Post-Game Talk: Sharks 4 Oilers 3 OT

[Duke74]

man ya'll need to stop bit**** and moaning about DRAI. He has a hot as f*** girlfriend and has been nutting her the past few weeks, as a result, not a lot of stamina left on the ice. Give the dude a break, hes been exceptional all season, plus there's no need or incentive for him to play up to his potential this season anyway since its a lost cause. McDavid is obviously chasing art ross hence why hes going full throttle each shift. love the guy.

If, and only IF, that's the reason for his recent (last 2-5 games, as much of you say) decline in performance, that's a piss-poor excuse. Connor's GF, at least in my opinion, is much more attractive and yet that doesn't stop McDavid from giving it his all every night. Regardless of whether the season's over or you're chasing a personal milestone, players need to show leadership and maturity. You're not paid 8.5 million to leave your effort and energy in the bedroom and have nothing left for the ice. Not saying that's the reason, as you propose, but if so, that's completely unacceptable.

 

[frag2]

He's not elevating anyone right now. I've defended him in the past but he definitely tries harder when he plays with McDavid. That's not good.

A lot of people have said the same, myself included. He has this extra jump when it's with McDavid but so many think we're just bitching at him for the sake of bitching.

 

[Frank the Tank]

^^Couldn't edit the above so I'll add it here. Some commentators have just earned my distrust. No point listening to much of what they say. Examples being Rishaug, Hrudey, Ferraro, even Friedman is entering into that territory. If they have significant bias I eventually ignore what they have to say. tbh I never even read Ferraro's comments on Draisaitl. I don't respect his opinion enough to attend to it. People can say the same about my posts, or anybodies and nobody is making anybody read anybody. To be clear.

I agree. Look at TSN and Sportsnet's coverage of the team once the Oilers had no realistic shot of making the playoffs. They transition to more controversial articles/opinions about the Oilers because that's how they continue to draw us fans in once we start caring less about wins.

 

[ToeMcDrag83]

My premise is ENTIRELY different and perhaps borne of a different generation. To me there are players that have earned some leeway, that have delivered on their draft selection, that have been a very positive attribute to the club, and that have my grace. You will rarely if ever hear me criticize those players for those reasons. That they've earned benefit of doubt, my faith etc.

On this team these players are;

McD, Drai, Talbot, Larsson, Nurse. (Formerly Maroon, Hall)

That's it. Its the only ones. Everybody else on the team has had chronic and extended periods of time where they have delivered far worse than their best.

So that my opinion of players doesn't change on the basis of a few games. I find it pointless (jmo) to critique players that are generally excellent. To me it just doesn't make much sense to do that. It would be like phoning up my investments and bleating on because a great performing stock has had a couple bad weeks. Just no point in doing that. Great players are great, they will continue to be great. I tend to just enjoy those players rather than trying to find something wrong with them on the basis of very limited sample games and outcomes.

This approach makes sense to me and helps me to enjoy those players and keep enjoying them. Maybe it doesn't work for others.

hope this is clear

Your approach is clear, and I completely respect it.
The players you've listed have earned more and performed better over longer stretches.

The place where you're mistaken on me is thinking that my comments on a player's game play in a small sample has major implications on my overall opinion of the player.

I have no desire to remove any of those players in your list from this team, nor did I have that for Hall. And I would've preferred a way to keep Maroon over Lucic.

I want to call out a bad play or bad performance because I expect the player to call themselves out too.
To hold themselves accountable and use it to improve on the next game, the next shift.

I don't want them benched and cornered and run out of town, I demand the best of them more often because those positive attributes you mention are our only chance at getting out of this ****hole. Still coming to terms with how brutal this season has turned out, and I tune in still because I want some hope for next year. The hope clearly lies with McD, Drai, Talbot, Larsson, Nurse (I add Nuge and Klef to that list), so I want to see them do the best, and when they don't, how they respond.

That's my approach.

 

[Drivesaitl]

A lot of people have said the same, myself included. He has this extra jump when it's with McDavid but so many think we're just *****ing at him for the sake of *****ing.

Just responding, just discussion, hope you don't mind. But I think invoking that Drai is only having jump playing with McD is a bit off. Frankly Cammy had the best stretch in years of pts and production playing with Drai. Drai does elevate several players on the team and plays with jump when results are even tenable. However after 100 shifts of watching Lucic find ways to screw up the simplest of plays I'd be inclined to snap my stick in pieces. On one play Drai forwards the puck to Lucic who is wide open. Lucic is skating up ice with it and then somehow stumbles and pushes the puck unintendedly into the corner and of course the D is then first to the puck and opportunity lost. If Lucic just hangs onto that puck its a 2 on 1. This is just one play but how many of these would it take for a human being to start getting discouraged with his linemate. 10, 20, 100, 513, 12,823?

Is there a limit?

Drai can't and won't say anything, obviously, you can't do that on a team but he would know he's playing with somebody that isn't even playing at an NHL level.

If Dr Frankenstein came along and stitched my hands on Lucic, and I'm just a punter, I wouldn't be doing much worse. At least I'd have the presence of mind to have two hands on my stick like I was told to.

I mean who really would be looking at the lineup card and going "Oh great, I got Lucic again, oh joy"

 

[TB12]

^^Couldn't edit the above so I'll add it here. Some commentators have just earned my distrust. No point listening to much of what they say. Examples being Rishaug, Hrudey, Ferraro, even Friedman is entering into that territory. If they have significant bias I eventually ignore what they have to say. tbh I never even read Ferraro's comments on Draisaitl. I don't respect his opinion enough to attend to it. People can say the same about my posts, or anybodies and nobody is making anybody read anybody. To be clear.

Hrudey is the worst of the bunch by a mile. He's an absolute shill for the Flames. Listening to him describe a play involving the Flames, it seems like he is watching a different sport.

 

[Stoneman89]

Was at the game last night, and it looked to me like Draisaitl is checking out for the year. Given the lousy spot we're in now, it's hard to do otherwise, but he's still making a crap load of money, and there are still games to be played, and there is this thing about being a total professional. Yes, it's his turn to be saddled with Lurch, but McDavid got stuck with him for the majority of the season, and sucked it up. For 8.5 million/year, put your big boy pants on and run your own line instead of putting it all out there with McDavid. That's leadership and earning your pay. At least show up for the last 3 weeks please.

 

[Little Fury]

If Drai is gassed, that's two our of the last three seasons where he's run out of puff down the stretch. Maybe he needs to do some cardio?

 

[GameChanger]

Was at the game last night, and it looked to me like Draisaitl is checking out for the year. Given the lousy spot we're in now, it's hard to do otherwise, but he's still making a crap load of money, and there are still games to be played, and there is this thing about being a total professional. Yes, it's his turn to be saddled with Lurch, but McDavid got stuck with him for the majority of the season, and sucked it up. For 8.5 million/year, put your big boy pants on and run your own line instead of putting it all out there with McDavid. That's leadership and earning your pay. At least show up for the last 3 weeks please.

The end of the season would be a good time to gain experience in runing his own line, but to get the most out of it he should have reasonable wingers. McDavid and Drai may score goals together, but they also allow many goals so the net result isn't that great necessarily with the team, at least hasn't been with Lucic.

Lucic, McDavid and Pulju formed a working line (GF% almost 67%) at some point so if TM keeps Lucic in top6 indefinitely maybe he could try that line again and then Drai and Nuge (plus Khaira or Slepy) together. Lucic has been bad and Jesse's 2nd half of the season has been weaker, but he's showed some flashes when playing with better centers, and maybe Lucic could get some confidence when playing in a line where he actually had some kind of a role earlier.

 

[harpoon]

On one play Drai forwards the puck to Lucic who is wide open. Lucic is skating up ice with it and then somehow stumbles and pushes the puck unintendedly into the corner and of course the D is then first to the puck and opportunity lost. If Lucic just hangs onto that puck its a 2 on 1.

It was an unbelievable play. Shocking in that its a play you never expect an NHLer to make.
He totally f***ed it.Imagine having to face your team mates on the bench after a play like that.
Hello Lurch uh, skate much?

I'm not piling on Lucic like most posters are because in my heart I feel bad for the guy. He has to look at game film and see that he is looking like the worst player on the ice (yes including Caggiula and Benning) night after night. Camera pans him on the bench and he's sitting there cursing himself and looking like he doesn't have a clue wtf has happened to his NHL skills. Is it a health issue? Is it a mental problem? Its very puzzling to see him sink this low. Would he even make an NHL roster if he was a walk on tryout? I don't think so. I see him trying to skate hard, trying to throw hits ... he's just a day late and a dollar short every single time. Its very scary to think that Chiarelli has the team on the hook for this player for five more seasons with a full NMC.

btw - no shame in admitting that Draisaitl was lousy last night too. He looks out of shape. Got flat out out muscled by his countryman in a position where the original advantage was all his. We all know how many pages long this thread would be if Eberle played a game like that.

 

[Drivesaitl]

I have stated that Drai had a bad game, several times. Should it be my new signature?

...

 

[Throttlehead]

^^Couldn't edit the above so I'll add it here. Some commentators have just earned my distrust. No point listening to much of what they say. Examples being Rishaug, Hrudey, Ferraro, even Friedman is entering into that territory. If they have significant bias I eventually ignore what they have to say. tbh I never even read Ferraro's comments on Draisaitl. I don't respect his opinion enough to attend to it. People can say the same about my posts, or anybodies and nobody is making anybody read anybody. To be clear.

"Even Friedman" wasn't he a tennis guy before hockey? Hrudey can't control his homerism, Rishaug is trying to gain attention, any time I have heard or read Ferraro, he knows what he's talking about and plays no favourites.

 

[rboomercat90]

So how does one truly elevate players like Lucic? Seriously. The guy for whatever reason isn't even playing at an NHL level.

You could make yourself a rich man if you hade the answer to that question. Nobody in the Oilers organization knows if there even is a way. I’m praying like crazy he can figure it out over the summer. I haven’t been on the fire Chiarelli bandwagon this year because Mclellan’s been so bad I want to see this team play for another coach first. I will admit though that five more years of this Lucic, with that contract should be a fireable offence.

 

[Aerrol]

It was an unbelievable play. Shocking in that its a play you never expect an NHLer to make.
He totally ****ed it.Imagine having to face your team mates on the bench after a play like that.
Hello Lurch uh, skate much?

I'm not piling on Lucic like most posters are because in my heart I feel bad for the guy. He has to look at game film and see that he is looking like the worst player on the ice (yes including Caggiula and Benning) night after night. Camera pans him on the bench and he's sitting there cursing himself and looking like he doesn't have a clue wtf has happened to his NHL skills. Is it a health issue? Is it a mental problem? Its very puzzling to see him sink this low. Would he even make an NHL roster if he was a walk on tryout? I don't think so. I see him trying to skate hard, trying to throw hits ... he's just a day late and a dollar short every single time. Its very scary to think that Chiarelli has the team on the hook for this player for five more seasons with a full NMC.

Man, 100% this. I hated the Lucic signing. I hated the player before we got him. I don't think anyone would ever confuse me as a fan of his. I grew to adjust my dislike of the player to a more neutral level last year because I thought he acquitted himself well in more games than not, and he wasn't as dirty as he had been in years past.

But I can't even really take the time to write angry things about him like I have a bad habit of constantly doing about Russell. It's plain as day that he knows he's not performing well, and the dramatic drop is a bit bizarre. We haven't heard anything specific about an injury, and he did not drop off this badly last year. And yeah, he definitely looks like he's trying out there to my eye. He's cursing and yelling and gasping for air on the bench. But he's just brutal now, and it's just painful to watch. I just feel bad for him now.

I hope he can rebound next year, for both his sake and ours.

 

[PulYou]

TMac was saying after the game about Pulju, that he wishes he could go to him and say, “Hey kid relax a little bit, and things will be okay. The puck will go in the net, just relax, and shoot it.”

My question is why don't You? Don't You talk to Your players? Isn't this something the coach should do? Help Your players reach their best accomplishment...

 

[M C D A V I D]

Lol. I remember calling people would want Drai's head for anything short of generational production. This board is full of some of the most short-sighted people I know, no offense.

 

[M C D A V I D]

I have stated that Drai had a bad game, several times. Should it be my new signature?

...

You're not allowed to have a bad game, didn't you know? This boards expectation is generational production every single shift of every game (even when you're forced to play with career AHLers - how motivated would you be if you were being forced to work with people not even remotely close to your qualifications and who will just mess up anything you produce?). Otherwise you're useless and need to be traded.

Lol at the Eberle bashing when he was completely right about this fanbase if HFOil is any indication of what the general media is also like.

 

[Soliloquy of a Dogge]

TMac was saying after the game about Pulju, that he wishes he could go to him and say, “Hey kid relax a little bit, and things will be okay. The puck will go in the net, just relax, and shoot it.”

My question is why don't You? Don't You talk to Your players? Isn't this something the coach should do? Help Your players reach their best accomplishment...

That would require actual coaching.

Something Todd is clearly allergic to.

 

[DingerMcSlapshot]

Ehhh in overtime Klefbom should have picked up Hertl since Draisaitl was going for the guy with the puck.
I agree that Draisaitl has looked disinterested these past few games. I don’t blame him, at least he had a semi decent linemate tonight though in the Finnish rookie!

On the game winning OT goal McD shouldn't have been at center ice banging his stick for a pass. Especially when the Oilers really didn't have control of the puck in their own end. A gassed Drai trying to fend off checkers and a gassed McD goal sucking at center ice.

 

[oobga]

TMac was saying after the game about Pulju, that he wishes he could go to him and say, “Hey kid relax a little bit, and things will be okay. The puck will go in the net, just relax, and shoot it.”

My question is why don't You? Don't You talk to Your players? Isn't this something the coach should do? Help Your players reach their best accomplishment...

We all thought the language barrier was about different languages. Maybe the real language barrier is how McLellan has 20 pieces of gum in his mouth and can't talk on the bench.

 

[GameChanger]

We all thought the language barrier was about different languages. Maybe the real language barrier is how McLellan has 20 pieces of gum in his mouth and can't talk on the bench.

There's been a lot of talk about the treatment and benchings of Pulju and Slepy, but Pakarinen hasn't been TMs favourite either and JJ was traded very early on. Now Drai has been the one he's criticised publicly a couple of times.

At the same time players like Lucic, Camalleri and Caggiula can do just about anything without concequenses or public critique. I wonder if this all is just coincidence, or if things would be the other way around with opposite nationalities and language skills.

 

[oobga]

There's been a lot of talk about the treatment and benchings of Pulju and Slepy, but Pakarinen hasn't been TMs favourite either and JJ was traded very early on. Now Drai has been the one he's criticised publicly a couple of times.

At the same time players like Lucic, Camalleri and Caggiula can do just about anything without concequenses or public critique. I wonder if this all is just coincidence, or if things would be the other way around with opposite nationalities and language skills.

I hate to entertain such thoughts, but...hard to ignore the evidence. It's really hard to believe in anything McLellan does these days after that 2 month Lucic debacle. Add in Cammal constantly getting top 6 spots. Ugh...we really need to be done with this coach.

Nielson on 1260 make a good point this morning. We are about to finish off 2 years of Pulju's career and he has NEVER had a shot on any PP unit on the left wall. We're gonna go 2 years never using one of this kids best tools from when he was drafted. We have had a 31st place PP for a lot of that time. I think it's actually really bad to not use a good tool a player has for that long of a time. We did the same with Yak, we basically went 3 years never letting him take a 1-timer on a PP (except for that bit of time with Nelson, and he actually got it back for a little while, but back to the dog house next year). It's a great way to destroy the confidence of players, especially young ones, when you never give them an opportunity to use the tools they believe they can help the team win with. Very few coaches I bet take this approach with their players.

And once again, Lucic got 2 months to drag McDavid down before he finally got his fluke 40ft shot goal. This whole team can be rearranged for months to get a slacking off Lucic a goal, but we can't give one of the most valuable future pieces on this team a chance to take 1-timers on a 31st place PP. I really hate this coach.

 

[GameChanger]

Nielson on 1260 make a good point this morning. We are about to finish off 2 years of Pulju's career and he has NEVER had a shot on any PP unit on the left wall. We're gonna go 2 years never using one of this kids best tools from when he was drafted. We have had a 31st place PP for a lot of that time. I think it's actually really bad to not use a good tool a player has for that long of a time. We did the same with Yak, we basically went 3 years never letting him take a 1-timer on a PP (except for that bit of time with Nelson, and he actually got it back for a little while, but back to the dog house next year). It's a great way to destroy the confidence of players, especially young ones, when you never give them an opportunity to use the tools they believe they can help the team win with. Very few coaches I bet take this approach with their players.

I'm trying to write less about Jesse now in order to spare other writers from getting too annoyed, to maybe keep a bit more credibility and to get some other things done more efficiently. But I want to comment this, as I think you're spot on.

There are many things that can be argued about, but I think this is unbelievable no matter how you look at it. Especially when Jesse had a chance at the beginning of the last season and made an impression to the fans at that time, also hitting the post/crossbar several times.

He was obviously also great on the PP in the preseason games. When you add his history like a lot of one-timer goals on the PP in juniors/national teams, a faster shot and a more accurate wrister than Laine's in a competition (not saying better or as good in general, though) it's strange he's still waiting for his chance. I actually thought those goals could become Jesse's trademark in the NHL.

 

[nabob]

TMac was saying after the game about Pulju, that he wishes he could go to him and say, “Hey kid relax a little bit, and things will be okay. The puck will go in the net, just relax, and shoot it.”

My question is why don't You? Don't You talk to Your players? Isn't this something the coach should do? Help Your players reach their best accomplishment...

Nah demoting him to 4th line LW is more his style of encouraging Puljujarvi

 

[Digger12]

At the same time players like Lucic, Camalleri and Caggiula can do just about anything without concequenses or public critique. I wonder if this all is just coincidence, or if things would be the other way around with opposite nationalities and language skills.

Lucic I'm not going to touch as I suspect his treatment is more an organizational directive to "get him going" because Lucic's contract will look catastrophically bad if this becomes the new normal for him, but it's only fair to note that both Caggiula and Cammalleri have been healthy scratched more than once this year so I wouldn't say it's fair to lump them in with the diplomatic immunity that Lucic currently enjoys.

I honestly don't think McLellan cares too much about nationality, like a lot of standard coaches he tends to give extra rope to "At least I know what I'll get out of him" players (to borrow an often used MacT-ism)...guys that may not accomplish much, but give the appearance of effort and being engaged with the game.

I think McLellan was ready to give Slepy lots of icetime to start this year off of his decent playoffs, but Slepy was unfortunately injured to start the year, and once he got back it just seems like he's incapable of being consistent. As much as it pains me to say it because I've always been a big backer of this player when he brings his good game, but it's like clockwork with Slepy: He'll have a good 2-3 games, then seems to just fade away into nothingness. It's like so many bubble guys I've seen over the years, guys that seem to need to have their ass constantly kicked in order to get anything out of them. That kind of guy just drives you crazy after a while, and quite often require an address change in order to give them the face slap that will either resurrect their NHL career or have them run to Europe/KHL to play a game that's more their speed.

Regarding Puljujarvi, I think it's a combination of factors, some of it on the ice and a lot of it off the ice. It's pretty obvious at this point that of that big junior line that dominated the WJHC (Aho/Laine/Puljujarvi), Pulju is by far having the hardest time adjusting to North America, for various reasons well covered.

The thing that annoys me the most about Pulju (and I bet bugs the hell out of McLellan too) is that Pulju could be such a physically dominant forward on the forecheck, but is back to doing that thing where instead of skating through guys and shoving defenders off the puck, he stops skating and instead leans out and tries that weak pokecheck that seldom works. I don't know if it's due to lack of effort, lack of endurance or a lack of confidence in what he's supposed to be doing out there...but whatever it is, it's not working for him.

Hopefully after another summer of maturing both physically and mentally, he'll turn into the player we thought we were getting when we lucked into him at 4th overall.