Pre-Game Talk: Final Game 4. Stu needs to come thru. Unlimited Pole responses.

[gretzkyoilers]

One win away from a 2-2 series and a Best of 3 with home ice, easier said than done but that's the reality. I'm not giving up on the team and neither should any of you.

Look at how dire it was last year. After game 3 I had given up (was watching the game on vacation no less) and the Panthers seemed unbeatable. Then something clicked and the Oilers were dominant again (the 8-1 win). They can still do this, it is just cleaning the slate and restarting for Game 4.

 

[gretzkyoilers]

Every time a franchise/fanbase has boasted or rubbed the loss in our face, it initiated their own demise

Round 1: Kings social media releases photo of team mocking Skinner. Fans after game 2 already bringing out the brooms. We know the rest of the story

Round 2: Vegas fans buy over 100 billboards in Edmonton to rub in the 0.4s loss. We know the rest

Round 3: Stars fans releasing videos of Edmonton, calling it a shithole city, and sharing McDavid in a leafs jersey across social media. Alot of talking after game 1. We know the rest

Round 4: Fan spills drink on player blowing a kiss, throw rats on the ice, some with fake blood and an Oilers logo. Spamming social media comments with "crybaby oiler fans"....
We wait

This x1000. The Oilers will have a clear head going into Game 4. It is the Oiler way...

 

[K1984]

Look at how dire it was last year. After game 3 I had given up (was watching the game on vacation no less) and the Panthers seemed unbeatable. Then something clicked and the Oilers were dominant again (the 8-1 win). They can still do this, it is just cleaning the slate and restarting for Game 4.

The thing that broke the dam in Game 4 was punting pucks, winning races in the middle of the ice, and back their pressure way off and eliminating their ability to stack their blue line.

For whatever reason, we have more or less abandoned this approach. This is the way, chipping pucks by them and keeping 5 guys on the right side of it is the way.

 

[Drivesaitl]

Why is "poll" always spelled "pole" here?

Is it some kind of inside joke?

• pole
  1. a long, slender, rounded piece of wood or metal, typically used with one end placed in the ground as a support for something.
  
  
• poll
  1. the process of voting in an election.

If you have to ask its an insider joke. We're not telling.

 

[gretzkyoilers]

The thing that broke the dam in Game 4 was punting pucks, winning races in the middle of the ice, and back their pressure way off and eliminating their ability to stack their blue line.

For whatever reason, we have more or less abandoned this approach. This is the way, chipping pucks by them and keeping 5 guys on the right side of it is the way.

Maybe this is what they have to do. We will see what they do in Game 4.

 

[TopShelfGloveSide]

We can’t be giving up this many breakaways but Skinner needs to save a couple of those. Seems like he never does.

That being said we probably go with the goalie with the best game 4 sv% in history. I think Picks comes in game 5 if we go down 1-3.

 

[Stoneman89]

For me, the answer for who to take out for Stetcher has now become clear. Klingberg has really been struggling, and this is not his kind of series. Stetcher is small but a solid gamer - I believe Florida has one of those as a forward. Putting him in gives a more competitive and physical edge, and also might help Nurse find his game, who continues to implode.

 

[Fishy McScales]

In the past, I would have paid for this team's head stone by now. But I've seen this story too many times to count the Oilers out. It shouldn't shock anyone if this team blows the doors off Florida on Thursday.

I agree. The sky is falling here today but it's just one game in a seven game series. We were fine in the first two games and have come back from poor performances throughout the playoffs.

I think we win the cup.

 

[BlackDogg]

Better be Pickard. To recant, in series thus far Marchant and Bennett have both beaten Skinner 4X already in only 3 games and have both beat him twice on posts as well. So 10X these two have beaten Skinner in only 3 games. They quite clearly have his number.

The Reinhart and Verhaege shots, they were also plays discussed. Both beat Skinner yesterday identical spot. Made it look easy.

no other contender team would be seeing their goalie lit up this badly and not remove him. It can't be Skinner against the Panthers. Eating him alive.

His best before date was letting in 4 goals in RT in Game 2.

 

[CycloneSweep]

This x1000. The Oilers will have a clear head going into Game 4. It is the Oiler way...

They didn’t have a clear head going into game 3

 

[gretzkyoilers]

They didn’t have a clear head going into game 3

No they did not but in these playoffs the Oilers rebounded. We will see of KK has an answer

 

[Fishy McScales]

No they did not but in these playoffs the Oilers rebounded. We will see of KK has an answer

There's no use. That guy has a pathological need to downplay in order to self regulate.

 

[Drivesaitl]

Another one. Marchand had 4 playoff goals in 17 games coming into this series. He's now notched 4 against skinner in only 3 games and beat him twice more on posts. So that he's beaten Skinner more in only 3 games than he's beat goalies in the first 3 series.

GTFO Skinner.

There shouldn't even be questions about this. Marchand and Bennett have had Skinners number every game.

2 players have beaten Skinner 10X in 3 games. It can't even be defended.

 

[Bryanbryoil]

It should be Brown out for J Skinner but it’ll be Frederic, so I voted that way

Brown is clearly not close to 100% which really sucks for us.

 

[Drivesaitl]

Florida's 3rd line >>> Edm 3rd line. The depth scoring is gone because McDrai means that the 2nd line also gets completely owned by Bennett.

I don't necessarily buy that KK has fallen into a trap or is getting out coached. We had no real issues with the breakout in game 1, nothing Florida did is different other than our defenceman can't read anything for shit and keep reversing it all the way around to an open Florida player. As soon as a D skates with the puck we have a fairly easy breakout. Every fire drill is the result of some errant panicked bullshit that gets easily intercepted, and that starts with the 6 morons at the back driving the clown car breakout. I highly doubt KK is telling Nurse to stand behind his net for 10s and then launch it 250ft for icing for no reason.

The McDrai thing is what it always is. This team has no confidence they can beat Florida 2-1. You can leave Drai on line two to shut down Bennett, but he ain't going to do shit offensively with two dud wingers. On line one McDavid just endlessly passes to RNH and Perry for wasted chances and eventually Skinner blinks before Bob, as he always does. At some point the best player in the world needs to a score a f***ing goal or two so that people are forced to at least think a shot could be coming. Bob makes crazy cross saves because he's cheating pass and is right 98.9999% of the time.

Obviously we aren't losing because of McDavid but like at some point you need to add a second dimension to your offence, especially when Perry and Nuge are unable to finish literally anything.

I don't understand you on Perry. he has 9 goals. Without him we're arguably not even at this point. his scoring has been critical for the club. What isn't he doing? Did you intend to say some other player? Seems odd to out Perry when he was the only Oiler to score last night.

I felt it was imperative for Kane to score last night if only to get some bad blood out. Kane was victimized last night by losing his cool and usually when he does that he comes back and gets a big goal. Bobo was negating that everytime and Kane was frustrated.

I agree that this isn't being outcoached, its being out rostered. Our weakness is our goaltending and our forward depth.

 

[Bumblebee Man]

Oilers are breaking out up the walls which are sealed off and the D have no room to skate it out. Plus the puck travels faster than any D can skate. So no you don’t want the D skating it.

The way to beat the hard 2-1-2 half zone forecheck is having 2 immediate options both which require our C to come in lower into the zone and accepting the interior pass - D to D to C to cross it ce breaking W or D to C to cross ice breaking W, either or depending on the read by the first D.

The way to beat it is to do what they did against LA last year.

If you recall that's what LA's game plan was. Hard board fotechecks at the blueline

Once they started to flip it out higher or over, the dynamic changed

 

[CycloneSweep]

Oilers practicing today. Zero changes to lines or personnel, they just practicing lol

So Knoblauch is going to continue to make zero adjustments. Maurice completely owning him and Knoblauch refuses to change anything.

 

[Drivesaitl]

We can’t be giving up this many breakaways but Skinner needs to save a couple of those. Seems like he never does.

That being said we probably go with the goalie with the best game 4 sv% in history. I think Picks comes in game 5 if we go down 1-3.

Pickard 6-0 in playoffs.

Skinner: 500 and falling on his head doing faceplants.



What to do....

 

[Jimmi McJenkins]

Oilers practicing today. Zero changes to lines or personnel, they just practicing lol

So Knoblauch is going to continue to make zero adjustments. Maurice completely owning him and Knoblauch refuses to change anything.

Yup, it's the "off day" practice, best to assume he's given up.

 

[BlackDogg]

Unless the Oilers are doing this, I doubt they are on the same playing keel as the Panthers who we know have been caught post season. There is no testing, so guess what they are likely to be doing...Unless someone has other info.

 

[iCanada]

Oilers practicing today. Zero changes to lines or personnel, they just practicing lol

So Knoblauch is going to continue to make zero adjustments. Maurice completely owning him and Knoblauch refuses to change anything.

I mean, I don't think it's a tactical thing. The Panthers didn't change anything in games 2-3 tactically, they just started executing better. Arguably we started executing worse.

It's an execution thing more than anything. We need to not be down multiple goals and need to execute our game better.

Stylistically - if we can absorb pressure on the forecheck, spread out the Panthers North South Ave find ways to move the puck through the middle - we'll have success. See - Game 1, much of Game 2. Even much of the first period of game 3.

If we can't absorb the pressure, and we get running around and throwing pucks up the boards - we'll struggle. If we get down a bunch and have to cheat for offense while the Panthers cheat for defense and play to the counter attack - we'll struggle. See much of Game 3.

Other big keys is our special teams need to step the f*** up.

And we need a f***ing save. The other guy has been 4 standard deviations better than our guy. To put that in perspective, basically - that's the same spread as Bobrovsky performing like your high-school valedictorian and Skinner preforming like the literal dumbest student in your high-school.

 

[ThePhoenixx]

Found this on social media.

 

[iCanada]

View attachment 1048373
Unless the Oilers are doing this, I doubt they are on the same playing keel as the Panthers who we know have been caught post season. There is no testing, so guess what they are likely to be doing...Unless someone has other info.

I mean they only have two guys on the team with a history of doping, so, you know.

 

[BlackDogg]

Found this on social media.

View attachment 1048374

Could be photoshopped. There are 2 97's.

 

[tardigrade81]

Florida just seems invincible with the additions of Marchand and Jones. I knew as soon as those moves were made, the entire eastern conference was doomed and that they would be going to final again. As much as I hate them, they are a whole different level of good. Probably even dynasty level good.

Agreed

Its a slap in the face to Florida to just constantly say it's the oilers choking. Florida is just a damn good team. Carolina was extremely good top to bottom this year, and Florida smoked them in 5.

I still think the oilers make this a good series and hopefully win game 4, but Florida is an extremely impressive team