Scapegoat Yakupov and double standards (Eberle)

[Lacaar]

Eberle is getting outplayed by the other teams top players. Heck you can say that in general about all of our best players.

Yakupov can't even get into the play. He's so disjointed he rarely touches the puck. He isn't anticipating the play for ****.

Eberle makes more gaffes then Yakupov because he gets into the play and gets the puck more.

I actually usually like what Yakupov does when he gets the puck. It's just so rare that he gets it that when he does mess up it's easy to remember or point out.

 

[CupofOil]

As far as HFOil is concerned, I would say it's quite the opposite.
It seems that most here make constant excuses for Yakupov (Eakins is out to get him, the Canadian trio ignores him on the ice, the apparent xenophobia against Yak etc.) while Eberle is universally disliked on this forum and most want to dump the bum. Oh and Hall is next in line now apparently for being run out of town.

The reality is that the ENTIRE TEAM is to blame for the horrible start. Yakupov has struggled, Eberle has shown a lack of compete way too often, RNH looks weak on the puck, Hall with the turnovers, the D as a whole has been pitiful and the goaltending has been horrid so there's plenty of blame to go around but the scapegoating of certain players from certain posters is ridiculous. It happens all too often around here.

 

[GMofOilers]

So much wrong with this post.

On the Yak goal its an ill advised pass to middle ice in own zone by Taylor Hall, the player many people here wanted to be captain this year. It was a lousy own zone pass thats often going to lead to trouble.

On the pass to Eberle its a routine play along the boards. Eberle just has to corral, play, chip out, or protect the puck there. Its a play thats made 100 times a game. Eberle completely flubs receiving the pass, gets confused, leaves the puck entirely exposed and Stamkos picks his pocket clean without even slowing down. Thats a critical error, brutal, by Eberle allowing an uncontested pick in own zone which gave Stamkos all kinds of time and space. Then, instead of reacting to get back in the play Eberle coasts towards the action tentatively. With any more urgency he would've been able to swarm Stamkos as he curls out front from around the net. But Eberles just watching..

FF to the 3rd Lightning goal and thats Eberle, Hopkins out on a shift forever, should've jumped to the bench twice, but get caught out tired (a habit) and Eberle, with no energy, is easily muscled off the puck at the blueline. That was his puck and he didn't get it out. Tampa moves puck downlow and scores. Game over.

Eberle perfecting by now the nervous tick where he puts his glove in his mouth after every GA. Safer than putting his foot in mouth I guess.. Its almost funny how often you see this and eberle does it every time. That its become routine enough to notice being due to the frequency of GA Eberle chronically gives up.

Eberle then turns the puck over twice as we pulled the goalie directly resulting in the empty net goal in what was an embarrassing lack of compete on the play. Eberle lost puck, and gave up. No less than 3 times tonight directly leading to goals.

Not sure either how you think 2 assists makes up for 3 brutal plays by Eberle that end up in our net. Not coincidentally he was -2 on the night.

Take it a step further. The play isnt as simple as you think. On the faceoff, RNH gets kicked out of the and Eberle replaces him. Loses the faceoff the puck goes into the oilers zone and Ference has tons of time to make the play. RNH being the center tries to be the wing and does a high button hook. Ference chooses not to pass to the outlet of RNH forcing Eberle who should of been playing center postion to come in for a button hook. Eberle chooses the same route as RNH, not deep enough puck support. With all the time in the world Ference forces a pass while Eberle still had his back to him, fumbles and results in a turnover.

At this point where is RNH? Why is there only 3 players inside our blueline when there is only 1 oppostion inside our blueline? Our breakout has to be simplified in a big way. Our players need to support better.

To blame this on one easy chip is just showing your picking on the player.

 

[Oilerz]

Once the fans get down on a player, then sometime it gets in their head and nothing goes right. Then we lose good players who find their potential elswhere (see Jason Arnott). I would rather see it through. we can criticize, but remember who you are criticizing. This is not exactly a finished product of years of quality uninterupted NHL coaching. Go easy for a while on the kid (Yak).

 

[Replacement*]

Take it a step further. The play isnt as simple as you think. On the faceoff, RNH gets kicked out of the and Eberle replaces him. Loses the faceoff the puck goes into the oilers zone and Ference has tons of time to make the play. RNH being the center tries to be the wing and does a high button hook. Ference chooses not to pass to the outlet of RNH forcing Eberle who should of been playing center postion to come in for a button hook. Eberle chooses the same route as RNH, not deep enough puck support. With all the time in the world Ference forces a pass while Eberle still had his back to him, fumbles and results in a turnover.

At this point where is RNH? Why is there only 3 players inside our blueline when there is only 1 oppostion inside our blueline? Our breakout has to be simplified in a big way. Our players need to support better.

To blame this on one easy chip is just showing your picking on the player.

If this was isolated circumstance fair enough. But Eberle has 21GA in 17GP. Vast majority being EVGA. 20 to be precise. Anything around 1 EV goal allowed/game is fail. That Eberle is averaging over this and has flirted with this high a GA pace other times in his career is indicative. But its the ugly flipside of his game thats been regularly ignored by most.

Can you really defend Eberle's level of commitment shown after any of his giveaways last night?

Datsyuk is mentioned because he's the gold standard in hating turnovers. He fights to get puck back as if his life depends on it. Eberle gets stripped and he just stands there watching.

Now on the play in question what prevents Eberle from sheltering that puck along the boards, or simply passing it back to Ference? My main concern is that eberle not only fumbled the puck he didn't attempt to shelter the puck thus allowing Stamkos to easily pick his pocket and walk in on net.

ps I do agree RNH has had a lot of difficulties in game and has been strangely worse than Eberle in GA. Hopkins now being worst forward in league in this category.

Want a depressing stat? 3 forwards in the NHL are among the worst 15 GA players(the rest being D) all 3 are Oilers. Not hard to guess who.

 

[Joe Hallenback]

The whole team is frustratingly bad at turning over the puck because the refuse to sacrifice themselves for the sake of the team.

It is a good indication that they need to move out some of the top 9 and bring in more Boyd Gordons. Whoever they decide and at this point it doesn't matter who (Hall,Hemsky,Gagner,RNH,Eberle or Yak) they need to move 2 of them and get some more jam in the top 9

 

[GMofOilers]

If this was isolated circumstance fair enough. But Eberle has 21GA in 17GP. Vast majority being EVGA. 20 to be precise. Anything around 1 EV goal allowed/game is fail. That Eberle is averaging over this and has flirted with this high a GA pace other times in his career is indicative. But its the ugly flipside of his game thats been regularly ignored by most.

Can you really defend Eberle's level of commitment shown after any of his giveaways last night?

Datsyuk is mentioned because he's the gold standard in hating turnovers. He fights to get puck back as if his life depends on it. Eberle gets stripped and he just stands there watching.

Now on the play in question what prevents Eberle from sheltering that puck along the boards, or simply passing it back to Ference? My main concern is that eberle not only fumbled the puck he didn't attempt to shelter the puck thus allowing Stamkos to easily pick his pocket and walk in on net.

ps I do agree RNH has had a lot of difficulties in game and has been strangely worse than Eberle in GA. Hopkins now being worst forward in league in this category.

Want a depressing stat? 3 forwards in the NHL are among the worst 15 GA players(the rest being D) all 3 are Oilers. Not hard to guess who.

Thats what I'm saying. Pretty easy game from where we see it. Try it on the ice its alot harder. I know you know this.

Im saying the whole line messed up. One forward back in the zone on a breakout with tons of time? And your blaming the guy that was in on the breakout?

Im just not buying it sorry.

 

[Replacement*]

Thats what I'm saying. Pretty easy game from where we see it. Try it on the ice its alot harder. I know you know this.

Im saying the whole line messed up. One forward back in the zone on a breakout with tons of time? And your blaming the guy that was in on the breakout?

Im just not buying it sorry.

But doesn't this apply equally with the Yak turnover. 50 people in the GDT want Yak playing in the AHL after seeing plays like that. I think you were one of them.

Virtually nobody even mentioned the horrible Eberle giveaway, and I repeat, picked clean, on the play. Indeed this is evidence of the double standard that exists. I think we both see that.

I do agree that the whole lines are often enough problematic with the Oilers and contribute to the fails. But one break out was a poorly advised pass to middle ice in ownzone. The kind of pass a lot of coaches hate in ownzone. The other pass to eberle was a standard pass along the boards. Didn't need to end up being a dangerous strip.

The reason I'm defending Yak here, and not eberle, is one of them is essentially a rookie making a rookie mistake. Yak should've just tipped that puck out. But he thought he was going to have time.

 

[Stoneman89]

If anyone should be playing in the AHL right now, it's Gagner.

 

[workedforme]

So Ebs refuses to pass to Yak, and Hall will only give him suicide passes. I'm absolutely terrified at what's going on with this team behind the scenes...

 

[GMofOilers]

But doesn't this apply equally with the Yak turnover. 50 people in the GDT want Yak playing in the AHL after seeing plays like that. I think you were one of them.

Virtually nobody even mentioned the horrible Eberle giveaway, and I repeat, picked clean, on the play. Indeed this is evidence of the double standard that exists. I think we both see that.

I do agree that the whole lines are often enough problematic with the Oilers and contribute to the fails. But one break out was a poorly advised pass to middle ice in ownzone. The kind of pass a lot of coaches hate in ownzone. The other pass to eberle was a standard pass along the boards. Didn't need to end up being a dangerous strip.

Nope pretty sure I wasnt one of them.

That also was a very poor executed breakout. Yak could of done a little bit better, but really just poor support all over the ice.

 

[Replacement*]

If anyone should be playing in the AHL right now, it's Gagner.

He shouldn't be playing at all imo. Both Hall and Gagner moved back into the lineup out of sense of urgency rather than good sense imo.

 

[Replacement*]

Nope pretty sure I wasnt one of them.

That also was a very poor executed breakout. Yak could of done a little bit better, but really just poor support all over the ice.

All fair comments, thanks for the exchange.

 

[GMofOilers]

All fair comments, thanks for the exchange.

We are both thinking the same things, just one is kinda blaming and one kinda defending lol

The whole line/team are the ones making the game harder than it is. You watch Detroit, there is 5 guy units all close together all over the ice, making maxium 10 foot passes to each other.

The Oilers? not so much

 

[Ninety7]

So Ebs refuses to pass to Yak, and Hall will only give him suicide passes. I'm absolutely terrified at what's going on with this team behind the scenes...

im tellin you ebs doesnt want that #1 RW spot pried from him, and his bunk bed buddy Hall is tryin to help him out a little

 

[frag2]

Eberle is a proven player.He's proven he can play and is ready for the NHL level. Yak really hasn't outside of a few games.

Against soft competition

 

[frag2]

There is a difference between the mistakes Hall makes and the ones Eberle makes.

Eberle's are either a complete lack of effort or trying to stickhandle through a maze of players.

Hall mistakes are largely effort based: momentary lapses in judgement, like an ill-advised pass.

I know that mistakes are mistakes regardless BUT: Hall is consistently busting his ass out there and on any given night, he'll offset any mistakes he makes by creating offense. Eberle is an absolute floater out there that plays a soft perimeter game, relying on having space to create offense which he isn't given anymore, and even more alarmingly: seems to more and more frequently be putting up a **** effort. I would forgive him for some of these mistakes if he either 1) off-set them by generating offense or 2) worked hard to recover from them in the moment.

And I also agree with the idea that Eberle shouldn't be able to keep living off this reputation based on the WJC's. I'm so sick of this "Canada's golden boy" treatment he gets.

Bingo. I like Ebs but dude is riding off his junior accolades like he's immune to any criticism.

The day he busts his ass like Hall game in game out, I'll retract my current assessment of Eberle as a player. Hell, Hemsky has more heart FFS than Eberle. I dont see Eberle going in front of shots...and I'm one of the first to say trade Hemsky as well

 

[Replacement*]

We are both thinking the same things, just one is kinda blaming and one kinda defending lol

The whole line/team are the ones making the game harder than it is. You watch Detroit, there is 5 guy units all close together all over the ice, making maxium 10 foot passes to each other.

The Oilers? not so much

Detroit/LA

Love watching those clubs which of course school us. But I almost have to watch those teams to remember how purist hockey is played. I suspect Howie Meeker agrees although he hates watching most hockey now. He would think this version of the Oilers is an abomination.

 

[Aerchon]

I agree with OP.

The first 4-5 games Eberle was one of the worst on the team but because Hall, Dub, and Yak were worse he seems to slide under the radar.

Although I must say overall, Eberle's defensive game has gotten better.

But he was a goat last night for sure.

 

[rboomercat90]

The weird puck juggle by Eberle was bad, what's worse is he glides by stamkos in front of the net watching him score !?!? Atleast try to check stamkos after that giveaway

Also:
Trading yak for anything less than a top 5 G or D will be a huge mistake a few years from now.

Eberle learned how to check from Horcoff. How many goals against did we see where Horcoff is standing within three feet of the goal scorer in the slot, making no effort to check him, basically just looking like a spectator. It isn't just Eberle that's picked up this habit, Gagner does it just as much.

Eberle's offence has been good enough to offset his +/- and so far Yakupov hasn't been able to do that. That's the only difference. Eberle also started the year out as a +7 after the first week of the season so to suggest he has been good enough defensively isn't even remotely close to being the truth. He has been horrible and as a fourth year player should be held to a much higher standard than Yakupov.

It's become clear that these junior superstars never learned any defensive fundamentals when they were racking up points against inferior players. My question is what have the coaches been doing to teach them? Do they know how to check? This should be the easiest thing for a player to learn because it can be taught, you don't need skill for it. It's easy for a coach to say that players aren't buying into a system but what if the problem is that these guys don't have even the most basic skills. Who on the Oilers staff can teach them? If veteran guys like Eberle, Gagner, Hall and even Hemsky still don't have a clue how to play in their own zone isn't that a damning indictment of the coaching they've been given up here? Renney and Krueger were supposed to be a great teachers, what did they teach them? Are Buchberger and Smith as useless as the Oilers record since they've been here suggests they are? Our coaching is going to need to get a lot better before this team has any chance of turning things around.

 

[Bryanbryoil]

The bottom line is that if this team wants to take the next step then all of these guys need to work hard in all 3 zones. Nail hasn't produced much of anything this year so his gaffs are magnified. Eberle assisted on a pair of goals last night so he helped us get 2 and cost us 1. Nail on the other hand got no points to offset the GA. That said I might be in the minority here but I REALLY didn't like that pass from Hall and I blame him at least as much as I blame Nail for that GA.

 

[McDraekke]

Still. The only argument that one has to make in defense of Eberle here is 13 points, 17 games, -3. Regardless of if those points are the difference between him and Yakupov, as Replacement mentioned, that's a good thing. I don't see how you can use that in an argument against him, lol... the only way you get +'s is by getting points. If Yak can't get those points to increase his +-, it's not Eb's fault.

This whole elitist looking down at assists thing needs to stop. If Ebs has ten assists, then good on him. Do people see Thornton (yes, I know, bad comp, cause he's a beast) as less of a player because 75% of his points come as assists? No, he's one of the best playmakers. Even secondary assists. How often do we see even the third last person to touch the puck being the real reason someone scores a goal, but they get no accolades on the score sheet? Saying someone's point totals are less impressive because they have secondary assists is just a cop out and a weapon to use in your argument, which is really really weak, for anyone who understands the game and the reason they have secondary assists.

Why we're complaining about our leading point scorer is beyond me. He's not our best defensive player. No. But he's one of our best overall right now, so let's not **** all over him.

Yak will find a way out of his slump. Very few players with his talent and ability spend too much longer than this without reaching a turning point, and he will get there too.

This team as a whole is what people are really frustrated at. The system is either not working, not working with our players, or our players haven't figured it out yet. Not sure which, but that's plainly obvious. Watching the game last night I was telling my brother that I could see a lot of the mistakes that we make in the Tampa team as well, but there was an obvious upper level that they were playing at. I'm hoping that soon, our team can figure out this system, and look like a cohesive unit out there for more than 5 mins a game.

Stop ragging on the players so much (especially the ones who are contributing to our team competing in games) when it's the team as a whole that's having issues.

 

[Bryanbryoil]

If anyone should be playing in the AHL right now, it's Gagner.

He made Omark look good last night.

 

[nhlisajoke]

Tim Panaccio‏@tpanotchCSN29m
Told today Flyers are talking with EDM about Eberle

Retweeted by Dustin Nielson

 

[SometimesY]

im tellin you ebs doesnt want that #1 RW spot pried from him, and his bunk bed buddy Hall is tryin to help him out a little

Side by side in big boy beds, they're best friends it's Hall and Ebs. Can't get that outta my head!

Usually I want to keep all of our kids, but if we need to trade one Ebs is the one I will let go for a missing piece. I think Yak will figure it out.