Post-Game Talk: Oilers def. Canucks in season opener, 5-3 (Pettersson, Miller, Kuzmenko)

[Just A Bit Outside]

Problem with saying “it’s just one game” is that in reality, it’s not.

They have a 5 game road trip to start the season and everything leading up to tonight was about “getting off to a good start”.

It doesn’t matter if they played well at ES. The special teams were their downfall again and they blew a 3-0 lead.

Mentally, it’s going to be tough especially given the shit start last season cost them making the playoffs.

If they go 2-3 or 1-4 on the road trip, once again, they are largely behind the eight ball.

This team has shown to be mentally weak in that regard.

God forbid if Demko reverts to a league average goalie. This team would be f***ed.

 

[Sedinery]

At this point the team has kuzzy, podz, hogs and EP up front. The rest were passengers

 

[logan5]

Now do people finally get why I say Nurse is better than Hughes?

Lol. You should see the comments by Oilers fans on their GDT.

 

[Petey O]

Really need to consider moving Horvat and Pearson and advocating that money to the defense. Just look so slow out there and stand around flat footed.

We aren't winning anything with the current state of the defense.

I keep seeing people say this sort of thing but it isn't that easy.

Nobody is really going to give up good defensive defenders right now. Everybody wants them. And the one that is available (Chychrun) would require a king's ransom, and a large number of teams are seemingly in a bidding war for him.

Not many options, or else they would have brought one in by now.

 

[Coffee]

Lol. You should see the comments by Oilers fans on their GDT.

I seen it. f*** them. They said they were glad Hughes got injured.

I don’t want to see those distasteful comments again

 

[quat]

If Horvat was able to finish on several of his glorious chances, it's a different outcome. The forwards blew several gimmes and here we are. I mean, logically, most Canuck fans shouldn't expect much from the club, in that it's mostly the same players doing the same things we've seen for the past three seasons. Suddenly they're going to be a completely different group of players?
This is about what we should expect. A borderline playoff team with some exciting players who can't defend as a team and have a pretty weak back end.

I'll admit I enjoyed the first period, and I caught myself second guessing my take on the team. Whew. Back to realistic expectations.

Biggest surprise of the night for me was Joshua getting benched. What's up there?

 

[CanucksSayEh]

Best players not at their best.

For all the complaints about D, it's been the forwards costing us games for a long time. We had ONE player in the top 50 in scoring. That just doesn't cut it. Team has great complimentary pieces, and depth scoring, but someone needs to step up into that top tier role with JT and Hughes.

Team has basically bet on EP and or BB taking a big step, which isn't a bad bet, but they need to get it done. Too many missed nets, whiffed chances. Will be worried if that continues. Bo had misses too, but he has always been very consistent. so less worried about him.

Somethings gotta give on the PP. EP is used like Draisatl, but NEVER scores. He generates no rebounds or goals. His windup is too long and slow. JT has limited options in his spot as a lefty. Gotta change things up, get Boeser back on the 1 timer, let Miller take EP's spot. Get some more movement, screens and delfections.

 

[Quinning]

PVR didn’t work so I caught the last 4 minutes and then the highlights.

How on earth did Nurse stay in the game after that late, high headshot on Burroughs? Wow.

Never mind that, how about Moneyphone knocking our star defenceman out for half the game and gifting the Oilers a goal?

 

[Breakers]

Boeser with 3 failed zone exits
An EXACT continuation of last year.
His skating is sooo bad.

He is such an easy player for opposing teams to bully on the forecheck as the defense passes it to him and he is cooked as he can’t do anything.

He can’t skate the puck out of the zone as he’s too slow
He can’t pass it

So it is essentially turn it over or…….. turn it over.

 

[Quinning]

If Horvat was able to finish on several of his glorious chances, it's a different outcome. The forwards blew several gimmes and here we are. I mean, logically, most Canuck fans shouldn't expect much from the club, in that it's mostly the same players doing the same things we've seen for the past three seasons. Suddenly they're going to be a completely different group of players?
This is about what we should expect. A borderline playoff team with some exciting players who can't defend as a team and have a pretty weak back end.

I'll admit I enjoyed the first period, and I caught myself second guessing my take on the team. Whew. Back to realistic expectations.

Biggest surprise of the night for me was Joshua getting benched. What's up there?

Joshua was a f***ing muffin tonight.

I don't remember one hit except the time he got knocked on his ass by Campbell.

 

[Petey O]

Problem with saying “it’s just one game” is that in reality, it’s not.

They have a 5 game road trip to start the season and everything leading up to tonight was about “getting off to a good start”.

It doesn’t matter if they played well at ES. The special teams were their downfall again and they blew a 3-0 lead.

Mentally, it’s going to be tough especially given the shit start last season cost them making the playoffs.

If they go 2-3 or 1-4 on the road trip, once again, they are largely behind the eight ball.

This team has shown to be mentally weak in that regard.

God forbid if Demko reverts to a league average goalie. This team would be f***ed.

I'd rather them play really well at ES and struggle on special teams. Special teams is a lot easier to fix than a bad ES team.

Hopefully the special teams can improve. If it does, and this team is able to play upper echelon teams like the Oilers that well at ES on a consistent basis, that is huge.

 

[gringo]

 

[kanucks25]

Overall thoughts:

Don't think it was as bad as some of you are making it sound. I guess it's just really disappointing to lose in a choking fashion after waiting so long for hockey to come back lol.

But this team is what it is; the overall offensive talent + Demko will win us a bunch of games but soft play and lack of attention to detail will also cost us our fair share. We saw the best of both worlds in tonight.

Special teams were horrendous. I don't have too much faith in the PK but the PP will likely be better with practice.

- Podkolzin was excellent all over the ice, needs to be playing with better players more often.

- Kuzmenko's offensive skill and IQ is legit, should be locked into the top-6 as long conditioning for the NHL grind isn't an issue.

- Pettersson and Boeser started strong but fizzled in the 2nd half.

- Wishful thinking but I was hoping perhaps with a fat contract Miller would take a more serious leadership role but it looks like the Bozo isn't going anywhere. Like usual, has the overall talent to do some good stuff but will also cost you with straight up laziness.

- Hoglander needs to just calm down and keep things simple. Gets himself in trouble too often trying to do too much.

- Wasn't perfect but considering how often they got caught out against the Oilers' top forwards, Stillman and Burroughs were fine.

- Hughes is a major driver for this team, he simply needs to be better if we are to win. Got lost way too often in the D-zone this game.

- Horvat really needs to finish his chances because very often he accomplishes nothing except getting open in the slot.

 

[Reverend Mayhem]

Also RE: abysmal PP; wondering if the floating Miller down off the point will continue. He drops back to Hughes and absolutely everyone down low is through a sea of bodies and Miller doesn't make himself a viable candidate for a pass-back which pretty much telegraphs a pass to Pettersson on the other side.

This wouldn't be such a big problem I would think but the Oilers tonight and teams last year played Hughes a lot closer on the point and can basically body him with incidental contact and take him out of the play. Which leads us to the last guy on the triangle of gloom which is Horvat. Who when all this happens is basically velcro'd to the nearest available sweater that isn't blue, green, and white. No slap pass option. I don't know, I see 3 guys here who are 4 or 5 tool attackers and absolutely no rotation, with 3 plays they've been setting up for 2 years. Video scouting was far too advanced 15 years ago to keep doing it like this.

 

[GreeningOil]

I seen it. f*** them. They said they were glad Hughes got injured.

I don’t want to see those distasteful comments again

**** some moron said that ****

I hope Hughes is okay. Please don’t look for 1 doofus to judge us all.

Thank you for coming to my TED talk

 

[Ruthervin]

Problem with saying “it’s just one game” is that in reality, it’s not.

They have a 5 game road trip to start the season and everything leading up to tonight was about “getting off to a good start”.

It doesn’t matter if they played well at ES. The special teams were their downfall again and they blew a 3-0 lead.

Mentally, it’s going to be tough especially given the shit start last season cost them making the playoffs.

If they go 2-3 or 1-4 on the road trip, once again, they are largely behind the eight ball.

This team has shown to be mentally weak in that regard.

God forbid if Demko reverts to a league average goalie. This team would be f***ed.

The sky is falling. :-(

 

[Quinning]

That's ridiculous. He's like Milan Hejduk and Teemu Selanne combined.

 

[logan5]

Everyone knows this. Yet he is the trigger man on the PP? Wtf Bruce?

This is going to irk me the same way when Green wouldn't put Hughes on the power play over Edler. I just don't get it. Pods can pass better than Hoglander. We saw some great passing by Podz tonight, and he can shoot the puck way way better than Hoglander. Another thing. When the 2nd unit is hopelessly trying to set up, Podz also has the ability to muscle the puck away along the boards and get it to an open man. I just don't get it.

 

[DonnyNucker]

I seen it. f*** them. They said they were glad Hughes got injured.

I don’t want to see those distasteful comments again

You would also be angry if you lived in Edmonton

 

[Zaddy91]

Reactionary and short sighted comment but trade Boeser for a D.

 

[gringo]

Overall thoughts:

Don't think it was as bad as some of you are making it sound. I guess it's just really disappointing to lose in a choking fashion after waiting so long for hockey to come back lol.

But this team is what it is; the overall offensive talent + Demko will win us a bunch of games but soft play and lack of attention to detail will also cost us our fair share. We saw the best of both worlds in tonight.

Special teams were horrendous. I don't have too much faith in the PK but the PP will likely be better with practice.

- Podkolzin was excellent all over the ice, needs to be playing with better players more often.

- Kuzmenko's offensive skill and IQ is legit, should be locked into the top-6 as long conditioning for the NHL grind isn't an issue.

- Pettersson and Boeser started strong but fizzled in the 2nd half.

- Wishful thinking but I was hoping perhaps with a fat contract Miller would take a more serious leadership role but it looks like the Bozo isn't going anywhere. Like usual, has the overall talent to do some good stuff but will also cost you with straight up laziness.

- Hoglander needs to just calm down and keep things simple. Gets himself in trouble too often trying to do too much.

- Wasn't perfect but considering how often they got caught out against the Oilers' top forwards, Stillman and Burroughs were fine.

- Hughes is a major driver for this team, he simply needs to be better if we are to win. Got lost way too often in the D-zone this game.

- Horvat really needs to finish his chances because very often he accomplishes nothing except getting open in the slot.

Switch Miller and Horvat

 

[Just A Bit Outside]

I'd rather them play really well at ES and struggle on special teams. Special teams is a lot easier to fix than a bad ES team.

Hopefully the special teams can improve. If it does, and this team is able to play upper echelon teams like the Oilers that well at ES on a consistent basis, that is huge.

It’s pretty apparent that special teams aren’t easy to fix because the PP was atrocious and the PK picked up where they left off last year.

It will continue to cost them games.

 

[rypper]

You guys remember when Edler would look off Boeser on the power play? So much so that some media guys asked him and Brock about it.

 

[SelltheTeamFrancesco]

OEL looked pretty damn solid tonight.

Man people on here are coming out the woodwork and saying random shit. I frankly am more concerned about some of the shit I have read on here than the Canucks.

 

[Reverend Mayhem]

One last thought tonight. Friedman says any number for Horvat that doesn't start with at least $7M is dreaming. My question is this: Is Horvat only $1M AAV at most away in terms of value than Miller? It's ludicrous.