Post-Game Talk: Oilers win 7-5

[Bryanbryoil]

klefbom did pan out. Turned out to be a good value trade although with benefit deferred several years. I didn't like the trade at all at the time because we were giving up a good current player for years down the road and that club was horrible to watch as it was at the time.

Its hard to defer benefits when you're starving. Kind of what I feel like as a fan the past number of years. Always frustrating getting futures. I wanted live bodies that could play.

What I think few of us figured out is that the timeframe for the rebuild would be offset the way it has been with the McDavid win. This basically means that Klefbom, Nurse now fit the timeframe of this clubs expected zenith. Without McDavid, and that reset, our D are too young and too inexperienced to be there at our prime.

Everythings changed with McDavid. What I didn't expect is that everything would change with Draisaitl.

Fair take on it, Klefbom is a huge part to our team going forward. Drai has taken a huge step this season. It's a damn good thing that he has seeing as McDavid is out and RNH is playing possibly the worst hockey of his career over the last 15ish games.

 

[Arctic Fox]

Fair take on it, Klefbom is a huge part to our team going forward. Drai has taken a huge step this season. It's a damn good thing that he has seeing as McDavid is out and RNH is playing possibly the worst hockey of his career over the last 15ish games.

It may be prudent to give players like RNH, Eberle and Yakupov more time. The younger players (McD, Drai, Nurse, Davidson, Nilsson) weren't tortured by swarm, corsi, wood/water, etc, so it's easier for them to learn. Older players will likely take longer to shed the old systems. Not everyone can be Hall and even Hall struggled mightily in his first 10 games. It's worth remembering that the team has played only 30 games + preseason under the new coaching personnel. It is also not a coincidence that we see some youngsters finally exceed their expectations. I'd give everyone 1 full season under McLellan before drawing hard lines.

Edit: Ference is an exception. Dump him ASAP.

 

[LaGu]

Lundqvist went full Scrivens last night.

He's usually stealing games.

... and their D went full Ference-Nikitin 14/15.

Rangers are a really good team but they have struggled lately in their own end. As I wrote before, 3-4 goals were due to blown coverage and them leaving our forwards alone to close to the net. Today (or maybe it was yesterday) Lundqvist called them out on it:

- We need to learn and understand from where the opposition is scoring, and normally that would be when they are left alone just outside the crease ...
- At the same time it is also my job to clean up after these kind of mistakes and to make "extra saves above the ordinary ones" (don't know how to translate that exactly). But when they got their chances from just in front of me I couldn't handle it.

 

[harpoon]

I guess nobody wants to explain how RNH and Eberle didn't play against Brassard/Zucca and Nash yet managed to get scored on at least twice by that line.

Rumors that team is trying to move Nuge. But he's playing as if he doesn't want to feature in any trade. Nuge just seems more content, or is it resigned, to fall farther in the lineup since McDavid. I know it had to feature prominently what all this means for Nuge who wants to be the #1 but I don't think even he expected Drai to as well pass him so fast. Nuge is playing like fait accompli. I'd expect a little fight to try to retain his position on the club.

You know I wonder how the new reality is affecting RNH mentally. He seems like such a together person that he wouldn't shirk from the challenge or get pouty. But on the other hand I think it would be only human nature to feel worried to some extent by the way Draisaitl has, as you say, "blown by him" on the depth chart.

One thing I am sure about is that this isn't RNH giving up and going home to count his millions. Kid has way more compete and pride than that. I think the problem is that fans expect a lot from a first overall who has a long term cap heavy contract. But I would remind the board that it wasn't long ago the consensus was what "great value" those deals (Eberle too) were going to be. Hiss hiss and all that ...

Question: as a fan base, can we really complain if two of our four first overall picks turn out to be not quite so stellar, when the other two are the likes of Hall and McDavid?

 

[harpoon]

... and their D went full Ference-Nikitin 14/15.

There's a thread on the main board regarding Girardi's status as the "worst player in the NHL".
Some pretty eye-popping stats in there. I honestly had no idea he was that bad.

 

[LaGu]

There's a thread on the main board regarding Girardi's status as the "worst player in the NHL".
Some pretty eye-popping stats in there. I honestly had no idea he was that bad.

A couple of friends of mine, Ranger supporters, told me that NYR made a huge error letting Stralman get away and that the one that should have been disposed of was Girardi because he was showing signs of decline and already had horrible advanced stats. I didn't believe it at the time, and I still don't buy the advanced stats conclusions saying that the Rangers are a bad team, but Girardi is a train wreck.

He reminds me of late Wade Redden.

 

[StoveTopStauffer]

There's a thread on the main board regarding Girardi's status as the "worst player in the NHL".
Some pretty eye-popping stats in there. I honestly had no idea he was that bad.

To think of how many people here were willing to take his terrible contract on. LOL.

Many here were Girardi > Petry, what a joke. Quite a few people here wanted Girardi at 6m.

 

[oil Leaks]

Ference-Schultz paring back

Ference-Schultz lol

 

[McPuritania]

Ference-Schultz lol

 

[Bryanbryoil]

Ference-Schultz lol

Just say no the Ference!

 

[I am the Liquor]

Ference Schultz should be good for -3 per game.

 

[JordanGalhanth]

Aaaaaaaaaaaand you can safely guarantee that the winning streak stops at 5.

 

[ZJuice]

Maybe Ference agreed to an "if we lose the winning streak this game I agree to mutually terminate my contract"

 

[Eytinge]

I was hoping Ference would stay on the IR as a *wink wink* deal for the rest of the year. I'd rather see Nikitin play than him....

 

[Mr Positive]

I'll believe Ference is playing when I see it. We've seen these lineups change on game day before.

I can't imagine why we would go back to Ference-Schultz. That's the pairing that probably wrecked Schultz's offensive confidence.

edit: I wonder if this is a thing where we are letting Ference play in front of Boston crowd. Maybe he'll find an extra gear.

 

[Bryanbryoil]

I guess nobody wants to explain how RNH and Eberle didn't play against Brassard/Zucca and Nash yet managed to get scored on at least twice by that line.

You know I wonder how the new reality is affecting RNH mentally. He seems like such a together person that he wouldn't shirk from the challenge or get pouty. But on the other hand I think it would be only human nature to feel worried to some extent by the way Draisaitl has, as you say, "blown by him" on the depth chart.

One thing I am sure about is that this isn't RNH giving up and going home to count his millions. Kid has way more compete and pride than that. I think the problem is that fans expect a lot from a first overall who has a long term cap heavy contract. But I would remind the board that it wasn't long ago the consensus was what "great value" those deals (Eberle too) were going to be. Hiss hiss and all that ...

Question: as a fan base, can we really complain if two of our four first overall picks turn out to be not quite so stellar, when the other two are the likes of Hall and McDavid?

Not to mention Leon may well be the best player from his draft as the 3rd overall and who knows just how high his upside really is at this point?

 

[McDNicks17]

It's bad when I'm praying it's Nikitin that's actually in the lineup.

 

[Replacement*]

I guess nobody wants to explain how RNH and Eberle didn't play against Brassard/Zucca and Nash yet managed to get scored on at least twice by that line.

No, Rangers had the blender out in that game. First GA Nuge, Rangers had Zuccarelo-Kreider-Hayes out. not exactly an overwhelming task by any means.

2nd goal happened to be Miller-Brassard-Nash.

But Vigneault was mixing things up. In earlier games in the homestand it was very clear Drai/Hall were getting the best line matchups and scoring against them.

You know I wonder how the new reality is affecting RNH mentally. He seems like such a together person that he wouldn't shirk from the challenge or get pouty. But on the other hand I think it would be only human nature to feel worried to some extent by the way Draisaitl has, as you say, "blown by him" on the depth chart.

One thing I am sure about is that this isn't RNH giving up and going home to count his millions. Kid has way more compete and pride than that. I think the problem is that fans expect a lot from a first overall who has a long term cap heavy contract. But I would remind the board that it wasn't long ago the consensus was what "great value" those deals (Eberle too) were going to be. Hiss hiss and all that ...

Question: as a fan base, can we really complain if two of our four first overall picks turn out to be not quite so stellar, when the other two are the likes of Hall and McDavid?

Hall is a driver and on a different level than the other two. The 6M made sense for him as he's a legit franchise player. Neither of the other two are. That said goal scorers have a higher chance of bringing value and Eberle has the hands. Nuge right now isn't particularly great at anything. Somewhere along the line he got used to watching instead of driving results. You can see the shifts where he tries to bring it but becoming fewer and farther between.

I mentioned earlier that outside of an outlier March last season NUGE only had 39pts last season. His highest pts total for any other month was 9. For along time this player has been unproductive early in seasons when the games tend to matter. He's doing it again this year.

The study in contrasts between Hall and RNH is so great. Hall virtually dragging the team to results. Nuge being largely irrelevant to results. Frankly if Nuge is doing this kind of thing on a team where he's the only guy it would get a lot more focus. He gets the benefit of doubt he does because Hall and now Drai are carrying this team.

 

[oilz89*]

Fair take on it, Klefbom is a huge part to our team going forward. Drai has taken a huge step this season. It's a damn good thing that he has seeing as McDavid is out and RNH is playing possibly the worst hockey of his career over the last 15ish games.

He's only out for a game or 2. He's rejoining us on the roadtrip at some point

 

[oilz89*]

It'll be NN before that tire fire of a pairing OMG

 

[oilz89*]

I'll believe Ference is playing when I see it. We've seen these lineups change on game day before.

I can't imagine why we would go back to Ference-Schultz. That's the pairing that probably wrecked Schultz's offensive confidence.

edit: I wonder if this is a thing where we are letting Ference play in front of Boston crowd. Maybe he'll find an extra gear.

He can't even get into his first gear. You expect him to go up an extra gear when he can't even start??!?!

 

[Narnia]

I'll believe Ference is playing when I see it. We've seen these lineups change on game day before.

I can't imagine why we would go back to Ference-Schultz. That's the pairing that probably wrecked Schultz's offensive confidence.

edit: I wonder if this is a thing where we are letting Ference play in front of Boston crowd. Maybe he'll find an extra gear.

Agreed. It was even mentioned they don't know who'll play in next game.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Even so, if they want to play Ference in front of the Boston faithful one last time, I'd rather see him as the 12th forward. He's not an NHL calibare defenceman anyone and the Oil don't have anyone to cover him on his pairing or even limit him to 10 min a night

 

[Stoneman89]

Sadly, Ference has become nothing more than a turnstile out there. Guy should retire after this year, and go on to pursue other things. He clearly is a solid citizen and could really continue to make a big difference in the community.

 

[McPuritania]

I'd actually like to see Nikitin in there instead of Ference. I wanna see if Nicky actually grew as a player in Bako, or if he'll revert back to a tire fire.