Post-Game Talk: Sharks 7, Oilers 4

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

The were winning by the skin on their backside. One goal games with unsustainable goaltending

Basically this. Now they can’t generate enough offense or defense to win games.

 

[Jesus Take the Wheel]

The were winning by the skin on their backside. One goal games with unsustainable goaltending

Ah yes the storyline of the Oilers fanbase, we are lucky when we win and deserve it cause we suck when we lose. Cynical and uneducated opinion if you ask me

 

[Pointteen]

Ah yes the storyline of the Oilers fanbase, we are lucky when we win and deserve it cause we suck when we lose. Cynical and uneducated opinion if you ask me

But we do suck.
Injuries don't explain why our forwards can't sustain zone pressure.
Then when they do, they can't generate a shot. Far too many players with incredibly few goals.

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

Ah yes the storyline of the Oilers fanbase, we are lucky when we win and deserve it cause we suck when we lose. Cynical and uneducated opinion if you ask me

Consistently winning one goal games eventually reverses itself. Hitchcock made do with what he had. Now that the goaltending well has dried up, the Oilers have to rely on their limp offense to win.

 

[nexttothemoon]

The offense is actually still there.

The Oilers have scored 20 goals in those 7 games without Klefbom/Russell... 2.86 goals/game.

It's just that they have let in 31 over those 7 games... 4.43 goals against per game.

Team defense and goaltending have gone south but offense is at least holding its own.

 

[8LX7psQ]

Sooo missed this one. Talbot was in for all 7? What's the story?

 

[Missing smitty]

Sooo missed this one. Talbot was in for all 7? What's the story?

He sucks but was also left out to dry.

 

[KarmaPolice]

To be fair, most of us didn’t expect TM to actually get fired so soon either. I still expect at least 4 more weeks of Chia-rule, but I wouldn’t be shocked if it happens as soon as Monday.

Well, I did.
I made no bones about it, either, saying he was 100% gone after that last loss, and I never go out on limb like that.
Also called the Hakstol firing less than a week before it happened, also assuring it as done. If it wasn't for the road trip they were on, I'm 100% sure he would've been fired when I called it, too. (Philly fans were saying there were dozens of times they thought 'this would be it', that he seem 'fire proof', etc., so can't really say it was just that situation, either, in all fairness.)

Just lucky calls, in all likelihood of course, but hey, gotta toot my own horn sometimes.

With GMs there's more variables. If we bomb against Winnipeg, I'll let everyone know my 'psychic' inclination of Chia's status, as I'm sure everyone will be dying to know.

 

[KarmaPolice]

Well, now everyone knows why I was so devastated when Klef went down to injury. He may not be a top-20 Dman in the league. He may not be a true #1. But there's no other Dman on our team that comes close to being able to fill the role of the #1 Dman on our team like Klefbom does. When he's healthy out there he gives our team a chance to win, regularly playing the most and hardest minutes. Without him, it's a huge hole. Russell has also been somewhat of an unsung hero, quietly playing good D on the 2nd pairing. Huge blows. Wasn't sure if the team would be able to stay afloat at the time (didn't think they would), and man it's going to take a bit of a miracle to turn this around and get some wins strung together.

Nurse still has a lot to prove and he isn't getting any younger. I have hope, but he needs to get it together pretty fast to give this team a chance.

 

[Mowzie]

This is so hard to swallow. There is no solution here. We aren't good enough, don't have prospects that turn the dial and don't have any assets of value. Give a new GM 2 years to solve this or just do Connor a favor and trade him to a team that deserves him. Edmonton deserves Connor, but the Oilers sure as hell don't.

I can copy and paste my posts from 3 years ago and 5 years ago and 8 years ago and 10 years ago, and as ridiculous as it sounds, they're all the same questions with no answers.

Just do Connor a favor and let him be great somewhere else.

 

[The Panther]

Missed this one (thank God), but I watched the high--...er, lowlights.

Talbot -- what the hell? It's now completely obvious that the guy has lost all confidence, and the body-language suggests he's given up. What in hell was he doing on the giveaway goal? He loses the puck on the boards. Okay, sometimes it happens. So, rush like hell back to the net, as any goalie would! Instead, he kind of waddles back towards the goal as slow as he can, trying to look like he doesn't care...?

This moment reminds me of the 2017 playoffs when Eberle tried as hard as he could not to get hit, and didn't care about getting the puck out or making plays. Talbot's days are numbered, I hope.

 

[BlackDogg]

This is so hard to swallow. There is no solution here. We aren't good enough, don't have prospects that turn the dial and don't have any assets of value. Give a new GM 2 years to solve this or just do Connor a favor and trade him to a team that deserves him. Edmonton deserves Connor, but the Oilers sure as hell don't.

I can copy and paste my posts from 3 years ago and 5 years ago and 8 years ago and 10 years ago, and as ridiculous as it sounds, they're all the same questions with no answers.

Just do Connor a favor and let him be great somewhere else.

Its one of those things where out of frustration fans have been saying, "for the good of Connor, give him a trade and get him out of here even though we know he's locked up", but now it is starting to become the ugly reality and isn't as far-fetched as it once seemed. There is no real ray of hope now with so many holes and its looking more and more like he will be leaving this dumpster before it gets turned around. Just a continuing perfect storm of ineptitude.

 

[yababy]

Ah yes the storyline of the Oilers fanbase, we are lucky when we win and deserve it cause we suck when we lose. Cynical and uneducated opinion if you ask me

Watch the games. Even when Oilers win they don't do it decisively. This us a middling team at best

 

[Mowzie]

Its one of those things where out of frustration fans have been saying, "for the good of Connor, give him a trade and get him out of here even though we know he's locked up", but now it is starting to become the ugly reality and isn't as far-fetched as it once seemed. There is no real ray of hope now with so many holes and its looking more and more like he will be leaving this dumpster before it gets turned around. Just a continuing perfect storm of ineptitude.

As far as I see it, these are the options:

Option 1: Trade young assets and first/second rounders for help now. The problem with this is that we are in cap hell and need to develop young players so we have control over their rights + cost certainty.

Option 2: ride this out. Develop your prospects, seek bargain contracts etc. The best teams in the league build within, develop their players and are stick with it. The problem with this is after a decade plus of rebuilding/building patience is running thin, and Connor probably doesn't want to only have one playoff season under his belt as a 27 year old, so he likely is gone in this scenerio.

Not sure theres a third option here. You're either taking the impatient route or the patient route. I don't think either will work.

I need to start drinking.

 

[Gordian Knot]

So close! Great late push!

 

[Pointteen]

The offense is actually still there.

The Oilers have scored 20 goals in those 7 games without Klefbom/Russell... 2.86 goals/game.

It's just that they have let in 31 over those 7 games... 4.43 goals against per game.

Team defense and goaltending have gone south but offense is at least holding its own.

That isn't holding its own. That's McDavid not slowing down. We need more. A lot more. 2.86 probably isn't playoffs sustainable even with our D.
I know your point is our D is horrendous right now, but that's a circumstantial thing.

 

[Oilhawks]

Well, now everyone knows why I was so devastated when Klef went down to injury. He may not be a top-20 Dman in the league. He may not be a true #1. But there's no other Dman on our team that comes close to being able to fill the role of the #1 Dman on our team like Klefbom does. When he's healthy out there he gives our team a chance to win, regularly playing the most and hardest minutes. Without him, it's a huge hole. Russell has also been somewhat of an unsung hero, quietly playing good D on the 2nd pairing. Huge blows. Wasn't sure if the team would be able to stay afloat at the time (didn't think they would), and man it's going to take a bit of a miracle to turn this around and get some wins strung together.

Nurse still has a lot to prove and he isn't getting any younger. I have hope, but he needs to get it together pretty fast to give this team a chance.

100%. Can you imagine if we had the luxury to have Klefbom anchor the second pair (or at least have a #1RD to have with him on the top pair)? That would be a stacked D.

 

[Ritchie Valens]

Lucic had the thousand yard stare in his post game interview.

 

[Tyrolean]

Glad I recorded and FF when it was 2-1. No confidence in this team so not worth watching in real time. As long as they play Lucic and other losers they will never win. Good luck faithful fans.

 

[Tyrolean]

As far as I see it, these are the options:

Option 1: Trade young assets and first/second rounders for help now. The problem with this is that we are in cap hell and need to develop young players so we have control over their rights + cost certainty.

Option 2: ride this out. Develop your prospects, seek bargain contracts etc. The best teams in the league build within, develop their players and are stick with it. The problem with this is after a decade plus of rebuilding/building patience is running thin, and Connor probably doesn't want to only have one playoff season under his belt as a 27 year old, so he likely is gone in this scenerio.

Not sure theres a third option here. You're either taking the impatient route or the patient route. I don't think either will work.

I need to start drinking.

There are no options, the team will lose regardless.

 

[Stoneman89]

I think Koskinen should have had the 4th goal for sure but otherwise I agree.

I also think it plays on a goalies confidence to have to face a barrage of grade A chances. I think you would agree that there is a reason why Hitchs teams always have an increase in the goalies sv%...its the system and his system reduces Grade A chances.
The team has slipped the last few games in terms of playing the system....If they had some secondary scoring then I believe that they could better manage those times when they play bad stretches and assignments get missed...it wouldn't be so damaging.

I think he was facing a lot of grade a chances before as well. But he was stopping enough of those to let McDavid and company have a chance to close out games. But it was unsustainable. Just like Alex Ciassons shooting %. Shooters have figured out Koski now, and are going high on him a lot with some success.

 

[Stoneman89]

Ah yes the storyline of the Oilers fanbase, we are lucky when we win and deserve it cause we suck when we lose. Cynical and uneducated opinion if you ask me

You’re saying we DON’T suck??
And no one can deny that when you play for one goal games you are rolling the dice and hoping it comes up 7s. We had incredible goaltending, which tended to mask the problems with this team, and had a nice little run. But the odds have caught up to us now.

 

[VainGretzky]

Rattie kicks ass during pre season with McDavid team starts slow gets bumped off line dwells on bottom 6 and scratched up unitil half the season is over , put back witrh McDavid gets 3 points the way this club handles players is a joke

 

[Mowzie]

Rattie kicks ass during pre season with McDavid team starts slow gets bumped off line dwells on bottom 6 and scratched up unitil half the season is over , put back witrh McDavid gets 3 points the way this club handles players is a joke

Ya I always felt like he was dealt a raw deal this season. Injury problems and a coach who didn't give him much opportunity in STL follows him here. He should have been afforded more opportunities this season.

 

[Boom not bust]

Lucic had the thousand yard stare in his post game interview.

Did they ask him if his next goal is on the horizon?