Pre-Game Talk: WCQF: Los Angeles Kings @ Edmonton Oilers

[oXo Cube]

Soooooo

Do we rest McDrai for the last 2 games ?

Im sure they could use some rest

Kane - RNH - Yamamoto
Hyman - Mcleod - Pulju
Foegele - Brassard - Kassian
Shore - Ryan - Archibald

We don’t look has horrible without McDrai as we did before

I don't think either will want to sit.

My guess is we dress both of them but they play significantly reduced ice time. Very little outside of the powerplay.

 

[The Nuge]

So the goaltending battle is a rematch of the LA/Phoenix western conference finals featuring a 29 year old Mike Smith coming off a .930 SV% regular season, in the midst of a .944 SV% playoff run, and a 26 year old Jonathan Quick coming off a .928 SV% regular season in the midst of a Conn Smythe winning .946 SV% playoff run. It was one hell of a goaltending battle… and that battle was only an entire decade ago.

 

[CornKicker]

They also always dumped the puck into Bears side and then went in for the heavy forecheck.

because he is smaller, slower and struggled under pressure.

lol guess what the kings are going to do to Barrie...... i would be money woodcroft is aware and making sure smith knows to retrieve for barrie when it happens

 

[94 Oil Drops]

just say you are a flames fan and go cheer for them lol

What a stupid childish comment. Sure pal. I've stuck with this team since 06 and I won't stop supporting them regardless of how they perform but whatever. Keep making your ridiculous score predictions in the pre game threads too. I'll keep being a realist thanks.

 

[bone]

because he is smaller, slower and struggled under pressure.

lol guess what the kings are going to do to Barrie...... i would be money woodcroft is aware and making sure smith knows to retrieve for barrie when it happens

And to be fair Barrie has nearly 700 NHL games experience to try and minimize the damage from this strategy and will likely receive the least amount of 5 on 5 minutes for a right shooting dman on the roster and likely the least or 2nd least amount of minutes of any d-man at 5 on 5 unless injuries mount up.

In the Chicago series, Bear had about 90 NHL games experience to draw on and played the most minutes of any right shooting d-man at 5 on 5 and behind only Nurse for total minutes.

 

[SupremeTeam16]

Get after quick early in game 1, don’t let him get any momentum going.

The kings are likely going to use Danault or kopitar to shut down Mcdavid as teams have had success in the past challenging one of their guys to keep him from going off.

Part of it wil be on Connor to fight through it and overcome but I think they should have someone on his line to make life hell for whoever they match against 97.

We got a glimpse of it with Kane against Kadri, in the past kadri has been very effective but last gane Kane completely took kadri off his game. Played him hard, tied him up, finished him every chance he could. Completely frustrated him.

 

[Bryanbryoil]

I believe in our boys. This is the deepest team that Connor and Leon have ever had around them in Edmonton. The X factor will be if Nurse is healthy or not.

 

[Mr Positive]

I believe in our boys. This is the deepest team that Connor and Leon have ever had around them in Edmonton. The X factor will be if Nurse is healthy or not.

Even if Nurse and Smith don't play, we still beat LA handily.

I'm not overly cocky. If we are facing Calgary or Minny or a team like that that actually showed to be a problem systemically, my expectations will be way more balanced. But even then, I believe they could rise to the occasion and beat those teams who they've had trouble with in the past. LA isn't close to that.

 

[KlefDown]

had a dream my baby boy Klefbom announced his return for game 1 of the playoffs and now im crying

 

[RalphKing]

Kopitar is a beast. Obviously I think we win this. They will throw everything to contain McDrai so others need to step up. Kane, Hyman, and others need to come through for us.

 

[CantHaveTkachev]

1992- Last time the Oilers played the Kings in the playoffs

Oilers lit up Kelly Hrudey and won in 6

 

[CornKicker]

What a stupid childish comment. Sure pal. I've stuck with this team since 06 and I won't stop supporting them regardless of how they perform but whatever. Keep making your ridiculous score predictions in the pre game threads too. I'll keep being a realist thanks.

you use the word supporting very liberally here, shitting on everything they do is not supporting anything. but be miserable in their success and find a way to spin in negatively and i will look forward to reading your doom and gloom after they roll the kings

 

[Mr Positive]

Kopitar is a beast. Obviously I think we win this. They will throw everything to contain McDrai so others need to step up. Kane, Hyman, and others need to come through for us.

that's the big difference. If Kopitar and Danult contain McDrai, our superiority on the wings, and our superior offense from Dmen will assert itself. Even if Kopitar and Danault contain McDrai, it means they are taking themselves out of the play as well.

 

[bone]

Is McDavid solving Danault? Otherwise, LA in 5

Hasn't McDavid's line outscored Danault 3-1 in 26 minutes of play head to head 5 on 5 this year? He's done better against Drai only getting outscored 1-0 in 17 minutes.

And on to Kopitar. McDavid's line has outscored Kopitar 2-0 in 27 minutes this year, and Draisaitl 1-0 in 30 minutes.

I'm more concerned about Kopitar shutting down Leon's line than I am of Danault shutting down McDavid's.

 

[Arpeggio]

I could see McDavid and Drai sitting the last game of the year, especially if the Art Ross is wrapped up. Wouldn't be opposed to seeing guys who might play in case of injury getting the last game.

 

[CornKicker]

what do we think the 50/50 gets to in game 1?

over/Under $12.5M

 

[bone]

I could see McDavid and Drai sitting the last game of the year, especially if the Art Ross is wrapped up. Wouldn't be opposed to seeing guys who might play in case of injury getting the last game.

I doubt they'd sit both in the same game. I could see them taking a turn in the press box each over the next two though on separate nights.

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

you use the word supporting very liberally here, shitting on everything they do is not supporting anything. but be miserable in their success and find a way to spin in negatively and i will look forward to reading your doom and gloom after they roll the kings

And if they lose?

Because we were supposed to roll the Hawks and Jets too.

 

[Duke74]

I don't think either will want to sit.

My guess is we dress both of them but they play significantly reduced ice time. Very little outside of the powerplay.

McDavid should play reduced minutes but Draisaitl should have been sitting since the Anaheim game in which he was injured. We need him to be a playoff beast like he was in 2016-17 but I fear the wrist will pose a significant limitation in that regard. Hopefully the rest of the team's up to the task.

 

[CornKicker]

And if they lose?

Because we were supposed to roll the Hawks and Jets too.

obviously id just not come here till draft time and pretend it never happened

 

[Bryanbryoil]

Even if Nurse and Smith don't play, we still beat LA handily.

I'm not overly cocky. If we are facing Calgary or Minny or a team like that that actually showed to be a problem systemically, my expectations will be way more balanced. But even then, I believe they could rise to the occasion and beat those teams who they've had trouble with in the past. LA isn't close to that.

That's just being cocky. If we get bad Mikko and are forced to run with him for some reason we'd be in very tough to win the series.

 

[Bryanbryoil]

And if they lose?

Because we were supposed to roll the Hawks and Jets too.

It's sports, anything can happen. That said, I believe that Connor and Leon know full well that if they have another 1st round exit that it will really tarnish their names and they will 100% be labeled as playoff chokers. The biggest question mark for me is how Woodcroft will be at making in series adjustments both in game and between games. This was something that IMO Tippett was absolutely terrible at.

 

[KlefDown]

these boards really are dead when Oilers are winning heh

 

[joestevens29]

It's sports, anything can happen. That said, I believe that Connor and Leon know full well that if they have another 1st round exit that it will really tarnish their names and they will 100% be labeled as playoff chokers. The biggest question mark for me is how Woodcroft will be at making in series adjustments both in game and between games. This was something that IMO Tippett was absolutely terrible at.

Luckily for him TM doesn't make adjustments, so he should only have to make them once

 

[94 Oil Drops]

you use the word supporting very liberally here, shitting on everything they do is not supporting anything. but be miserable in their success and find a way to spin in negatively and i will look forward to reading your doom and gloom after they roll the kings

The bolded is a load of nonsense! On everything they do? You don't read very many of my posts on this board do you? I saw the Colorado game live. I had the time of my life! I said specifically that was the best Oilers game I've ever seen live! There's no doubt good things have happened this year. Woodcroft has been a fantastic coach. Loved the hiring from the day it happened. I've been pleased with the Hyman signing. I didn't hate the Ceci signing though many did the day it happened! I've loved the Kane signing and have turned into a Kane fanboy when others said they would stop cheering for the team if he was signed! I've given Smith full credit for playing great during this final stretch of the season.

I'm not dumping them for being successful during the regular season (which they were last year before getting swept by the Jets) but the playoffs are a completely different animal. I don't think that goaltending this great is sustainable.
The refs put the whistles away. We don't have a real good shutdown defender who can absorb checks from heavy forwards. I'm not even suggesting this series is going to be an automatic loss... I have no idea what the actual outcome is going to be. You don't know the outcome either. It hasn't even started! I'd love for you to be right but I'm planning on containing my excitement more than I have in previous years just in case we do lose so I don't have a meltdown like a number of others here would. You get it?