Post-Game Talk: Oilers sing the Blues

[Oilers in NS]

What a mind numbingly stupid trade that was. I flamed it at the time as well.

We have Brodz and Rieder back and both players are among our hardest workers. They have always have been, here or elsewhere. How does an org determine there is no value or use for players like this.

There have been some mind blowing decisions for sure over the years. We as fans sit there and say " No, they are not gonna do that" and bam, they do it. Brodz was a great power forward in his day.

Kyle Brodziak hockey statistics and profile at hockeydb.com

 

[elmeroil]

Its never that great a look to state you derive satisfaction viewing others misery. That's how one can read what you posted.

I'm a realist too and knew our top 3 forwards are exhausted. Running on fumes. WE don't have much else to generate offense.

I meant the fun comment sarcastically. As in many of the members on this board seems to expect a win every game and then shit all over the team when they lose. As you stated the team is gassed and needs a break but so many fans don't take that into account.

Plus being down 2 of our top 4 d is making it worse. I am really hoping with a few days rest they can come out fresh vs Tampa and play well.

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

Reffing lost us another one.

No, no it really did not.

 

[CupofOil]

Yeah I know. The 1-3-1 is designed for one timer options from 3 key spots. Nuge left half boards. A lefty. Drai in the slot. A lefty. Klefbom on the point. A lefty. That's why it doesnt work.

It's why teams like the Jets and Caps are automatic on the PP. Those 3 spots are all RHS one timer options.

The lefty Dman isn't the biggest problem, it's the Nuge spot. Not Nuge himself but they need a right handed shoot first player in that spot.
It's no coincidence that the Oilers PP was top 5 with Letestu catching fire and has been junk ever since.

They have the same personnel now except no righty in the one time zone. Get any semblance of shooting skill in that spot and the PP will take off. How many times does McDavid pass cross ice and Nuge either has to adjust position, dust it off and shoot a wrister or just pass it back? They need somebody who will just shoot the pill.

 

[Drivesaitl]

I meant the fun comment sarcastically. As in many of the members on this board seems to expect a win every game and then **** all over the team when they lose. As you stated the team is gassed and needs a break but so many fans don't take that into account.

Plus being down 2 of our top 4 d is making it worse. I am really hoping with a few days rest they can come out fresh vs Tampa and play well.

Thanks, better post. Like I stated I expect the club to be focused against Tampa. Team still has a habit of taking some games more seriously than others and wanting to rise up against quality opponents. This is a longstanding vestige of the rebuild years, and despite nobody but Nuge being here from those years its uncanny how similar the resolve is. It doesn't always seem to be that the team really thinks every 2 pts is the same value.

alas. Hopefully we beat Tampa but that will take a lot. for sure the team needs the rest.

 

[LaGu]

Because its completely sensible to play and utilize both goalies when you have two healthy goalies that can play. Which Hitch, unlike McLellan, realizes. As it is the distribution has been Koski 10 games and Talbot 5 during Hitchs run. Its an 82 game season. You do this because the season is long and Koski has never played as many games as an NHL schedule can dictate.

Next, who was in net had nothing at all to do with the outcome. We scored 1 goal. That was matched by the NHL giving the Blues a free goal on a fictitious call. A joke of a call. With the goal being awarded AFTER the play and a review and without clear evidence that the puck was over the line. Talbot actually kept the Oilers in it as once again the Oilers started the game completely flat. In most of two periods we had 5 PP's already and only 17 SOG which is disgusting. Granted 5 PP's you should have way more SOG than that over two periods. Talbot held the fort when the Blues had a 1-0 lead as they had lots of chances to make it 2-0 and he was stoning them. In one shift the Blues got 3 shots off from the slot.

It's also something Koskinen is used to, in SKA from his 2nd season basically they split his time with the other keeper. Two good keepers in themselves, then they rode Koskinen in the playoffs, and he was obviously quite fresh. I do like that about him, he's always been very good when games get important.


Anyhow, time to move along. Tired team vs barked at team, shit happens and then you mive past it. I also have a hunch they'll show up against Tampa.

 

[slaman]

I'm sure it's been mentioned here before, but SN showed an angle after the goal was awarded (at the next commercial break) that clearly showed the puck crossing the line.

Whether or not it was goalie interference, however, is a different story.

Has anyone managed to screen-cap it? If not, I can try.

 

[StevenF1919]

Reffing lost us another one.

Lmao what? How many PPs did we have?

 

[russ99]

Me too bro. I really like Hitch and think he is one of the best hockey minds there has ever been. I'd like to hear why he thinks Garrison is the better option right now. He must have reasons and not "Because grizzled veteran lols"

Wideman is a right side D, and weak defensively, so as far as I can tell, it's a either/or of Wideman and Benning.

It's nice to have a coach who's not only concerned with offense for a change.

 

[russ99]

I know a lot of people are hitting the panic button today but I'd relax. It's been rough going since Klefbom and Russell have been out (despite a few points gained) and it will likely be until they are back. That said, most teams are pretty much **** with 3 of their top 6 out. Nashville has looked mediocre since PK has been out and they have Josi and Ellis which would be #1 D here.

The Pacific has been on fire and we're still in a Wildcard spot. The schedule gets easier and we have cavalry coming in around a month. They just need to go around .500 until then and they'll still be in the thick of it.

Also we've played a lot of games the last two weeks. Nice break with 3 days off before Tampa and then another 4 before Vancouver, and Russell should be back for at least one of those games. If we lay an egg against the Canucks again, then I'd be more concerned.

 

[CupofOil]

Wishy washy game from McDavid = auto loss. Unfair to him, but that's how it is.

This isn't the NBA, you can't expect McDavid to be great every game. Crosby isn't, MacKinnon isn't, you need to have a team where if one guy doesn't have the best night it isn't an automatic loss.

1-5 this season in game's where McDavid doesn't have a point.

Must be a great feeling knowing you're almost certainly going to lose if you can't generate at least 1-2 goals for your team.

No McPoints = pretty much autoloss. No other player in the league carries this kind of a burden.

It would be nice if for the Oilers it wasn't an auto-loss anytime McDavid has a poor game.

The Oilers are the only team where if one particular player doesn't play well, it's pretty much an automatic loss.

Not really because they've already shown they can still win even without several key players and even arguably their best player out of the line up.

Remove McDavid and this is the worst team in the league, even if you cut his salary in half.

Connor has to bear the heaviest burden in the league by a large margin, that's just how it goes. Unfair, sure, but that's what it is.

Oilers record the last two years where McDavid registers at least 1 point:

50-29-7 (not bad at all, easily a solid win %)

Oilers record the last two years where McDavid doesn't register a point:

4-24-2 (uh way worse than even the Eakins years).

They're the worst team in the league statistically when McDavid doesn't score, so losing when he doesn't score (like tonight for example) is no surprise. It should at this point be expected if anything.

With McDavid, he's expected to be the Michael Jordan of ice hockey every night, and that's impossible.

 

[russ99]

10 GP last 18 days, last games without Russell and Klefbom (who are much more important than I think some realise). Not surprising result tbh.

It'll hopefully be great for the team with some rest now with only 1 GP in the next 7 days. Hopefully Russell is back by the end of the Christmas break.

I heard there's a chance Russell will be back on Saturday.

 

[elmeroil]

I heard there's a chance Russell will be back on Saturday.

That would be great!

 

[ElysiumAB]

One of the worst games I've ever seen McDavid play, and one of the worst performances by the team this season. I expect they enjoy some days off and bounce back with a good game against a tough club on Saturday.

 

[McNuge]

PP is so pathetic, every single one of them, outside of Chaisson, is in a passing position. Just pass pass pass around the perimeter. Keep it in the zone for nearly 2 minutes and have 0-1 actual scoring chances. Drai is sitting in the only position for a 1 timer and refuses to shoot the puck.

McDavid and Drai are trying to be too fancy out there. This isn't the Harlem Globetrotters, you don't need to make some ridiculous pass to be effective. I think it's time to split them up for a bit to see if we can get Nuge going a bit more. He doesn't have much help at the moment.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Watching the highlights, I really don't like Nurse on the PP.

He's good at moving the puck forward with his skating and also walking the line, but his passing just isn't accurate enough. Far too often it seems guys are having to reach or dig passes out of their skates. Nor does his shot scare anyone.

Nurse is nice in transition, as his skating allows him to move the puck forward, but he's not a PP talent. I'd much prefer Larsson there. Or even Jones, Wideman, or even Garrison.

 

[ToeMcDrag83]

We had to fight tooth and nail and nearly run the table when Hitch came on to simply be in the last wild card spot.

Which is why losses like the last 2 against beatable teams have me especially concerned.

These are the types of games you look back on as lost points which are so much more valuable when you're built no better than a playoff bubble team. Can't let bottom teams be playing spoiler in mid-season.

What ultimately lost us the game was our PP, and for me it was the lack of urgency (which translated to the rest of the game). The execution was poor for sure, but not recognizing the opportunity presented 5 times to you to put this game away was our falling.

I know it's 2 games. I know it's not sky is falling and that all the other Pacific teams failed last night too.
But let's not pretend we haven't seen this type of show before. Very easily this could be one of those stretches we let snowball. And a even a good game may not be enough against Tampa on Saturday

 

[Kaniac]

Reffing lost us another one.

Lololol those damn refs. If only they would have given us 6 pps instead of 5!!

 

[booyakasha]

I'm sure it's been mentioned here before, but SN showed an angle after the goal was awarded (at the next commercial break) that clearly showed the puck crossing the line.

Whether or not it was goalie interference, however, is a different story.

Has anyone managed to screen-cap it? If not, I can try.

 

[Weitz]

Terrible game.

Is the Hitchcock bounce gone now?

That was a classic McL game where the team is just so pathetic and flat. How this team can just continually not get up for games is just beyond me.

 

[Pointteen]

I heard there's a chance Russell will be back on Saturday.

I hope so. I am gonna be there.

 

[Jimmi McJenkins]

So that's a goal, but the one where it clearly crosses the line in the open, against the Stars I think wasn't conclusive.

The league is a joke.

That said the Oilers pissed this game away and deserved to lose. It's frustrating because the game was right there for them to dominate because St Louis is not good. Also, I like Parayko, but he's nothing close to a #1 defenseman.

 

[Jimmi McJenkins]

Terrible game.

Is the Hitchcock bounce gone now?

That was a classic McL game where the team is just so pathetic and flat. How this team can just continually not get up for games is just beyond me.

Keep your fingers crossed I guess.

 

[slaman]

Edit: I wasted too much time on this...

 

[dssource]

Lost the special teams battle and lost the game. Fix the f'in PP for the love of Gawd!

Both cross-checks are exactly the same, to the head, yet blues get a 2 min minor bc their guy sells it better and Khara gets 5 and a game. Garbage. Refs always have to decide the games FFS.

The whole team played like trash again tonight. Talbot was actually one of the best players in a 4-1 loss. :s

Some time off couldn't come at a better time. They'd better be ready for Tampa.