Post-Game Talk: Below average goaltending + below average finishing + below average defense = ugly losses

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Man I hate to bring this up but Knoblauch is approaching 150 regular season games coached for this team.

Jay Woodcroft lasted 133 games.
Dave Tippet 171 games.

They can't seriously be tuning the f***ing coach out again can they?

This team couldn't score a goal on most AHL goalies. Never seen so many chances absolutely pissed down the drain. It's not a couple of players. It's the whole f***ing team. Even Leon butchers some prime gimme shots.

I think the forwards get off way to easy and I've been saying it all year. They make every goalie look like Hasek.

Skinner wasn't great.. But neither were the forwards. 2 goals doesn't cut it. 2 goals on thirty plus shots and 5 posts/crossbars. doesn't cut it.
BE BETTER Oiler forwards because collectively you guys are sucking massive balls in this stretch.
The offense is drying up because teams have just learned how to box us to the outside. We've always been a perimeter team that can't shoot from distance or drive the middle. As long as our wingers are doing absolutely nothing, this won't change. They just let McDrai carry the puck around the perimeter because they know the rest of the roster is incapable of doing anything to help
 
Have you not watched games? He's started on the other side quit a few times the last few games.

Also, his spot isn't a problem at all. See OV and Stamkos for examples.

Currently the biggest issue i would say is Nuge. He loses alot of battles and retrievals. He always back passes to Bouchard or slides it to McD goaline.

He needs to shoot more, hit Drai on a cross pass or the most important, shoot at Hyman far post.

Why is McD the only one who makes that shot to Hyman or that pass to Leon?

Nuge had 2 wide open passes to Leon yesterday and deferred it both times
Nuge has to activate his patented signature 15-second predictable release. Give him a break
 
Nuge has to activate his patented signature 15-second predictable release. Give him a break

Ha. Yup. Nuge only shoots when he's worked his way into the circle area and then takes that long drag release.

Meanwhile Drai has started that side a few times lately and already has a goal by shooting from outside the circle.

It's definitely time for them to try someone else there
 
Cant even blame the forwards they hit five posts just unlucky meawhile they gave up maybe 5 or 6 good scoring chances all game to buffalo and 3 go in what else can they do? That first goal was absolutely dog shit any other goalie doesn't give up that huge rebound from a 12 foot twister let alone lazy their way to trying to cover it. Second goal looked like a warmup goal where the goalie doesn't wanna get hurt and just does that stand up throw out a leg posture with no real attempt to stop it. All that followed up by one of the dumbest looking attempts at a save for the third goal.
 
Cant even blame the forwards they hit five posts just unlucky meawhile they gave up maybe 5 or 6 good scoring chances all game to buffalo and 3 go in what else can they do? That first goal was absolutely dog shit any other goalie doesn't give up that huge rebound from a 12 foot twister let alone lazy their way to trying to cover it. Second goal looked like a warmup goal where the goalie doesn't wanna get hurt and just does that stand up throw out a leg posture with no real attempt to stop it. All that followed up by one of the dumbest looking attempts at a save for the third goal.

Stops being bad luck when it's every game.
 
You’re right Stan, goaltending is fine, no need to try and upgrade at the trade deadline. Skinner & Pickard, definitely a duo you hitch your Stanley Cup aspirations to.

Our GM is a moron.
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KK keeps changing up lines over and over again to the point where some lines can't even gain chemistry. We can't have that happen. I know people hate Arvidsson but He was great against Dallas.

Well outside of the line that is actually massively struggling: McDavid's.

RNH-McDavid-Hyman hasn't been good this year, and since the 4 Nations they've been downright awful.
Yet the one game McDavid got away from them was with,,, Podz and Kap vs. the 2nd best team in the league...

RNH worked with McDavid when Connor was looking to shoot; but now you have two guys on the line that don't look to score and Hyman who's really only effective inside 15ft of the net. They're far too easy to defend and what's annoying is it's clear as day Drai would be a far better fit between those two. You'd add a proper shooter to the line, and Drai's size means he can work down low with Hyman, meaning Nuge living on the perimeter isn't as big a problem.


Also can Connor Brown please take a seat? His play so far this calendar year is worse than it was at any point last season.
 
Well outside of the line that is actually massively struggling: McDavid's.

RNH-McDavid-Hyman hasn't been good this year, and since the 4 Nations they've been downright awful.
Yet the one game McDavid got away from them was with,,, Podz and Kap vs. the 2nd best team in the league...

RNH worked with McDavid when Connor was looking to shoot; but now you have two guys on the line that don't look to score and Hyman who's really only effective inside 15ft of the net. They're far too easy to defend and what's annoying is it's clear as day Drai would be a far better fit between those two. You'd add a proper shooter to the line, and Drai's size means he can work down low with Hyman, meaning Nuge living on the perimeter isn't as big a problem.


Also can Connor Brown please take a seat? His play so far this calendar year is worse than it was at any point last season.

Great post.

As bad as they have been offensively, the 93-97-18 line has been even worse in their own end. 93 is slow as molasses physically and mentally, so he gets ruined on the boards and can't rush the puck on his own. Just ends up flipping it up the wall and turning it over constantly. 97 runs around like a chicken with his head cut off and has developed an addiction to chasing the puck around like a raw rookie. Hyman is less of an issue than the other two individually, but he is no stalwart himself and can get caught out of position high.

On top of the tactical issues highlighted above, they just don't work hard in their own end. They have had a tendency lately to get hemmed by even the most mundane 4th lines for no reason other than they get outworked and won't make a breakout play that isn't a pretty touch pass off the wall to break out. They also like to blow the zone and leave defenders sending hope passes.

The line is just broken and has been all year. Insane they keep going back to the well, but why would we expect anything different here.
 
Heres Buffalos amazing goaltender in action... Our 30 million dollar boys could only get 1 passed him...


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Notice how nobody goes to Skinner to console him. Straight off the ice as soon as possible. No Vinnie Desharnais around to be his friend. Or Woodcroft. Things are getting colder in Oil country folks. Cold shoulder. This has been going on for awhile and management not even detecting it or Drai being effusive with praise for the back up saying we all love Pickard in net, everybody does. Its hilarious and as if this org is being managed from some other continent. They have no idea whats going with the team.
One consolation is that I never have to see that stupid childish high-five between Stu and Vinny again.
 
Notice how nobody goes to Skinner to console him. Straight off the ice as soon as possible. No Vinnie Desharnais around to be his friend. Or Woodcroft. Things are getting colder in Oil country folks. Cold shoulder. This has been going on for awhile and management not even detecting it or Drai being effusive with praise for the back up saying we all love Pickard in net, everybody does. Its hilarious and as if this org is being managed from some other continent. They have no idea whats going with the team.
Imagine how deflating that s- must be for the team which in win now mode. I know other players stats are down this year but you gotta have some confidence in your goalie.
 
Heres Buffalos amazing goaltender in action... Our 30 million dollar boys could only get 1 passed him...


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This team has far more pressing issues than skinner.

The “elite” offense has totally dried up. The defense is leaving players WIDE open in the slot multiple times.

The team is built around an elite offense that has been missing most of the year. Skinner needs to be better, but at the end of the day we know what he is and we can’t “wish” him into a 6 mil goalie, however we should be asking our high paid forwards to contribute a lot more.
 

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