Post-Game Talk: Oilers lose 4-2

[Soundwave]

Eberle/Hall/RNH are producing and are worth their contracts. Hall is a ppg, Eberle is back on pace to score 30+ and 70+ points, RNH is still putting up solid numbers despite recovering from shoulder surgery that's supposed to take most guy's until December-ish to get back into form.

It was just a bad game for that line and even so, Hall could've turned the game around with that break away.

If our first line is our biggest problem, lol, then we're a pretty damn good team as all three of them are trending towards 70 point-ish seasons.

The rest of the line up is the problem. Need more physicality and need to actually a competent defensive core.

 

[KarmaPolice]

Eberle/Hall/RNH are producing and are worth their contracts. Hall is a ppg, Eberle is back on pace to score 30+ and 70+ points, RNH is still putting up solid numbers despite recovering from shoulder surgery that's supposed to take most guy's until December-ish to get back into form.

It was just a bad game for that line and even so, Hall could've turned the game around with that break away.

If our first line is our biggest problem, lol, then we're a pretty damn good team as all three of them are trending towards 70 point-ish seasons.

The rest of the line up is the problem. Need more physicality and need to actually a competent defensive core.

Ehh...not so sure about that. I think Ebs is overpaid, especially when you look at Tavares' contract. But it's maybe by 1m, so I guess it's nothing huge, and I guess the Tavares contract is kind of a deviation from the league norm. The Islanders got a hell of a deal on that contract.

 

[Soundwave]

Ehh...not so sure about that. I think Ebs is overpaid, especially when you look at Tavares' contract. But it's maybe by 1m, so I guess it's nothing huge, and I guess the Tavares contract is kind of a deviation from the league norm. The Islanders got a hell of a deal on that contract.

Tavares' contract is a huge steal. Which is why you lock up your kids early. In 2 years, the Eberle/RNH/Hall contracts will all look the same way with the NHL getting more TV revenue than ever that cap is going to sky rocket.

The Oilers woud've been stupid to have bridge contracts, they would likely have to pay a Taylor Hall $8 million in 2 years time, and more for RNH and Eberle.

The three kids produce, bottom line is its that simple. Yakupov is the one that's starting to worry me. I like that he seems to be handling the puck more and doing more with it, but the results need to come too.

 

[KarmaPolice]

Tavares' contract is a huge steal. Which is why you lock up your kids early. In 2 years, the Eberle/RNH/Hall contracts will all look the same way with the NHL getting more TV revenue than ever that cap is going to sky rocket.

The Oilers woud've been stupid to have bridge contracts, they would likely have to pay a Taylor Hall $8 million in 2 years time, and more for RNH and Eberle.

The three kids produce, bottom line is its that simple. Yakupov is the one that's starting to worry me. I like that he seems to be handling the puck more and doing more with it, but the results need to come too.

That's true, I guess. The cap will probably go up and up, and the 6m deals will look better and better.

Don't get me started on Yak. I'm starting to question a lot of things about him. Hopefully this is all a part of Eakins' master plan, and he'll turn into the game breaker we all want him to be.

 

[Connor McSaviour]

I hate the kid line so much. Every year they have 3 really good games then we see the next 5 games and it looks as if they're the worst first line ever assembled. It's so weird. Also, Ales Hemsky is so beyond useless right now. The only time I notice him it's when he's going offside. Trade him already, he obviously wants to play real competitive hockey.

 

[Tarus]

I hate the kid line so much. Every year they have 3 really good games then we see the next 5 games and it looks as if they're the worst first line ever assembled. It's so weird. Also, Ales Hemsky is so beyond useless right now. The only time I notice him it's when he's going offside. Trade him already, he obviously wants to play real competitive hockey.

Ales Hemsky is showing he wants to play competitive hockey by playing poorly?

Curious outlook.

 

[Meanashell11]

I can't believe the comments regarding Hemmer,he is driving the net, crashing guys and controlling the puck in the O zone. He makes that PP work when it works. Results could be better but he is working hard out there. He took a couple of hits last night that would injure most, he got up no problem.

As for Yaks, he is getting better and better, he looks dangerous every shift and not sure if anyone else noticed but he was back checking a lot last night. He will be fine.

 

[Helistin]

Lets not forget that Smid said his first practice with the Flames was far harder than any as an Oiler.

You don't need to train hard when you have talent like the Oilers.

 

[mactforcoach]

Well you had to expect the Jackets to have a score to settle after the 7-0 game and they did. When you're on the road you have to come out flying every game for the first 10 minutes to set the tone. The Oilers seemed to think they had the game in the bag it was only a matter of time.

So it's 3 wins, a loss, a win, and a loss. If they win the next game it will at least show some improvement.
Bottom line here is like so many are saying, too soft of a team. I can see Hemsky being traded at the deadline for almost anyone 40 lbs heavier. He tries a few rushes but is just to light to be effective. And his skill set is redundant now. They need to work Pitlick back into the lineup but also need to add an experienced heavy player to supply that veteran leadership as I expect Smyth to retire this year.

The D is my biggest concern. Don't expect any miracles this season but MacT will have to make a big play during the off season. Potter, Grebs, etc aren't the answer and the youngsters on the farm are still 2-3 years away from making any serious impact in the NHL. This team can't continue to get pushed around another 2-4 years!

 

[McJadeddog]

What more is there to say about the Oilers? They suck. Even **** teams go on winning streaks sometimes. What a waste of time.

That stupid cross-ice pass by Hall in the O-zone when we had the extra attacker basically sums up this garbage team. They would rather make fancy plays than do the hard work necessary to win games.

this is the entire problem of the team summarized into one sentence

 

[hawks889]

Eberle is a good player, but he's not even close to the talent that P. Kane is.

Kane is mainly an offensive player and smaller type like Eberle but is way more skilled and produces in the clutch. All of the oilers skilled players are the same whereas kane is the only one as toews is different as is Hossa More of a diversified top 6.

 

[duul]

Hemsky deserves to be traded to a contender. MacT should make that a priority. He has wasted his entire career here and the only time he's seen playoff action he was absolutely dominant.

 

[trent_vinyl]

I know they were down 2 goals with 15s left, but the plays at the end I found odd. Consecutive cross-ice passes before it goes on net. At that point in the game, get a few players to crash the goalie and just throw it towards the goal. Even in desperate times they're still looking for that highlight reel tic-tac-toe tap-in goal.

Well that's Hall for ya. He's always trying to force passes through when nothing is available. Also, why the hell is he given the puck on the PP to enter the zone?

 

[SLURVE]

Watching last night's game comes back to my opinion that we just have a young team that is slowly maturing and learning the team game. To come out and bring your A game knowing what it takes and recognizing when the team is not playing to the system and willing to put it back on track takes experience and leadership. We just have to be patient. Our number one line is very young in age and with the exception of Hemsky, the same applies for the second line. It would help to have a solid veteran in the top 6 who truly display admirable leadership with experience but we don't have any. When we have nights when the team is out of sync, we need a guy like a Sakic-Gretzky-Messier type of leadership rolled into 1. Hemsky is a veteran but do not have the kind of leadership qualities as mentioned. Perhaps Hall will step up with success sooner than later.

 

[Groucho]

Totally unrelated question and I don't know where to ask it. My friends and I are having an argument and there's bets on the table for this.

How much is it to buy a box for a single game? Or better yet annually. (does that include drinks and food?)

I got guesses any where from $800-$10000 (mine is $1500)

We're aware that these box seats have rights to concerts and what not.

Thanks for any info!!

Call the Oilers ticket line and ask this.

 

[Soliloquy of a Dogge]

Hemsky deserves to be traded to a contender. MacT should make that a priority. He has wasted his entire career here and the only time he's seen playoff action he was absolutely dominant.

Agreed. I hate seeing him wither away on this team, it's not fair. Before he leaves it'd be nice if Eberle could steal some of his grit though and maybe even learn a thing or two about how to backcheck.

 

[hmminvisiblecola1279]

Thanks again. You're right, I listened to the interview. He said some good things, not so good things.

But heres something. Somebody should link this thread to Oilers Org.

Interest in this club has just evaporated. People with tickets not going to games this year, people giving them away or just not using them, people not even watching games (I didn't even turn the game on) and look at this NOBODY POSTING.

This org is in trouble and more than on the ice.

Which I believe is a good thing for the fans overall. Stop spending your money and wasting your time on Katz's team. The hostility from the organization towards the fans, the greed and the constant onslaught from the team to its media friends that the team is better is falling on deaf ears. The team has shown it isn't willing to do what is necessary to become better and the fans aren't buying their b.s. any longer.

 

[Meanashell11]

Watching last night's game comes back to my opinion that we just have a young team that is slowly maturing and learning the team game. To come out and bring your A game knowing what it takes and recognizing when the team is not playing to the system and willing to put it back on track takes experience and leadership. We just have to be patient. Our number one line is very young in age and with the exception of Hemsky, the same applies for the second line. It would help to have a solid veteran in the top 6 who truly display admirable leadership with experience but we don't have any. When we have nights when the team is out of sync, we need a guy like a Sakic-Gretzky-Messier type of leadership rolled into 1. Hemsky is a veteran but do not have the kind of leadership qualities as mentioned. Perhaps Hall will step up with success sooner than later.

I made this suggestion in the off season and it's probably too late now given how he has performed but we should have done what needed to be done to get Brad Richards. He was almost bought out by the Rags. I am sure his veteran leadership would help and he's not too bad o the dot. Second line center would have been nice with Gagner going down.

 

[Replacement*]

Eberle/Hall/RNH are producing and are worth their contracts. Hall is a ppg, Eberle is back on pace to score 30+ and 70+ points, RNH is still putting up solid numbers despite recovering from shoulder surgery that's supposed to take most guy's until December-ish to get back into form.

It was just a bad game for that line and even so, Hall could've turned the game around with that break away.

If our first line is our biggest problem, lol, then we're a pretty damn good team as all three of them are trending towards 70 point-ish seasons.

The rest of the line up is the problem. Need more physicality and need to actually a competent defensive core.

For a first line with as many minutes and pimping PP minutes that they get they are not producing as well as should be expected. Lets keep in mind as well the line has afairc 3 empty net goals, with Eberle getting 2 of them. What you also note on that line is that on the vast majority of goals they score theres two assists. I only mention that because the actual amount of goals that line contributes isn't so great a number.

When a club puts 3 offensive highly touted talents together all in one basket the collective should result in more goals than this line is putting up.

Fact of the matter is without free empty net gimmes at the one third mark in the seasn Eberle has 7goals, Hall has 7goals, and RNH 5. These are mediocre numbers for star players playing on a stacked line.

A guy like Sean Monahan with worse service has 9 goals on the year on a club devoid of depth talent.

Theres nothing that our topline is currently doing that makes them worth the pay. What they contribute as a whole is helping clubs lose whether it be at the NHL, or AHL level. Their all round game sucks and with ugly GA numbers. Hopkins has 33GA, an astronomical figure. Eberle, not surprisingly, 31GA. Both have more than 1EV/GA/60mins which is a recipe for losing in the NHL. This is what the top line is contributing. The team losing when they are on the ice.

 

[CantHaveTkachev]

Eberle/Hall/RNH are producing and are worth their contracts. Hall is a ppg, Eberle is back on pace to score 30+ and 70+ points, RNH is still putting up solid numbers despite recovering from shoulder surgery that's supposed to take most guy's until December-ish to get back into form.

It was just a bad game for that line and even so, Hall could've turned the game around with that break away.

If our first line is our biggest problem, lol, then we're a pretty damn good team as all three of them are trending towards 70 point-ish seasons.

The rest of the line up is the problem. Need more physicality and need to actually a competent defensive core.

disagree

RNH is on pace for a sparkling -38
Hall on pace for -30
Eberle -6
Hemsky...39 points and -33

thats unacceptable and pretty remarkable how poor they are defensively

no it's not all just because of them...the defense is the worst in the league...but they need to play a better 2-way game

their mentality is "well got scored and I got a point...I did my part"

 

[Soundwave]

disagree

RNH is on pace for a sparkling -38
Hall on pace for -30
Eberle -6
Hemsky...39 points and -33

thats unacceptable and pretty remarkable how poor they are defensively

no it's not all just because of them...the defense is the worst in the league...but they need to play a better 2-way game

their mentality is "well got scored and I got a point...I did my part"

Everyone's plus/minus has plunged this season, I put that on Eakins' system and inexperience at coaching at the NHL level along with horrid goaltending.

Which players are defensive dynamos at age 21/22 anyway? That usually does not develop in most star players until they're 24/25.

 

[McShogun99]

For anyone complaining about the Hall/Eberle/RNH contracts. Kessel is a cap hit over 8 million and puts up slightly better numbers then Hall and Eberle. Anyone that compares Tavares contract to anyone else had to consider that the Islanders got a huge deal.

 

[Replacement*]

For anyone complaining about the Hall/Eberle/RNH contracts. Kessel is a cap hit over 8 million and puts up slightly better numbers then Hall and Eberle. Anyone that compares Tavares contract to anyone else had to consider that the Islanders got a huge deal.

Kessel has 14 goals. Almost as much as our entire topline combined sans the empty net goals..

Kessel also sports considerably different GA numbers. like as in half as many.


Do people really think contributing say second assists is the same value as gun slinging?

Not contractually speaking and the best paid forwards in the game can typically score at a greater clip then our first line wunderkids.

 

[Soundwave]

Kessel has 14 goals. Almost as much as our entire topline combined sans the empty net goals..

Kessel also sports considerably different GA numbers. like as in half as many.


Do people really think contributing say second assists is the same value as gun slinging?

Not contractually speaking and the best paid forwards in the game can typically score at a greater clip then our first line wunderkids.

Kessel's a pretty darn good player, people underrate him on this board. You're probably talking about one of the best pure snipers in the game.

Hall/RNH/Eberle I'm not worried about. They already are producing up to their contracts and they are only going to get better as their contracts go on. The rest of this roster is where the problem is.

Oiler fans tend to live in fantasy land when it comes to what contracts should cost anyway ... "we want Dion Phaneuf!" (get told he'll probably command $8 million per on the open market to leave Toronto). "Bwahhh! Why can't he take 6.5 million!".

 

[Cassano]

Eberle in a trade for John Carlson or Karl Alzner makes too much sense.