Post-Game Talk: Montreal - where the people are beautiful and Oilers hockey is ugly

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

True, it's just funny that the 3 cast-offs (McLeod and Foegele in particular were cast-offs) would be leading the Oilers forwards in goals outside of the two generational talents. Hyman, RNH and Skinner in particular need to be giving the team much more than they're giving them, Arvidsson too, and why is Philp in the AHL again? Complain about the defense and goaltending all you want (just a general statement, not directed at you) but scoring continues to be the biggest issue and god awful 3rd periods when the team crumbles time and time again, the last 4 games to be exact.

I still say these issues are very correctable because these guys aren't going to continue playing at career worst paces but it's a hell of a grind to watch them work through it.

19 games into the season and they're 24th in offense. That is simply unfathomable. Yet they're only 18th in GA.

 

[syz]

They’re an extremely perimeter team. I don’t know how anyone who watched that game last night would think otherwise. It’s not “everyone forgot how to score”, they’re not getting to the dirty areas. They’re happy to cycle for hours on end only for a limp wrister from Dermott to get through.

 

[barry halls]

Worst part of the game was having to see that piece of shit poser of an executive Jeff Jackson on my TV during the intermission.

This team isn't just unlucky, that's a losers excuse.

We're entering the holiday season and this so-called contender is behind the goddamn Calgary Flames. Jackson and Bowman destroyed this team and the future looks incredibly bleak with the lack of youth, no assets, and the incoming cap crunch.

 

[Oilslick941611]

Yeah, so can anyone explain the following?:

Jan. 11th to April 13th (end of season), 2023
Edmonton Oilers:
40 games played
4.45 goals per game = 1st NHL
Power-play 34.2% = 1st NHL

Oct. 2024 to Nov. 18th 2024
Edmonton Oilers:
19 games played
2.63 goals per game = 24th NHL
Power-play 16.3% = 24th NHL

This is the same club, with the same players on the PP, and the 2024 edition has more skilled offensive players than the 2023 one.

There are enough games this season that we need to stop comparing last years team to this year. It’s different, the team is different, they dont have mental abilities that last years team had and maybe last season was the fluke.

Also our play is predictable, keep your shape in the D zone and let us skate circles around the zone and pass the puck around. Eventually we will force a pass cross ice and if the other team keeps their sticks active in passing lanes it’s an easy turnover and you go the other way. THere is no creativity in our play and we dont get in the gritty areas and fight. It’s almost like they expect to score, but they don't go in the areas needed or do the necessary work. Outside of McDrai the team has nothing and even then McDavid is skating well but not looking dangerous and making poor choices and forcing passes that have a low percentage of being completed. Drai is looking like a beast and people can’t get the puck from him, but his typical scoring area on the PP is not available because the Oilers have been scouted and the word is out and the team isnt making any changes to how they play. Combine that with almost league worst goaltending and its why you have games where we can outshoot the other team by a factor of 1.5-2 and still lose, or have the score close enough that a 3rd period slip up can cost the game.

 

[VeteranPresence]

Yeah, so can anyone explain the following?:

Jan. 11th to April 13th (end of season), 2023
Edmonton Oilers:
40 games played
4.45 goals per game = 1st NHL
Power-play 34.2% = 1st NHL

Oct. 2024 to Nov. 18th 2024
Edmonton Oilers:
19 games played
2.63 goals per game = 24th NHL
Power-play 16.3% = 24th NHL

This is the same club, with the same players on the PP, and the 2024 edition has more skilled offensive players than the 2023 one.

Gulutzan claimed this in an interview last week, saying he had seen this happen for three straight years and wasn’t worried. My question is, if you have seen it for three straight years, why can’t you f***ing stop it from happening?

 

[CupofOil]

Worst part of the game was having to see that piece of shit poser of an executive Jeff Jackson on my TV during the intermission.

This team isn't just unlucky, that's a losers excuse.

We're entering the holiday season and this so-called contender is behind the goddamn Calgary Flames. Jackson and Bowman destroyed this team and the future looks incredibly bleak with the lack of youth, no assets, and the incoming cap crunch.

Yes they are unlucky.
Hyman and Skinner are on pace for 15 goals, Arvidsson on pace for 10, RNH on pace for 5. Sorry but these are entirely unsustainable numbers.
The PP is at 16%, PK at 67%. All unsustainable, just no way that these numbers across the board don't improve, and likely drastically, throughout the season.

There's a lot of bad luck involved here mixed with too much perimeter play but they've always largely been a perimeter team, it's not like the team has been playing poorly and not generating much, things almost always balance out over the course of the season and I suspect most of these numbers will as well.

 

[CanadasTeam99]

There are enough games this season that we need to stop comparing last years team to this year. It’s different, the team is different, they dont have mental abilities that last years team had and maybe last season was the fluke.

Also our play is predictable, keep your shape in the D zone and let us skate circles around the zone and pass the puck around. Eventually we will force a pass cross ice and if the other team keeps their sticks active in passing lanes it’s an easy turnover and you go the other way. THere is no creativity in our play and we dont get in the gritty areas and fight. It’s almost like they expect to score, but they don't go in the areas needed or do the necessary work. Outside of McDrai the team has nothing and even then McDavid is skating well but not looking dangerous and making poor choices and forcing passes that have a low percentage of being completed. Drai is looking like a beast and people can’t get the puck from him, but his typical scoring area on the PP is not available because the Oilers have been scouted and the word is out and the team isnt making any changes to how they play. Combine that with almost league worst goaltending and its why you have games where we can outshoot the other team by a factor of 1.5-2 and still lose, or have the score close enough that a 3rd period slip up can cost the game.

Yes, this is what I keep saying. Not this parroting of old and slow.

They don't execute at all. They dik around the outside then take lame muffins from the point too much.

That is their set play. F around trying to cycle then whip it to the point. If we get a shot off, nobody is in front. Everybody loves booking a bed at the perimeter Hilton

I get shocked if somebody actually goes to the hash marks area to try to get open for a one timer

 

[syz]

This is even funnier than I was expecting.

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

Yes, this is what I keep saying. Not this parroting of old and slow.

They don't execute at all. They dik around the outside then take lame muffins from the point too much.

That is their set play. F around trying to cycle then whip it to the point. If we get a shot off, nobody is in front. Everybody loves booking a bed at the perimeter Hilton

I get shocked if somebody actually goes to the hash marks area to try to get open for a one timer

There are stat padders and then there are fancy stat padders.

That was the epitome of limp dick hockey last night. Zero urgency in their game. They either played like they were drunk or like they assumed they'd easily win.

 

[tardigrade81]

Can pickard go again tonight lol.

 

[brentashton]

This is even funnier than I was expecting.

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View attachment 932696

Woof. That is putrid.

 

[syz]

Woof. That is putrid.

Meanwhile...

 

[Tarus]

RNH has to be one of the biggest jokes of the year. He has the same point totals as Janmark and a worse plus/minus despite perennial top 6 minutes and cushy pp time.
He’s on pace for another 4 goal year, what a complete f***ing phony and fraud this player is.

RNH was bad last year too, 18 goals playing with a 100 assist Mcdavid was embarrassing. It's reasonable to think that it probably cost Mcdavid another Art Ross.

Hyman looks a bit slower this year too, so he's not getting in on the forecheck as effectively this year. With the duo of Mcdavid/Hyman not retrieving and possessing the puck in the same way, they aren't dominating teams in the offensive zone like they did last year, thus RNH can't get his usual slew of participation points he's spent his career getting as a perpetual 3rd wheel and coattail rider.

Easily one of Knoblauch's biggest mistakes this year, not breaking up the first line for any other reason than to reunite the Mcdrai pairing.

 

[McTonyBrar]

Injured Arvid was the worst signing. 4Mx2 lol. Not sure how any of Arvid, Skinner or Podz was going to help us at all. All the players we lost are playing better.

Enough man. Out of the signings, he’s been the only that’s been producing. You just have some hard on hate for small players and then you have bias for Leon in the oddest possible way. I can never take your opinion seriously. Every player that seems to play with Leon is the worse while Leon can never make any mistakes.

 

[Canovin]

Good news is if Knob doesn't work out, there's always Quennville

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

Good news is if Knob doesn't work out, there's always Quennville

Yeah that's what we need, a dated coach with all sorts of questions surrounding him.

 

[Oilslick941611]

Good news is if Knob doesn't work out, there's always Quennville

In other words, the beatings will continue until morale improves.

 

[CanadasTeam99]

There are stat padders and then there are fancy stat padders.

That was the epitome of limp dick hockey last night. Zero urgency in their game. They either played like they were drunk or like they assumed they'd easily win.

Yup

All the other coach has to say is to keep a nice square box out there boys. Just let them get their jollys by skating around the outside and then box their guys out for any rebound from a lame point shot

 

[bobbythebrain]

Worst part of the game was having to see that piece of shit poser of an executive Jeff Jackson on my TV during the intermission.

This team isn't just unlucky, that's a losers excuse.

We're entering the holiday season and this so-called contender is behind the goddamn Calgary Flames. Jackson and Bowman destroyed this team and the future looks incredibly bleak with the lack of youth, no assets, and the incoming cap crunch.

Lolol

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

Yup

All the other coach has to say is to keep a nice square box out there boys. Just let them get their jollys by skating around the outside and then box their guys out for any rebound from a lame point shot

I wasn't all that impressed with their game in Toronto either. No urgency until they were behind late in the game. I'm not expecting 60 minutes of dominance but they've looked very lifeless the past few outings.

 

[brentashton]

Yeah that's what we need, a dated coach with all sorts of questions surrounding him.

Don’t like the current coach, dont like the most successful/qualified available potential coach. That’s fair. So then who would you replace him with that would be an acceptable improvement?

 

[Gunnersaurus Rex]

Think he likely gets bridged at this point. 7.75 per for 2 years or something like that.

Uggh, that would be a horrible contract

 

[Fixed to Ruin]

Yeah that's what we need, a dated coach with all sorts of questions surrounding him.

The current coach doesn't believe in physical play.

I think I'll take the old school guy than the coach with the calculator in his front pocket.

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

Don’t like the current coach, dont like the most successful/qualified available potential coach. That’s fair. So them who would you replace him with that would be an acceptable improvement?

I don't want them to replace the coach at all because doing that every year isn't something successful franchises do. I could care less about previous successes (after all, that's what we heard about Ken Holland and Stan Bowman) and that's not even getting into the off-ice stuff. There's a reason nobody's going near this guy.

The current coach doesn't believe in physical play.

I think I'll take the old school guy than the coach with the calculator in his front pocket.

The coach was a very large part of the reason we got to within a game of the Cup. Quennville hasn't won a series in almost a decade despite some pretty good teams. "Old school" leads to hires like Ken Hitchcock and Dave Tippett.

 

[brentashton]

I don't want them to replace the coach at all because doing that every year isn't something successful franchises do. I could care less about previous successes (after all, that's what we heard about Ken Holland and Stan Bowman) and that's not even getting into the off-ice stuff. There's a reason nobody's going near this guy.


The coach was a very large part of the reason we got to within a game of the Cup. Quennville hasn't won a series in almost a decade despite some pretty good teams. "Old school" leads to hires like Ken Hitchcock and Dave Tippett.

I agree. Changing the coach yet again would be beyond foolish.