Post-Game Talk: Oilers outplayed, only McDavid and Hyman show up

[Tyrolean]

Calgary has better balance throughout their lineup. Their record is proof

 

[Oilhawks]

Could be worse, could be the Panthers

 

[redgrant]

It’s Sutter’s MO. His first go around with the Flamers he put the bullseye directly on beating the Oilers. Focus and program that team to beat its arch rival. It worked as he build a hard, physical team around Iginla and Kipper. I saw alot of that ovee the two decades I lived in Cowtown.

Smart coach. Give his team clear direction and target then drill the tools to go about it. Two time Cup winner, the formula works.

The 80s Oilers were lethal finishers both on the scoreboard and in the alleys. The post 2006 teams have been challenged to create an identity and sustain it with a world of sustained losing aided by horrible mabagement groups.

Team has finally added players like Hyman and Kane to jolt next level competitiveness to support its elites. But still much work to be done to build up the quality support pieces.

Its funny for some reason I always remember the flames being a hard working team with little stars. Part of it im sure is born in the 80s where ok players like Loob and Peplinksi had to elevate their game to get as close as was possible to Gretzky and Messier.

But absolutely the Sutter team with Iggy and Kipper had 2 stars. Thats it. He had them working non stop. I remember same thing with Bob Harleys team.

Its odd but its basically been the opposite here since after the 2004 lockout. The Oilers team has always had a reputation for being lazy, slow to start and a bunch of "glorified stars that would rather practice toe drags" as Ference put it.

Real culture problem that all the Ferences/Keiths cant fix.

Could be worse, could be the Panthers

At least they dont care about hockey there. We could easily go 2 down and have to hear about it forever.

 

[Captain Fantastic]

Could be worse, could be the Panthers

Crushing way to lose with a few seconds remaining. Look at Tampa blocking shots tonight like crazy though. Everyone is all in...Stamkos..etc. Oil can go that route if need be. They did it against the Kings.

 

[T-Funk]

Calgary has better balance throughout their lineup. Their record is proof

Yes I guess Calgary is 2% better in wins. 50 v 49

 

[Oilhawks]

Crushing way to lose with a few seconds remaining. Look at Tampa blocking shots tonight like crazy though. Everyone is all in...Stamkos..etc. Oil can go that route if need be. They did it against the Kings.

Hard to see them coming back from that. Maybe if it was on the road. Might win a game if they can figure out that dreadful PP

Tampa is all in. Not as nauseating this year seeing them do it without the cap circumvention (unless I missed something). Starting to look like the team to beat

And the bolded, they need to go that route. Too much entitled play so far. It bit them in the Kings series and then they shut them down to win it.

 

[BlackDogg]

Hard to see them coming back from that. Maybe if it was on the road. Might win a game if they can figure out that dreadful PP

Tampa is all in. Not as nauseating this year seeing them do it without the cap circumvention (unless I missed something). Starting to look like the team to beat

And the bolded, they need to go that route. Too much entitled play so far. It bit them in the Kings series and then they shut them down to win it.

I give them a pass this year for their service to society in the first round

 

[Oilhawks]

I give them a pass this year for their service to society in the first round

Them three-peating would also troll a lot of fanbases that felt like it’s their team’s year, too

 

[syz]

A Tampa cup would give Leafs fans too many excuses.

 

[Oilhawks]

A Tampa cup would give Leafs fans too many excuses.

Yes, that would be an unfortunate downside. I think they'll be crowing about Tampa beating the President's Trophy winners though, either way.

 

[brentashton]

Yes, that would be an unfortunate downside. I think they'll be crowing about Tampa beating the President's Trophy winners though, either way.

Isn’t the play offs a new season? Presidents trophy means shit.

 

[Oilhawks]

Isn’t the play offs a new season? Presidents trophy means shit.

I agree, but the Leafs fans will take any angle they can get to make excuses. Cripes, their coach was going on about "getting more respect in the handshake line" . Leafs fans are already going on about how they have been the only challenge to Tampa or some shit.

 

[BlackDogg]

 

[Messier11]

So many good comments. Nuge was never worth his extension. Can’t drive physical play and hasn’t put on any weight in his NHL career. The Puljaarvi experiment needs to end….don’t care about his metrics as no matter how rosy they are, they are not translating into anything. The guy simply shirts away from physical contact and makes poor decisions.

Same to be said for Nurse. Not ragging on the guy because of one game either. The main criteria cited for signing him was lol the minutes he played. Really? Whatever happened to wanting a D man who could actually defend with a real nasty streak and who could actually get a puck on net reliably. All these little kids with their carbon sticks and they can’t control their shiit’s. Just because a player can log long minutes in a game does not mean he is worth $9+M/yr. If it was up to me and I could get the trade, I would send Nurse, a first pick, and prospect over to Winni peg for Helleybuk.

Evan Bouchard…ClusterF just waiting to happen. The guy lacks a sense of urgency. Coupled with poor decisions on many of his shots where the shots hit a defenders leg. Or he lets an opposing player skate right by him.

Last thing that I really wanted to comment on from the last game…Woodcroft should have put Smith back in the net to start the third or when we tied the game. It just has to be so deflating for the team to claw back to 6-6 and then have Koskinen let in those goals. Just atoricious. He we been able to win that game, Calgary would have been in a funk and we would have had a back breaker of a win.

Even Holland should have known better. Should hav signed Gooberbranson when he could have. He had to at least anticipate the need for size and the need to deal with Calgary. But he sufifers from some acute myopia at times. I wonder whether, if the Oilers lose, he will regret not going all in on a goalie with the first round pick, especially if Kane does not return.

My $0.02. YMMV.

 

[The Panther]

I'm just (painfully) re-watching the highlights from game one and I still don't fathom how Smith let in the first goal. There is just no excuse for that. Even if it slightly caught Keith's stick--which I don't think it did---there is just no way that should go in. I know, Bouchard was pointlessly out of position and had to scramble to get back, but the Flames' player was not in prime scoring position.

Craig Simpson's comment on this goal kind of summed up the Oilers' defence in general: "...two defencemen on the same player, and neither are able to block the shot."

 

[The Panther]

The 2nd goal, by Mangiopane, is even worse---but not because of Smith. (At least this was a Grade-A shot, so I can't necessarily fault the goalie.) What in the frickin' world is Darnell Nuse thinking on this shift??

First, Nuge is already covering Coleman behind the goal-line, but Nurse inexplicably decides to join him. (Somehow, both Oilers lose the puck battle as Coleman successfully makes a pass.) Nurse then skates in circles a couple of times, never thinking to get to the front of the net when the opponent has the puck below the goal-line (and thus a pass is obviously coming). Had he just gone to the front of the net (Kevin Lowe style), this back-breaker would never have been scored. Cue the Oilers' time-out, 51 seconds in.

It's just hard to fathom how the players' heads were so not in the game off the start.

Nurse goes on to make a bunch of blatant errors in this game, much in the style he used to around 2015-2019. There seemed to have been a great improvement in his "mental" game in 2021 when he was at his best, but at times lately the old "duh!"-Nurse has returned. If he's really injured, he needs to sit.

 

[The Panther]

And the 3rd goal... Ugh, Smith, could we have a save on a muffin shot by a 4th-liner, please?


Amidst all the crappiness in game one, I should say I am really enjoying Tyson Barrie's game lately. In the Woodcroft era, he has dramatically improved defensively and he still makes semi-regular offensive plays that are highly impressive. His puck-rush (and... gasp! shot on goal!!!) in the first period, followed seconds later by the beauty no-look pass to McDavid, was epic.

The Oilers put six shots past Markstrom---at even strength---on 20 shots. Markstrom was rocking a .700 well into the third period. Yet the Oilers didn't think it was a good idea to shoot the puck.

 

[Impaler]

The 2nd goal, by Mangiopane, is even worse---but not because of Smith. (At least this was a Grade-A shot, so I can't necessarily fault the goalie.) What in the frickin' world is Darnell Nuse thinking on this shift??

First, Nuge is already covering Coleman behind the goal-line, but Nurse inexplicably decides to join him. (Somehow, both Oilers lose the puck battle as Coleman successfully makes a pass.) Nurse then skates in circles a couple of times, never thinking to get to the front of the net when the opponent has the puck below the goal-line (and thus a pass is obviously coming). Had he just gone to the front of the net (Kevin Lowe style), this back-breaker would never have been scored. Cue the Oilers' time-out, 51 seconds in.

It's just hard to fathom how the players' heads were so not in the game off the start.

Nurse goes on to make a bunch of blatant errors in this game, much in the style he used to around 2015-2019. There seemed to have been a great improvement in his "mental" game in 2021 when he was at his best, but at times lately the old "duh!"-Nurse has returned. If he's really injured, he needs to sit.

Just my take but Nurse should have been traded years ago... useless and I never like him, watching him play is painful.
Second.... the Oilers need to get good goalies or A goalie. They have good players I believe but there goaltending is total crap and has been for years now.

I get it... the goalie doesn't make the whole team but it sure would help.
People defend Smith but sorry... he tries to talk a good game but he sure can't play a steady one.
Enough is enough... they have the players now invest in a goalie to back it up.

Just my take but I can't see the Oilers doing much until the goaltending gets fixed.

 

[The Panther]

Also, rough third period for Draisaitl as he was basically the goat on the two goals that won the game for Calgary. Anyway...

To compound our misery, Craig Simpson is doing the color commentating, which, in a high-scoring series, means several more games of the following analysis after goals:
-- "and how 'bout that shot by ___?"
-- "how 'bout this move?"
-- "how 'bout that pass?"
-- "how 'bout this stickhandling in tight?"
-- "and how 'bout the accuracy of this shot?"
-- "how 'bout the second effort?"
Except when there's a (rare, in this series) save, in which case:
-- "how 'bout that glove?"


On the other hand, we don't have to hear Louie's endless "shooter mentality", so there's that...

 

[The Panther]

Just my take but Nurse should have been traded years ago... useless and I never like him, watching him play is painful.
Second.... the Oilers need to get good goalies or A goalie. They have good players I believe but there goaltending is total crap and has been for years now.

I like Nurse. He was great last year, and really showed his potential. But when he plays, he needs to play (a) smart and (b) physical. He doesn't need to rush the puck at random times, or randomly pinch. He started solving the (a) problem last season, and I thought he had turned that corner, but some games lately have given me pause. Or, it could just be that he's too injured for his body to respond to his thoughts properly, in which case he needs to sit and rest.

(About the goalies, that's an off-season issue. Oilers can still win this series, so let's deal with the current situation first!)

 

[29Beast97Mode]

Could be worse, could be the Panthers

Tampa is just so good in the playoffs. Ever since they choked against Columbus in 2019 they haven't lost a playoff series.

 

[Leonardlizard]

Mangiapagne is a rat

 

[prazskycanuck]

Less Pulju means more Archibald.

Be careful what you wish for.

oops

 

[OilerTitanFan]

Tippett got a team that wasn't expected to make playoffs twice. Tipp didn't have the depth of forwards, Kane, Hyman added to work with. Additionally Tipp was the one that brought Pulju back in the fold and allowed his confidence to build. I don't see it as clear cut as most folks here. I think multiple players have gotten worse since the coaching change. Thats a bit of a concern. We've had complete drop off in Nurse and Pulju's game. if it was the other way and significant improvement people would be crediting coaching. This is the worst I've ever seen Nurse play these last few months.

It is hard to say what would have happened if we just rode the season through with Tippett. So you are saying that we would have been fine and possibly be a better team with Tippett now?

I agree with the JP comment but the drop off on Nurse must be something else.

 

[OfCorsiDid]

So many good comments. Nuge was never worth his extension. Can’t drive physical play and hasn’t put on any weight in his NHL career. The Puljaarvi experiment needs to end….don’t care about his metrics as no matter how rosy they are, they are not translating into anything. The guy simply shirts away from physical contact and makes poor decisions.

Same to be said for Nurse. Not ragging on the guy because of one game either. The main criteria cited for signing him was lol the minutes he played. Really? Whatever happened to wanting a D man who could actually defend with a real nasty streak and who could actually get a puck on net reliably. All these little kids with their carbon sticks and they can’t control their shiit’s. Just because a player can log long minutes in a game does not mean he is worth $9+M/yr. If it was up to me and I could get the trade, I would send Nurse, a first pick, and prospect over to Winni peg for Helleybuk.

Evan Bouchard…ClusterF just waiting to happen. The guy lacks a sense of urgency. Coupled with poor decisions on many of his shots where the shots hit a defenders leg. Or he lets an opposing player skate right by him.

Last thing that I really wanted to comment on from the last game…Woodcroft should have put Smith back in the net to start the third or when we tied the game. It just has to be so deflating for the team to claw back to 6-6 and then have Koskinen let in those goals. Just atoricious. He we been able to win that game, Calgary would have been in a funk and we would have had a back breaker of a win.

Even Holland should have known better. Should hav signed Gooberbranson when he could have. He had to at least anticipate the need for size and the need to deal with Calgary. But he sufifers from some acute myopia at times. I wonder whether, if the Oilers lose, he will regret not going all in on a goalie with the first round pick, especially if Kane does not return.

My $0.02. YMMV.

Yeah that whole post is definitely worth 2 cents. Not even remotely based in reality.