Pre-Game Talk: POLE - What Ails The Oil? - Nashville Saturday Afternoon, 1 PM.

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

Pregame thread pole, Pick the top 3 reasons the Oilers are doing so terrible to start the year.

Expect the Woodcroft blender out with 2 forward injuries and cap issues. Campbell in net. Keep Kane, RNH and Gagner together.

Sending Broberg down so he can play 23 minutes a night and find any game he might have in there, and recalling a F who should be Lavoie all day long should be announced today I would guess?

We can play a man short vs Nashville so we can at then do an emergency recall for the upcoming road trip.

Draisaitl can get his 5 points against Nashville and hope we don't lose 6-5.

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[MessierII]

Anyone hear if brown is out?

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

All of the above. This organization is a disaster at all levels that is heavily masked by two players.

 

[Fixed to Ruin]

It's definitely not the PDO.

Play a complete 60 minutes game for once.

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

All of the above. This organization is a disaster at all levels that is heavily masked by two players.

Humor me and Pick 3. I know management is your top one.

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

Humor me and Pick 3. I know management is your top one.

Scouting and work ethic. Arrogance permeates throughout this team top to bottom.

 

[TopShelfGloveSide]

All of the above is true haha it’s a perfect storm.

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

All of the above is true haha it’s a perfect storm.

Personally I think when we went to Cat Avatars, we jinxed the f*** out of them.

Should have been dogs.

 

[bone]

Can't vote, since voting for all of the above isn't an option.

Seriously, though the only thing on that list that that I don't think was an issue last night whatsoever is systems play. The few times Dallas got set up in the zone, the Oilers shut it down pretty quickly. I actually think the system is starting to work.

Unfortunately a zone system doesn't help 2 on 1s due to a bad pinch and an even worse attempt at a save. Zone system doesn't help when 4 players go for a line change after a bad dump in leading to a 3 on 1. Zone system doesn't help in a forunate bounce on a rush attempt on powerplay, nor does it help on a 3 on 2 that your defenseman just decides not to bother chasing down resulting in a 2 on 1 at the net.

 

[TopShelfGloveSide]

Personally I think when we went to Cat Avatars, we jinxed the f*** out of them.

Should have been dogs.

I’ll change mine. When they go on a winning streak you guys can thank me.

 

[Oilers333]

Bro its all of the above

The main thing is this team has very poor defense and goaltending, same old story, need to score 4 or 5 a game to win. Plain and simple

 

[Jimmi McJenkins]

Please win.

 

[Mr Kot]

Bad coaching almost made it, mainly because I could also put "Poor Work Ethic" in relation to it. However, it is almost impossible to get over the massive hurdle of bad drafting and development along with poor asset management. People ask how other good teams are able to find talent while drafting. teams like Penguins, Lightning, Knights always seem to find diamonds in the rough. It's because they have actual scouts and player developers who go and watch these players and know how to assess their strengths and weaknesses. For the longest time (and iirc even today) we have quite a small scouting group with some not so great names working there. That includes for prospects. How many of our scouts even watch junior teams during draft years?

Secondly, Holland is as advertised by Wings fans, mainly a subpar GM with terrible contract negotiating skills. I don't think I can think of a contract that wowed me the entire time he has been here that he signed off on. Even Chia had the Drai contract to admire.

Lastly, the effort does not exist. Again, poor coaching can be put here as well for this. This team just does not know how to get ready for games or plan for adversity. We seen in the Dallas game as an example, they play well for a bit, but as soon as they let in the first goal, all hell breaks loose, even if they happen to be winning at the time. Even if the players themselves aren't that great, we should at least see them attempting some sort of system play, which they never seem to do.

As I have said in previous years, it might just come down to how this organization handles accountability. Nobody seems to get punished for terrible, well, everything. Lots of players getting more than they deserve and no media scrutiny either (unless they are fired/traded, then suddenly they are brave enough to ask some questions). Nobody who should be sitting on the bench for bad effort ever seem to be and young players who show hunger to prove themselves get sent down.

The Oilers top brass always seem to think they are the smartest guys in the room.

 

[RipsADrive]

My 3 were Low GAF, poor defensive reads, and bad PDO. These are of course all related to other things on list.

I think the Oilers should have won yesterday though and they been coming around these last few games compared to the start of the year. I think the turnaround starts now, and yes I'm fully prepared to look dumb for saying this.

 

[oljimmy]

Gagner's explosive return was heartwarming but wasn't a great sign. When the PTO guy who just stepped in has more jump and fire than the rest of the team (minus Kane), that means that the rest of the team is mired in some serious morale/motivation issues. Something has really ground them down.

 

[Fixed to Ruin]

Dogs for wins.

 

[Soundwave]

Gagner's explosive return was heartwarming but wasn't a great sign. When the PTO guy who just stepped in has more jump and fire than the rest of the team (minus Kane), that means that the rest of the team is mired in some serious morale/motivation issues. Something has really ground them down.

Constant cycle of bad D and bad goaltending taking turns collapsing on each other has finally caught up with the team, throw in injuries to McDavid and Ekholm, and voila.

It's mentally and physically exhausting to constantly have to outscore defensive mistakes and/or goaltenders who can't make a high danger save.

 

[McHelpus]

Please win. They need to just get over .500 before the start of December.... they got 13 games to do that.

 

[Cloned]

It’s impossible to pick just 3 from that list lol

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

It’s impossible to pick just 3 from that list lol

But you must.

 

[Cloned]

But you must.

All of the above.

 

[Mr Kot]

Dogs for wins.

All of those are good boys.

Except the one in the far back, he's only an ok boy

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

All of the above.

Then it would be an easy pole.

Must choose wisely.

 

[Cloned]

Then it would be an easy pole.

Must choose wisely.

I’ll choose as wisely as Holland manages this team.

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

I’ll choose as wisely as Holland manages this team.

I should put you down for Cat Avatars then? That is pretty close to Hollands Spend and Hope style managment