Why are we ****ty, Dad? Because we have to chase the entire Western Conference.

[Tonka]

Good game last night guys, your team is still young. Don't worry. In a couple years Nurse will be ready for your top 4 and with another top5 pick this year I'm sure Mac will draft another d-man. Couple years Oilers will be a force in the West. Patience.

 

[Moose Coleman]

Well then, quantify and substantiate this statement;

Shouldn't be hard, plus that offering some validity to the statement would be what you generally expect from other posters.

It shouldn't be that hard to figure out that just because a team is lucky, it doesn't mean they are just lucky (which is what you claimed I said).

 

[McDeathbyCheerios*]

Good game last night guys, your team is still young. Don't worry. In a couple years Nurse will be ready for your top 4 and with another top5 pick this year I'm sure Mac will draft another d-man. Couple years Oilers will be a force in the West. Patience.

Patience? We have been bottom give for years, this will be the 8th year in a row missing the playoffs, in a few years a bunch of contracts are up and no one will want to play here. People will request trades or refuse to resign. If it doesn't turn around fast we need to blow it up and start over again.

 

[Replacement*]

It shouldn't be that hard to figure out that just because a team is lucky, it doesn't mean they are just lucky (which is what you claimed I said).

Shouldn't be hard to figure out that in context the term you used " luck the leafs have been riding all season" connotes luck is what they rode to get here. In common usage application the term "riding" used in such context refers to the predominate presiding factor. So why state it?

Bad choice of words on your part maybe, move on. But its clear how it reads.

 

[Nunymare]

DVR'd it. glad i skipped right to the NHL.com highlights instead:

Belov: this dude looks atrocious. bad pinch on one goal. looked horrid on that 2-on-1 where Gagner started coasting on the back check. im done with this dude. return...... to the KHL.

Petry: his give away on one of the later goals looked so lazy. he just has too much of a bimbo / airhead aspect to his game that keeps me from ever trusting him.

"oh we need some goaltending" yes
defense. yes
forwards with "size and grit" (or how about just execute a system, tape to tape passes, knowing when to shoot, etc)

but what's even better is that the Oilers are so polarized with their assets that they can't even leverage their way into improving the team. you either sell TRASH or TREASURE. there's nothing in between to entice other teams.

and even the treasures they have that could potentially be dealt are frowned on because they can't prop any of them up with horrendous play.

rebuild? bullcrap.
that laugh-wagon is gone.
this is heading into crisis management.

Oh get real. One bad game from Belov and we want to ship him off to the KHL?

 

[Insta]

Schultz needs to pick his spots. How can they expect a forward to go back when the 3 forwards are all pretty much in deep the same? Schultz can't be getting caught behind the net either. Not unless he 100% sees a guy back there.

Yes, don't get me started on the stupidity of Schultz, but when you have a stupid D-man like that you need people smart enough to make up for that by being aware...which the Oilers simply don't have among their top players other than Nuge.

 

[dssource]

Leafs played good and got some luck. They didn't get lucky and play good bc of the luck. Even with no luck on their side, leafs are easily handed 2 pts in this one. Yes it would be nice if the Oil were to get some luck every once in a while, but if that's what anyone is waiting for, good luck to you!

Yes MacT should have kept Kreuger on for special teams help. Or Eakins should review what system he used and copy it. If it ain't broke, why try to fix it?

 

[Chandrashekhar Limit]

That particular instance was an example of the kind of luck the leafs have been riding all season. That was the point.

You know what they say - you've gotta be good to be lucky, and lucky to be good.

We've got a bit of both going on for us here in Toronto.

 

[trent_vinyl]

Eakins is a disaster. He is so damn arrogant in his press conferences. Did he even watch this game?

Missing Krueger

Yeah, there's something about the guy that just rubs me the wrong way. It sure doesn't appear that he'd be a very fun guy to hang out with or be in the dressing room with. I wanted a hardass coach, but also one that had a personality and got along with his players (i.e. Caryle). I don't see this in Eakins whatsoever. His arrogance is over the top.

 

[Lewy]

Yes, don't get me started on the stupidity of Schultz, but when you have a stupid D-man like that you need people smart enough to make up for that by being aware...which the Oilers simply don't have among their top players other than Nuge.

I think there were 3 times he came down low last night and not one of the three forwards 3/3 times covered for him. What the hell is going on out there?

 

[CupofOil]

Exactly this.

Team plays like **** under Quinn - fire the coach!
Team plays like **** under Renney - fire the coach!
Team plays like **** under Krueger - fire the coach!
Team plays like **** under Eakins - fire the coach!

There's a common denominator here and it's NOT the coach.

I can't believe I'm saying this but we should be taking a good, long, hard look at these players that we're wanting to lead us to the promised land because so far all that skill hasn't meant ****.

Exactly right. The coach scapegoating has gone to ridiculous levels and it's the same **** every year. Now, the fans are longing for Krueger, longer for Renney the year before etc. After a while, it's becoming obvious that it's a player issue more than a coaching issue and unfortunately, i think it starts with the core and their clique type of mentality, only wanting to play on a line with each other, refusing to pass to anybody other than the 3 of them, refusing to buy into any system etc.
Yakupov and Schultz should also be included in this since they have no structure whatsoever in their game. Yes, it's only their 2nd season but i'd like to see at least a little buy in to a team game from them two and we have seen nothing of the sort.
The 5 of them thus far have shown to be incapable of absorbing the small details of the game and applying it to gametime.

I think it's time that the kids start taking some of the blame for the team failures. It's always coaches, vets and support players who get the blame yet the cast around the kids keeps changing and the same results remain. They are all in their 20s now, it's time to stop playing like boys and start playing like men.
Until they learn to play a "team" game, stop with the dangling BS, constantly cheating in the neutral zone looking for a stretch pass and learn to simplify their game and buy in to system play then this team will never go anywhere. The fate of this team rests on the shoulders of the core kids, not the vets, goaltending, coaches etc.

 

[Da McBomb]

Until the core of this team (Eberle, Hall, Gagner, Yakupov) start caring about playing for the team and give it their all defensively, this team will remain at the bottom of the league. The only player who shows that he cares in the dzone is RNH, and even then, he's got a lot to learn. Eberle's effort was downright awful on one of the Leafs goal.

 

[trent_vinyl]

No. There's players, stars and superstars. The people with superstar status in any sport have an unparalleled work ethic. If taylor hall had the same discipline and work ethic as Yakupov he'd have at least 3 100 point seasons. Instead, he likes to spend his free time chain smoking and drinking until he can't stand straight.

What the hell are you talking about?

 

[Oiltankjob Fail]

Let's try 3 or 4 more coaches before looking at the players and management.

The Oilers made some steps last year were competing for a playoff spot they were starting to show promise. They fire that coach and bring in a egotistical idiot, that has already shown he has not an fn clue how to match up lines or run a pp or a pk. 4 different systems in 4 different years . Not all on the players. Rnh against Backstrom and Ovie at home Gagner against Kessel. Gordon our 3 million dollar shutdown specialist shutting down the 3rd line. This is by far the worst of the four coaches AINEC.

 

[Horseradish]

I'm pining for the "good ol' days" of not being able to afford anything and trading our only bona fide talent for futures. That's how bad it's gotten.

Cal Nichols??? Where are you, man?!

That said, I am actually very confident this group, or most of it, will be on the right track by year's end.

 

[ToeMcDrag83]

I remember when I thought there was nowhere to go but up.

Really naive of me. Forgot that sideways was a possible direction. And that the "rock" bottom could actually be made of quicksand, and down into the depths of hell is still an option.

Also, I bet if we played post game comments from our players and coach randomly from this season, it'd be impossible to tell which game it's from.

"Frustrating. Effort was there. Tough loss" .... Rinse and repeat.

 

[KlimasLoveChild]

The Oilers made some steps last year were competing for a playoff spot they were starting to show promise. They fire that coach and bring in a egotistical idiot, that has already shown he has not an fn clue how to match up lines or run a pp or a pk. 4 different systems in 4 different years . Not all on the players. Rnh against Backstrom and Ovie at home Gagner against Kessel. Gordon our 3 million dollar shutdown specialist shutting down the 3rd line. This is by far the worst of the four coaches AINEC.

This is a load of horse pucky. You oilers were getting owned last year with the only saving grace being the special teams and Dudnyk making like a goalie for half a year. They got out played in every game but for a handful of games. Is this really showing promise? AINEC? Really? Ned Flanders didn't match lines at all last year and his defensive scheme and break out were a farce. By many accounts they had regressed and were getting picked apart as the season wore on. Eakins needs to step his game up but lets not look back with rose colored glasses.

 

[McOilbleeder]

I'm not understanding this 'luck' excuse. This team cannot be unlucky for most games this season. It's just a bad team.

We've given up 53 GA so far this season. That's not unlucky, that's just crappy D and horrible goaltending. We can't win puck battles consistently which severely limits what type of offense we can run. Our players are more interested in scoring 'fancy' goals through toe drags and no look passes than sustaining offense through cycling. Those aren't factors due to poor 'luck', they are factors due to having a poor team. We're not all that gritty. We try to play physical, but we don't have the talent to do it. Our special teams are awful. Our system is TBD thus far in the season.

Essentially, the luck excuse is a cop out. Unless we've been 'unlucky' for the majority of the season, which imo, is very unlikely, we're just a really badly assembled team. Most excuses we're seeing right now, Injuries, road games, youth whatever the hell, they are just excuses. At some point we just have to accept the idea that this team is going nowhere (again) this season. Luck has very little to do with it.

 

[Crobby]

Our core is just too easy to play against. They don't buy in defensively or check. If you play a safe, tight-checking game and counter-attack on the turnovers you you will pick us apart.

If you try to run-and-gun vs us sometimes our skill will take over and win us the game...which is why we beat down on Chicago a few times.

Even if we get a team to play our game, our D or goaltending sometimes will flop and it wont matter anyways. Those are the ever soul-crushing "tie the game and lose in the last 2 min of play" losses we all know and love.

 

[Gord]

Exactly right. The coach scapegoating has gone to ridiculous levels and it's the same **** every year. Now, the fans are longing for Krueger, longer for Renney the year before etc. After a while, it's becoming obvious that it's a player issue more than a coaching issue and unfortunately, i think it starts with the core and their clique type of mentality, only wanting to play on a line with each other, refusing to pass to anybody other than the 3 of them, refusing to buy into any system etc.
Yakupov and Schultz should also be included in this since they have no structure whatsoever in their game. Yes, it's only their 2nd season but i'd like to see at least a little buy in to a team game from them two and we have seen nothing of the sort.
The 5 of them thus far have shown to be incapable of absorbing the small details of the game and applying it to gametime.

I think it's time that the kids start taking some of the blame for the team failures. It's always coaches, vets and support players who get the blame yet the cast around the kids keeps changing and the same results remain. They are all in their 20s now, it's time to stop playing like boys and start playing like men.
Until they learn to play a "team" game, stop with the dangling BS, constantly cheating in the neutral zone looking for a stretch pass and learn to simplify their game and buy in to system play then this team will never go anywhere. The fate of this team rests on the shoulders of the core kids, not the vets, goaltending, coaches etc.

this coach should be totally safe, and backed up every day by the GM.,
The players have to know the coach isn't going anywhere, so they darn well better listen to him and start doing their jobs.

thank god I quit spending money on the team several years ago. I feel bad for the Tier 1 fans.

 

[Moose Coleman]

Exactly right. The coach scapegoating has gone to ridiculous levels and it's the same **** every year. Now, the fans are longing for Krueger, longer for Renney the year before etc. After a while, it's becoming obvious that it's a player issue more than a coaching issue and unfortunately, i think it starts with the core and their clique type of mentality, only wanting to play on a line with each other, refusing to pass to anybody other than the 3 of them, refusing to buy into any system etc.

I don't believe it's one or the other or that the two are separate. IMO, it's a lot easier to get players (especially young players) to buy into a system when they aren't learning a new system every bloody year. Not to say the players don't bear the responsibility, obviously, but a little consistency would help this team a lot. I think Eakins is going to be around for a while and it's going to take time to break down some of the bad habits and such. It's just a shame Eakins hasn't been able to hide behind all world goaltending like other rookie coaches one could mention.

 

[hmminvisiblecola1279]

I don't believe it's one or the other or that the two are separate. IMO, it's a lot easier to get players (especially young players) to buy into a system when they aren't learning a new system every bloody year. Not to say the players don't bear the responsibility, obviously, but a little consistency would help this team a lot. I think Eakins is going to be around for a while and it's going to take time to break down some of the bad habits and such. It's just a shame Eakins hasn't been able to hide behind all world goaltending like other rookie coaches one could mention.

The Avs aren't winning just because of their goaltending. Eakins is in tough because of bad management through Lowe down to hiring friends instead of hiring the best people.

 

[Da McBomb]

Same **** every year. After this season is over, they'll be drafting top 5 again, then management will pump the tires of that pick along with Darnell Nurse trying to get Oiler fans excited again. Rinse and repeat.

 

[Moose Coleman]

The Avs aren't winning just because of their goaltending. Eakins is in tough because of bad management through Lowe down to hiring friends instead of hiring the best people.

MacT did more in one offseason than Tambo did in three years. I'm not sure what more could have been expected. Maybe he goofed on goaltending, but he at least recognized it was an issue even if he failed to find an upgrade.

The fundamental issue is the Oilers were in a death spiral for four years before they went into the tank. Then they sat back and raked in 1st overalls while the GM did little to improve the team. Now they have to dig their way out of the hole and you think it's going to take, what, 15 games? Yet another coach?

 

[Tonka]

We outplayed the Leafs and almost doubled them in shots. You guys need to step off the ledge for a second. Their goalie had a legend status game and if he played like an average goalie we would have fun. You should win almost every game where you get that many more shots.

To be fair though the Leafs get outshot most games, it's just the style they play. Force shots from bad angles, wings, etc. In fact, when the Leafs sucked under Wilson, Leafs used to outshoot their opponents on many nights.