Post-Game Talk: McDavid took that personally

[Jimmi McJenkins]

Pickard is now only 3 wins behind Skinner on the year despite playing 50% less games

Pickard's record this year is a hell of accomplishment for him. Right now, you have to ride him, especially into game 1 of the playoffs.

 

[TopShelfGloveSide]

Team plays better in front of him because they're not afraid every shot will go in.

I think it’s pretty obvious who the players prefer in net.

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

I think they wanted to keep Holland in some capacity. He didn’t want to stay though.

Chiarelli can get effed. That man left us so depleted of actual NHL talent it’s a wonder any team hired him.

He was better at drafting than Holland though.

He wanted to be the GM but I do not think JJ wanted him as GM in which case he should have relieved him of his duties if he did not want to be kicked upstairs. Holland didnt like being kicked upstairs in Detroit either when Stevie Y came onboard. Holland can also get effed as far as I am concerned.

 

[Jimmi McJenkins]

I think it’s pretty obvious who the players prefer in net.

It does seem like they play less tense in front of him. He has his warts, but he's brought in this tough stretch and that's significant imo.

 

[Stoneman89]

Very important win last night, against a team with some really good players that has been smoking hot.

- Kulak played his best game in about 3 months. By a long shot. He was absolutely outstanding in every phase. If he can do this again in the playoffs, this will be huge.

- nice for Brown to get a couple. I'd say he's been snake bit this year, but it's ......Connor Brown we're talking about here.

- very eventful 1st game back for the captain. Skating like a demon, stickhandling superb, a couple bad giveaways, one resulting in a goal, a couple penalties, and 3 assists, including a beauty on the winner.

- reffing absolutely useless again. Have no idea why no penalty on the hold on Skinner. I know he wasn't going to catch the 2 on 1, but what if they missed and then had a goal on a rebound? So if a guy punches someone in the head behind the play, they let it go because there's a 2 on 1 developing? Bullshit. Skinner had every right to lose his mind.

- Pickard was solid to great all night. Would probably like goal number 3 back (but what was Emberson doing, standing there and allowing the Blues player to whack at it?) Picks may not have achieved the magical .900 save %, but he out dueled a former cup champ, the current Team Canada winning starter, and a guy that's been arguably the best goalie in the league since the Four Nations.

- lastly, a bit crazy in the last 20 seconds when no way it should have been. McDavid is not exactly a defensive whiz, no way he should have been out there. And Nurse was way up in the zone with 2 other Oilers, getting caught when the puck went down low. We just couldn't win even one of 2 important draws as well. Blues had TWO glorious in tight chances when the faceoff started at centre ice with 20 seconds left. Minor bickering, because we won, but this team sure like making it hard on themselves.

 

[29Beast97Mode]

Lucky I wasn't playing in net otherwise it would look like this

View attachment 1010558

Stop taking selfies bro. I can't compete. We have the goaltending Jesus in thus server.

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

It does seem like they play less tense in front of him. He has his warts, but he's brought in this tough stretch and that's significant imo.

I think it's because they know what they can expect with Pickard. With Skinner they do not know from shot to shot if Good Skinner is in net or his evil twin Bad Skinner. There is just no consistency with Skinner whatsoever until he goes on one of his 10 game hot streaks. Then it is followed up by more of the same.

 

[Jarvi]

Also true...

"Inside" information is probably a stretch, but knowing what number it would take for Holloway and Broberg to sign would be enough to provide an advantage... certainly Holland would have known those numbers.

At that time, they could have just called HolloBergs agents and asked them what they wanted as it was mid-August by then. They didn't even trade for their pick they needed from Pitt until August 13th. Or they could have read what the media was saying their ask was, and looked at our capspace on Puckpedia to just go over the meager amount we set aside for them.


The team was trying to pinch pennies and make some young guys sweat it out, to take a discount. Others have done it, but they didnt leave themselves completely exposed while doing so.

 

[TopShelfGloveSide]

I think it's because they know what they can expect with Pickard. With Skinner they do not know from shot to shot if Good Skinner is in net or his evil twin Bad Skinner. There is just no consistency with Skinner whatsoever until he goes on one of his 10 game hot streaks. Then it is followed up by more of the same.

Good Skinner hasn’t shown his face since January.

 

[TB12]

This

But the worst is. When people say "if you didn't have the two best players in the world you wouldn't be there good "

No shit Sherlock lol. If the Bulls didn't have Michael Jordan they don't win the titles they do. If the colts didn't have Peyton Manning to Harrison and Wayne in 06 they don't win that super bowl. If the Patriots didn't have Brady they don't win the super bowls they do

McDavid and Drai are game changers. They absolutely can take any team and make them all stars. Thankfully we have both, because if we didn't it would be a lot more painful years

Yup. Telling people "your teams only good because you have good players" is definitely not the winning argument they think it is haha

 

[Draiskull]

Very important win last night, against a team with some really good players that has been smoking hot.

- Kulak played his best game in about 3 months. By a long shot. He was absolutely outstanding in every phase. If he can do this again in the playoffs, this will be huge.

- nice for Brown to get a couple. I'd say he's been snake bit this year, but it's ......Connor Brown we're talking about here.

- very eventful 1st game back for the captain. Skating like a demon, stickhandling superb, a couple bad giveaways, one resulting in a goal, a couple penalties, and 3 assists, including a beauty on the winner.

- reffing absolutely useless again. Have no idea why no penalty on the hold on Skinner. I know he wasn't going to catch the 2 on 1, but what if they missed and then had a goal on a rebound? So if a guy punches someone in the head behind the play, they let it go because there's a 2 on 1 developing? Bullshit. Skinner had every right to lose his mind.

- Pickard was solid to great all night. Would probably like goal number 3 back (but what was Emberson doing, standing there and allowing the Blues player to whack at it?) Picks may not have achieved the magical .900 save %, but he out dueled a former cup champ, the current Team Canada winning starter, and a guy that's been arguably the best goalie in the league since the Four Nations.

- lastly, a bit crazy in the last 20 seconds when no way it should have been. McDavid is not exactly a defensive whiz, no way he should have been out there. And Nurse was way up in the zone with 2 other Oilers, getting caught when the puck went down low. We just couldn't win even one of 2 important draws as well. Blues had TWO glorious in tight chances when the faceoff started at centre ice with 20 seconds left. Minor bickering, because we won, but this team sure like making it hard on themselves.

McD was on the ice at the end because of the icing call against Oil. He wanted to get off but Blues complained and got him back on the ice. Also, without Drai and Nuge there werent many options. Even Janmark got on the ice late in the game to take a draw and then changed right after.

 

[Drivesaitl]

Kept watching the game thinking that even with just McD back we were dominating stretches of the game. With McD on ice all Blues could do most of the time was get pucks out. Then our D would generate it back and we'd get more zonetime. There were several sequences like that from early in the game where all Blues were doing was hanging on, and often times literally.

I'm not in love with our forward group, I've made that clear. But this is the Best D we've had. We played this game without Ekholm and Walman, and without our strongest forward Draisaitl. We controlled portions of the game. Blues only had that with thier topline out. Only sometimes.

Like I said earlier we generated so much, Binnington was getting shellshock. Dealing with situations in front of him all night. We got 4 pucks past him, a couple posts, and theres about 4 other shots we sailed wide.

We really have the Blues number and no team playing us should ever want Suter on D. He shits his pants just thinking about defending us. No matter who he's playing for. Even the Blue best D couldn't contain McD or others. Binnington was nervous all game because he knew he'd have to be amazing, he wasn't. 3-0 against the Blues. Other teams have so much trouble with this Blues club.

 

[Draiskull]

I think it’s pretty obvious who the players prefer in net.

For me and perhaps the players its not even the goals that Skinner lets in... its his look and attitude after he lets them in. I guess its good to have self confidence but he acts as if he is a 10M franchise goalie who just let in a goal because he was left out to dry.

 

[Draiskull]

Frederic is going to be useful in the playoffs.

The Leafs overpaid for a declining Carlo.

Well Carlo is playing on their top pairing playing big tough defensive zone minutes. I guess we are good with Emberson.

 

[Duke74]

Its not about it being dismissed. Its about these things being inflated to existential threats since around 2000. Remember Y2K. Its around the time that News just saw it as their ticket to inflate massive freak out about everything.

Hence why I stay away from the news.

 

[Draiskull]

Kept watching the game thinking that even with just McD back we were dominating stretches of the game. With McD on ice all Blues could do most of the time was get pucks out. Then our D would generate it back and we'd get more zonetime. There were several sequences like that from early in the game where all Blues were doing was hanging on, and often times literally.

I'm not in love with our forward group, I've made that clear. But this is the Best D we've had. We played this game without Ekholm and Walman, and without our strongest forward Draisaitl. We controlled portions of the game. Blues only had that with thier topline out. Only sometimes.

Like I said earlier we generated so much, Binnington was getting shellshock. Dealing with situations in front of him all night. We got 4 pucks past him, a couple posts, and theres about 4 other shots we sailed wide.

Did you miss Nuge??

 

[Draiskull]

Hence why I stay away from the news.

Something is making its rounds for sure though. A lot of sick people at schools and at work these days. I dont think it political but each to their own opinion.

 

[McBeastMode]

Also I had to go to bed early last night. Where was Walman?

He had to to bed early...

 

[Stoneman89]

McD was on the ice at the end because of the icing call against Oil. He wanted to get off but Blues complained and got him back on the ice. Also, without Drai and Nuge there werent many options. Even Janmark got on the ice late in the game to take a draw and then changed right after.

Nope. Faceoff was at centre ice after the goal and he was on then.

 

[Seth92]

Pickard with another solid game and made the saves when they mattered. That stop on the partial breakaway was huge. If only we got this type of goaltending last year this team would have won the cup. Damn skinner. lol

no idea how pickard aint the guy for the playoffs. He is so solid in net. Skinner is like Mike Smith skating on Bananas sometimes and when he isn't his stick is like a wet strand of spaghetti. Like he has the worst luck or he's actually trying TOO hard and gets in his head. Picks is the dude to not be like that. He talks to his D men a lot more too from what Ive seen. Complete goaltender right there as the team fought for him last night. As soon as Skinner lets in 1 the team knows 2 and 3 could be very soon.

 

[Stoneman89]

Kept watching the game thinking that even with just McD back we were dominating stretches of the game. With McD on ice all Blues could do most of the time was get pucks out. Then our D would generate it back and we'd get more zonetime. There were several sequences like that from early in the game where all Blues were doing was hanging on, and often times literally.

I'm not in love with our forward group, I've made that clear. But this is the Best D we've had. We played this game without Ekholm and Walman, and without our strongest forward Draisaitl. We controlled portions of the game. Blues only had that with thier topline out. Only sometimes.

Like I said earlier we generated so much, Binnington was getting shellshock. Dealing with situations in front of him all night. We got 4 pucks past him, a couple posts, and theres about 4 other shots we sailed wide.

We really have the Blues number and no team playing us should ever want Suter on D. He shits his pants just thinking about defending us. No matter who he's playing for. Even the Blue best D couldn't contain McD or others. Binnington was nervous all game because he knew he'd have to be amazing, he wasn't. 3-0 against the Blues. Other teams have so much trouble with this Blues club.

Speaking of sailing wide, what's with the Oilers and their penchant for missing wide open nets this year? Like some disease spreading through the lineup.

 

[Draiskull]

Nope. Faceoff was at centre ice after the goal.

different play then. Yeh, McDavid was 17% on the dot (3 out of 18) last night so not the ideal C to take a faceoff but his speed alone is a good enough reason to have him out on the ice in a neutral zone draw with STL goalie pulled.

 

[MessierThanThou]

Pickard is now only 3 wins behind Skinner on the year despite playing 50% less games

While I'm sure playing weaker teams contributed to some extent, I'm fairly certain it's easier to win a game when you aren't desperately trying to claw yourself out of a two or three or four-goal deficit in the first period... I have a feeling Drai's effusive praise for Pickard is his way of hinting to the coaches that he prefers him in net.

Chiarelli is on the Blues management staff and Holland is Armstrongs best bud. There's no way in hell you can't convince me that Holland left Broberg and Holloway unsigned so Armstrong could take a run at them in the summer and gave Armstrong inside information once he wasnt under contract July 1. Hockey managers have long memories and are a vindictive bunch. Chiarelli and Holland most certainly felt slighted by the Oilers.

Jeff Jackson made a monumental mistake not just letting Holland go when he took over if he was going to leave him a dead man walking without a contract.

If Chiarelli had a hand in the offer sheet bullshit, then that only adds to his legacy as the most destructive person in the history of the Oilers franchise.

 

[Draiskull]

no idea how pickard aint the guy for the playoffs. He is so solid in net. Skinner is like Mike Smith skating on Bananas sometimes and when he isn't his stick is like a wet strand of spaghetti. Like he has the worst luck or he's actually trying TOO hard and gets in his head. Picks is the dude to not be like that. He talks to his D men a lot more too from what Ive seen. Complete goaltender right there as the team fought for him last night. As soon as Skinner lets in 1 the team knows 2 and 3 could be very soon.

I dont think Pickard is good enough to steal us some games in playoffs. I just know that unlike Skinner he may not cost us games in playoffs. Pickard is a below average goalie but that is all we really need.

 

[Drivesaitl]

Speaking of sailing wide, what's with the Oilers and their penchant for missing wide open nets this year? Like some disease spreading through the lineup.

They should try the backhand more. Its uncanny how all of those were finding perfect openings, we're talking no look backhands, but staring at an open net feet away they miss. Its inexplicable isn't it?