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

[McJadeddog]

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.

Yeah, I've been monitoring this as well. Unlikley that we catch Winnipeg, or that Calgary/Vancouver can catch Colorado/Minny. But I suppose anything is possible. The more likely scenario actually, is that Vegas catches us, and we play LA again in the first round.

 

[Behind Enemy Lines]

80/20

80 -20 still. haha. Though coaching impact can amplified or diminished in playoff series hockey. It still largely came down to poor player decisions and mistakes at in opportune times. Overwhelmingly players on ice in a high speed, collision sport with a ton of randomness determine results good and bad.

Contributory team mistakes included goaltending but not exclusively goaltending were the difference in the margins. Vegas coach I credited as one of a few difference makers within a largely interchangeable role. Unfortunately it was a difference against a young coach (who had once been proclaimed the most recent Oiler saviour) who locked himself into passive, unchanging decision making within a high pressure reality of NHL series playoff hockey.

 

[BudBundy]

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

The man on man defense scheme we were running back then got eaten alive by Vegas. Revisionist history cannot be tolerated or we’ll make the same mistakes. Sure, if Pietrangelo got a proper sentence for trying to sever Draisaitls arm and Nurse not being given the instigator penalty late in the game, things might’ve ended differently, but strategically that was a horrible fit and that loss falls in the coaching staff.

 

[jesusbuiltmyhotrod]

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.

This oilers team is better than them by a good margin and Vegas aren’t as good. Zero correlation

 

[Oilers]

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

He’s still young but yeah, he isn’t looking all that impressive.

Macklin Celebrini on the other hand looks really good. Even when he’s not scoring he’s making a difference out there.

 

[frag2]

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

Generational players are lights out from the getgo. Bedard is not lights out. As it stands, I dont know if he's even in the Matthews/Mackinnon tier

 

[Cloned]

80 -20 still. haha. Though coaching impact can amplified or diminished in playoff series hockey. It still largely came down to poor player decisions and mistakes at in opportune times. Overwhelmingly players on ice in a high speed, collision sport with a ton of randomness determine results good and bad.

Contributory team mistakes included goaltending but not exclusively goaltending were the difference in the margins. Vegas coach I credited as one of a few difference makers within a largely interchangeable role. Unfortunately it was a difference against a young coach (who had once been proclaimed the most recent Oiler saviour) who locked himself into passive, unchanging decision making within a high pressure reality of NHL series playoff hockey.

tl;dr

80/20

 

[frag2]

He’s still young but yeah, he isn’t looking all that impressive.

Macklin Celebrini on the other hand looks really good. Even when he’s not scoring he’s making a difference out there.

What Celebrini's done has been pretty impressive for an 18 year old. Also, not being 5'9 helps lol

 

[Cloned]

Celebrini reminds me of Doug Gilmour.

Bedard reminds me of Jordan Eberle.

Make of that what you will lol.

 

[Stoneman89]

Why did it take so long to put skinner in the top 6? Why did he have to play like 30 games in the bottom two lines?

Because he's playing well now and wasn't playing very well then. He's earned it on merit, and that's how it should work.

 

[frag2]

Because he's playing well now and wasn't playing very well then. He's earned it on merit, and that's how it should work.

Then Arvidsson shouldn't be on the top line

 

[Duke74]

It’s actually a woman lmao

Yikes. I can only imagine what she looks like. On second thought, maybe I don't want to imagine...

 

[NashtoNowitzki]

I still think Podkolzin needs to be replaced with a winger with speed and a bit of size with more skill AKA another top six winger

A Dylan Holloway type.

 

[Canovin]

Celebrini reminds me of Doug Gilmour.

Bedard reminds me of Jordan Eberle.

Make of that what you will lol.

The Oilers have a Bedard lite in Savoie

 

[Behind Enemy Lines]

tl;dr

80/20

Don't know what this means. But I give you an Olli Jokinen emoji for puzzled, stunned look not angry which it apparently represents. haha

 

[Dazed and Confused]

I like the idea of pairing Henrique with RNH for a bit of a test drive. Add in Brown or Kapanen on the other wing to bring some speed and it should have the makings of a solid line imo.

Yeah I think that's the direction they're going to end up going in.

Personally I like the idea of yo-yoing all 4 of RNH, Henrique, Hyman, and RV in and out of McDavid's wing depending on who's hot, and then having the remaining two drive the 3rd line.

Arvidsson-McDavid-Hyman // Henrique-RNH-Brown
RNH-McDavid-Hyman // Arvidsson-Henrique-Brown
Henrique-McDavid-Hyman // Arvidsson-RNH-Brown
RNH-McDavid-Arvidsson // Janmark-Henrique-Hyman
Henrique-McDavid-Arvidsson // Janmark-RNH-Hyman

 

[Stoneman89]

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

Almost like Vegas was a really good team that year.

They were but I still believe we were better. The Nurse play was the turning point in that series, IMO. That, and Woodcroft's indecison to make changes or the proper changes cost us.

 

[5 14 6 1]

Generational players are lights out from the getgo. Bedard is not lights out. As it stands, I dont know if he's even in the Matthews/Mackinnon tier

To be fair look at Jack Hughes and MacKinnon to start their careers. He is outpacing both.

Crosby or Mcdavid he is not though

 

[AM]

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.

Hard to decide how to play when every player can cheat on you and you aren’t allowed to protect yourself.

 

[tardigrade81]

Ouchhhhh

Eh it happens. My fave QB of all time, Peyton Manning has one too.

Not everyone can have my boyish good looks unfortunately

 

[Mr Positive]

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.

Yes but part of the coaching advantage of Knoblauch might show in how Woodcroft was overly committed to playing Skinner, on the hope he would somehow put it together. Woody even said that he went back to Skinner that last time because Skinner tended to play well after he played bad.

But honestly I don't think Skinner is better now than he was then. He is getting more consistent, but overall he still carries that label as streaky

 

[LTIR]

Then Arvidsson shouldn't be on the top line

By Arvi you mean Nuge?
Arvidsson scored last night and certainly wasn't on the top line.

Top line is Podkolzin-Drai-xxxx. Rest 3 are about the same at ES ie not very good.

PS.. watching the replay it looks like Emberson was gassed and should've been sat for Stecher in back to back.
Looked horrible making Bouchard like mistakes.

 

[frag2]

To be fair look at Jack Hughes and MacKinnon to start their careers. He is outpacing both.

Crosby or Mcdavid he is not though

That's fair. But neither Hughes nor Mack were generational talents either.
Seems like media can't help itself trying to tag so and so as the next generational talent.

IMO, the only one that looks promising is Landon Dupont but we'll see how that translates.

 

[OilerTyler]

Yes but part of the coaching advantage of Knoblauch might show in how Woodcroft was overly committed to playing Skinner, on the hope he would somehow put it together. Woody even said that he went back to Skinner that last time because Skinner tended to play well after he played bad.

But honestly I don't think Skinner is better now than he was then. He is getting more consistent, but overall he still carries that label as streaky

Woodcroft had to be committed to Skinner because his other option was Jack Campbell, one of the worst goaltenders to ever wear the Oilers crest.

People can point to Campbell’s numbers in relief during those playoffs but starting a game is a whole different animal. He never played a single minute with the lead and spent most of the time playing against players that were trying to defend a multiple goal lead. Nothing he did before or after those playoffs showed that he was capable of taking this team anywhere. He’s also famous for being fragile mentally.

Pickard is a much better option at least. There’s no shot Knoblauch pulls Skinner out of the Vancouver series last year if his other option was Campbell.

 

[Behind Enemy Lines]

Yes but part of the coaching advantage of Knoblauch might show in how Woodcroft was overly committed to playing Skinner, on the hope he would somehow put it together. Woody even said that he went back to Skinner that last time because Skinner tended to play well after he played bad.

But honestly I don't think Skinner is better now than he was then. He is getting more consistent, but overall he still carries that label as streaky

My point was more about the fine margins of player mistakes and bad decisions which tilted the series with factors that included team defending gaffes, coaching and goaltending. It's not JUST on the back of goaltending which is too simplistically characterized at times. The video I linked gives a good outline of the big mistakes that hurt them in game 6.

The Oilers are a powerhouse that heavily tilts the ice with their play led by two super elites upfront and a top pairing d-corp among the best in the league. That's where they have spent their big money to drive success. They have continued to improve their goal suppression work. However they can still slip into periodic big mistakes that prove costly. Skinner's been a development phase in-house cheap contingency necessity who is building his game while still subject to some wild variances in consistent quality of his game.

I fully give Knoblauch credit for being better with in-game decision making and a big brass balls decision to roll out Pickard in a do or die playoff situation against Vancouver. Both are big bonafides over Woodcroft who was prematurely anointed as an elite coach. This is ultimately a mature, playoff steeled group that have now experienced everything except winning a final Game 7 Stanley Cup Final.