Post-Game Talk: Wild 2 Oilers 1 in OT

[Nordic*]

Sekera is the best defenceman in the Oilers.

No sure if serious.

 

[Burnt Biscuits]

I dont blame gustavsson there. Team hung him out to dry twice.

Out coached in ot. Need more mcdavid and drai in ot. Poor coaching imo.

The bolded was the problem, you need 3 pairs of forwards to rotate through at a minimum to not totally gas your guys. The second OT started with McDavid and Drai on the ice at the same time, you shoe-horned yourself into either playing Letestu or rookie Caggiula in OT (provided you don't end the game before that). For 3 on 3 OT we aren't strong enough up the middle to play McDavid and Draisaitl together without it hurting us later on. Also given Chia's proclivity for powerforwards we are inherently going to be at a disadvantage for 3 on 3, cause in that format speed, skill, and possession drivers are what win the day. Players like Lucic, Maroon, and to a lesser extent Kassian get eaten up at 3 on 3, the ice isn't crowded enough for them to really leverage their size into a decided advantage and they can't skate at the same level as your average top 6 forward.

People should do an exercise of putting together 3 sets of 3 players for OT, not exactly a ton of great options.

Our 3 centers should be obvious: McDavid, Drai, & RNH
Our 3 D aren't as obvious, but IMO should be: Klefbom, Sekera, and Russell (Larsson with the short straw cause he is a non-factor offensively and you want to spend your 3 on 3 time attacking, playing lockdown D doesn't work as well in that format)
Our 3 wingers though is real tough:

• Eberle for sure was strong in the format last year and in an environment where he has tons of time and space he just tends to do well.
• Pouliot of the past 2 years would be fine as one, but the Pouliot of this year doesn't inspire much confidence.
• Puljujarvi has made some costly turnovers and with his youthful exuberance he tries forcing some plays that aren't there. I'd say he has the speed and skill for 3 on 3, but won't be an asset for maintaining puck possession or defending when he loses possession.
• Slepyshev looks like a decent option, but has yet to demonstrate he has the scoring touch to be dangerous out there.
• Caggiula could be a decent option as a winger, barely any NHL experience, plays with more maturity than you would expect though, long term probably a solid guy to have out there, short term pretty iffy.
• Pitlick to me is effective as a straight line attacker, but lacks the skill to really spread the defending players out and pick them apart.
• Lucic/Maroon/Kassian/Hendricks/Letestu are too slow for the format and for the faster ones of that bunch I'd bring up a lack of skill.

 

[Paralyzer008]

Gustavsson got you guys the point. He was superb.

Sekera is the best defenceman in the Oilers. He was great again tonight. Makes the game look easy

I think I am starting to agree with this point.

Really good game for Sekera, I think he's our best D-man or at least he's been our best for the last recent stretch of games.

I want to see a Sekera-Larsson tandem, might help Larsson out a lot because his game has been rough recently. Don't think Russell is the right fit for the pairing.

 

[nexttothemoon]

Sekera, Benning and Russell are the 3 dmen for the Oilers who are above water for this season so far.

Larsson, Klefbom and Nurse, not so much.

 

[PinSeeker]

Sekera, Benning and Russell are the 3 dmen for the Oilers who are above water for this season so far.

Larsson, Klefbom and Nurse, not so much.

Not so sure. Larsson Klef have had a very rough 5-7 games for sure, but before that they were very good.

Nurse is what he is at this point, a developing 3rd pairing guy. No teams 3rd pair is all world.

 

[fuswald]

Agreed.

I'm ok with Letestu. Teams play 3 on 3 to keep possession....I would assume Minnesota does that ten fold. You also had Gusto in net so trading chances would be a bad tactic.

Move nuge to the wing for a bit. He is sewering.

I'd swap Nuge and Draisaitl and give him some time on the top wing for a try.

 

[Jimmi McJenkins]

Finding a way to get through teams that play garbage hockey like Minnesota and Arizona is what the Oilers have to do, they are good enough to play with a lot of teams, they have to find a way to smash a trap.

 

[tempest2i]

3 games in 4 nights and the team collects 5 of 6 available points.

I'll take it.

On to Buffalo.

 

[UnicornONtheCOBB]

that was a boring game, the league needs to find a way to make the game more entertaining. When teams play like that, it's tough to watch.

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

Do you play Gus in Minnesota? I'd hate to subject him to the Flyers...

 

[Teppo]

Finding a way to get through teams that play garbage hockey like Minnesota and Arizona is what the Oilers have to do, they are good enough to play with a lot of teams, they have to find a way to smash a trap.

I don't get the "garbage hockey" thing. The Wild out shot the Oilers. They had more scoring chances. They had a very aggressive forecheck - F1 and F2 always on the puck with F3 usually below the faceoff dot. Guys like Zucker, Coyle, Parise, Nino were flying past the Oiler D with speed all game long. The Wild have a plethora of very good defensemen and are one of the few teams that can limit the damage that the Oilers top players can do. The expansion era/Lemaire sit back and wait Wild are long gone. Even if you do not see it, the stats don't lie.

 

[Jimmi McJenkins]

I don't get the "garbage hockey" thing. The Wild out shot the Oilers. They had more scoring chances.

They did, a lot on the PP or catching the Oilers on a long change.

It's garbage hockey because it's the trap designed suck the life out of hockey game in general.

If the Wild out chances the Oilers 6 - 4, good for them, it still made for a garbage hockey game.

Look I can understand the need to protect your team, defend them. They are winning, so good on them I guess, but it's still terrible hockey, and you won't convince anyone otherwise.

 

[Insta]

Not a great game but 3rd game in 4 nights and got a point.

This "concussion protocol" is a bunch of crap. Bob McKenzie listed off this morning the signs they look for such as loss of consciousness, dizzy/wobbliness, very slow getting up after a head hit and/or grabbing of the head, the glazed over eyes etc.

McDavid showed none of these signs. He went "ow", grab his mouth for a second and was fine.

How often have you seen a guy forced off the ice for this protocol? It happens so rarely I can barely even remember anyone who's done it, yet McDavid has to go when he doesn't even show any signs? Kesler just the night before was way worse, people are hit hard and fight all the time with head contact and they basically never get a phone call from this mysterious spotter. Unless they are going to apply it consistently to everyone, they can't just be singling out McDavid every time. Don't understand it at all.

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

Sorry but that game was anything but exciting. New coach, same Minnesota Wild.

 

[CantHaveTkachev]

I don't get the "garbage hockey" thing. The Wild out shot the Oilers. They had more scoring chances. They had a very aggressive forecheck - F1 and F2 always on the puck with F3 usually below the faceoff dot. Guys like Zucker, Coyle, Parise, Nino were flying past the Oiler D with speed all game long. The Wild have a plethora of very good defensemen and are one of the few teams that can limit the damage that the Oilers top players can do. The expansion era/Lemaire sit back and wait Wild are long gone. Even if you do not see it, the stats don't lie.

the Wild were the better team, mainly cause they got the Oilers on the back half of a back-to-back game and the Oil were playing their 3rd game in 4 nights

the Wild may seem more exciting but there's no forward in their line-up that scares anyone

they lost a 3-2 snoozer to Calgary 2 nights ago that was horrible hockey and last nights game was awful too

 

[Teppo]

the Wild were the better team, mainly cause they got the Oilers on the back half of a back-to-back game and the Oil were playing their 3rd game in 4 nights

the Wild may seem more exciting but there's no forward in their line-up that scares anyone

they lost a 3-2 snoozer to Calgary 2 nights ago that was horrible hockey and last nights game was awful too

I agree about the Oilers being tired probably was the difference in the game. Some of their guys did not have the same jump that I have seen.

Its no secret that the Wild do not have any high end offensive game breakers (though Coyle could become that guy). They are never bad enough to get a high pick and have not come up with any diamonds in the rough. The last time they had a high pick was Benoit Poulliot and we all know how that turned out!

While they have no game breakers they have a lot of good forwards - 20 goal / 50 pts kind of players. Add to that maybe a top-5 defense and a very good goalie.

But the narrative of the Wild playing a "boring" style just isn't reality. The stats don't indicate this, and the eye test does not indicate this. It is based on their expansion era/Lemaire team that could only compete by sitting back and waiting for the other team to make a mistake.

The forecheck that they employ, and the way their D activate and pinch is just not the "boring" style that they used to play in the old days.

 

[nexttothemoon]

I do give the Wild credit.. they won the game and in the end that's all that matters. They'll very likely be a playoff team this year with plenty of 2-1, 3-2 type wins where they trap and grind out a win and get enough OT/SO loser points to make the post-season.

Honestly if the Oilers played that way... I don't think they'd be an entertaining team to watch but I have to admit they'd probably also be a playoff team more often than 0 times in 10 years as well if they were good at that style of hockey like the Wild are.

 

[Teppo]

Sorry but that game was anything but exciting. New coach, same Minnesota Wild.

Does not make much sense to me - the Wild have dominated the Oilers over the last several seasons - usually scoring 3 + goals in the win. This was a tight/close 2-1 game. How is that the same?

 

[Teppo]

I do give the Wild credit.. they won the game and in the end that's all that matters. They'll very likely be a playoff team this year with plenty of 2-1, 3-2 type wins where they trap and grind out a win and get enough OT/SO loser points to make the post-season.

Honestly if the Oilers played that way... I don't think they'd be an entertaining team to watch but I have to admit they'd probably also be a playoff team more often than 0 times in 10 years as well if they were good at that style of hockey like the Wild are.

I guess if you want to call the way they played a "trap" style that is your prerogative. But the forecheck they employ, and the aggressive play of their D (when McDavid was not on the ice) is not typical of a trap team. Out shooting, out chancing their opponent is also not typical of a trapping team.

 

[Jimmi McJenkins]

Not a great game but 3rd game in 4 nights and got a point.

This "concussion protocol" is a bunch of crap. Bob McKenzie listed off this morning the signs they look for such as loss of consciousness, dizzy/wobbliness, very slow getting up after a head hit and/or grabbing of the head, the glazed over eyes etc.

McDavid showed none of these signs. He went "ow", grab his mouth for a second and was fine.

How often have you seen a guy forced off the ice for this protocol? It happens so rarely I can barely even remember anyone who's done it, yet McDavid has to go when he doesn't even show any signs? Kesler just the night before was way worse, people are hit hard and fight all the time with head contact and they basically never get a phone call from this mysterious spotter. Unless they are going to apply it consistently to everyone, they can't just be singling out McDavid every time. Don't understand it at all.

I'm not moving from this point, I don't know how the concussion spotters work exactly, but one would think that there's atleast one familiar with each team, that travel with the teams (so they have a "baseline" for the players) and then likely one independent guy each game.

Again, the NHL is going to look VERY stupid when it comes out, at some point soon (hopefully), that the "Minnesota" concussion called down "concerned" about McDavid going through the protocol.

 

[Jimmi McJenkins]

Does not make much sense to me - the Wild have dominated the Oilers over the last several seasons - usually scoring 3 + goals in the win. This was a tight/close 2-1 game. How is that the same?

Yeah, the Oilers suck against the trap, so the Wild find success. They are all unwatchable garbage.

Again, they did win, they did have good moments, but they play garbage unwatchable hockey. Not much is going to change that...unless they actually change that.

 

[Teppo]

Honestly if the Oilers played that way...

Help me understand - what is the "way" that you mean. Other than the Wild not having snipers/finishers like the Oilers do, in what way do they play that is different?

 

[Teppo]

Yeah, the Oilers suck against the trap, so the Wild find success. They are all unwatchable garbage.

Again, they did win, they did have good moments, but they play garbage unwatchable hockey. Not much is going to change that...unless they actually change that.

Explain what the "trap" is that the Wild play and how it differs from what a non-trap team like the Oilers play.

 

[Aceboogie]

Playing Wild in a back to back with our back up goalie and getting a point, im happy. Would have liked two bu nothing to worry about

 

[Jimmi McJenkins]

Explain what the "trap" is that the Wild play and how it differs from what a non-trap team like the Oilers play.

The Trap, clogs up the ice for no flow. They also don't actually try an attack, they just counter attack, they barely forecheck.

I know you're used to watching it, so it's just normal, but it's terrible and makes the sport unwatchable. You should watch some Caps or Rangers game (not against the Wild) and you'll see what Hockey looks like.