Post-Game Talk: He’s such a Bouche

[jesusbuiltmyhotrod]

McD made several misplays giving the puck away, or ending possessions, and on two rushes was caught from behind including a 2 on 1 with Drai.

Drai was letter perfect and not only got the goal and 3 assists he was yeoman in own zone getting several strips, cycle stops and zone exits. Drai as usual was the predominate transition player.

Drai scored a goal, almost scored another from the slot just missing, and had a one timer and a great shot that he batted out of the air. Drai was incredible in this game.

97 was off early giving up picks and over passing… he was godly later but not even close to his best game. Drai was a beast as usual

 

[FlameChampion]

Which almost never happens.
Proabaly because he doesnt think the game at a #1 dman level.

Yeah … and he just seems to get worse every playoffs. Better teams expose him.

I’ve said it before, but the problem with Nurse is that you just never know what you will get from him. In a span of week he will give you games that range from A to D. Hes so inconsistent. He can be a #2 to a #6 on any given night.

And it just gets amplified in the playoffs.

 

[Mr Positive]

McD made several misplays giving the puck away, or ending possessions, and on two rushes was caught from behind including a 2 on 1 with Drai.

Drai was letter perfect and not only got the goal and 3 assists he was yeoman in own zone getting several strips, cycle stops and zone exits. Drai as usual was the predominate transition player.

Drai scored a goal, almost scored another from the slot just missing, and had a one timer and a great shot that he batted out of the air. Drai was incredible in this game.

Imo McDavid was caught more on giveaways because he was the line driver. Offensive zone giveaways are not a huge deal to me, if it's about a creative player gambling for a quality chance.

McDavid's goal was also a massive display of his unique talent, being a 5 on 5 dagger and the type that demotivates the opposition. Drai's goal was also beautiful but very much a team effort in that PP cycle. Drai and McDavid were both putting on a passing and playmaking clinic. I'd so so far Drai has had the better playoffs but this game was about McDavid upping his game

 

[TheNumber4]

For as bad a Nurse has been, have to give him credit for absolutely crushing Elia Pettersson. Nurse got called out about a lack of physicality from the team overall in game 1. And responded in kind.

Oh and he didn’t boot a puck past Skinner again like in game 1. That’s a positive.

 

[brentashton]

Perry has zero points in 7 games. Plays no PP or PK. Can't skate. Has taken bad penalties.

What are we doing here?

Yup. It’s been less than “not much”.

 

[elmeroil]

Finished watching the game this morning.
Havent read through the previous 27 pages but IMO the Oilers flipped script in the 3rd period on the Canucks and they did it (primarily) with one line. What a special effort from the top line. The 5 man unit (Connor, Leon, Zach, Bouchard and Ekholm) was dominant.
Cant talk enough about Leons effort here as well. He was a beast. As was Connor.

I thought that Skinner delivered much more good than bad and the bad was the Zadorov shot. The very same shot he scored on Saros as well so its not like that shot hasnt beaten a good goalie before. That goal however tainted a very good performance and a solid bounceback from game 1.

The concern for me is secondary scoring. Lines 2 through 4 did manage to secure some zone time in the Canucks end (which is important because it builds momentum) but they need to start contributing offensively as well. The Canucks IMO have better depth from lines 2 through 4 and this team needs more from any player that isnt on Connors line. This is why the team is better served (most nights) to play Leon on the 2nd line.
Tough to move away from an absolutely dominant line that Connor and Leon give you when they play together.
Its a powerful drug.

Also want to mention how refreshing it was to see this team play mean and especially with the Canucks stars. A special mention to Darnell Nurse on that note. He set the tone on Pettersson early in the game.
More of that please.

I would also like to see Brown out and Carrick in. Havent liked Browns game so far and I think that Carrick provides another RH center and he brings some additional toughness.

Overall this is what happens when this team plays on its toes.
Keep it up and they win this series in 6.

If you're referring to game 2, Brown was out.

 

[Jimmi McJenkins]

Yeah … and he just seems to get worse every playoffs. Better teams expose him.

I’ve said it before, but the problem with Nurse is that you just never know what you will get from him. In a span of week he will give you games that range from A to D. Hes so inconsistent. He can be a #2 to a #6 on any given night.

And it just gets amplified in the playoffs.

I'm not trying to defend Nurse, he needs to be so much better, but get him away from the blackhole that is Cody Ceci to at least see if he can be more effective. Mainly, stop playing Ceci.

 

[rboomercat90]

I don't even think verge of elimination we make a change.

Woodcroft didn’t last year and it bit him in the ass when he pulled Skinner after the game was out of reach. I’m having a hard time believing anything has changed.

 

[ZJuice]

At one point Perry had the puck in the o-zone and saw it was Hughes coming with pressure, he just stopped and out manned little Hughes. The kid has skill and speed but he is very, very weak

Also, he bled so much from that McD highstick. what a hoser!

 

[FlameChampion]

I'm not trying to defend Nurse, he needs to be so much better, but get him away from the blackhole that is Cody Ceci to at least see if he can be more effective. Mainly, stop playing Ceci.

I’d like to see Stetcher come in for Ceci. But I feel like it’s short sighted to blame Nurses problems on Ceci.

 

[The Nuge]

Of we can get some fking support from anyone not named mcdavid drai Hyman amd ekholm we are in business

Kane is struggling, nuge has looked brutal for months now. Perry is a waste of space. Could gobon but I'm sure you get by he point.

Nuge is scoring at a 105 point pace while being our best defensive player, and playing by far the most minutes among forwards on the top PK in the playoffs. It’s ridiculous to expect more. He’s not McDavid.

Re watching the game I will say the bottom 9 are at least contributing defensively but man some of them need to pick it up and pot a few. I guess that's what Mcdavid was referring to when he said it was a full team effort, 19 shots against in an OT game on the road is pretty impressive

It’ll happen. Guys like Janmark and Ryan can’t be expected to contribute much, but McLeod, Kane, etc are much better players than their statline

I'm thinking about that Ekholm goal today

Pivotal moment and super quick response to tie it.

Best guy.

It genuinely might be one of the best trades of all time. You couldn’t ask for a better fit

lol...I know the poster you're referring to. He only comes in here to brag about his gambling winnings. Wonder how much he's actually lost.

Gamblers never talked about the 10k they lost in order to win 5k.

Well sounded like Holland offered the first but Calgary traded him to Dallas for a second. Based on the way Calgary/Vancouver are jealous of us, I wouldn’t expect either team to trade with us.

Exactly. With Calgary’s ownership being a bunch of petty children, there wasn’t a trade available to upgrade on Ceci

He is very noticeably struggling to keep up. Knob is giving him offensive zone starts too, to try to take him the skating. It's a bit wasted in this series. If we do manage to get to the 3rd round, Perry might be much more useful against a team like Dallas. Maybe not Colorado so much. In this series I think he's gonna have a heck of a time doing positive things. His top highlights where's he's noticed so far in these 2 games is him trying to (unsuccessfully) block shots in our end.

I bashed Connor Brown all year, but he might be an upgrade over Perry in this series.

I feel like you can’t play Perry unless you have Kane on his line. With Kane to cycle down low and Holloway or McLeod at center using their speed, he works. Otherwise, he’s just a step behind too often.

97 was great but not his best game imo not close. Drai was our best player

It’s insane that McDavid is going to go down as a unanimous top 5 player of all time, and he might not even be the best playoff player on his own team. Leon is just such a freaking beast when the games truly matter. Just look at the difference between him and Matthews. 1.661 points per game (second all time to only Gretzky) for Leon vs 0.87 for Matthews. And massive production difference aside, I knew there was no way he would sit out after tweaking something like Matthews. He’s like the freaking black knight from Monty Python

That goal is even more impressive when you see McDavid redirect it with his skate right onto ekholms stick

Any other player and I’d call it a fluke, but McDavid… it has to have been intentional, he’s such a freak

 

[TheNumber4]

At one point Perry had the puck in the o-zone and saw it was Hughes coming with pressure, he just stopped and out manned little Hughes. The kid has skill and speed but he is very, very weak

Loved that hit by Kane on him last night. We need more of that still. And I know McD accidentally clipped him…. But I’d be okay if that was accidental on purpose.

 

[Da McBomb]

Wonder if JT Miller had nightmares of 97 and 29 last night

 

[oobga]

Which almost never happens.
Proabaly because he doesnt think the game at a #1 dman level.

I swear Nurse's most reliable hockey happened when he had that hip flexor issue that forced him to just sit back and play defense.

How to replicate his state of mind when he has a hip injury. Maybe team should hire a hypnotist

 

[Pavel10]

Loved that hit by Kane on him last night. We need more of that still. And I know McD accidentally clipped him…. But I’d be okay if that was accidental on purpose.

Even that hit by Kane if Hughes isn't such a wimp and takes a hit he doesn't fall. Instead he trys to evade last second when evander is going in straight.

100% non call based on Hughes trying to get away.

 

[TheNumber4]

Even that hit by Kane if Hughes isn't such a wimp and takes a hit he doesn't fall. Instead he trys to evade last second when evander is going in straight.

100% non call based on Hughes trying to get away.

Yeh he shifted himself into that position. Honestly wouldn’t be surprised if he was trying to get a call.

 

[LeonDraisaitl29]

How is Bouch-Ekholm so much better than nurse-ceci

 

[Pavel10]

Just a pleasant reminder. Tocchet lost two finals as a flyer to oilers in the 80s

 

[Jimmi McJenkins]

I’d like to see Stetcher come in for Ceci. But I feel like it’s short sighted to blame Nurses problems on Ceci.

It's not blaming his problems, it's saying the bottom is even lower because of Ceci. He's making everyone worse.

How is Bouch-Ekholm so much better than nurse-ceci

Bouchard is a #1D and Ekholm is a VERY good #2.

 

[Mr Kot]

kek this thread is slower when we win than if we lost

 

[ujju2]

Bouchard is a #1D and Ekholm is a VERY good #2.

I'd argue Ek is the #1 and Bouch the elite #2, but it really doesn't matter. They're the obvious top pair on this team and dare I say one of the best pairs in the league.

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

He’d know it to see it considered his team is the worst at doing it.

 

[The Nuge]

Wonder if JT Miller had nightmares of 97 and 29 last night

Why would he? Didn’t you hear the genius play by play analysis during the game? Basically “He might not have any shots, but he’s trying hard, and that’s even better. The guys in the room appreciate that”. He should have been 1st star

 

[Lay Z Boy GM]

He’d know it to see it considered his team is the worst at doing it.

He’s starting to sound like an idiot.

 

[TheNumber4]

Just a pleasant reminder. Tocchet lost two finals as a flyer to oilers in the 80s

Lol. No wonder he was a salty bitch at times to Wayne on the TNT panel.