Oilers are good at hockey again: Back in the plofs

[ChaoticOrange]

Still need to make a move for a credible back-up goalie. I wonder if they can pry Fleury out of edmonton.
.

if they don't get Perry, I can see the Oilers putting together a decent package for Fleury and Maroon out of Minnesota.

 

[34]

as an oilers fan i can say hyman/draisaitl are tied for 2nd in the best contracts debate. #1 is sam reinhart imo

Hyman has been a gangster man, straight up. The guy has been clutch. Yes, Drai at $8.5M is a hilarious, he is going to get $13M on his next contract.

Reinhart is also a UFA after this season and will be getting a substantial raise. I think $10M AAV is not out of the question

 

[Macheteops]

I just want to know what happened to the guy that kept looking at the Oilers winning games as a negative because it was costing them games played early in the year

 

[Fishy McScales]

So they outscored us 12-4 in 2 games and won both games. Nice work from them! They are also first right now. They're good! Happy for them. Want the rematch!

Yeah I just wanted to expound a bit of context regarding those first couple of games, because the Canucks really only "handed it" to the Oilers in one game and then got away with highway robbery in the second one.

This has been distorted into "the Canucks absolutely owned the Oilers for three games" when in fact it was a lot closer than that.

Even when they beat us 6-2 in November the xG was just 4 to 3.6.

This is why I want them in the playoffs too. They were able to grab some wins when we were at our worst, sure, but we are better now and have been better than them all year going by the fancies.

I really don't want another Kings series, even if we kind of have their number. I would be curious about a rematch against the Knights with Knoblauch's zone defense.

 

[WetcoastOrca]

they did when we were playing like ass earlier in the year. April 13th should be a fun tuneup for both squads. McDavid, Ekholm, and McLeod all being healthy and Skinner finding his game have been very good for us.

Oh for sure I think the Oilers are a lot better than they were early in the season. But then so are the Canucks. They’re playing much better hockey despite having one of the most difficult schedules in the first half of the season. The Canucks are a top team in the league and deservedly so.
I wouldn’t mind a first round matchup against the Oilers. The only Pacific team I want to avoid is Vegas. They’re going through a bit of a cup hangover but that team is just so deep everywhere.

 

[Czechboy]

beat us 6-2 in November

So in three games they outscored us 18 - 6 and won all 3. I get what you are saying I watched all the games but they have been better us in head to head. Good for them! I want the rematch in playoffs.lol

King's are a nightmare team! They are built beautiful. I have no idea why they are struggling right now but, as they say, better to struggle now than later. I actually don't think there is an easy first round opponent in the West. The bottom of the West is pretty weak but the top is stupid good. I wouldn't be surprised at all if a West team won the Cup... again.

Avs, Knights, OIL, Nucks, Dallas and Jets are all awesome.

Plus - none of them have a McDrai
Negative - most of them have better D or G than us.. Demko, Oettinger and Helle are all world. Then you got guys like Doughty, Pietrangelo, Heisk, Makar and Hughes.

Losing to the King's would be funny though.. Big Save Dave or Talbot coming back to haunt us.lol

And we still aren't guaranteed playoffs by any stretch. I'll enjoy this for every second and hope it is sustainable. I think it is but I didn't think that at American Thanksgiving.lol

 

[Czechboy]

Oh for sure I think the Oilers are a lot better than they were early in the season. But then so are the Canucks. They’re playing much better hockey despite having one of the most difficult schedules in the first half of the season. The Canucks are a top team in the league and deservedly so.
I wouldn’t mind a first round matchup against the Oilers. The only Pacific team I want to avoid is Vegas. They’re going through a bit of a cup hangover but that team is just so deep everywhere.

To me it's still the Knights and Avs division till someone knocks them out! Maybe looks bad today but, by playoffs, they could be firing on all cylinders. They have that Cup swagger and beautiful D cores.

 

[Fishy McScales]

So in three games they outscored us 18 - 6 and won all 3. I get what you are saying I watched all the games but they have been better us in head to head. Good for them! I want the rematch in playoffs.lol

King's are a nightmare team! They are built beautiful. I have no idea why they are struggling right now but, as they say, better to struggle now than later. I actually don't think there is an easy first round opponent in the West. The bottom of the West is pretty weak but the top is stupid good. I wouldn't be surprised at all if a West team won the Cup... again.

Avs, Knights, OIL, Nucks, Dallas and Jets are all awesome.

Plus - none of them have a McDrai
Negative - most of them have better D or G than us.. Demko, Oettinger and Helle are all world. Then you got guys like Doughty, Pietrangelo, Heisk, Makar and Hughes.

Losing to the King's would be funny though.. Big Save Dave or Talbot coming back to haunt us.lol

And we still aren't guaranteed playoffs by any stretch. I'll enjoy this for every second and hope it is sustainable. I think it is but I didn't think that at American Thanksgiving.lol

I haven't disputed they were better than us over the three games.

I'm disputing that they completely owned us.

 

[Vancouver_2010]

As a canucks fan, i am excited about oilers' recent success, i rather have the oilers win a stanley cup than seeing another American team winning it again.

 

[snag]

To me it's still the Knights and Avs division till someone knocks them out! Maybe looks bad today but, by playoffs, they could be firing on all cylinders. They have that Cup swagger and beautiful D cores.

At least the Knights have maxxed out on roster and contract and already used up pretty much all their cap relief so if they wanna try and do some LTIR shit this year, they gotta be a little more creative.

 

[The Moose]

Uhh other than one 5-point game and one 2-point game, he has scored 1 point a game during that streak. So basically he has been the most efficient Oilers player scoring-wise in 1 game during the 12 game winning streak they have. Weird as I keep hearing that he's singlehandedly carrying the team and other Oilers players are tire fire?

I'm just sick of Oilers fans and other people throwing everyone other than McDavid under the bus. It's a quality team overall, not one player magically carrying a tire fire.

And yeah, Aho has been better during last 12 games than McDavid. My point is that McDavid has been just an average star player during that 12-game winning streak and Oilers have still been able to maintain it.

Oh, so that's what you meant when you said "McDavid does nothing that Sebastian Aho can't do". You only referred to the last 12 games. Gotta ya! I don't know if Aho has been better than McDavid because I don't watch him play. All I know is McDavid has been fantastic and a huge part of the winning streak, despite not having the most points in the NHL during the span. Yes, definitely, it is not just him; the entire team is playing much better. In particular, defensively they are unrecognizable compared to the beginning of the season and also previous years. 15 GA in the last 10 games (21 GA in the last 12) has to be near the top of NHL during that span.

 

[Coffey]

As a canucks fan, i am excited about oilers' recent success, i rather have the oilers win a stanley cup than seeing another American team winning it again.

 

[The Moose]

View attachment 806197

Needs to be said.. CDS is also killing it. This is so much better than our goalie situation...

I should start a Skinner/Pickard for Demko/Desmith trade thread.lol

Yes, a lot of Oilers' fortunes hang on Skinner/Pickard keeping their mojo. Every goalie will have a bad game here and there, but overall they both need to be solidly above .900. Here's hoping....

 

[mkatcherin00]

Oh, so that's what you meant when you said "McDavid does nothing that Sebastian Aho can't do". You only referred to the last 12 games. Gotta ya! I don't know if Aho has been better than McDavid because I don't watch him play. All I know is McDavid has been fantastic and a huge part of the winning streak, despite not having the most points in the NHL during the span. Yes, definitely, it is not just him; the entire team is playing much better. In particular, defensively they are unrecognizable compared to the beginning of the season and also previous years. 15 GA in the last 10 games (21 GA in the last 12) has to be near the top of NHL during that span.

Oilers just need about 6 guys shooting well above their career norm shooting % and they can extend this streak to 20+ games

 

[Video Nasty]

We're getting a taste for the next argument McDavid's biggest naysayers will cook up. All we've heard before is how he has to be committed to a sound defensive system and worry only about wins. Now that it is happening at surface level to the people who don't even watch the games no matter what is going on, the talk of the current state of the scoring race is all that seems to matter again (again, don't be surprised if he still pulls it out when the games in hand are actually even).

Just shows that these people are never going to give credit where credit is due.

And when he and the Oilers win the Cup this postseason or in 2025, it's quite clear that the new stance will be "well yeah but he only has one."

 

[VainGretzky]

Hyman has been a gangster man, straight up. The guy has been clutch. Yes, Drai at $8.5M is a hilarious, he is going to get $13M on his next contract.

Reinhart is also a UFA after this season and will be getting a substantial raise. I think $10M AAV is not out of the question

NVM read your post wrong

 

[GreeningOil]

As a canucks fan, i am excited about oilers' recent success, i rather have the oilers win a stanley cup than seeing another American team winning it again.

I would say the same (but vice versa) if the Canucks win.

Obvs I’d rather have the Oil hoist Lord Stanley

 

[snag]

 

[Artemi Panarin]

Oilers have had a very favorable schedule so far but that will end after the all star break. Eight back to back games coming up. Look what happened to the Kings. Oilers will fade down the stretch.

They’re not gonna like hearing this but it’s the truth. This half of the season was the easy half and they’re doing victory laps after securing 3rd in their division.

 

[snag]

The Oilers are on a heater! As much as I dislike them, you have to give them their flowers. They have been steam rolling every team. Hyman playing himself into Hart considerations. I would say he is on the best contract in the NHL. The Oilers struck gold on that one.

If it was February 8th, I would like this comment

 

[Czechboy]

They’re not gonna like hearing this but it’s the truth. This half of the season was the easy half and they’re doing victory laps after securing 3rd in their division.

Please explain how you can have an easy HALF season? WTF is that? I understand easy stretches. I understand easy months. But a 41 game easy half???? Is their some juggernauts we haven't played?

 

[McFlyingV]

The thing is.. to my eye he really does look like he's improved. He's always been great but he's taken a step to my eyes. I also thought more passenger but he is more than just that this season to me. Curious if his second half is as strong as first half because first half was a beaut for him.

His puck skills are significantly better and he's a lot more confident carrying the puck. Helps when you practice with and play with the most skilled player on the planet every day.

 

[5 14 6 1]

The NHL is more fun when all the Canadian teams are competitive. It's a great year in that respect, especially out West.

 

[Coffee]

Wow! Two goalies.
It’s a wonder other teams didn’t think of doing that.

I should have elaborated but I will now, what I meant was there’s no real number 1

 

[logan5]

At this rate, Oilers will be 1st in the Pacific by March.