Post-Game Talk: It’s a Christmas miracle!

[syz]

McLeod with 4 goals, 2 assists, +6 in his last 3 games; Ekholm 5 points and +7 in his last 4 games. Both these guys playing fantastic right now. McLeod just may be a natural fit on Drai's wing, which would solve a bit of a problem on the 2nd line. That also means we need a solution for the 3rd line C spot, but those guys usually become available as the season goes along. Derek Ryan is getting the job done there for now.

Next game against LA is going to be a good test of where we're currently at. Hope the guys see it that way and come out flying.

First game we played against LA last season the Kings basically treated it like game 7 of the SCF. They were diving in front of every shot the Oilers took; had more blocks than their goalie had saves. Expecting the same thing again this year.

 

[JordanGalhanth]

First game we played against LA last season the Kings basically treated it like game 7 of the SCF. They were diving

Fixed.

 

[brentashton]

Fixed.

Dustin Brown’s influence on the team remains.

 

[K1984]

First game we played against LA last season the Kings basically treated it like game 7 of the SCF. They were diving in front of every shot the Oilers took; had more blocks than their goalie had saves. Expecting the same thing again this year.

They’re probably going to come at us hard looking to try and blow us out. If we play the brand of detailed, patient, smart hockey that we did against the Jets a few weeks ago I have confidence we’ll win.

 

[The Panther]

Since Nov. 11th, Stuart Skinner has the most wins of any goalie in the NHL. Since Nov. 24th, he's gone .919 with a 9 - 2 record.

Only negative in this satisfying-if-unexciting game is McDavid missing that empty net in the third. This follows him missing the empty net shot attempt in the previous game.

If McDavid ends up losing the Art Ross to Kucherov by 1 or 2 points, I'll remember these two whiffs....

Thanks to the NHL's whack points system, the Oilers currently have the same number of regulation wins as Dallas but are 11 points behind them. Anyway, by points percentage, the Oilers are only 0.29% out of the last wildcard playoff spot, so I think they're going to get there sooner or later.

 

[Sra1974]

Nice to win, nice to have a no stress game.

I will say though - I find all the good game congratulations to Skinner to be a little strange. The sharks beat Skinner clean and hit the post four times. If not for Puck luck it's a one goal game. And it's literally the lowest scoring team in the last 80 years or so we're playing against.

I'm not going to complain about it, and it's a nice coincidence booster I'm sure, but like... I didn't think his performance was that impressive? If THIS sharks team is hitting the post 4 times it damn well better be a shut out, no? Idk maybe I'm just a hater.

I think you hit on it with your final sentence there lol. Personally thought he looked pretty good, not spectacular but that’s not the bar here for me, didn’t make any glaring mistakes, played the puck well a couple of times, made a few cross crease saves. Positive night.

 

[MoontoScott]

Was that fake crowd noise that we heard all game? If so then turn it off because it is super annoying.

 

[Louis Cypher]

Team came out with some jump. Skinner looked sharp. Nurse continues to elevate his game. All the positives with none of the negatives tonight.

And Brown got a point!

 

[MoontoScott]

I guess that for all of our complaining about the team's performance (myself included) the Oilers aren't in a much different point position than they were last New Year.

 

[Louis Cypher]

I guess that for all of our complaining about the team's performance (myself included) the Oilers aren't in a much different point position than they were last New Year.

And you were probably complaining last year too. Haha

 

[FlameChampion]

LA looking really off, and its a home game for LA who are basically a .500 home team. They couldn't complete two passes in a row tonight. They had trouble with this same Sharks club, just to give some perspective. Kings are looking like having trouble scoring lately. Oilers should be able to get this one.

Thing I notice with the Kings is that they just drub the bad to average teams. But they are fairly mediocre against good teams. Will be an interesting match on Saturday. Hopefully they aren’t wearing their stupid chrome helmets.

 

[nally]

Team came out with some jump. Skinner looked sharp. Nurse continues to elevate his game. All the positives with none of the negatives tonight.

Hence the only 4 pages of PGT

 

[BlackDogg]

Awww yeah!

*fake crowd noise intensifies*

Turns out it was just the wind.

 

[FlameChampion]

Nice win.

It feels like awhile since we had a game where both line 1 and 2 were rolling in the same game. We are so much more dangerous when this is the case,

Not sure how long McLeod and Foegele can keep it up, but it’s nice to see.

Hopefully this gives Skinner more confidence.

Really liking what I am seeing with Knoblauch and Coffey. Hopefully Jackson/Holland can throw them a bone and improve the depth and goaltending.

 

[GOilers88]

View attachment 791876
McDavid sitting on 599 games played.

27 point game from McD tonight.

 

[joestevens29]

Nice win.

It feels like awhile since we had a game where both line 1 and 2 were rolling in the same game. We are so much more dangerous when this is the case,

Not sure how long McLeod and Foegele can keep it up, but it’s nice to see.

Hopefully this gives Skinner more confidence.

Really liking what I am seeing with Knoblauch and Coffey. Hopefully Jackson/Holland can throw them a bone and improve the depth and goaltending.

Honestly, they better be in a game against San Jose. I mean that club is bad.

 

[PuckG]

Our next stretch:

• Kings 6th
• Ducks 30th
• Flyers 12th
• Senators 29th
• Blackhawks 31st
• Red Wings 22nd
• Canadiens 23rd
• Maple Leafs 11th
• Kraken 24th
• Flames 25th
• Blue Jackets 28th
• Blackhawks 31st

If they play as they should and considering the games in hand, they should be in a wild card spot by the end of this 12 game stretch.

 

[DavidHasselhoffsFist]

Our next stretch:

• Kings 6th
• Ducks 30th
• Flyers 12th
• Senators 29th
• Blackhawks 31st
• Red Wings 22nd
• Canadiens 23rd
• Maple Leafs 11th
• Kraken 24th
• Flames 25th
• Blue Jackets 28th
• Blackhawks 31st

If they play as they should and considering the games in hand, they should be in a wild card spot by the end of this 12 game stretch.

This schedule makes me……..

 

[Drivesaitl]

We had Knoblauch here in Erie. The team had exceptional talent when he was here, but I thought he was excellent and very much came to appreciate his coaching philosophy and style. Which is to say...he doesn't really have a coaching philosophy. As far as I could tell, and I watched closely, he isn't really dogmatic about anything. Somewhat of a strategist but overwhelmingly a tactician. Wasn't surprised when he didn't start McDavid in OT in one of his first games. I hadn't seen him do that before, but he makes narrow, calculated little moves like that constantly. He's sort of Babcock-esque in his attention to details. Unlike Babs, he seemed to be totally lacking in ego and liked by players. I've had Otters season tix, seats about 10 rows back from the benches, for 20 years (2/3rds of my life lol). Didn't seem him yell or get visibly angry with the team once. Literally not once. A refreshing sight in the world of junior hockey, where the red-faced coach screaming at his team is still common.

Don't think he'll win many games with motivational speeches and might not have the dominant "type A" personality sometimes needed when dealing with pro athletes. As far the game goes, though, he'll be as quick to adapt as any and will rarely be outsmarted.

But the people that dont' yell and scream and are instead resolute, resilient, and unflappable ARE the strongest people. Most people that are loud and verbally abusive are just masking myriad insecurity issues and lack of confidence.

In control is the best way to be. This affords clear mind, ability to assess calmly and make decisions on the fly, and to able to adapt to changing situations.

Thanks for your comments and review. I've liked Knoblauch from the outset. Strikes me immediately as somebody that is thoughtful and fair.

 

[Ritchie Valens]

I completely sacked out after the first and didn't wake up until almost 4 am.

Big win after another another long layoff. They're figuring out this is what good teams do to the bottom teams. Happy for Skinner to get a shutout.

Guaranteed we'll have Bettman butthole sniffing refs against LA so I hope Stuart (PK coach, not the goalie-lol) has their PK primed up and ready to go. They can't sleep on Anaheim either as Vegas did the other night and got blown out.

Can't say enough about the culture change and style this new staff has implemented. Still a deep hole to get out of but there is so much progress.

 

[Drivesaitl]

I go on this a lot but the first minute of the game is further demonstration of how elite the 5 man unit of the McD line combined with the Ek-Booch pair is. Once established in Ozone that unit is essentially a PP. Something like seeing Red Army back in the day setup shop. The line is good on its own, but the Ek-Booch pair puts it over the top because ALL of these players are elite puck handlers and can play Ozone, can play cycle with the best of them. Booch and Ek made plays and skated the puck in that first minute. Its not just a line, but a unit in sync. They're seeing a lot of each other.

But case in point when Booch and Ek had some shifts with 2nd line that line was dominant. even when they get spots with bottom lines they are helping immensely. The pair even made Connor Brown look passable and were entirely responsible for getting him a 2nd assist pt.

Won't be long before Booch is 2nd only to McD on this team. His impact is that immense right now. He's shifting from star to possible superstar.

27 point game from McD tonight.

Would be even more miraculous considering he doesn't play tonight. Maybe he gets a 29pt hand in crib or something...

 

[ZJuice]

If only he could have played this way in the playoffs last year. Edm wins the Cup. If they make it this year and he’s still the starter we will see what happens I guess. maybe it’s the whole, gotta lose before you win cliche. Same goes with skinner. More mature. More experience now. Blah blah blah. Lol

He was still kicking those rebounds out but our D/C is on those rebounds like muthaf***as.
I did appreciate his one time saves and that huge glove save on Hertl last night in the 3rd where Hertl was sniping for his favourite spot (over the shoulder near the neck). I was sad on release and elated when I saw Skinners glove snap to deflect it

 

[Drivesaitl]

I completely sacked out after the first and didn't wake up until almost 4 am.

Big win after another another long layoff. They're figuring out this is what good teams do to the bottom teams. Happy for Skinner to get a shutout.

Guaranteed we'll have Bettman butthole sniffing refs against LA so I hope Stuart (PK coach, not the goalie-lol) has their PK primed up and ready to go. They can't sleep on Anaheim either as Vegas did the other night and got blown out.

Can't say enough about the culture change and style this new staff has implemented. Still a deep hole to get out of but there is so much progress.

What progress it it the Oilers being so good and dominant in a game that it becomes boring for its lack of competition.

Holy crap Bob Stauffer, what have you been eating in the Christmas break. Most of us gain a few lbs. he looks like he was eating out of a trough. Theres the usual bad bob look you get used to and then last night its like holy hell. Would it hurt him to wash once in awhile, wash his hair, comb it. Somebody tell this guy he's not on the radio anymore, this is TV. lol. I'm out before somebody says look shaming.

 

[Gordy Elbows]

Massive game on Saturday

The LAK game will be one of those that is worth 2 points in the standings and 100 points for confidence.

 

[guymez]

Wow...that Sharks team is bad in their own zone.
Easy win although Skinner did have to make some solid saves to preserve the shutout.

They need to clean up the turnovers in and around the neutral zone or the Kings will light them up.

The Kings are the best team in the Western Conference IMO. That will be a legit test for this team.