Pre-Game Talk: Pregame Positivity - Oilers v Canes Wednesday 5 PM.

[CantHaveTkachev]

gonna miss tonight's loss cause I'm busy so that's a positive
4-3 Canes...Oilers blow a 3-0 lead

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

The last two years was Itchy and Scratchy.

This year it's Worker and Parasite.

 

[bone]

That is actually amazing though

Yeah. Just goes to show that if this team could find a consistent commitment to shutting teams down and found a goalie, they'd be on quite the dominating run.

Though I stopped the exercise at 51 games for shock value, going back a bit further they were still consistently having leads in at least 60% if not 70% of the games up until the trade deadline last year. All that changed at the deadline is that they started shutting teams down more frequently, which made it even more likely that they'd have a lead at some point.

Even the one game they didn't have a lead in or win from the trade deadline onwards, they three times erased a one goal lead by Vegas to get to overtime where they ultimately lost. So even when they didn't "get a lead" they erase the lead three times against a team that was red hot at the time.

 

[FlameChampion]

Please take it easy on us Svechy!

 

[bone]

I admire those of you summoning up final-degrees of positivity in terms of the club salvaging the season. I am generally one of the more positive people on here, partly because I'm less concerned about the team winning every game and more concerned with just enjoying entertaining games. However, I'd have to say my own positivity has pretty much gone out the window in the past week. And that hasn't happened since early in the 2018-19 season.

The team, to me, just looks completely broken. I don't think Coffey and Knoblauch (yet) know what they're doing with the bizarre characters in that dressing room, and it's probably going to take them three or four months to find out. Wow, I'm sure glad we fired the coach with the best winning percentage in franchise history---and the guy tied for the most playoff series wins of any coach since 1990---because of 13 disappointing regular season games in October. Why, the last time we did that was when they fired McLellan---the guy who is currently putting together his third great season in a row coaching the Oilers' lower-talent rival in L.A., a club that is 14 points ahead of Edmonton. Love those desperation-decisions by the front office.

Holland made a few good moves (getting rid of Lucic; acquiring Eckholm), but in retrospect it appears his fatal flaw will be sitting on his laurels last summer when the club's defensive depth and goaltending was in disaster mode. Did they actually think---after last season's historically awful performance by Campbell---that Soupy-Jack would just magically be back to his peak form? It was vital to take some action to make sure that if Campbell shat the bed again (which he did, predictably), that Skinner-(cough!) Pickard wasn't going to be the tandem to actually dress for NHL games. (The worst of all this is that I think Skinner has great potential, but as usual the Oilers' org is ruining his career by forcing him to play 60 games a year before he's ready. Look for him to have a breakdown, get run out of town after this season, then resurface somewhere else as a reliable starter, as Dubnyk did.)

These posts about "it's not over yet" are farcical. It is over. I said a week or two ago that their chances were down to about 15%, and now I'd say the chances are 1-2%. If they lose to Carolina---which they always do---the chances go down to about 0.4%. It's over.

I am flummoxed by how the Oilers' PP has suddenly gone south. I've been watching NHL clubs since 1985 or 1986, and I have of course seen other teams suddenly lose it and crap-out quickly. But usually there's some obvious reason, or it's just the team's evident weaknesses coming to the fore (while their minimized strengths remain). None of this applies to Edmonton now, whose PP last year was the all-time best, and which this year has the same personnel on the PP... which sucks. How the hell do you go from the best PP of all time to a crap-fest of unproductivity, almost overnight?

I almost feel bad for Knoblauch and Coffey. But they're probably getting paid a ton (to do exactly what the previous guys---who are still getting paid?---were doing).

Speaking of getting paid, I have a female friend in the US who gets paid a lot to analyze and assess the functionality of company-staff. The Oilers' organization seriously needs someone like that to do a top-to-bottom (mostly top) analysis and figure out what exactly is in the water. Sadly, the org is operating under the delusion that they all know everything about winning because... I don't know why.

Okay, my rant is officially over. Carry on.

Make no mistake, I'm as negative as can be on the team. Just tried to stay on topic.

 

[BlackDogg]

Looks like @tardigrade81 doing the splits in the background. Guy has got talent..

 

[ToeMcDrag83]

I got one: they are more comfortable collectively calling out Spector on his BS.
Time to Uno reverse card the "drive him out of town" push.

 

[andora]

Yeah. Just goes to show that if this team could find a consistent commitment to shutting teams down and found a goalie, they'd be on quite the dominating run.

Though I stopped the exercise at 51 games for shock value, going back a bit further they were still consistently having leads in at least 60% if not 70% of the games up until the trade deadline last year. All that changed at the deadline is that they started shutting teams down more frequently, which made it even more likely that they'd have a lead at some point.

Even the one game they didn't have a lead in or win from the trade deadline onwards, they three times erased a one goal lead by Vegas to get to overtime where they ultimately lost. So even when they didn't "get a lead" they erase the lead three times against a team that was red hot at the time.

Yeah totally - scraping themselves into something that can keep an extra puck out of the net would be massive

 

[Jimmi McJenkins]

Aroooo?

Also Janmark sighting

 

[joestevens29]

Aroooo?

Also Janmark sighting

In the injury thread it says Janmark is back so I assume Hamblin or Erne must be going down.

Edit: or do we have room?

 

[ConnorNova0929]

Aroooo?

Also Janmark sighting

At least Brown is off that first line. I hope Foegele can grind out some puck retrievals for McDrai.

And Kulak to the first pair right side? Interesting lol

 

[McDNicks17]

Aroooo?

Also Janmark sighting

Moving the team's worst defenseman to the top pair on his off-hand is definitely a bold move.

 

[oXo Cube]

Moving the team's worst defenseman to the top pair on his off-hand is definitely a bold move.

Ceci has been pretty reasonable so far this year also.

Really curious choice.

 

[joestevens29]

Moving the team's worst defenseman to the top pair on his off-hand is definitely a bold move.

I mean it would make sense if Nurse was playing like a true #1, but ya very interesting to say the least.

 

[Jimmi McJenkins]

In the injury thread it says Janmark is back so I assume Hamblin or Erne must be going down.

Edit: or do we have room?

They have room with Holloway still on LTIR and Lavoie down, or I believe they do.

Moving the team's worst defenseman to the top pair on his off-hand is definitely a bold move.

Showcasing maybe? Not saying it's a good idea, but you know.

 

[bone]

In the injury thread it says Janmark is back so I assume Hamblin or Erne must be going down.

Edit: or do we have room?

Before counting the pennies of day to day cap hits, I'm sure we have room because Lavoie was sent down. Particularly when our LTIR pool is more than a million dollars right now.

Ceci has been pretty reasonable so far this year also.

Really curious choice.

That may be indicative that they want to strap Ceci to Broberg and drop some minutes from Desharnais' game. Who knows.

Most likely just them trying to get a look at something in practice or even reducing reps for Ceci if he's battling something.

 

[Soundwave]

Aroooo?

Also Janmark sighting

If Nugent Hopkins wants to wake up and play like he's not a 3rd/4th line nothing player, that'd sure be nice.

 

[McShogun99]

Aroooo?

Also Janmark sighting

Game 5 of the Knob's coaching career and McDrai are together, our 4 million dollar free agent is rotating in on the 4th line and our worst Dman is on the top pairing on his off side. Things are going to be great.

 

[Soundwave]

I actually am OK with trying Kulak on the right side but Bouchard should be demoted to the bottom pairing too.

 

[Soundwave]

IMO I would bench Bouchard 5 on 5 and simply only play him on the PP only.

You want to play 5 on 5, you better learn to play defense then.

 

[Zguy370]

If Nugent Hopkins wants to wake up and play like he's not a 3rd/4th line nothing player, that'd sure be nice.

haha wishful thinking, he's experienced enough, knows how to discreetly blend in without " Breaking A Sweat! "

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

In the injury thread it says Janmark is back so I assume Hamblin or Erne must be going down.

Edit: or do we have room?

Janmark is on LTIR so one of the emergency recalls Erne or Hamblin will have to go down I would think?

 

[Soundwave]

Janmark is on LTIR so one of the emergency recalls Erne or Hamblin will have to go down I would think?

I think they have the cap for 13 forwards actually, they should just carry 12 though as it allows us to pay more of Brown's 4 mill this year.

 

[FlameChampion]

Aroooo?

Also Janmark sighting

Love that stability. Week on the job and KK has already threw his hands up in the air.

Glad that we paid Brown's bonus for him to play on the fourth line.

Kulak on the first pairing. Why not at this point.

Le sigh.

Janmark is on LTIR so one of the emergency recalls Erne or Hamblin will have to go down I would think?

Nah I think they are ok. I think Lavoie went down to make room for Janmark.

 

[K1984]

Love that stability. Week on the job and KK has already threw his hands up in the air.

Glad that we paid Brown's bonus for him to play on the fourth line.

Kulak on the first pairing. Why not at this point.

Le sigh.



Nah I think they are ok. I think Lavoie went down to make room for Janmark.

The way McDavid and Drai played in their own end on Monday should be enough to make a coach not want to play them together ever again, but I guess not.

Accountability is splitting them, making it clear to them why, and then not reuniting them for a while. Seems like no matter who we have on the bench they are petrified of that conversation with these two or Bouchard.