the standings. So far this year, they are 12-8-4 against those teams.

They are/went .500 against Chicago, Montreal and Philly. They got 1 point out of 4 against Ottawa. So far in three games against Buffalo, Jersey and Detroit, they have 1 point out of 6 possible.

They don't deserve to sniff the playoffs leaving points on the table like that.

 

[K1984]

My biggest pet peeve is they don't have a very good record against teams who are 5 or more points behind them in the standings. So far this year, they are 12-8-4 against those teams.

They are/went .500 against Chicago, Montreal and Philly. They got 1 point out of 4 against Ottawa. So far in three games against Buffalo, Jersey and Detroit, they have 1 point out of 6 possible.

They don't deserve to sniff the playoffs leaving points on the table like that.

It's because the shitty teams all trap, stack the blue line and play their center high always.

If a team plays that system and the players on the team have pure baseline NHL skill, the Oilers will lose. The Oilers can't function playing against that system. The star players are bamboozled by it and our D men have no idea how to navigate around it on breakout.

I think we still lose to Chicago in a 7 game series even with a fully healthy lineup for this very reason. Unless the rush chances are a plenty and the zone entries are easy this team will lose every single time regardless of quality of opponent.

 

[Ritchie Valens]

It's because the shitty teams all trap, stack the blue line and play their center high always.

If a team plays that system and the players on the team have pure baseline NHL skill, the Oilers will lose. The Oilers can't function playing against that system. The star players are bamboozled by it and our D men have no idea how to navigate around it on breakout.

I think we still lose to Chicago in a 7 game series even with a fully healthy lineup for this very reason. Unless the rush chances are a plenty and the zone entries are easy this team will lose every single time regardless of quality of opponent.

If the shitty teams all play trap hockey, the top teams still seem to have no problem beating them regularly and have figured out how to beat their system. As you said, our guys can't figure out how to beat it.

But they should be able to.

 

[BlackDogg]

Hiring the wrong people. Signing the wrong players to long deals. Trading for the wrong players.

Never learning anything.

This times 1000. Draft the wrong players as well on a "hunch"

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

Letting up after getting a big lead.

 

[Tyrolean]

Not impressed with this team at all. They win but nearly lost against a so so team. Again their defensive awareness and checking is very poor. I predict they barely make the playoffs and get blown out again in the1st round.

 

[Lacaar]

Talented team with absolutely no killer instinct.

Should rename them to the nice guys.

 

[McDrai]

They will play down to their level of competition. Doesn't matter how bad the opposition is, the Oilers will somehow manage to create a nail biter of a game. That's the difference between this team as opposed to a team such as Florida or Colorado who usually steamroll lesser opponents.

 

[K1984]

They will play down to their level of competition. Doesn't matter how bad the opposition is, the Oilers will somehow manage to create a nail biter of a game. That's the difference between this team as opposed to a team such as Florida or Colorado who usually steamroll lesser opponents.

Most of the bad teams have at least one or two quality young skill players up front that can make you pay pretty quickly if you are playing loose hockey that hands them free looks.

When the Oilers do their thing against shitty teams we just piss pucks away to these players and they kill us. Almost 100% effort based as well.

 

[TopShelfGloveSide]

They will play down to their level of competition. Doesn't matter how bad the opposition is, the Oilers will somehow manage to create a nail biter of a game. That's the difference between this team as opposed to a team such as Florida or Colorado who usually steamroll lesser opponents.

Avs lost to the islanders, NJ and Arizona this month.

 

[Stoneman89]

Avs lost to the islanders, NJ and Arizona this month.

True, but they're also at the stop of the standings, so it sure doesn't happen very often, even in a long season. We're making a bit of a habit of it.

 

[Tyrolean]

Why do the players colipase all time protecting a lead? Just move up to the point men and cut off their angles.

 

[brentashton]

Most of the bad teams have at least one or two quality young skill players up front that can make you pay pretty quickly if you are playing loose hockey that hands them free looks.

When the Oilers do their thing against shitty teams we just piss pucks away to these players and they kill us. Almost 100% effort based as well.

Thats the difference between drafting deBrincat and Benson.

 

[TheNumber4]

Cycle cycle cycle cycle. Can’t get a shot on net. Not enough one-timer ability on this team, which is usually what you cycle to try to set up.

 

[TopShelfGloveSide]

True, but they're also at the stop of the standings, so it sure doesn't happen very often, even in a long season. We're making a bit of a habit of it.

That’s fair. I’m just saying all good teams do it. Clearly we do it way too frequently. Haha.

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

Letting up after getting a big lead.

Letting up after getting any lead.

 

[joestevens29]

Not moving the puck on the powerplay and just moving just deking with the puck hoping someone falls down.

 

[Lacaar]

Last 10 minutes of a game with a 1 goal lead.
I get really nervous.

They play even more nervous.

I always get this feeling of inevitable letdown. Like I don't believe in them which sucks, but too many times they've done something to either break my heart or embarrass me as a fan. Maybe that's just life as a sports fan.