The Panther
Registered User
Weird game. Oilers were totally dominant in the 1st period, but could only get up by 1. Then, one opponent shot later and it's 1-1 and all Oiler-momentum is gone. This is somehow the story of this season -- the pieces, offensively, seem fine, but the team needs too many shots before they can score. I can't figure it out, because it sure wasn't a problem in the latter half of last season. This year, they'll dominate shots, like, 45-12, and then lose the game.
Anyway, that dominance lasted only for the 1st period and then they were caved-in the rest of the game. Foegele's brainless penalty also helped in handing further momentum to the Canucks. (Foegele is complete ass this playoffs.) I don't know what to say about Ryan McLeod. He just has poor offensive skills and judgement. He's a good penalty-killer, and he can skate like the wind, but it all adds up to nothing as he can't beat a goalie cleanly, he never goes to the net, and he never hits anyone.
Did anyone notice that one sequence in (I think) the 3rd period, at 2-2, when the Foegele - Perry - McLeod line was having its one good shift of the night? The D (Kulak?), I think, had the puck at the blue-line and was about to shoot or pass towards the net... but, suddenly, McLeod, who was positioned on the blue-line, is dramatically calling for the puck. So, Kulak gives it to him and McLeod tries a one-timer slapper from the blue-line. Yeah, no. McLeod, you cannot even score from 2 feet, so you sure can't score from the blue-line. It just looked pathetic.
Credit to Pickard, who I thought was great. He is stopping all the ones he's supposed to stop, which is better than Skinner was doing.
Bouchard.... I mean, it is what it is. He giveth and he taketh away. Merde happens I guess.
My general impression of the Oilers lately -- since the All-Star break, more or less -- is that the supporting players are either too slow (Perry, Ekholm, Desharnais, Ceci) or they are fast but have zero hands and zero scoring touch (McLeod, Kulak, Holloway, Janmark, Foegele, Brown).
It somehow summed-up Connor Brown's season when he had the cleanest, 1-on-1 look of any forward on either team in the 1st, and he... shot it into the goalie's chest.
Anyway, that dominance lasted only for the 1st period and then they were caved-in the rest of the game. Foegele's brainless penalty also helped in handing further momentum to the Canucks. (Foegele is complete ass this playoffs.) I don't know what to say about Ryan McLeod. He just has poor offensive skills and judgement. He's a good penalty-killer, and he can skate like the wind, but it all adds up to nothing as he can't beat a goalie cleanly, he never goes to the net, and he never hits anyone.
Did anyone notice that one sequence in (I think) the 3rd period, at 2-2, when the Foegele - Perry - McLeod line was having its one good shift of the night? The D (Kulak?), I think, had the puck at the blue-line and was about to shoot or pass towards the net... but, suddenly, McLeod, who was positioned on the blue-line, is dramatically calling for the puck. So, Kulak gives it to him and McLeod tries a one-timer slapper from the blue-line. Yeah, no. McLeod, you cannot even score from 2 feet, so you sure can't score from the blue-line. It just looked pathetic.
Credit to Pickard, who I thought was great. He is stopping all the ones he's supposed to stop, which is better than Skinner was doing.
Bouchard.... I mean, it is what it is. He giveth and he taketh away. Merde happens I guess.
My general impression of the Oilers lately -- since the All-Star break, more or less -- is that the supporting players are either too slow (Perry, Ekholm, Desharnais, Ceci) or they are fast but have zero hands and zero scoring touch (McLeod, Kulak, Holloway, Janmark, Foegele, Brown).
It somehow summed-up Connor Brown's season when he had the cleanest, 1-on-1 look of any forward on either team in the 1st, and he... shot it into the goalie's chest.
