Pre-Game Talk: Oilers vs Wild

[EchoesoftheEighties]

Did you fly there just for the game?

Nah I have some friends who live out here so I'm staying for a few days to chill

 

[The Batman]

Just saw the pictures of Conner Mcdavid chatting with the little superhero. What a classy player after a demoralizing loss.

McDavid is a superhero himself. He's the Batman I tell ya.

 

[joestevens29]

I would do the forward lines like this:

Rattie - McDavid - Draisaitl
Khaira - Nuge - Puljujarvi
Lucic - Malone - Chiasson
Rieder - Brodziak - Kassian

Honestly I'd do the 3 big C's and just rotate the other 9 like minor hockey players.

 

[joestevens29]

So Struds had some interesting comments yesterday that made me have zero issue with Talbot starting tonight. Not that I really cared one way or another before to be honest.

He pretty much said if you look up and down that bench and watch their body language on the ice, that really no one is giving a shit right now. No one is mad, no one is talking, just guys going through the motions. Talbot showing some emotion makes him believe that at least on some level he gives a shit. Something this team needs more of.

 

[CupofOil]

It's really simple...

Draisaitl-McDavid-Chiasson or Rattie
Khaira-RNH-Puljujarvi
Lucic-Brodziak-Kassian
Poo-Poop-Poopie

These are the lines that worked best. Nothing has made sense since and it gets worse and worse every game. He's just throwing shit together and hope it sticks. The lineup is shit but there are some combos that have worked yet he refuses to go back to them for some inexplicable reason.

 

[Drivesaitl]

It's really simple...

Draisaitl-McDavid-Chiasson or Rattie
Khaira-RNH-Puljujarvi
Lucic-Brodziak-Kassian
Poo-Poop-Poopie

These are the lines that worked best. Nothing has made sense since and it gets worse and worse every game.

Its not that simple. It depends what club you are playing. Some teams have more offensive depth and capability to hurt you outside of matching top lines. For instance the Hawks have 10 players in the lineup yesterday with 20 or more pts. We have 5. If anything ever signalled lack of depth its that.

McDrai both got in on 2 goals and we lost the game 6-2, which is actually pretty symbolic of the respective lineups. Really the Oilers lineup is so bad you have to have somebody being god bending fate to bag a W. This lineup as constructed is almost incapable of winning. This lineup is even worse since we haven't had Caggiulia or Strome.

Theres been a lot of talk about the D being weak but this is the worst forward lineup I've seen on an Oilers club since around 1994.

 

[CupofOil]

Its not that simple. It depends what club you are playing. Some teams have more offensive depth and capability to hurt you outside of matching top lines. For instance the Hawks have 10 players in the lineup yesterday with 20 or more pts. We have 5. If anything ever signalled lack of depth its that.

McDrai both got in on 2 goals and we lost the game 6-2, which is actually pretty symbolic of the respective lineups. Really the Oilers lineup is so bad you have to have somebody being god bending fate to bag a W. This lineup as constructed is almost incapable of winning. This lineup is even worse since we haven't had Caggiulia or Strome.

Theres been a lot of talk about the D being weak but this is the worst forward lineup I've seen on an Oilers club since around 1994.

The lines I posted are the only combos that have worked under Hitch. All the others have been a miserable failure. Sticking with what works IS simple.

Seriously, look at the lineup now. It has 3 players with zero goals on 3 separate lines, one of them being on the top line. It has 4 players in Reider, Malone, Cave and Brodziak that provide zero offense every night with Malone, Cave and Brodziak being total non-factors in every aspect.

It's obviously an extremely flawed lineup but there's ways to make it not be a total disaster.
You're right that lineups should change based on matchups but the Oilers don't have the horses to do that. If they find something that works with this patchwork lineup, stick to it as long as possible. Khaira got suspended, Hitchcock blew up the lines then threw them in a blender and the team hasn't been the same since.

 

[Oilers in NS]

I literally just landed in Minny for this one

**** me

Been there in 1992. I seen the Minnesota North Stars vs Buffalo Sabres at The Met Center in Burnsville . Very cold city

 

[ToeMcDrag83]

Could've had players like Hoffman or Skinner for a song this offseason but our eyes have to look at Zero the Hero on the top line.

Reeks of last year when they threw Lucic with McDavid for 20 games to get him out of his slump just to make the signing look salvageable. And then Lucic didn't score anyways.

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

Could've had players like Hoffman or Skinner for a song this offseason but our eyes have to look at Zero the Hero on the top line.

Reeks of last year when they threw Lucic with McDavid for 20 games to get him out of his slump just to make the signing look salvageable. And then Lucic didn't score anyways.

Skinner waived his NTC to go to Buffalo and only Buffalo. Was not available to anyone else hence the low return.

 

[bone]

Don't forget Zykov. Highly touted coming into the season. Played top line in Carolina registering 7 points in his last 10 games.

Oilers luck into grabbing him. They got lucky and still screwed it up, never giving him a chance on the top unit.

Now he's on a good Vegas team playing with Marchy and Wild Bill

A small move in the scheme of things but speaks volumes about how this team can not understand asset management

Yeah. I deliberately ignored waiver claims as my focus was moreso wasted money/assets. Waiver claims I see as collateral damage even though it looks like this was first a good gamble that they obviously didn't get coaching onboard with before trying.

But that said, even that got messed up.

 

[Frank the Tank]

Skinner waived his NTC to go to Buffalo and only Buffalo. Was not available to anyone else hence the low return.

And Hoffman wanted out of the media spotlight for good reason. Florida was much preferred over Edmonton after the summer he had.

 

[Louis Cypher]

Could've had players like Hoffman or Skinner for a song this offseason but our eyes have to look at Zero the Hero on the top line.

Reeks of last year when they threw Lucic with McDavid for 20 games to get him out of his slump just to make the signing look salvageable. And then Lucic didn't score anyways.

I love that song. Also Trashed and Disturbing the Priests

 

[Gunnersaurus Rex]

I like Talbot and I don't even get this other than the org shopping him but this is some evil **** expecting Talbot to start all these games after the org has told to **** himself and the team isn't playing for him.
Start him once in awhile, sure, why is he getting MOST of the starts right now?


That he'll likely be facing Dubnyk is just kind of poetic about this org on a whole other level.

Hope Dubnyk puts up a shutout tonight.

 

[ToeMcDrag83]

Skinner waived his NTC to go to Buffalo and only Buffalo. Was not available to anyone else hence the low return.

Okay Hoffman then.

 

[ElysiumAB]

The last game where we're still in the a play-0ff hunt. Tomorrow is our play-offs.

They are in the hunt as much as fishing without a lure is still fishing.

 

[BlackDogg]

They are in the hunt as much as fishing without a lure is still fishing.

Currently at a 6% chance to make the playoffs.

And everyone in that locker room thinks that they need to make the fans think that they think they are going to make the playoffs.

 

[North]

So Struds had some interesting comments yesterday that made me have zero issue with Talbot starting tonight. Not that I really cared one way or another before to be honest.

He pretty much said if you look up and down that bench and watch their body language on the ice, that really no one is giving a **** right now. No one is mad, no one is talking, just guys going through the motions. Talbot showing some emotion makes him believe that at least on some level he gives a ****. Something this team needs more of.

Sorry Talbot giving a shit means nothing when he blows routine saves.

That deflates teams too.

Strudwick is trying to shine a turd.

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

Sorry Talbot giving a **** means nothing when he blows routine saves.

That deflates teams too.

Strudwick is trying to shine a turd.

Deflation would imply there's anything to deflate.

The Oilers wait to lose.

The f***ers couldn't get up for an HNIC game against their (supposedly) biggest rival.