Pre-Game Talk: Let's Just Accept the Reality

[K1984]

Changing the third/fourth line will improve the top 6 and PP. Have faith K1984!

Lol no kidding.

I think there would be value in moving some Top 6 players down and some bottom 6 players up in terms of accountability messaging. Say Henrique and Brown move into the Top 6 and RNH and Hyman move out of it - even if it's for a game, that's a pretty clear indication that strong play will be rewarded, and shit play won't. I'm not suggesting this exact switch for the record, but just an example.

Also, as much as Hyman's goose egg is a problem, I don't perceive his play as poor as the rest of the Big 5. His first game or two wasn't good, but I think he's been more or less his normal self since. The difference is the play drivers on his line that he largely relies on to score goals have been so limp that the looks aren't really coming to him anymore. I would, however, get him off McDavid's wing, because I think a lot of McDavid's pass happiness is a result of thinking that passing to Hyman back door should be option #1 whenever he has a look.

RNH on the other hand? I think it's a mistake at this point to not demote him or take him off the PP. All of McDavid, Draisaitl, Hyman, and Bouchard have at least shown flashes of SOMETHING and flashes of maybe finding it. RNH is the sole player left that has pretty much not been responsible for a single positive the entire season to date. Absolutely awful.

 

[JeffSkinner53]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1848414101669822558

In theory that second line should be lethal. In theory.

 

[oobga]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1848414101669822558

Pls stop making me watch Nuge on the 1st line. Would like to see Nuge and Skinner flipped if we insist on Nuge in the top 6.

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

In theory that second line should be lethal. In theory.

Back to what didn’t work once before already this year. Hopefully lines 1 & 2 figure it out.

 

[North]

Yeah ok. I am not blaming Knoblauch, but I think hes lost on how to motivate this group. (Says more about the group than the coach).

This. Unfortunately this happens every year until they get their shit together.

 

[brentashton]

Back to what didn’t work once before already this year. Hopefully lines 1 & 2 figure it out.

Unfortunately there’s only so many deck chairs that can shuffled.

What’s more important is the deployment and how KK uses the assets he has.

For example, if I see:

1- the #1 PP unit still have RNH on it and,
2- they get to play the first 100+ seconds of the man advantage,
3- 97+29 have any shifts together 5on5,

…I will bloody scream.

I mean, aren’t coaches paid to make adjustments when the status quo ain’t working?? That’s on you KK, Gully, Schwartz, etc..

 

[McHelpus]

Yeah ok. I am not blaming Knoblauch, but I think hes lost on how to motivate this group. (Says more about the group than the coach).

We've learned the only thing that motivates the Oilers is by firing the coach

 

[kevy9999]

Team is what it is and we should just accept that we don't have some previous players anymore. They are gone and we have to make do with this team right now. Instead, let's talk about this specific cat

View attachment 919317

What even are you talking about after 6 games lol.lol nobody we lost was going to make or break our team and players we picked up will be better than the ones we lost and add more this year. I think you shouldn't start any pre games threads lol that was embarrassing after just 6 games into a year. We don't know what any team will be 6 games into a season. 20 game mark is a better measuring stick. We looked a hell of a lot worse 11 games into last season. Heck if we score on powerplay we could be 4 and 2 . And we all know PP will eventually get going. Do kevy a favor and don't start anymore threads lol

 

[bone]

Reality is this just like last year:

If we don’t play a perfect game McDrai have to score 4ppg for a win

If we don’t play a perfect game we need 6 to win

If we play a perfect game McDrai need 2ppg to win

Goaltending the sole reason.

Um. The special teams combined number is 62% as both PP and PK are bottom 3 in the entire league. So far this year, McDrai are as much part of the problem as they are any solution.

5 on 5 play isn't a lot better for results, but generally flow of play 5 on 5 is good.

 

[Mr Kot]

"Do kevy a favor and don't start anymore threads lol"

 

[bone]

Imagine blaming goaltending for the league worst offense. What a world. It's Skinner's fault their PP is operating at around 5%.

While that's certainly fair, Skinner's at least somewhat culpable in their 55% penalty kill where the goalies have a save percentage of .625 (Skinner's slightly pulling that up with a godly .733 save percentage). Overall goaltending on the PK has been pretty f***ing bad and then average at evens.

 

[FlameChampion]

We've learned the only thing that motivates the Oilers is by firing the coach

Well feels like with this group they can’t get motivated until they put themselves in a hole. Whether its the beginning of a season or a series, feels inevitable.

 

[Slats432]

Unfortunately there’s only so many deck chairs that can shuffled.

What’s more important is the deployment and how KK uses the assets he has.

For example, if I see:

1- the #1 PP unit still have RNH on it and,
2- they get to play the first 100+ seconds of the man advantage,
3- 97+29 have any shifts together 5on5,

…I will bloody scream.

I mean, aren’t coaches paid to make adjustments when the status quo ain’t working?? That’s on you KK, Gully, Schwartz, etc..

1-Why would you scream if one of the players on one of the best PPs of all time is still on the PP? I can see wanting a change because he/it is slumping, but scream is a little aggressive.

I can agree with screaming during the other points.

 

[joestevens29]

Well feels like with this group they can’t get motivated until they put themselves in a hole. Whether its the beginning of a season or a series, feels inevitable.

They've historically had it to start games as well.

Not sure what the issue is.

I know one of the reasons for Perry is to help the leadership out, but that clearly isn't happening. Although Perry's on ice game has really been the least of our worries

Ekholm and Kulak being tied for 4th in points and Kulak 2nd in goals is really all you have to look at to see just how bad this team is overall.

Connor being 4th(forwards) in hits per 60 is another scary stat to me. There are just far too many passengers right now. If you ain't putting up points you have to do something. The special teams aren't going, so what is the next thing you can do? Hit somebody.

At least bottom feeders have a team with guys doing something out there, they just don't have the talent to win on the score sheet.

 

[brentashton]

1-Why would you scream if one of the players on one of the best PPs of all time is still on the PP? I can see wanting a change because he/it is slumping, but scream is a little aggressive.

I can agree with screaming during the other points.

I guess I’m a screamer.

Seriously, from what I’ve watched this year, the play dies on his stick, he loses the battle, turns it over and out the puck goes. If he’s still out there for the next game, I scream because of frustration that the coaches are still rolling the same old out.

Like I said you can’t shuffle all the chairs, but the one with the wobbly leg, you use it last, when all the other chairs have people comfortably in them.

That’s said, I also expect RNH to right his ship. He’s a pro. But I just don’t want to leave him on the PP until that happens.

 

[Mr Kot]

Like I said you can’t shuffle all the chairs, but the one with the wobbly leg, you use it last, when all the other chairs have people comfortably in them.

I think that's what people aren't getting. Just need a few tweaks, nobody really calling for a complete overhaul of the system. It doesn't hurt to try and can spark some offense from other people. Let nuge take a small breather from the PP for now and try someone else.

 

[joestevens29]

I guess I’m a screamer.

Seriously, from what I’ve watched this year, the play dies on his stick, he loses the battle, turns it over and out the puck goes. If he’s still out there for the next game, I scream because of frustration that the coaches are still rolling the same old out.

Like I said you can’t shuffle all the chairs, but the one with the wobbly leg, you use it last, when all the other chairs have people comfortably in them.

That’s said, I also expect RNH to right his ship. He’s a pro. But I just don’t want to leave him on the PP until that happens.

The one thing that drives me nuts is we didn't use pre-season properly and we started shuffling the deck chairs rather quickly. Instead of reshuffling the PP, why not start using the 2nd PP a little more? A group that has been together all year, but really hasn't been given much of a chance to shine.

I just don't know that constantly changing everything up is gonna be the solution for this club.

Never really gave anything much chance to gel this year and it's only game 6 lol. Would've stuck with some consistency at least for 8-10 games before tweaking, now we just seem to be in panic mode.

 

[yukoner88]

You're right. We don't have the former versions of McDavid, Draisaitl, Bouchard, Hyman, S. Skinner and Nugent-Hopkins. Hopefully they show up soon.

Stunning to me that people are still trying to pin this on everyone else. Any thought that Broberg and Holloway would be making the difference is laughably out to lunch, unless those two can start saving pucks and scoring on the power play.

I've had a couple conversations with friends n have mentioned it here too. It's going to take those guys a little extra time to get back into synch. It's everyone's first time having a shorter off season. It's it could be another 2 weeks until the top end of the line up is playing at the levels we're use to seeing.

Some posters here have come at me over the Panthers not having the issue we're having. But that was their 2nd long run, so they would have had an idea already of how to manage the shorter time span. Plus they have the mojo of having won

Against Dallas, I think the team just simply ran out of gas. They started the season playing 3 out of 4, then travel, play, travel, matinee. That's a tough schedule.

Just be patient. The bottom 6 is putting in better efforts than we've seen in the past. The boys will have had a couple extra days off going into this game.

 

[unicornBLOOD]

Imagine blaming goaltending for the league worst offense. What a world. It's Skinner's fault their PP is operating at around 5%.

It also isn't his fault completely for the horrendous PK either, Skinner does need to shoulder some of the blame for the poor start, he has not been good enough. That being said, even Skinner at a .910ish save percentage wouldn't be enough to fix this team and it's troubles right now. Many individual players, and all of the speciality teams are struggling big time right now. It's hard to understand how so many veterans are all fighting it so hard right now. Might be time to try some tweaks on the PP and PK, waiting around and doing the same over and over, definitely has not worked to this point.