Post-Game Talk: All Good Things…

[Arty Spooners Bsmnt]

Bouch hits a post, McDavid hits a post, Drai Connor Browns a sure goal and people go nuts when the Oilers get scored on twice.

 

[Drivesaitl]

I don’t understand why people are overreacting. We could have easily won that game. Open net miss, post, Kane slashed when he would have scored, plus others. Vegas got lucky we for sure would beat them if we play like we did over multiple games.

Its because its the team that beat us in the playoffs. The eventual SC champs. Its not just another game. This is one we were marking on calendars for a month, so was the Oilers team.

You think this game didn't mean much. Look at McDavid last minute on the bench. He's furious. Seldom seen him this angry. The Oilers wanted this game badly and didn't get it. Its not just the fans reacting. This game was not inconsequential. The magnitude of this game, at least for the Oilers was palpable throughout. The Oilers played hard, they played very well. The frustration could even be that the Oilers had most of their A game last night and lost.

 

[Fourier]

Its possible the Oilers themselves can start to see it that way. In specific matchups numbers can be had. Anybody see the rage in McD the moment it was clear we were losing this one? Lets be clear here THIS game was taken very seriously by the Oil. They had more reason to win it than Vegas did, and more revenge reason, and evening score reason. They were facing a Vegas club depleted by injury, without Eichel and Theodore and others. This would be like the Oilers not having Drai and Nurse. We still lost.

This is not to say the Oilers can't beat Vegas. Anything can happen. But its disconcerting deja vu last night, or at least how I felt it. To me the game was eerily reminiscent. Again we even got the first goal in this one. Just like all 6 games played last spring against the Knights.

Lastly I think the Oilers get super amped playing the Knights by now. Lots of emotion, lots of hate. Sometimes that equates well. With the Oilers it might remove just a bit of concentration at times. It might get them not relaxed when they get chances. Over emotion can do that. The Knights dislike the Oilers, but foremost want to beat us. To them we're one of their bars, their measures. But to the Oilers this has become like a war.

This Oilers did beat Vegas early on in the year in a very important game for them. Hill was not playing and the Oilers won in a shootout, but the score flattered Vegas.

Winning is a journey. The 80's Oilers needed to overcome NYI. It did not seem like that would happen until it did in a spectacular way. We don't know if this team has that in them yet. But I think that with some smart additions they have the pieces to do so.

The other thing Vegas has going against it is that their key players have trouble staying healthy. Last year the Oilers did a very good job of making life miserable for guys like Stone and AP. Those two are a year older and have that many more miles on them. Eichel seems to always be on the verge of missing time.

 

[iCanada]

I too felt that the Oilers were deserving of victory. But I've been getting used to that feeling in important matchups with Vegas. This was an important game, 4pt game, and with Vegas missing critical elements.

But that said I experienced some deja vu with that game, which isn't definable, and can be a subjective feel. So may not be objective on this one.

Yeah, I feel like we've deserved to win our last 8 games versus Vegas, but we've lost 5 of them.

I guess there's a law of large numbers in there somewhere, but I feel what you feel. There was a level of nerves last night I haven't felt all year.

One thing I will say though, honestly I do think that we match up better with Vegas when they've got Eichel and Theodore in the lineup. Just stylistically I feel like their game moves more towards our strong suits and away from our historic weak points.

 

[Duke74]

To a certain extent Vegas are in the Oilers heads. I think thats especially true with Draisaitl.

I was thinking the exact same thing given his performance last night. He seemed to grip his stick too tightly and overthink his decisions. I wonder if this is due to the shitty slash, the fact that Hill has stoned him, or just general frustration with the loss last spring.

 

[Heavy Dee]

I was thinking the exact same thing given his performance last night. He seemed to grip his stick too tightly and overthink his decisions. I wonder if this is due to the shitty slash, the fact that Hill has stoned him, or just general frustration with the loss last spring.

Hill is definitely in their heads. You can see there was open lanes for shots and rebounds but they were passed up for low % cross ice hope passes.

 

[russ99]

Its possible the Oilers themselves can start to see it that way. In specific matchups numbers can be had. Anybody see the rage in McD the moment it was clear we were losing this one? Lets be clear here THIS game was taken very seriously by the Oil. They had more reason to win it than Vegas did, and more revenge reason, and evening score reason. They were facing a Vegas club depleted by injury, without Eichel and Theodore and others. This would be like the Oilers not having Drai and Nurse. We still lost.

This is not to say the Oilers can't beat Vegas. Anything can happen. But its disconcerting deja vu last night, or at least how I felt it. To me the game was eerily reminiscent. Again we even got the first goal in this one. Just like all 6 games played last spring against the Knights.

Lastly I think the Oilers get super amped playing the Knights by now. Lots of emotion, lots of hate. Sometimes that equates well. With the Oilers it might remove just a bit of concentration at times. It might get them not relaxed when they get chances. Over emotion can do that. The Knights dislike the Oilers, but foremost want to beat us. To them we're one of their bars, their measures. But to the Oilers this has become like a war.

Need to see some players adapt their offensive game against Vegas. Keep the puck and increase pressure rather then try to finesse through three guys to the crease or pass around to make the perfect goal. Point shots seemed especially futile, with chances not on net or blocked with nobody fighting down low to screen or cash the rebound,

Hill was very good, but our shots for the most part were slow to develop and telegraphed.

Gotta clean up the bad turnovers and giveaways too. We need to fight for every inch of ice below the circles, making a dumb play and giving it away just starts the fight over.

They did play well and committed defensively other than Ceci’s behind the net adventures, and adapted entry to get in with numbers late, it’s the finish that’s eluding them and playing a big physical D group denying the tough areas is going to take something different than their usual finesse game.

 

[McTonyBrar]

Not giving up on Skinner at all. Just want to get some reliable backup to help with the load through the playoffs.
Skinner is playing well enough to be the #1 but he can’t be expected to overload on games played.

So you mean like a 1B. I agree. That’s why I want Fleury

 

[mkatcherin00]

Didn't look at the #'s until today

Outposessed them 62%-38%

High dangers 16 and Vegas 8 lol

 

[Drivesaitl]

This Oilers did beat Vegas early on in the year in a very important game for them. Hill was not playing and the Oilers won in a shootout, but the score flattered Vegas.

Winning is a journey. The 80's Oilers needed to overcome NYI. It did not seem like that would happen until it did in a spectacular way. We don't know if this team has that in them yet. But I think that with some smart additions they have the pieces to do so.

The other thing Vegas has going against it is that their key players have trouble staying healthy. Last year the Oilers did a very good job of making life miserable for guys like Stone and AP. Those two are a year older and have that many more miles on them. Eichel seems to always be on the verge of missing time.

We're an older club as well. Not spring chickens anymore. Down the lineup especially we look pretty damned old on 4th line particularly. Despite our size and physicality I do think Vegas were winning too many puck battles and board battles and forcing pucks out and such. They make simple plays out. Even under immense pressure we were bringing. Oilers were better than Vegas last night. I'm not saying it differently.

Also increasingly Kane, Drai, etc may also be having trouble being consistently healthy. Occurs more with age. We have the same problem. The Oilers have been very fortunate to have seen so little injury this season.

 

[Yuke]

Its because its the team that beat us in the playoffs. The eventual SC champs. Its not just another game. This is one we were marking on calendars for a month, so was the Oilers team.

You think this game didn't mean much. Look at McDavid last minute on the bench. He's furious. Seldom seen him this angry. The Oilers wanted this game badly and didn't get it. Its not just the fans reacting. This game was not inconsequential. The magnitude of this game, at least for the Oilers was palpable throughout. The Oilers played hard, they played very well. The frustration could even be that the Oilers had most of their A game last night and lost.

The ending of the streak was huge for Vegas. They had players diving to intersection passes etc. That gave them extra motivation and I'm sure McD was pissed it ended

 

[Drivesaitl]

The ending of the streak was huge for Vegas. They had players diving to intersection passes etc. That gave them extra motivation and I'm sure McD was pissed it ended

Sure. but the motivation to defeat the team that ended your last season, to defeat the defending SC champs is greater, it always is, it was last night. McDrai were intense last night.

 

[iCanada]

Didn't look at the #'s until today

Outposessed them 62%-38%

High dangers 16 and Vegas 8 lol

Same story as the playoffs last year tbh. Difference was Hill. We either need to crack that nut or have a like Goaltending performance ourselves because that Vegas team is too good to out chance hard enough to overcome a 4-5% difference in shooting/save percentage.

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

Vegas didn’t

But Vancouver, Dallas, Tampa bay, and Winnipeg all did.

 

[Draiskull]

In what was arguably one of the biggest games in franchise history, a massive statement game against the champs that punted us last year, so arguably the most important game of the season, you type the bolded. Wow

Do you watch games or just read stats afterwards?

Tonite Ceci killed alteast 5 cycles, which he does all the time. His shot attempts are/were like watching celebrity hockey games

The Flyers just beat the Florida Panthers. The Flyers roster is bush league, yet they are in a playoff spot and beating juggernaut teams. Wanna know why?

Ceci would have been benched this game and several more for that 2nd goal by Torts. He literally had every opportunity to block that shot with ease. But he casually skated infront of the shot and screened the goalie

Ceci was easily a massive reason they lost this game

If one night defines a player then Draisaitl and Bouchard aren't very good ones. Ceci wasn't the only one looking hung over. His mistakes were just more costly. Bouchard needs to upgrade his processor or stop trying to pretend he is Jagr. Draisaitl is just Draisaitl. He got his point.

 

[Ritchie Valens]

I hate losing to Vegas as much as anyone but we all knew this streak had to end at some point.

Nothing to hang their heads over…especially considering the league has existed for over 100 years and the 23/24 Oilers became just the third team in all existence to win 16 straight games and won most of them in regulation. The haters can’t even use the SO excuse because only one win came by the SO during that streak.

Sometimes she goes. Sometimes she don’t go. Last night she didn’t go. That’s the way she goes.

 

[Sanchez]

We can all agree that the Oilers were the better team; Adin Hill stood on his head. Sure there were some players that didn't have good games but they'll bounce back this weekend. Would have been nice to tie the record, especially against Vegas, but now we don't have to hear about this streak from the media every day.

 

[DrDrai]

So why are you posting about it now? This wasn't the playoffs.

Because they owned us last year, this was another important game and a loss.

I hope they (Oilers) beat them come playoffs but it’s clear to me that they don’t have it to beat Vegas. The knights play a particular way against us and it’s really effective. It’s also a super demoralizing style because I leads you to believe that you are one shot away all the time, then they get one and you seemingly never get it back.

The boys need to simplify their game against Vegas, Adin Hill won’t have a down game either, he’s just a good goalie now.

 

[ujju2]

The Oilers played well, but Hill played excellent and the refs called a low event game when the Oilers hold a massive special teams advantage.

This is true. But both of these things are likely to continue into the playoffs when we face them again. So we do have to find a way to overcome strong goaltending from Hill and a low-penalty game from the refs.

 

[DrDrai]

We just played around 12 straight games with two goals or less scored against and probably should have beat the Knights tonight if Drai was awake.

I have no idea how you come away from this run and that game thinking we can’t play gritty hockey and can’t beat this Vegas team.

I get the frustration of their style of play but a couple of smart trades at the deadline and there isn’t a team that would scare me come playoff time.

Because they didn’t play gritty against them last night, they played a perimeter game, passed up shots and turned the puck over.

I know people don’t like my opinion on this game, but it was an important game and they laid an egg. I’ve been around long enough to know how this story repeats itself.

Only part that gives me hope was how mad McDavid was, they have a lot of time to make a plan for Vegas if they play them in the playoffs. You know his anger wasn’t about the streak, it was losing to Vegas AGAIN.

 

[ujju2]

Its because its the team that beat us in the playoffs. The eventual SC champs. Its not just another game. This is one we were marking on calendars for a month, so was the Oilers team.

You think this game didn't mean much. Look at McDavid last minute on the bench. He's furious. Seldom seen him this angry. The Oilers wanted this game badly and didn't get it. Its not just the fans reacting. This game was not inconsequential. The magnitude of this game, at least for the Oilers was palpable throughout. The Oilers played hard, they played very well. The frustration could even be that the Oilers had most of their A game last night and lost.

This is exactly it. When the team has an off night and stinks it up, that's one thing. When the team is on its A game and puts in a 60 minute effort, and still comes up just short, against the team that beat you in the playoffs last year on the way to winning a cup, and the team you will likely have to beat in the playoffs this year, that means something.

 

[DrDrai]

Its because its the team that beat us in the playoffs. The eventual SC champs. Its not just another game. This is one we were marking on calendars for a month, so was the Oilers team.

You think this game didn't mean much. Look at McDavid last minute on the bench. He's furious. Seldom seen him this angry. The Oilers wanted this game badly and didn't get it. Its not just the fans reacting. This game was not inconsequential. The magnitude of this game, at least for the Oilers was palpable throughout. The Oilers played hard, they played very well. The frustration could even be that the Oilers had most of their A game last night and lost.

Spot on assessment, I’m getting eaten alive for saying the same thing.

Glad it happened half way through the season so they can hopefully address what they need to.

 

[guymez]

I was thinking the exact same thing given his performance last night. He seemed to grip his stick too tightly and overthink his decisions. I wonder if this is due to the shitty slash, the fact that Hill has stoned him, or just general frustration with the loss last spring.

That slash changed everything for Vegas in that series and I also think that the slash has especially messed with Draisaitl. He was brutal in last nights game.
Its still in his head against Vegas.

 

[ujju2]

Spot on assessment, I’m getting eaten alive for saying the same thing.

Glad it happened half way through the season so they can hopefully address what they need to.

No you're not. @Drivesaitl said the Oilers brought their A-game and played very well. You said the Oilers laid an egg. Those things are clearly not the same.

 

[TopShelfGloveSide]

Because they owned us last year, this was another important game and a loss.

I hope they (Oilers) beat them come playoffs but it’s clear to me that they don’t have it to beat Vegas. The knights play a particular way against us and it’s really effective. It’s also a super demoralizing style because I leads you to believe that you are one shot away all the time, then they get one and you seemingly never get it back.

The boys need to simplify their game against Vegas, Adin Hill won’t have a down game either, he’s just a good goalie now.

Shit is coming out of your ears today.