Post-Game Talk: Holland dithers, Oilers lose

[CycloneSweep]

I would like to take that bet. Bouchard is a bum.

Lol. For a guy who creams himself over Jesse “Advanced Stats” Puljujarvi, that’s funny.

 

[Oilhawks]

Yamamoto loses penalty shot competition for Oilers.

JP would have hit someone in the stands

 

[Ibanez]

JP would have hit someone in the stands

f*** man. I’m in bed and my wife is sleeping and I just laughed out loud at this. Almost woke a pregnant woman up.

How dare you

Edit - still chuckling…

 

[rboomercat90]

I would rather have the player who helps us win in the next couple years. Bouchard can only dream of scoring the goal Barrie scored tonight.

I don't see how Barrie is 'slowly declining ' ..he seems to be slowly improving on the defensive end

The word defence doesn’t normally come to mind when you think of Barrie but I’d rate him second behind only Desharnais when it comes to reliability in his own end. This statement says more about the rest of that group than it does about him though. He can’t be involved in any trade for a defenseman this year or it’ll only make the team worse.

 

[The Safe Play]

Lots of great points all around but not nearly enough Janmark hate on average. Waive that loser.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

What the hell has happened to Ceci? He has turned into off the glass and out or burger flip it out. I can see why the players want puck movers with who they have passing to them.

He's a second pairing defenceman being asked to constantly face elites because the other 2 RHD drown when placed in a shallow pool of defensive responsibility, and their partners aren't good enough to carry them.

I don't think Desharnais is some amazing defenceman, but he's competent and above average defensively (I think you'd get similar results if you added someone like Schenn or Hamonic); And when he's out, this team is unable buckle down and weather any storm defensively.


It's not a coincidence that Broberg and Kulak suddenly go back to looking underwhelming once they're back with B&B full time, and Nurse-Ceci go back to their start of the season form where they act like they're being chased by bees every other shift.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

I would rather have the player who helps us win in the next couple years. Bouchard can only dream of scoring the goal Barrie scored tonight.

I don't see how Barrie is 'slowly declining ' ..he seems to be slowly improving on the defensive end

A goal where he went to the net? Bouchard did this last playoffs. Or sneaking down from the point? This was his first of the season. A younger Barrie could rush the puck up the ice in ways Bouchard can't, but he's lost at ability. (Oddly enough, like Karlsson, Barrie's injury that zapped a good but of his mobility was also due to Cook...)


Also it's not hard to argue this has been Barrie's worst season as an Oiler. Yes, his PPG is up this year vs. last, but he’s also being fed all the top unit PP minutes, while last year he and Bouchard shared the role a little more. At evens, both are averaging less than 15 min a game, and have near identical (middeling) production. I trust the 23 year old more to bounce back, vs. the soon-to-be 32 year old to buck his trend.

Bouchard is on track to get a bridge contract this offseason, and I don't see how his results this season will have him making more than what Barrie currently does.

 

[Jumptheshark]

Lots of great points all around but not nearly enough Janmark hate on average. Waive that loser.

He shouldn't be playing 15 minutes a game. He should be at 10.

 

[ThePhoenixx]

The top six quit skating after the first period. Perhaps a leftover of being sick.

He shouldn't be playing 15 minutes a game. He should be at 10.

Ya, he's paid to be a 3rd/4th liner but is being forced to be a 2nd/3rd.

Same as Ceci. Paid to be a number 4, but is being forced to be a #2.

 

[jukon]

I don't like it when people pin 'bad defense' on the six D men. All five players on the ice are responsible to get the puck or help move the puck forward when we don't have possession.

 

[Cloned]

I’m so torn on Bouchard. I’m just so high on him long term but what I’ve seen lately is just his compete isn’t there. For such a big body he uses it very little.

Not saying he is Fox. But watching Fox walk the line tonight makes me miss when Bouchard did that. Where did that confidence go

Bouchard has a low motor and I don’t think that is fixable, unfortunately.

 

[29292929]

Probably because he doesn't have the skill to thread the puck through 10 sticks to the 3 forwards on the opposing blueline so he goes with the safe play.

Maybe the idiot behind the bench should construct a breakout that actually works.

Ya they definitely need to do something other than the pancake flip or center come low and and try and skate throughw everyone. Doesn't c

He's a second pairing defenceman being asked to constantly face elites because the other 2 RHD drown when placed in a shallow pool of defensive responsibility, and their partners aren't good enough to carry them.

I don't think Desharnais is some amazing defenceman, but he's competent and above average defensively (I think you'd get similar results if you added someone like Schenn or Hamonic); And when he's out, this team is unable buckle down and weather any storm defensively.


It's not a coincidence that Broberg and Kulak suddenly go back to looking underwhelming once they're back with B&B full time, and Nurse-Ceci go back to their start of the season form where they act like they're being chased by bees every other shift.

Ya I'm in the get EK group. It would balance the D and force people either out of the lineup or in the right positions. I like Vinny as a 3rhd and Ceci as 2rd. I would love to see some game is Broberg EK pairing and keeping nurse Ceci together as 2nd pair, although in the end it would prob be a pairing of 25-65.

Adam fox made so many good plays to get the puck going the other way, that's what Oilers need more of. Not guys who get hemmed in

 

[Mez]

Acquire Karlsson/Chychrun already so we can end this atrocious pairing.

Yah but insiderzzzz said we don't want to make a big trade and wreck the chemistry!!!

 

[russ99]

Fire woodcroft.

How does he constantly flip from a system of a support system for breaking out, to hail mary passes.

Seems to be out of the fire after that bad run earlier, but still refuses to learn from mistakes. IMO he’s getting replaced next year at some point unless he can learn to stop tinkering and run with what works.

 

[russ99]

I don't like it when people pin 'bad defense' on the six D men. All five players on the ice are responsible to get the puck or help move the puck forward when we don't have possession.

This is systemic, Woodcroft doesn’t value our forwards breaking up cycles, rotating into coverage and having a forward drop back and help on the initial opposition chances, which is why opponents are getting open looks in high danger areas. And we’ll be exposed for it in the postseason.

Took an elimination possibility against the Kings to tighten up as a 5 man unit but then we drank the kool-aid against Calgary and abandoned it against the Avs. Will be curious to see how this unfolds this postseason.

 

[Furious Nerd]

I thought we missed Desharnais last night. Protecting a 3 goal lead and one of our better defenders not even dressed.

Was he sick again?

 

[FlameChampion]

f*** man. I’m in bed and my wife is sleeping and I just laughed out loud at this. Almost woke a pregnant woman up.

How dare you

Edit - still chuckling…

Pregrats Papa

 

[29292929]

Yah but insiderzzzz said we don't want to make a big trade and wreck the chemistry!!!

The goal should always be winning and getting better. The Oilers are not the Bruins so I wouldn't give 2 facks about chemistry. You mean the same chemistry that leads to being hemmed in their zone, icing pucks or pucks in skates?

 

[FlameChampion]

This is systemic, Woodcroft doesn’t value our forwards breaking up cycles, rotating into coverage and having a forward drop back and help on the initial opposition chances, which is why opponents are getting open looks in high danger areas. And we’ll be exposed for it in the postseason.

Took an elimination possibility against the Kings to tighten up as a 5 man unit but then we drank the kool-aid against Calgary and abandoned it against the Avs. Will be curious to see how this unfolds this postseason.

Team doesn’t play team defense. I think some of it’s systematic but I also think the top 6 players don’t want to play defense. Bottom 6 isn’t on for many goals against. Maybe they just don’t play enough. I don’t know at this point. Hard team to really analyze.

 

[russ99]

Acquire Karlsson/Chychrun already so we can end this atrocious pairing.

Where are the forwards? Easy to criticize the defensemen here, but a Nuge is boxed out by a forechecker, Connor is past the red line and who knows where the third forward is.

 

[GMofOilers]

Woodcroft in way over his head in the coaching department. Everyone says look at his record, well thats just a product of Mcdavid going super nova

 

[trick91]

Rangers are one of the best teams in the league since January 1st.

 

[The Panther]

Just watched this game. Hmm.

I don't care about 3-on-3 overtimes or shootouts (just novelty nonsense; doesn't get you anywhere in playoffs), but the Oilers have to figure out two things:

1) How to defend a lead AT HOME
2) How to kill a penalty AT HOME

The Oilers are just a crappy team at home. 13 wins in 29 tries on home ice isn't good enough.

Finally, I don't get what Holland was thinking by throwing Yamamoto back in while people were sick. They ended up having to scratch Kostin and lost a player from the roster.

They clearly need Deharnais in the line-up, especially on the PK. And especially in a game vs. a high-scoring club like NYR.

Anyway, the good news is the Oilers are going on the road, where they're actually a good team.

 

[Delicious Pancakes]

Where are the forwards? Easy to criticize the defensemen here, but a Nuge is boxed out by a forechecker, Connor is past the red line and who knows where the third forward is.

This has been one of my main takeaways lately. The forwards aren't getting back defensively. Too many odd man rushes where the forwards aren't actually covering for a pinching D, 3-on-2s because a forward makes a gamble at the offensive blueline with a minimal chance of success, and the opposing forward entering the zone finding a trailer (often the 4th man into the zone) who has beaten the Oilers forward up ice. If the forwards aren't doing their jobs defensively it makes it hard on the D.

The forwards are also flying the zone creating huge gaps so the breakout pass from the D is getting picked off too much. How many times did the Oilers turn the puck over in the neutral zone last night? The system needs to tighten up. Part of the reason for success when Woody took over last year was because the team was actually playing well defensively and was effective getting the breakout started with quick short passes.

 

[frag2]

I’m so torn on Bouchard. I’m just so high on him long term but what I’ve seen lately is just his compete isn’t there. For such a big body he uses it very little.

Not saying he is Fox. But watching Fox walk the line tonight makes me miss when Bouchard did that. Where did that confidence go

The problem with Bouch is that he thinks he has all the time in the world. So nonchalant and works at own pace. He has talent but the way he seemingly processes situations...its like 2-3 steps behind.