Pre-Game Talk: Late Game and Management Still Sucks

[foshizzle]

I used to be a Janmark fan but hes just been bad for awhile now (he had a decent start to the year). Brown is such a nothing player.

I don’t know why either is in the lineup over Skinner especially when this team is struggling to score. I don’t want to hear because they fill a role on the PK because the PK has been terrible.

For a guy who had his finger on the pulse a lot last year, just stubborn and dumb decisions by Knoblauch all year.

He’s an AHL player in my mind.

 

[guymez]

He's also a tank at 6'3'' 216 lbs. He looked so good his first game that I wondered what the issue in his game has been. The only thing I would say is that he may lack the offensive ability to be a true top 6 forward, and he doesn't PK, so he's a bit of a Klim Kostin in that he hits and looks good, but doesn't score and can't help you on the penalty kill, so where do you put him? He might be a bottom 6 guy, but generally you wan't those guys to PK. Anyways, I'm looking forward to watching his next few games.

How did you arrive at the conclusion that Jones doesnt PK?

 

[Duke74]

Knoblauch is definitely going about things the wrong way. This team is built to score and he's trying to win 2-1 games with a mediocre D-core and shaky goaltending. That's the only explanation for Jeff Skinner sitting while a bunch of useless crap stays in the lineup.

He needs to utilize the team's strength, which should be scoring. I don't remember the last time we scored more than 3 goals. It's like he's completely coaching the offense out of them, which explains why most of our forwards are having poor production years.

 

[guymez]

Knoblauch is definitely going about things the wrong way. This team is built to score and he's trying to win 2-1 games with a mediocre D-core and shaky goaltending. That's the only explanation for Jeff Skinner sitting while a bunch of useless crap stays in the lineup.

He needs to utilize the team's strength, which should be scoring. I don't remember the last time we scored more than 3 goals. It's like he's completely coaching the offense out of them, which explains why most of our forwards are having poor production years.

I am not understanding this post.
What exactly is Knoblauch doing thats preventing the team from scoring?

 

[Wreckus]

Jeff Skinner not playing tonight is a big mind boggling.

see what happens tonight.

 

[McTonyBrar]

Not even going to talk about Jeff Skinner. Knoblauch's made it into a joke now. I did notice he said he will give Arvidsson and Podkolzin some time with Leon. I wonder if we see them together for longer than just 2 games.

Maybe Arvidsson gets pressure taken off of him now with the deadline gone... but I think I'm daydreaming.

Interesting Walman is with Stecher. I would've preferred him with Emberson or on the right with Nurse

 

[Duke74]

I am not understanding this post.
What exactly is Knoblauch doing thats preventing the team from scoring?

Sitting Jeff Skinner, a perennial 30-goal scorer, for one.

I don't know exactly what types of strategies he employs but many of our offensive players seem very tentative this year (McDavid, Hyman, Nuge, Arvidsson, etc.). This leads me to believe that he's prioritizing defence over offense.

 

[foshizzle]

This coach has made some brutal decisions this year.
- Not changing the PP up
- Not adjusting the PK
- Skinner scratched
- constant mixing of the lines
- emphasizing “checking with legs” taking physicality completely out
- playing Drai and McD when down by 4 goals in the third period 27-28 mins showing no trust in the bottom of the lineup. Causes room issues
- calling the team “fragile” while taking zero accountability himself.

His decision making has been mind boggling

 

[Wreckus]

This coach has made some brutal decisions this year.
- Not changing the PP up
- Not adjusting the PK
- Skinner scratched
- constant mixing of the lines
- emphasizing “checking with legs” taking physicality completely out
- playing Drai and McD when down by 4 goals in the third period 27-28 mins showing no trust in the bottom of the lineup. Causes room issues
- calling the team “fragile” while taking zero accountability himself.

His decision making has been mind boggling

Think the writing may be on the wall for Knoblauch if the Oilers are out of the playoffs early or don't win the cup.

 

[guymez]

Sitting Jeff Skinner, a perennial 30-goal scorer, for one.

I don't know exactly what types of strategies he employs but many of our offensive players seem very tentative this year (McDavid, Hyman, Nuge, etc.). This leads me to believe that he's prioritizing defence over offense.

There are a lot of factors in play here. If we look at Knoblauchs system last season and in the playoffs there really wasnt anything that hindered offensive output. Quite the contrary...this was a very strong offensive team and the departures in the summer dont account for the drop in offence.
So we need to look elsewhere IMO.
Jeff Skinner is a side bar issue...he isnt really a perennial 30 goal scorer any more.
He is a potential 30 goal scorer...at least he was a few years ago but even in the 6 seasons in Buffalo he exceeded 29 goals in only 3 of those seasons. So he is, at best, hit and miss as a reliable goal scorer.
That said even though I am not really a fan of the player I would like to see him with Draisaitl for a stretch of games.

I think the main reason for the drop in offence is that this is just an off year for a lot of key players on this team.
I think that sheer emotional and physical output of going to the SCF and losing in game 7 takes a toll.
Call it a Stanley Cup failure hangover.
That IMO is a lot of what we are seeing this season especially with McDavid.

I like the additions to the team this week and I do think that they will make a difference. I think that it will provide an injection of new energy into the team until the playoffs.
I see the team playing well over .600 hockey leading up to the playoffs as preparation for the 'real' games.
Once the playoffs get here that is when I think the team will have the level of emotional energy needed to be fully enagaged.

 

[soothsayer]

How did you arrive at the conclusion that Jones doesnt PK?

Something to do with him playing a grand total of under 11 minutes short-handed in his last 4 seasons, including only 1 minute this year and 60 seconds last year.

 

[Ibanez]

Jeff Skinner not playing tonight is a big mind boggling.

see what happens tonight.

Smartest guy in the room syndrome

 

[guymez]

Something to do with him playing a grand total of under 11 minutes short-handed in his last 4 seasons, including only 1 minute this year and 60 seconds last year.

Have you got a link that you can post...I'm genuinely interested in reviewing that.

 

[foshizzle]

Think the writing may be on the wall for Knoblauch if the Oilers are out of the playoffs early or don't win the cup.

I don’t know. What I do know is GMs like to pick their own coaches. Knob has taken the emotion right out of the game and has made it very mechanical.

 

[Morpheus]

I’ll do up a GDT around 6 pm, unless someone else was working on one.
Just busy ATM

 

[MessierThanThou]

What is the reason not to tinker with this power play? What is the reason not to try out Perry and Skinner on the first unit? Is there one logical argument that anyone can present to me, other than how good the first unit used to be?

- Not changing the PP up
- Not adjusting the PK
- Skinner scratched
- constant mixing of the lines
- emphasizing “checking with legs” taking physicality completely out
- playing Drai and McD when down by 4 goals in the third period 27-28 mins showing no trust in the bottom of the lineup. Causes room issues
- calling the team “fragile” while taking zero accountability himself.

His decision making has been mind boggling

Smartest guy in the room syndrome

What are the arguments for keeping Knoblauch?

That they made it to Game 7 of the SCF and it's too late in the season for a new coach? Is there literally any other reason to keep him when this team just played its worst hockey in four years and every f***ing player but Leon has lost their scoring touch?

Have there been teams who fired their coach this late into the season and completely turned it around? I'm genuinely curious, because that's exactly what I want to see happen.

 

[Bumblebee Man]

This coach has made some brutal decisions this year.
- Not changing the PP up
- Not adjusting the PK
- Skinner scratched
- constant mixing of the lines
- emphasizing “checking with legs” taking physicality completely out
- playing Drai and McD when down by 4 goals in the third period 27-28 mins showing no trust in the bottom of the lineup. Causes room issues
- calling the team “fragile” while taking zero accountability himself.

His decision making has been mind boggling

He's always mixed lines. It just went from when we were winning...
"Knobby may switch lines and play McDrai but he does it with logic and purpose"
To losing....
"His mixing lines is bad. He's not better than Woody"

Truth is nothing has changed. What's also ironic hes getting blasted for line juggling despite playing the top 6 very regularly...something this board has pined for like...forever

 

[brentashton]

This coach has made some brutal decisions this year.
- Not changing the PP up
- Not adjusting the PK
- Skinner scratched
- constant mixing of the lines
- emphasizing “checking with legs” taking physicality completely out
- playing Drai and McD when down by 4 goals in the third period 27-28 mins showing no trust in the bottom of the lineup. Causes room issues
- calling the team “fragile” while taking zero accountability himself.

His decision making has been mind boggling

Not been a fan of late but I think he will get this figured out. To spud him at this point is beyond stupid. But then again I see who suggesting this.

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

Smartest guy in the room syndrome

He’s truly an Oiler now.

 

[LeonDraisaitl29]

Jeff Skinner not playing tonight is a big mind boggling.

see what happens tonight.

Knoblauch hates the player

 

[RegDunlop]

Ok
Game one in serious season with a win behind us, new guys excited, and off to a 16-3-2 in their next 20

.... if StuCal can keep up

 

[Spawn]

Something to do with him playing a grand total of under 11 minutes short-handed in his last 4 seasons, including only 1 minute this year and 60 seconds last year.

To be fair, just because a player doesn't kill penalties historically doesn't mean he can't. It's not like our current group of PKers are performing so well we couldn't try others there.

 

[Spawn]

It feels like McDavid has finally started to get some legs under him the last couple games. Hopefully he pops off the last 20 games of the season.

 

[CrazyJoeDavola]

Make this lineup make sense! It's beyond infuriating how Knobs is treating his 4th highest scoring winger, 10th higher scoring player, 3rd highest goals/60 player, and 4th highest points/60 player. Drai has no wingers that can score, yet he continues to sit Skinner, who is, by far, the best scoring winger available for Drai. Skinner also has the 12th best xGF% on the team since Jan 1, ahead of Arvidsson, Henrique, and Janmark, who all continue to be inserted in the lineup over him, while not pissing a single drop of offence.

I have generally defended Knobs, and think he's a good coach, but this makes ZERO sense.

Because he's a shitty coach, plain and simple. Same thing for continuing to trott RV and Podzilla out there on the 2nd line.

You know he's just going to go nuclear 5 minutes in the game and the rest of the lineup be damned.

Reverse meritocracy, no belief in intensity through physicality, no ability to make any line adjustments stick outside of nuclear...etc.

 

[Oilhawks]

Because he's a shitty coach, plain and simple. Same thing for continuing to trott RV and Podzilla out there on the 2nd line.

You know he's just going to go nuclear 5 minutes in the game and the rest of the lineup be damned.

Reverse meritocracy, no belief in intensity through physicality...etc.

Wouldn’t be shocked if Stan pushes to bring in his own guy if the team continues to underperform