Post-Game Talk: Almost blown away in the Windy City

[jesusbuiltmyhotrod]

I know winning the division would be nice but you're looking at the Wild or MacKinnon and Makar as the 1st round matchup vs. the Kings or Miller-less Canucks/Flames. Not that they shouldn't be favorites against Minny or Colorado but I know which 1st round opponent I prefer, could be a blessing and a curse to win the division.
Maybe just overtake Winnipeg for top spot, yeah that sounds good.

Who cares? You need to beat the best to be the best.

 

[fuswald]

If Klingberg needed time to get ready, Kane will too. I’d rather get a forward for now. Start Evander on the third line and work his way up

Nuge and Henrique with Kane would bec a heck of a 3rd line. Podz instead of Kane also.

 

[EchoesoftheEighties]

Who cares? You need to beat the best to be the best.

Agreed. We're 3rd in the league, f*** it we can take on anyone.

 

[BlackDogg]

I think its safe to say Bedard is not "generational". He's probably on the same rung as Tkachuk.

 

[Canovin]

I think its safe to say Bedard is not "generational". He's probably on the same rung as Tkachuk.

Taylor Hall with Matthews shot

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

I know winning the division would be nice but you're looking at the Wild or MacKinnon and Makar as the 1st round matchup vs. the Kings or Miller-less Canucks/Flames. Not that they shouldn't be favorites against Minny or Colorado but I know which 1st round opponent I prefer, could be a blessing and a curse to win the division.
Maybe just overtake Winnipeg for top spot, yeah that sounds good.

I certainly understand the worry about the Avs, but I don't think the Wild would be all that challenging for us.

Plus not winning the division would all but guarantee a second round matchup with Vegas and no home ice. We already know how that went.

 

[tardigrade81]

Taylor Hall with Matthews shot

Minus the football size forehead

 

[Canovin]

I certainly understand the worry about the Avs, but I don't think the Wild would be all that challenging for us.

Plus not winning the division would all but guarantee a second round matchup with Vegas and no home ice. We already know how that went.

Vegas beat us in 6 games. Skinner saves % that series was .875 and Nurse being stupid to take himself out cost us the series.

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

Vegas beat us in 6 games. Skinner saves % that series was .875 and Nurse being stupid to take himself out cost us the series.

They sure did and went on to win the Stanley Cup.

Almost like Vegas was a really good team that year.

 

[Canovin]

They sure did and went on to win the Stanley Cup.

Almost like Vegas was a really good team that year.

The Oilers were very good as well and should have played the other goalie in Jack Campbell who was .957 that series

 

[LTIR]

Skinner-Drai-Podz looks like it could work well in the playoffs. Getting a guy like Konecny for McDavid would be the best of both worlds and you also got Hyman doing the dirty works as well

Just in one period last night we saw Pods-Drai-Skinner, Pods-Drai-Brown and Pods-Drai-Arvidsson. All 3 combos looked better than Hyman-McDavid-xxx

 

[Canovin]

Just in one period last night we saw Pods-Drai-Skinner, Pods-Drai-Brown and Pods-Drai-Arvidsson. All 3 combos looked better than Hyman-McDavid-xxx

As good as McDavid is, it's not easy to play with him.

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

The Oilers were very good as well and should have played the other goalie in Jack Campbell who was .957 that series

Yes, coming in to play mop up duty is definitely difficult for sure.

I don't even know how anyone can mention Jack Campbell with a straight face seeing as he completely collapsed as a player and isn't even in the league anymore.

 

[LTIR]

As good as McDavid is, it's not easy to play with him.

We got 2 months for someone to click with him at ES.. don't care if it's Brown or even Perry

 

[Canovin]

We got 2 months for someone to click with him at ES.. don't care if it's Brown or even Perry

Brown and Perry is temporary. I'm hoping the Oilers go after Rakell or Konecny so the others don't play up higher than they should. Expensive but will set us up for 3 years or more.

 

[K1984]

We got 2 months for someone to click with him at ES.. don't care if it's Brown or even Perry

It's more a matter of him clicking with himself IMO.

His game is just way, way off of where it normally is and I don't think it's teammate related. He's about 15% off in every part of his game. Speed, decision making, shooting, hitting, defensive awareness, etc. No idea if it's injury illness, fatigue or a combination of all, but he's just not playing well by his standards. To be honest outside of a window in mid-November to about Christmas he hasn't been playing well by his standards for pretty much the whole year.

 

[Mr Positive]

Give him the Hart, the Ted Lindsay, the Selke, and the Art Ross.
Leon f***ing Draisaitl.

If there were a totally objective process to this, I think Drai would get Selke votes. He's been amazing defensively

 

[K1984]

If there were a totally objective process to this, I think Drai would get Selke votes. He's been amazing defensively

I love how all it took for Matthews to be a Selke finalist for someone in the TO media circle to start beating the drum of "hey look he's really good defensively too!" Doesn't work that way for anyone but those players, there.

The Selke is the biggest "what's the narrative at the moment?" award of all of them. Seems to go to whoever group think arbitrarily decides is the best defensively, there never appears to be much thought that goes into it.

 

[BlackDogg]

Minus the football size forehead

Ouchhhhh

 

[frag2]

I love how all it took for Matthews to be a Selke finalist for someone in the TO media circle to start beating the drum of "hey look he's really good defensively too!" Doesn't work that way for anyone but those players, there.

The Selke is the biggest "what's the narrative at the moment?" award of all of them. Seems to go to whoever group think arbitrarily decides is the best defensively, there never appears to be much thought that goes into it.

Media is already punching their cards for Barkov or Reinhart

I mean, ffs, there was an NHL writer off nhl.com website that pretty much said nobody is going to win the Selke as long as Barkov is playing...just like Bergeron before him.

League awards are a crapshoot

 

[Oilhawks]

I love how all it took for Matthews to be a Selke finalist for someone in the TO media circle to start beating the drum of "hey look he's really good defensively too!" Doesn't work that way for anyone but those players, there.

The Selke is the biggest "what's the narrative at the moment?" award of all of them. Seems to go to whoever group think arbitrarily decides is the best defensively, there never appears to be much thought that goes into it.

Yup, unfortunately it’s become a bit of a joke award

 

[Behind Enemy Lines]

Vegas beat us in 6 games. Skinner saves % that series was .875 and Nurse being stupid to take himself out cost us the series.

There were many contributory factors within the razor fine margins of play in that series. Vegas clearly out coached Woodcroft; not moving off the Eichel line match up was a major gaffe; poor decisions, mistakes and penalties at critical times; and Vegas team defending and goaltending holding up with that slight edge better. A good summary of team mistakes here:

Arguably a more nimble coaching mind like Knoblauch with higher risk tolerance might have tilted a very tight series. Lots of contributory factors involved.

 

[Cloned]

There were many contributory factors within the razor fine margins of play in that series. Vegas clearly out coached Woodcroft; not moving off the Eichel line match up was a major gaffe; poor decisions, mistakes and penalties at critical times; and Vegas team defending and goaltending holding up with that slight edge better. A good summary of team mistakes here:

Arguably a more nimble coaching mind like Knoblauch with higher risk tolerance might have tilted a very tight series. Lots of contributory factors involved.

80/20

 

[McJadeddog]

I think its safe to say Bedard is not "generational". He's probably on the same rung as Tkachuk.

Think its a little early to agree on what he is going to be, as he is not yet 20 years old, lol.

 

[TopShelfGloveSide]

Yes, coming in to play mop up duty is definitely difficult for sure.

I don't even know how anyone can mention Jack Campbell with a straight face seeing as he completely collapsed as a player and isn't even in the league anymore.

Campbell literally saved our playoff lives. Hardly call that mop up duty.

Terrible though I agree. There’s a reason he’s gone.