CycloneSweep
Registered User
- Sep 27, 2017
- 48,309
- 40,101
Including this game we are 4-4-2 since the deadline. 31 GF, 31 GAIf its and buts were candies and nuts we'd all have a jolly fine Christmas.
This team lost game 1 because its best players were exposed defensively and slipped back into bad habits and would up chasing the game. The aggressive veteran goalie slipped on a banana peel and killed early momentum. The trade deadline was a reward for an over achieving team with holes and still lacking in team speed. Holland dealt for players he knew deeply qualifying some of the risk and betting on this team which was responsive all year to a veteran coaching staff. In game 1, Chicago's Cup winning veteran core, Toews; Crawford; Keith; Kane elevated their team with smart, technically sound and aggressive play that frankly exposed McDavid; Klefbom and Larssen; aided and abetted by a mediocre turn by Smith in net.
The Oiler culture is set by McDavid, Draisaitl, Klefbom, Nurse and likely Smith. Contrasted to Chicago's leadership group it is inexperienced, still forming, learning and growing. It is unfortunate the new guys haven't come in and established themselves with this team's success. But I have no illusion that nice guy Sam, Haas and Nygard would have the ability to move the needle let alone when the top players were outgunned in game 1. Projecting how players like Kassian and others are perceived by their teammates and coaching staff is pure fandom stuff mainly reflecting one's subjective bias. Tippett and his coaching staff have been great at molding and unifying a disperate group of players to start the season into a developing team with some resiliency. We'll learn a lot about how far this group has come in game 2. But we'll learn most by seeing how the team's best players respond to playoff adversity.
It's been a rough stretch since the deadline. 8/31 of those goals came from one game against Nashville