Refs/Oilers clown-out another loss.

[McFlyingV]

Eberle, Pouliot, and RNH are no shows on any given night together so it's not much of a shocker.

I actually at this point would not deal RNH simply because having center depth is not a bad thing and we're not going to get the type of d-man we want for him given the type of season he's having now (on pace for 14 goals and 53 points if he had played all 82 games).

For Seth Jones I would trade him, yes but that's a no go now. But not a Shattenkirk with one year left on his deal, nope.

I think Nuge of the 3 is the most capable of doing things on his own, even with him having a poor season at times. Keep him and trade whatever else you need to to get a top pairing D. Nuge is also a much better fit on that line with Hall and Drai than Purcell or Eberle would ever be. That line had a great cycle game and created tons of dangerous chances when they were together, and were pretty good defensively as well. When McDavid's in the lineup that line is absolute dynamite since they don't have to take every single top match-up.

 

[Soundwave]

I didn't watch the whole game but yeah I noticed Fayne was .... decent? What do we do with this guy, keep him around as a very expensive 7th D next season?

Schultz was a trainwreck and Nurse needs this break in the worst way and needs to be playing fewer minutes.

 

[Soundwave]

I think Nuge of the 3 is the most capable of doing things on his own, even with him having a poor season at times. Keep him and trade whatever else you need to to get a top pairing D. Nuge is also a much better fit on that line with Hall and Drai than Purcell or Eberle would ever be. That line had a great cycle game and created tons of dangerous chances when they were together, and were pretty good defensively as well. When McDavid's in the lineup that line is absolute dynamite since they don't have to take every single top match-up.

No way RNH is the most dependant on his linemates IMO. Draisaitl and McDavid can make something from nothing just on sheer talent alone.

That said, yes I agree, keep RNH simply because from an asset management POV, it's not smart to trade him in a bad season for him like this. Having three good centers is not a bad luxury to have and I guess you also have the option of playing him on wing with Hall-Leon or even alongside McDavid.

 

[McFlyingV]

Draisaitl looks so bagged after every shift. I love everything he's brought this year, but the dude needs work on his cardio. I thought Fayne and Yakupov looked good in the first two periods. Didn't watch the third. Kassian looked good too

While he probably could improve on it a bit, the kids being asked to play as the teams #1C ever since McDavid went down. He's got some support from Nuge, but now he doesn't even have that. This is a guy who battles with 220 pound dmen all game as a 20 year old who still isn't anywhere close to the strength and condition level he'll be at when he matures, and then hustles his ass back to provide support on the defensive side of the game. I'd be a little more worried if he played a non-engaging type of game where he doesn't constantly have to battle and take abuse along the boards.

 

[McFlyingV]

No way RNH is the most dependant on his linemates IMO. Draisaitl and McDavid can make something from nothing just on sheer talent alone.

That said, yes I agree, keep RNH simply because from an asset management POV, it's not smart to trade him in a bad season for him like this. Having three good centers is not a bad luxury to have and I guess you also have the option of playing him on wing with Hall-Leon or even alongside McDavid.

I meant out of Pouliot, Eberle, and Nuge.

And that was my argument for why we should keep Nuge and explore other options including Eberle, Yakupov, our 1st, or other picks and prospects, or even free agency to shore up the D.

I didn't watch the whole game but yeah I noticed Fayne was .... decent? What do we do with this guy, keep him around as a very expensive 7th D next season?

Schultz was a trainwreck and Nurse needs this break in the worst way and needs to be playing fewer minutes.

If you can get something for Fayne without retention that might be the best option, but yeah he's looked more than capable of late. If you have to keep him around as an expensive 7th thats perfectly fine since his contract will be up by the time we need to pay some of the guys.

 

[StoveTopStauffer]

I'm waiting for a media personality to ask Todd at the end of the game why the PP sucks so much. A pertinent question that has yet to be asked.

3 Coaches, 3 could make a PP work with less. What's up Todd? Is the question I'd ask.

 

[Spawn]

While I don't disagree, I think thats a little overblown. If Pittsburgh lost Crosby and Malkin they would be beyond ****ed. Chicago has only had to go without Toews for a 20 game stretch once (although they can make up for it because they have Keith, Seabrook, and Hjalmarsson. Needless to say, I don't think any team would have much success without their top 2 centres and their top D (especially on a team that doesn't have anyone who can step up for missing their top D).

Crosby and Malkin have both had fairly injury laden careers. The Penguins have spent significant amounts of time playing without one or both of them. The 2010-2011 season they both missed 1/2 the regular season and they finished tied for 3rd in the entire league.

The Oilers lose 2 or 3 key players and it's a guaranteed "We're going to lose 10 of 12." It's been this way for a decade. Injuries happen to every team in the league. Plenty of teams are able to remain at least somewhat competitive.

 

[Took a pill in Sbisa]

I'm at the point where I go into the games expecting loss. Didn't even get an inkling of a 'maybe' before starting to watch.

I made it until the 2-1 goal and decided I wasn't going to waste the next hour of my life haha

Glad I didn't, the 5 more minutes of the 'Condensed Replay' was enough

Now do I let GameCenter renew another month to watch McDavid? Or do I save the $20 because of all the other reasons.

Hmmmmmm

 

[McFlyingV]

Crosby and Malkin have both had fairly injury laden careers. The Penguins have spent significant amounts of time playing without one or both of them. The 2010-2011 season they both missed 1/2 the regular season and they finished tied for 3rd in the entire league.

The Oilers lose 2 or 3 key players and it's a guaranteed "We're going to lose 10 of 12." It's been this way for a decade. Injuries happen to every team in the league. Plenty of teams are able to remain at least somewhat competitive.

I'm too lazy to look, but I hardly ever remember them playing without both of them, and they had Jordan Staal in 2010-11. Either way my point was that for a team without the depth on the back can't be expected to win much when they're missing their top 2C's (debatable with Drai probably surpassing Nuge), and their top D out. Sure all teams deal with injuries, but I can almost guarantee not many teams that make the playoffs suffer the number of games lost to key players as the Oilers have this year. If we had another top pairing D to fill in for Klefbom's absence this team would probably be more competitive through this all. Hopefully Chia can address that this summer and still hold onto Nuge, Drai, Hall, McDavid, Klefbom, and Nurse.

I'm at the point where I go into the games expecting loss. Didn't even get an inkling of a 'maybe' before starting to watch.

I made it until the 2-1 goal and decided I wasn't going to waste the next hour of my life haha

Glad I didn't, the 5 more minutes of the 'Condensed Replay' was enough

Now do I let GameCenter renew another month to watch McDavid? Or do I save the $20 because of all the other reasons.

Hmmmmmm

Renew for sure. This team is actually fun to watch with McDavid and Klefbom in the lineup, and even more so when Nuge is in the lineup as well. Atleast the last month of the season will be fun to watch if no more injuries to key players occur.

 

[Zguy370]

Can we just please try to move at the least both Eberle and Schultz from the team, before the start of next season? They show no competitive effort, seem just content to collect their $millions. It's like they are on the ice for a joy skate or playing shinny

 

[Bangers]

At this point, I'm ok with Chia trading anyone on the roster if it makes the team better.

Yes, the team has been hurt by injuries and the defense is horrible, but the fact that the team may be in the running for Matthews is completely inexcusable.

At the beginning of the year (before he was injured), I thought Schultz might have turned the corner after two years of Eakins. Nope, he's just crap.

Eberle and Lander picked it up significantly under Todd Nelson after Eakins was sacked. This year? Both have reverted to their worst tendencies.

Nuge had better be injured; otherwise, his play this year is inexcusable. The only reasons this team isn't a gong show right now are the play of Talbot and Sekera and development from Hall, Draisaitl, Nurse, Davidson and Klefbom, (and the last one has been injured for the past month.)

The only bright spot is the fact that 2014-15 was such an utterly horrific nightmare that it would be impossible for this year to be worse.

 

[frag2]

I meant out of Pouliot, Eberle, and Nuge.

And that was my argument for why we should keep Nuge and explore other options including Eberle, Yakupov, our 1st, or other picks and prospects, or even free agency to shore up the D.

I actually think Eberle is the most capable however, which Eberle we get night in night out differs. Nuge puts the most effort out of the 3, but, whether it's because of his size and/or inability to evolve and adapt for the West, he doesn't have much impact.

What I don't like is posters claiming Eberle is a consistent 70 pt player or Nuge is a 1C. Eberle has only achieved it once and Nuge is only a 1C...because that's 1C on the Oilers. He's an average 1C at the moment and an above average 2C. Maybe in the East he'd live up to the 1C billing.

Both are underwhelming given the expectations. If either were traded, not a biggie to me

GMs looking at the Oilers are pretty much at the "pick your poison" mark:

Nuge
Pros - 1C potential, supposed high IQ
Cons - undersized, don't expect possession numbers to be great

Eberle
Pros - elite scoring potential
Cons - shies from contact to the point he'll just let opposition have the puck, inconsistent effort, horrid skater

Yak
Pros - effort, supposed high scoring potential, does not shy from contact
Cons - still an idiot without the puck, unpredictable with the puck

Hall
Pros - Top 5 LW in league
Cons - injuries and occasional brainfarts

The only player I'd keep is Hall; the others, GMs can go crazy if they want

 

[Oilfan2]

Draisaitl looks so bagged after every shift. I love everything he's brought this year, but the dude needs work on his cardio. I thought Fayne and Yakupov looked good in the first two periods. Didn't watch the third. Kassian looked good too

He looks bagged because he gives every shift his all. Unlike the majority of the rest that only skate when they either really need to or feel like it, Drai skates pretty much full out the entire shift and sometimes physically has to 'handle' defensemen to step around them.

I don't think it has anything to do with his fitness level.

 

[McShogun99]

I'm impressed with how quickly Kassian is becoming a fan favorite.

 

[TheRebuild]

Now do I let GameCenter renew another month to watch McDavid? Or do I save the $20 because of all the other reasons.

I'd say, save the $20. You could spend it on something that's more likely to have some entertainment value:

 

[frag2]

I'm impressed with how quickly Kassian is becoming a fan favorite.

Well, putting effort helps. And not playing chicken ****

 

[oobga]

I'm waiting for a media personality to ask Todd at the end of the game why the PP sucks so much. A pertinent question that has yet to be asked.

3 Coaches, 3 could make a PP work with less. What's up Todd? Is the question I'd ask.

Can't even get into the zone... We don't even know if this is better or worse than the Eakins PP, we rarely even get to the point where we would give up an odd man rush against to give up a SH goal. People say the Krueger PP was just lucky with high shooting %, but at least we got into the damn zone and set up consistently. And since when is a PP making perfect passes and movement and getting to fire pucks into open nets just lucky? That's just making proper use of having an extra man out on the ice, which Krueger and Nelson were able to get our players to do.

 

[KlimasLoveChild]

Tmac.. "We need to get better in a lot of areas"....Then proceeds to list a bunch of things that will only get better with personnel changes.

Ebs
Jultz
Yak
Pou
Lander...the top guys on my list

 

[KlimasLoveChild]

I'm impressed with how quickly Kassian is becoming a fan favorite.

Ever hear this saying before?

in the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king

There has to be something similar with regards to the land of the eunuchs.......

 

[McAsuno]

Haha ... wait, really, OMG you have to be kidding me. GK, the guy who never has anything positive to say about the Oilers spent $200 of his hard earned (presumably) money on Oiler tickets! And then drove from Calgary to watch the game. And picked a Preds game. That's the best laugh I had all day man. Thanks.

Oh, and thanks to Asuno for posting up the fancy little chart. I see Weber's name down there at the bottom. How bad does that guy suck, eh?

In all honesty, Weber was matched up against Hall's line for most of the game and it made sense why he was at the bottom considering Hall's line was the only line for the oilers generating offensive chances in the preds own zone. Drai even managed to school Weber for his goal which rarely happens for Weber.

 

[StoveTopStauffer]

No SJS roster = No PP? Cmon McLellan.

 

[StoveTopStauffer]

I think Kassian has played better than Purcell lately. I think they should swap places for a game.

 

[Took a pill in Sbisa]

I think Kassian has played better than Purcell lately. I think they should swap places for a game.

I think Purcell is the most overrated player on the team by fans and media.
Everyone sees him as this decent, 'smart', complimentary player that can hold his own with our skilled guys.
I just see him as an anchor on the Hall line that kills plays and rarely capitalizes.

 

[dssource]

Games like this one and the last one are the reason I stopped watching games in the evening and choose to watch a movie instead. I then watch the game in th morning so it doesn't ruin my evening.

The effort level is getting back to Eakins era. Hopefully the addition of McDavid and Klefbom give this team some energy again and make games worthwhile to watch. Still over 30 games to go.

 

[Replacement*]

I'm not generally a complain about the officiating type poster but last nights calls were bizarre world.

-puck not seen for 3 secs, refuse to blow whistle, puck rolls out of Talbots equipment into net for a goal. This being one game after a game in which multiple quick whistles occurred that prevented Oiler scoring chances with the puck clearly visible. OK, I got it NHL. Blow whistle when puck is plainly visible. Don't blow whisle when its hidden...

-multiple picks by Nashville undetected. Not just picks either. Oiler doesn't have the puck and you want to check them to prevent them from getting the puck? No problem, just lay them out. We'll look the other way all night.

-oiler breakaways/ No problem. Just hook them and slash at them until you can grab onto them with both hands. No problem, "whats a penalty shot for anyway" This compounded by commentators saying such gibberish as "great defensive play and Kassian was tired and couldn't break away...

Puck drops?! I mean WTF. How many times were Oilers punted from the dot last night? How many fake clutch drops were there last night. I counted one play where they took 4 drops to actually get it right. Hendricks was FURIOUS on one play saying basically the drop was rigged. I think around 10 times an Oiler was thrown out of the dot last night and I can't remember one instance of it happening to the Preds.

In the same game Kassian so furious with an official it looked like he was going to body slam him.

I've rarely seen anything like it. Along with the Oiler players I was angry with what seemed like troll officiating last night.