Pre-Game Talk: Final Game 3. Best of 5. 1 new Pole.

[Duke74]

Because we don’t have 4 wingers that can play in the Top 6 and Nuge can’t run a line. Unless you are giving Nuge Kane and a healthy Hyman no combination can match that line.

We don’t even have enough wingers with Nuge in it to run 2 solid top 6 lines.

Kane, Perry, Pod, Kap, Henrique, Brown, J. Skinner, and Arvy can all play in the top 9.

 

[CycloneSweep]

Kane, Perry, Pod, Kap, Henrique, Brown, J. Skinner, and Arvy can all play in the top 9.

all those guys can play third line minutes. Kane can handle top 6 minutes and Perry can in flashes. It’s the reason Knob keeps having to put McDrai together

Henrique should be on the 4th line, same with Pod and Kapanen. Arvidsson can’t play well outside of the 4th line anymore. Brown is still clearly injured. Skinner won’t see anymore minutes unless someone is hurt, coach rather play Frederic to kill offence then let Skinner score.

So at best if you try and run 3 centers deep it ends up being
Kane - McDavid- Perry
Podkolzin - Draisaitl - Kapanen
Frederic - Nuge - Arvidsson
Janmark - Henrique - Brown

Barkov takes the McDavid line and neither scores. Lundell and Marchand would outscore the Drai line and then Maurice puts Bennetts line against Nuge and they will get hemmed in every shift.

We don’t have the players especially without Hyman to go 3 deep. Maybe they try but it’ll last 30 seconds before it’s McDrai every second shift.

 

[TB12]

I assume the ice in FLA will be absolute horseshit like it was in Vegas and Dallas. Hopefully they keep shit simple and get to the net. Bob is giving up all sorts of rebounds, need to capitalize on those and score some ugly ones.

 

[frag2]

all those guys can play third line minutes. Kane can handle top 6 minutes and Perry can in flashes. It’s the reason Knob keeps having to put McDrai together

Henrique should be on the 4th line, same with Pod and Kapanen. Arvidsson can’t play well outside of the 4th line anymore. Brown is still clearly injured. Skinner won’t see anymore minutes unless someone is hurt, coach rather play Frederic to kill offence then let Skinner score.

So at best if you try and run 3 centers deep it ends up being
Kane - McDavid- Perry
Podkolzin - Draisaitl - Kapanen
Frederic - Nuge - Arvidsson
Janmark - Henrique - Brown

Barkov takes the McDavid line and neither scores. Lundell and Marchand would outscore the Drai line and then Maurice puts Bennetts line against Nuge and they will get hemmed in every shift.

We don’t have the players especially without Hyman to go 3 deep. Maybe they try but it’ll last 30 seconds before it’s McDrai every second shift.

So what you’re saying is we got no chance and cup Florida… got it. Guess there’s No need for you to spam every GDT and PGT then since you’ve already made up your mind

 

[Mr Positive]

They should sit Nurse for all his dumb icings alone.

I would be fine with that too. Except, has Kulak-Stecher been a consistent pairing for any period of time or are we doing an experiment mid-series? The benefit of Nurse-Stecher is that it has been done for a long time and it did have a positive effect on Nurse

 

[CycloneSweep]

I would be fine with that too. Except, has Kulak-Stecher been a consistent pairing for any period of time or are we doing an experiment mid-series? The benefit of Nurse-Stecher is that it has been done for a long time and it did have a positive effect on Nurse

True but you are sitting a much better player to keep a 3rd pairing 9mill d happy n

 

[redgrant]

Florida isnt a very good home team and we've done well on those Slurpee ice sunbelts sheets. Main thing they need to do is having special teams improve.

This series is over if it's last year's special teams.

 

[Mr Positive]

True but you are sitting a much better player to keep a 3rd pairing 9mill d happy

He very much isn't a third pairing D. His minutes only took a hit after he was playing badly. For every other game these playoffs he's been the #3 on this team easily. I also doubt Knoblauch would scratch Nurse due to his physical leadership. And yes, it is a proven truth that Nurse plays better with Stecher.

But honestly I'd be behind a Kulak-Stecher pairing. I just don't want any more D playing on their off side.

 

[CycloneSweep]

At home before this series we have outscored the opponent. 28-12, on the road 32-28. We are a much better home team than road team.

 

[tardigrade81]

One game at a time and shoot high ffs

This !!!!

 

[CantHaveTkachev]

At home before this series we have outscored the opponent. 28-12, on the road 32-28. We are a much better home team than road team.

now do Florida's home stats

 

[Oilhawks]

and what's the record of a team who wins game 1 of series?

this stat is meaningless

One of the biggest doomers on this board will spend massive amounts of time looking for stats to validate his depressive takes on the team, what a shock

 

[Oilhawks]

If the players on this team had the mental fortitude of many of the posters on this board (myself included), they would have been golfing after a sweep to the Kings this year

As shitty as the loss was last night, it was a f***ing coin clip, and they deserve the benefit of the doubt with how they've responded to adversity so far.

It's the f***ing Finals, they didn't get here by accident. That's the sort of shit jealous fans of rival teams would wrongly proclaim.

 

[GhostfaceWu]

Swap Skinner for frederic already the guy doesn't even play physical what is he still ding in the line up.

 

[CycloneSweep]

Swap Skinner for frederic already the guy doesn't even play physical what is he still ding in the line up.

If they swap Skinner in, he might score on the chances Frederic gets and coach can’t have that.

 

[McJadeddog]

Skinner in for Frederic. Frederic has been very invisible all playoffs, and we have more than enough physical players otherwise. If Skinner is a defensive liability in the early part of the game, you limit his mins the rest of the way. Pretty easy.

Stecher in for Kulak. This isn't anything against Kulak, but Stetcher is the "Nurse-whisperer" for whatever reason and Kulak hasn't been good at all on his off side. Stecher isn't big, but he is very fast, so can get back to pucks and move it before the forecheck eats him up. The increased play by Nurse more than accounts for the reduced quality in Stecher compared to Kulak.

The biggest thing though is that we need to at least saw-off on the goalie battle. Skinner has to be a positive GSAx goalie, or we won't win. This is, by far, the biggest need on the team. If Skinner doesn't let in goals he isn't supposed to, we win.

 

[Rafters]

If you want drastic…. Bring Stecher in and move Nurse to LW… probably the place he will cause the least damage in The lineup

 

[McJadeddog]

Can't see us taking a game in Florida and expect us to be back down 3 games to 1 here. There is almost no difference between the teams. Moneypuck had both games at 60-62% chance of Edmonton deserving to win. When you include the inherit home ice advantage, that is basically a toss up statistically. Both games going to OT also shows this pretty clearly. With Florida having home ice, we are going to have to dramatically increase our play, get a bunch of puck luck in one of the games, or hope that Skinner steals a game for us. Basically if we play like we have been playing, we aren't going to win a game down there.

 

[PitkanensGitch]

If you want drastic…. Bring Stecher in and move Nurse to LW… probably the place he will cause the least damage in The lineup

Everyone including the coaching staff knows our best chance to win is scratching Nurse and playing

Kulak-Bouchard
Ekholm-Stetcher
Walman-Klingberg

That is the best possible defence we can ice, and it will never happen because for some reason you can’t sit vets. Even though every statistic shows Nurse is costing us games. By far our worst D.

 

[Phillybean]

Gotta pull Kulak and put Stetcher back in. By no means am I saying he is better, but Stetcher/Nurse played great together and Kulak and Nurse just don't. Klingberg and Walman have been playing good. To avoid messing with 2 pairings, I think that's the way to go.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Honestly one of the bigger changes I'd make is adding Klingberg to the top PP.

FLA is doing a great job hounding the puck as it loops around from RNH/McDavid to Drai and eventually Bouch up top. Though generally that's where the PK runs out of having a man ready to jump in to cover the next pass, however Bouch's only play sadly is to reset the play by passing back to RNH. Get a RHS who can handle the puck and shoot there so Bouch's has the option to pass to someone who's still a threat. Puckskill-wise, Kling's also not a downgrade on RNH.

RNH would also give the 2nd unit a proper QB vs, 5 guys just passing it around directionlessly.

Perry-McDavid-Drai
Klingberg-Bouchard

RV-RNH-Kane
Ekholm-Walman