Pre-Game Talk: Hot Rails to Hell - Oilers v Devils - Thurs @ 5:30

[gordonhught]

Vegas can do this because they are near or at the top of best cities to play in. We have to overpay most players to play here.

You sure are a negative Nelly.

Alberta is a great place to live if you are sensible and don’t rely on government to make all your decisions for you.

 

[Drivesaitl]

This is a bit suspect.

View attachment 787394

Until I was able to enlarge that I didn't see connor browns name on there. Makes more sense now. haha

 

[Drivesaitl]

Vegas can do this because they are near or at the top of best cities to play in. We have to overpay most players to play here.

I can't describe how dumb our species has become if Desert environments devoid of water and unfit for human habitation are described as the best places to be.

Guess what happens when brownouts and outages get more severe, or water supply gets more dire?

Read about the hell outside in Vegas

The hellish future of Las Vegas in the climate crisis: 'A place where we never go outside'

Las Vegas is the fastest-warming city in the United States. The city’s poorest residents are most at risk in the heat

www.theguardian.com

Edmonton and Alberta will be one of the best places to be.

It wasn't a decade ago when I could buy houses if I wanted to in Cities in Arizona for 50-70K. It'll happen again. Not the same prices but an immense crash.

 

[JeffSkinner53]

Beat the devils pretty easily last time. I expect a loss.

 

[Mr Positive]

We are still in the lingering stress of that awful start to the season

If this were last year, a three game losing streak wouldn't be that big a deal

We are making a lot of the goaltending but its not like Skinner was bad last game.

Ultimately, if we are no longer that bad team from the start of the year, we should make the playoffs.

Also I do think that at some time, we will see a trade that will help the team. The Oilers are a flaky team but it should stabilize

 

[The Panther]

(failed post. Deleted.)

 

[Mav3rick07]

Moneypuck still has our playoff odds at 64 percent. That seems awfully generous ?

 

[FanOfSadTeam]

I'm predicting another loss

 

[Oilhawks]

I'm predicting another loss

Bold prediction

 

[nexttothemoon]

Of these 3 pre-Christmas road games... this Jersey game is the most winnable as the Devils goalies are 30th in the NHL in sv pct... almost as bad as the Oilers who are 31st.

I expect the Oilers to play this game hard out because they don't want to shit the bed again and have a 4 game losing streak going into the Rangers building afterwards where they'll face either Shesterkin (elite) or Quick (playing out of his mind this year). Rags are easily one of the best teams in the NHL as well right now so small miracle to win that game.

This streak of losing could easily get out of hand and bury this team.

This is pretty much a must win game at this stage... points-wise in the standings maybe only being out by 7 pts from a wildcard spot with 2 games in hand may not seem so bad... but this team knows it can get into deeply negative territory in terms of team psyche and I think things can easily spiral if they don't make a statement game soon.

They need to put up a game like they played during that 8 game winning streak... ie get their shit together both offensively and defensively and then hopefully Pickard can be stable enough in net to not deflate the team and allow them to play a solid 60 minutes of hard, disciplined hockey.

 

[JeffSkinner53]

Brown scratched vs Devils

 

[ThePhoenixx]

How many guys on this board legitimately would have called off the experiment, waived Brown after game 9 and moved on. I haven't been too hard on Holland other than not being able to get a good goalie but this is absolutely a fireable offense on its own. No words to describe how big this avoidable mistake was.

I Posted it here. Repeatedly. Pls waive him before he hits ten.

I was not the only one.

 

[Juxta Position]

Agree for the most part BUT: Holland had a Get Out Of Jail Free card literally fall in his lap like manna from heaven when Brown went down with a groin injury on his 9th game. He could and should have sent him to Bako for a conditioning stint upon his return and if he didn't work out there, waive him telling him he can get his game in order down there rather than take a chance with nearly 5% of next years cap riding on the hope that he would somehow find his game here.

This I totally agree with. it was evident that Brown was not remotely up to speed after missing a full season, and he had the opportunity to essentially get a redo with the signing by assigning him to Bako, now they are on the hook for that money.

like I stated before it was a gamble, everyone knew how much of gamble it was, and although I like the idea that he was looking to improve the team in what are essentially creative ways when there was almost zero room under the cap, the gamble very obviously has not paid off.

Holland did have the opportunity to fix that mistake, and didn't. that's what people should be upset about.

 

[94 Oil Drops]

Well even if we lose tonight, I can take some comfort in knowing that I have 11 days off work starting tomorrow. Christmas would bring a smile to may face even if the Oilers were to lose every game in December. Thankfully, there's more to life than hockey.

 

[BlackDogg]

 

[Juxta Position]

Yes however you are only telling half the story, while chastising “Monday Morning QBs” to settle down. The signing hasn’t worked out, that is without argument.

But you aren’t also commenting on Browne being signed after a serious injury that resulted in nearly an entire season lost, without any performance standards in a contract with a significant salary bonus that was pushed to next year further impacting a broken salary cap structure. I think it’s the latter two aspects of the signing that coupled with his crap performance has folks wound up (and probably rightly so).

It’s in that more fulsome accounting of the situation people are voicing displeasure.

I'm not telling half the story. When I say Brown's and Hyman's careers prior to signing in Edmonton are very similar that includes the injuries. Hyman was coming off multiple knee injuries as well in which he missed significant time over 2 different seasons. there were very real questions about his knees long term before signing in Edmonton, and I remember a lot of people around here saying it was a bad signing due to those injury factors.

All the same question marks were surrounding Hyman that were surrounding Brown, Hyman has worked out, Brown has not.

Yes Brown has flopped, and flopped hard, but not every signing can be Zach Hyman. Holland has taken some risks no doubt, some have worked some have failed spectacularly, but I'm not going to be flinging myself off a ledge every time a singing or trade doesn't work out.

I like the fact that the GM is at least trying to improve the team, instead going back to the Captain Dither days of a Steve Tambellini.

I do agree, that he has not handled the situation well when he had an "out" essentially fall in his lap, like 5 Mins 4 Ftg pointed out in another post, and Holland could've essentially wiped the slate clean, and did not. To me that's the frustrating aspect of this situation, not the signing itself.

 

[Jumptheshark]

How many guys on this board legitimately would have called off the experiment, waived Brown after game 9 and moved on. I haven't been too hard on Holland other than not being able to get a good goalie but this is absolutely a fireable offense on its own. No words to describe how big this avoidable mistake was.

I would have sent him down and brought a kid up

 

[brentashton]

I'm not telling half the story. When I say Brown's and Hyman's careers prior to signing in Edmonton are very similar that includes the injuries. Hyman was coming off multiple knee injuries as well in which he missed significant time over 2 different seasons. there were very real questions about his knees long term before signing in Edmonton, and I remember a lot of people around here saying it was a bad signing due to those injury factors.

All the same question marks were surrounding Hyman that were surrounding Brown, Hyman has worked out, Brown has not.

Yes Brown has flopped, and flopped hard, but not every signing can be Zach Hyman. Holland has taken some risks no doubt, some have worked some have failed spectacularly, but I'm not going to be flinging myself off a ledge every time a singing or trade doesn't work out.

I like the fact that the GM is at least trying to improve the team, instead going back to the Captain Dither days of a Steve Tambellini.

I do agree, that he has not handled the situation well when he had an "out" essentially fall in his lap, like 5 Mins 4 Ftg pointed out in another post, and Holland could've essentially wiped the slate clean, and did not. To me that's the frustrating aspect of this situation, not the signing itself.

Yes. I like GMs who make moves and with that goes an element of risk. There is also the concept of risk management that has to play a part in every decision and operational action. Ken failed in this with his contract offer and structure and then not pulling the trigger on the one exit option he had when things were soured so quickly.

You never mentioned these aspects in your initial post, thus why I say you didn’t tell the entire story. These two parts are extremely important in the whole appreciation of the situation.

Nonetheless I think we both agree it’s a crappy spot they now are in. Let’s hope they play the same way they did against NYI and get the stops they need. Cheers Juxta.

 

[CantHaveTkachev]

Devils on a 2 game losing streak and will come into this game angry

5-3 Devils win

 

[iCanada]

Moneypuck still has our playoff odds at 64 percent. That seems awfully generous ?

We're basically at the top of their team strength power ranking due to our scoring chances metrics.

 

[9GWG9]

A must win!

 

[Sanchez]

It's happening. The media finally starting to hold Brown to account. Convenient that they waited for his first healthy scratch, but a welcome sight indeed.

"Willingness and desire to go to the net." This is spot on!!!! Great example is Gagner.

 

[Juxta Position]

Yes. I like GMs who make moves and with that goes an element of risk. There is also the concept of risk management that has to play a part in every decision and operational action. Ken failed in this with his contract offer and structure and then not pulling the trigger on the one exit option he had when things were soured so quickly.

You never mentioned these aspects in your initial post, thus why I say you didn’t tell the entire story. These two parts are extremely important in the whole appreciation of the situation.

Nonetheless I think we both agree it’s a crappy spot they now are in. Let’s hope they play the same way they did against NYI and get the stops they need. Cheers Juxta.

You're right, I did fail to mention that, I assumed it went without saying, that being said when debating a topic all factors should have been included in the discussion.

And yes it a very crappy situation...and I also think, as most people do, that Holland is not the right person to try and fix this situation, and that a change of perspective is sorely needed.

 

[Leonardlizard]

The fact that they've undone their progress with the 8 game heater... Really not even excited for the game.

 

[elmeroil]

How many Hughes dives will turn into Oilers penalties...