Post-Game Talk: What a drai game

[BlackDogg]

The Canes seriously lacked structure in both games. Their 200foot play was laughable. It was on an Oilers level which is saying that structure really wasn't there. Both teams appear just to try to outscore their mistakes. Carolina had structure in past but appear to be having difficulty finding it. They played a flat out dumb game against the Oil trading chances. This plays into our hands.

The Blues showed everybody how the Oilers should be played. Frankly the blues and Buffalo looked miles better than Canes did here. Canes having a piss poor road trip. Brindy must be fuming.

They completely gave up after scoring the 2-0 goal. And the 4 minute penalty at the end was one of the worst powerplays I've ever seen - absolutely no control for the entire thing. Frustrating hockey to watch and not entertaining. That third period may have been in the top 10 worst periods of all time. They do not look as big and scary as they are indicated as. And supposedly they have a better D than the Oilers. Will see if they iron that out, just as the Oilers need to.

 

[nabob]

2-3 at home

Figure this out. Fast

Flip one game and we’re 3-2…it’s going to be ok

 

[McShogun99]

Flip one game and we’re 3-2…it’s going to be ok

The next week is going to be pretty tough. We could end up being 3-6 if the team keeps playing like this.

One of Yamo or PJ needs to go once Holloway gets healthy (it’ll be PJ for peanuts). Shore and Ryan are placeholder players right now.

Then run

Kane McDavid McLoed
Holloway Draisaitl Hyman
Foegele RNH Yamo
Janmark Shore Kostin

Holloway should be sent to the minors, he's not ready yet. JP and Yamamoto are at least NHL regulars.

 

[OilfaninTO]

They completely gave up after scoring the 2-0 goal. And the 4 minute penalty at the end was one of the worst powerplays I've ever seen - absolutely no control for the entire thing. Frustrating hockey to watch and not entertaining. That third period may have been in the top 10 worst periods of all time. They do not look as big and scary as they are indicated as. And supposedly they have a better D than the Oilers. Will see if they iron that out, just as the Oilers need to.

Supposedly? Burns is a little long in the tooth but he’d still be #1D on our roster. Slavin is elite defensively and his offense continues to grow. Another guy who would be a #1D on our roster. Skjei & Pesche are a great 2nd pair, way better than Barrie/Bouchard. Carolina’w bottom pair is close to ours but still better I’d say. Our D is horrendous. I’d swap D corps with them any day. The only defenseman from our squad that would crack theirs is Nurse.

 

[Beerfish]

As I said before. No need to panic or be concerned about playoffs or anything like that but it also is totally apparent this team is not going to take that next step that they should be taking to being a top 3-5 team in the league.

They win and lose the same way they ALWAYS win or lose. McDavid and Drai have big games? We win they get shut down we lose. None of these other 'good plays' up their frigging game when they need to. They are all totally dependent on the top two players.

 

[nabob]

The next week is going to be pretty tough. We could end up being 3-6 if the team keeps playing like this.


Holloway should be sent to the minors, he's not ready yet. JP and Yamamoto are at least NHL regulars.

Or we could be 6-3 if they play like they did against a top ranked Carolina team.

 

[Broberg Speed]

The next week is going to be pretty tough. We could end up being 3-6 if the team keeps playing like this.


Holloway should be sent to the minors, he's not ready yet. JP and Yamamoto are at least NHL regulars.

Remember those who wanted Xavier Bourgault to stick with the Oilers during training camp? Some of them belonging to the vocal anti-Virtanen crowd. Between the rookies and Yamamoto we'd be getting murderized.

There is something to be said about having players who can play heavy hockey. Look at the Blues.

Virtanen, Janmark and Kostin would all help the Oilers over what we are icing now.

As I said before. No need to panic or be concerned about playoffs or anything like that but it also is totally apparent this team is not going to take that next step that they should be taking to being a top 3-5 team in the league.

They win and lose the same way they ALWAYS win or lose. McDavid and Drai have big games? We win they get shut down we lose. None of these other 'good plays' up their frigging game when they need to. They are all totally dependent on the top two players.

I also think we will make the playoffs. But this team won't make it out of first round and it doesn't matter who we play.

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

Or we could be 6-3 if they play like they did against a top ranked Carolina team.

I think we will be fine but need to get things in synch. LD has me concerned.

 

[Cloned]

Ask @Cloned . That’s his department.

It’s not coming from me until at least December. I promised

 

[Drivesaitl]

I think we will be fine but need to get things in synch. LD has me concerned.

I don't want to sink your post but its sync. heh I wouldn't mention it except you spell this word wrong as many times as McLeod.

Spelling can be hard and it isn't always a cinch.

 

[BoldNewLettuce]

I missed the entire game and threads.


Can anyone sum it up in exactly 7 words?

 

[Behind Enemy Lines]

One of Yamo or PJ needs to go once Holloway gets healthy (it’ll be PJ for peanuts). Shore and Ryan are placeholder players right now.

Then run

Kane McDavid McLoed
Holloway Draisaitl Hyman
Foegele RNH Yamo
Janmark Shore Kostin

That RW depth is mediocre. A concern area coming into the season. In the short term, I'd actually like to see them fortitude the top two scoring lines moving out Yamamoto and Puljujarvi. Give Nugent Hopkins get some ice with McDavid and Kane - add another strong distributor to support McDavid who can give and go with Nuge. The McDavid Kane duo hasn't clicked yet. Gotta get Kane going and another high end distributor might give him more/different looks and also spread the ice for McDavid with Nuge's passing skills.

Line 2 have Draisaitl between Hyman and Holloway (not ideal for the kid but better option than the vets). Line 3 McLeod, Foegele and Puljujvari to saw off opposition with their size and speed. Yamamoto gets some minutes as an energy guy, maybe subbing with Puljujarvi whoever is going.

Nugent Hopkins-McDavid-Kane
Holloway-Draisaitl-Hyman
Foegele-McLeod-Puljujarvi
Shore-Yamamoto (with McDavid & Draisaitl (even Nugent Hopkins) cycling through at centre)

Like I say, short-term.

 

[FlameChampion]

McLeod pretty much the only positive bottom 6 player on this team.

I’d love for someone who has inner ties to the team give honest theories of why the Oilers secondary scoring is so non existent (especially bottom 6 players). Don’t seem to matter who plays. Its like a decade plus long curse.

 

[McShogun99]

Remember those who wanted Xavier Bourgault to stick with the Oilers during training camp? Some of them belonging to the vocal anti-Virtanen crowd. Between the rookies and Yamamoto we'd be getting murderized.

There is something to be said about having players who can play heavy hockey. Look at the Blues.

Virtanen, Janmark and Kostin would all help the Oilers over what we are icing now.


I also think we will make the playoffs. But this team won't make it out of first round and it doesn't matter who we play.

They need to make cap space to call up Jamrock. He’s a legitimate 3rd liner sitting in the minors while we play Ryan 8 minutes a game.

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

I don't want to sink your post but its sync. heh I wouldn't mention it except you spell this word wrong as many times as McLeod.

Spelling can be hard and it isn't always a cinch.

All I have to say to that is Duncan Kieth.

I missed the entire game and threads.


Can anyone sum it up in exactly 7 words?

We always lose to Saint Louis f***.

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

That RW depth is mediocre. A concern area coming into the season. In the short term, I'd actually like to see them fortitude the top two scoring lines moving out Yamamoto and Puljujarvi. Give Nugent Hopkins get some ice with McDavid and Kane - add another strong distributor to support McDavid who can give and go with Nuge. The McDavid Kane duo hasn't clicked yet. Gotta get Kane going and another high end distributor might give him more/different looks and also spread the ice for McDavid with Nuge's passing skills.

Line 2 have Draisaitl between Hyman and Holloway (not ideal for the kid but better option than the vets). Line 3 McLeod, Foegele and Puljujvari to saw off opposition with their size and speed. Yamamoto gets some minutes as an energy guy, maybe subbing with Puljujarvi whoever is going.

Nugent Hopkins-McDavid-Kane
Holloway-Draisaitl-Hyman
Foegele-McLeod-Puljujarvi
Shore-Yamamoto (with McDavid & Draisaitl (even Nugent Hopkins) cycling through at centre)

Like I say, short-term.

I am not sure if Kane plays RW at all. To some players playing off wing is too much of a reach. I put in Yamo over PJ every time and twice on Sundays but thats my bias. Your point is still valid however, Oilers are a top 9 RW away (and a 2LD).

 

[Behind Enemy Lines]

I can't critique a Blues club from coming into our barn and executing their game plan to perfection and stopping the best players in hockey cold in their tracks. They played a textbook road game and the way they have to play to beat us. The Blues don't even have Perron anymore. Its a capgun offense. That said they scored and we didn't.

That the Oilers got better as the game went on is mostly score effect mirage.

You could put a question mark caption above each Oilers head the whole game through and it basically describes their intuition regarding trap or NZ hockey. They don't have a clue. The Oilers can get stymied by prevent schemes and it never seemingly changes. McD and Drai have been in the league 8yrs now.

Full credit to St. Louis. Play a disciplined, structured road game that mitigated Edmonton's two super elites and largely kept the Oilers out on the perimeter where scoring opportunities go to die. Beat the Oilers strategy is to put pressure on their average blue line forcing them into faster decision making and lay on the body. Anticipate the Oiler forwards will stretch out in own zone coverage giving up shooting gaps in prime scoring areas.

Last night looked like McDavid and largely 20 pilons who could not shake off the tight checking and quick decision making to beat a disciplined opponent. Didn't see a speed advantage by anyone not named McDavdi to apply pressure on the opponent. Oil were boxed into the game this visiting team wanted and needed to play to win.

That said, this was a one goal game. Campbell had a great game to keep the home team in the game with a chance to win it. The Oil continuing to learn to play and compete in tight checking games is a necessity for success - regular season and the winning season.

 

[BlackDogg]

Supposedly? Burns is a little long in the tooth but he’d still be #1D on our roster. Slavin is elite defensively and his offense continues to grow. Another guy who would be a #1D on our roster. Skjei & Pesche are a great 2nd pair, way better than Barrie/Bouchard. Carolina’w bottom pair is close to ours but still better I’d say. Our D is horrendous. I’d swap D corps with them any day. The only defenseman from our squad that would crack theirs is Nurse.

Yah it was a bit of a sarcastic supposedly. ha ha

 

[Behind Enemy Lines]

I am not sure if Kane plays RW at all. To some players playing off wing is too much of a reach. I put in Yamo over PJ every time and twice on Sundays but thats my bias. Your point is still valid however, Oilers are a top 9 RW away (and a 2LD).

Yup, fully recognized there is an overload of players out of positions. Kane has played both wings in his career so it is possible. Might also give him some new looks with his poor start.

Likely putting too many squares in round holes. Why I noted as short-term, though rightly unlikely per your good points. I think Puljujarvi and Yamamoto would be interchangeable at 3W but opted for the big enigma as there could be a good checking line there. Yamamoto would get some looks with fresh legs cycling through McDavid, Draisaitl and maybe Nugent Hopkins.

This team needs a top RW to push down the current group to more realistic slotting in the lineup. Course they also need to improve the blue line.

 

[Magnum23]

TBH, if they manage to win at least 1 cup here, Idgaf if they suddenly fall off the cliff. Just win one dammit!!!

Ya for real, I selfishly want 2. Just hope more fans are as forgiving as you. Chicago fans still give it to Toews even though he brought them 3 before he dropped off

 

[Broberg Speed]

They need to make cap space to call up Jamrock. He’s a legitimate 3rd liner sitting in the minors while we play Ryan 8 minutes a game.

I'll admit to only wanting to let Yamamoto walk but now I can see we should have let both Yamamoto and Puljujarvi hit free agency. I was on the fence about Puljujarvi, I didn't want him to make 3M that's for sure, but at least he only has one year remaining on his contract and that makes him twice as valuable as Yamamoto right now in a roundabout way. In negative value terms.

We can't be looking for draft picks for either Yamamoto or Puljujarvi, trading them for other underperforming rejects is the best we can hope for. Like the Samorukov for Kostin transaction but only with bloated contracts. There are countless others around the league in this category.

For the price of one of them we could have all had all three of Virtanen, Janmark and Kostin and for the other we could have a significant upgrade on defence.

Foegele, Ryan, Shore... are more of the mistakes Holland has made. Holland has got to go.

 

[McDNicks17]

Sometimes I wonder if only having one PP unit hurts the depth a bit more than we think. Not so much in this game, obviously, but more so just a general thought.

I randomly noticed Stefan Noesen(a 29 year old career AHL winger) had 4 points in 4 games for Carolina. Looks like they brought him up, gave him a few PP shifts, he potted a couple points and kept the momentum going at 5v5.

Getting 5v5 play to a point where they don't rely so heavily on the PP that they can't even play the second unit would probably be ideal, IMO. The other forwards on the team could really use it to get their offensive juices flowing. Even if it's just one or two shifts a game.

 

[Harry Curry]

That said, this was a one goal game. Campbell had a great game to keep the home team in the game with a chance to win it. The Oil continuing to learn to play and compete in tight checking games is a necessity for success - regular season and the winning season.

Positives of that game for me are Campbell plus Foegele - MacLeod - Puljujarvi.

Why that third line didn't get more ice time in the second and third periods is beyond me.

 

[Behind Enemy Lines]

Positives of that game for me are Campbell plus Foegele - MacLeod - Puljujarvi.

Why that third line didn't get more ice time in the second and third periods is beyond me.

Campbell was excellent. The type of confidence building game they need. Trying to get back into a tight checking game, the tendency and likely road to success is more McDavid and Draisaitl.

I like McLeod's line to ideally stack up even against opposition. But personally I don't have faith in Foegele as a scoring threat ... maybe a bit of hope Puljujarvi might find some depth scoring. McLeod I have a lot of time for with latent abilities still manifesting with his young age and experience. But not enough to carry Foegele and Puljujarvi (yet?) in a tight game.

 

[nexttothemoon]

I didn't mind them giving a shot to Holloway... he was legit one of the better players in preseason (although as we've seen in the past... preseason games mean next to nothing)... but the player isn't a green 18 old... he's 21 so a few games at the NHL level early in the season wasn't a bad move (especially when they essentially HAD to have him on the opening roster anyway because of the convoluted bonus cap rules).

It's really unfortunate he got smashed and concussed because it would have been good to get a few more games under his belt before sending him down to the AHL... which is what they should probably do now though and bring up Kostin (or if Benson is getting close).

I'd like to see if the "better Benson" that we saw in camp is legit as well... or was that also a mirage? My gut feeling is that Benson will probably look like he did in the past and Kostin will probably not look any better than anything else the Oilers have in the bottom 6... ie Shore/Malone BUT these players are worthy of a look because certainly no one is really standing out on this Oilers team currently.

It's too bad this 21 man roster situation is so limiting that it basically ties hands somewhat with regards to roster movements. Benson injured and apparently Kostin's work visa are just extra flies in the ointment that make roster changes harder as well.