Post-Game Talk: Oilers die on the Hill

[OilerTyler]

The goaltending standards here are hilariously low.

It’s funny to see this take in a thread where multiple people are blaming a 1-0 loss on the goaltender. If a goalie needs to pitch a shutout to not get roasted on this board the standards might be too high.

Skinner has been bad this year, I think everyone knows that. Doesn’t mean every bad thing that happens is his fault though.

 

[SupremeTeam16]

Yeah that's 1 good playoff round, so what.

If he learned anything from the playoffs last year it should have shown at the start of this year, but he's right back to being his old, usual, mediocre ass.

When someone tells you who they are repeatedly at some point maybe you ought to just believe them.

This guy is saying over and over again that he is not an above average goaltender in this league.

For there to be good/great tier goalies someone has to be in the average, mediocre, and below average tiers too ... Skinner is one of those guys. No real shame in that, but he is what he is.

It’s absolutely pathetic the amount of your life you waste talking about Skinner. You’re obsessed with the guy.

 

[Soundwave]

It’s funny to see this take in a thread where multiple people are blaming a 1-0 loss on the goaltender. If a goalie needs to pitch a shutout to not get roasted on this board the standards might be too high.

Skinner has been bad this year, I think everyone knows that. Doesn’t mean every bad thing that happens is his fault though.

It's not, still he's not going to get a pass in a game where 1, kinda weak goal was the difference in the game and he allowed it.

If that's one of your "good games", well then your mediocre and bad games are likely really bad.

 

[Oilhawks]

It’s funny to see this take in a thread where multiple people are blaming a 1-0 loss on the goaltender. If a goalie needs to pitch a shutout to not get roasted on this board the standards might be too high.

Skinner has been bad this year, I think everyone knows that. Doesn’t mean every bad thing that happens is his fault though.

I think some fans outside of the Skinner Glee Club would give him more of a benefit of a doubt if he didn't absolute give away plenty of games this season (and nearly sewer the team vs the Canucks last playoffs, and was one of the reasons they lost vs Vegas the year before).

His stats (both advanced and 'normie') are mostly horrendous, to boot. One of the bottom goalies so far this season.

 

[Soundwave]

It’s absolutely pathetic the amount of your life you waste talking about Skinner. You’re obsessed with the guy.

Why should anything else be a more talked about topic?

Goaltending is basically the main reason we don't have a 2023 or 2024 Cup banner (we should at minimum have one of those two banners).

The forwards being in a temporary scoring slump because the PP is not going (because other teams aren't stupid and do video research) isn't the emergency that it's made out to be.

Goaltending absolutely should be the no.1 topic in Edmonton. The offence will figure it's shit out, Knob is just a dummy at adjustments offensively so it's going to take longer than it should because other team's coaches are outcoaching him on that end of the rink by studying us hard.

There's no big mystery to that.

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

It’s funny to see this take in a thread where multiple people are blaming a 1-0 loss on the goaltender. If a goalie needs to pitch a shutout to not get roasted on this board the standards might be too high.

Skinner has been bad this year, I think everyone knows that. Doesn’t mean every bad thing that happens is his fault though.

It's such a bizarre take to me especially given that the team played like ass through two periods and only decided to try when the clock was draining. Same story we've seen so many times. They needed a single goal and through 60 minutes they couldn't manage it.

If the offense wasn't below average this year then I could see some point in the frustration but the fact of the matter is the forwards that are being paid to score simply aren't doing a good enough job of it. That we're getting a good amount of offense from the back end makes this issue even more glaring.

 

[Soundwave]

The offense will figure its shit out. Knob is just being a dumb ass and not making any adjustments whatsoever and investing nothing in getting Jeff Skinner (a guy who has scored 40+ in this league) going and he's paying the price for being outcoached like that with multiple shutout losses. Well deserved on his part, you don't like it, well then make a freaking adjustment and may don't play Connor Brown in your top 6 over Jeff Skinner.

They will probably get shut out a few more times this year. Knob is being stupid and other coach's want their teams to play at playoff intensity against us (as they should).

The goaltending is not going to figure its shit out. They just suck (for a contender's standards).

 

[Canovin]

Starting goaltending is our weakest link. Can't include Pickard as he's as advertised. As others said, the wingers will figure out itself as Kane, Hyman, RNH, Arvid and Jeff Skinner regain form, we will be good there.

 

[TopShelfGloveSide]

It’s funny to see this take in a thread where multiple people are blaming a 1-0 loss on the goaltender. If a goalie needs to pitch a shutout to not get roasted on this board the standards might be too high.

Skinner has been bad this year, I think everyone knows that. Doesn’t mean every bad thing that happens is his fault though.

It’s almost like him being the worst goalie in the league this year has made his rope with most fans very short.

Give us better than 75th ranked goaltending and you won’t get blasted for 1 goal games.

 

[CupofOil]

It’s funny to see this take in a thread where multiple people are blaming a 1-0 loss on the goaltender. If a goalie needs to pitch a shutout to not get roasted on this board the standards might be too high.

Skinner has been bad this year, I think everyone knows that. Doesn’t mean every bad thing that happens is his fault though.

Seriously. It's as simple as that, not sure why some posters are having a hard time grasping this.

It's ok to not criticize Skinner when he doesn't deserve it but also acknowledge that he's been mostly poor this season ffs haha

It’s almost like him being the worst goalie in the league this year has made his rope with most fans very short.

Give us better than 75th ranked goaltending and you won’t get blasted for 1 goal games.

But you can also criticize his play for most of this season while also not blaming him for a 1-0 loss. It's not so hard to understand.
Just because he's been shit most of the season doesn't automatically make every loss his fault when it's not his fault. He's actually had 3 solid games in a row, about time but it should be acknowledged just his many poor games this season should also be acknowledged.

 

[Soundwave]

Seriously. It's as simple as that, not sure why some posters are having a hard time grasping this.

It's ok to not criticize Skinner when he doesn't deserve it but also acknowledge that he's been mostly poor this season ffs haha


But you can also criticize his play for most of this season while also not blaming him for a 1-0 loss. It's not so hard to understand.
Just because he's been shit most of the season doesn't automatically make every loss his fault when it's not his fault. He's actually had 3 solid games in a row, about time but it should be acknowledged just his many poor games this season should also be acknowledged.

Sure you can blame him (to some extent) for the loss last night.

As much as people want to say our forwards didn't do XYZ, the fact is Vegas' forwards played even worse and got gifted a goal you probably wouldn't be thrilled your goalie in Pee-Wee allowed, Bouchard played the 2-on-1 correctly and they got a freebie 5 hole goal anyway.

In two games against Vegas he's given them two softies, one per game (Hanifin goal in the 1st game). Hill has given the Oilers no softies. In a 7 game series, that will be a massive problem.

 

[CupofOil]

Sure you can blame him (to some extent) for the loss last night.

As much as people want to say our forwards didn't do XYZ, the fact is Vegas' forwards played even worse and got gifted a goal you probably wouldn't be thrilled your goalie in Pee-Wee allowed, Bouchard played the 2-on-1 correctly and they got a freebie 5 hole goal anyway.

I don't even think it was as bad as you make it out to be. Skinner was cheating the other way coming across from the likely one-timer that was to come of it so when it was shot back at him after the block almost immediately it's not surprising that the five-hole was open trying to get back quickly as he pushed with the pads to get back in position.
Sure it can qualify as a soft goal but I've seen him give up softer.

Regardless, it's silly (no, stupid) to blame the goalie when your team loses 1-0. We're never going to agree on this so I'll just move on from it.

 

[Soundwave]

I don't even think it was as bad as you make it out to be. Skinner was cheating the other way coming across from the likely one-timer that was to come of it so when it was shot back at him after the block almost immediately it's not surprising that the five-hole was open trying to get back quickly as he pushed with the pads to get back in position.
Sure it can qualify as a soft goal but I've seen him give up softer.

Regardless, it's silly (no, stupid) to blame the goalie when your team loses 1-0. We're never going to agree on this so I'll just move on from it.

Of the two sets of forwards, their forwards were worse than ours last night. Probably by a significant margin at that.

They win because of who's in net.

So yeah I'm not saying he's solely to blame, but saying he has no blame whatsoever is also silly.

If he can't ever outplay Adin Hill, that's kind of a problem.

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

Of the two sets of forwards, their forwards were worse than ours last night. Probably by a significant margin at that.

They win because of who's in net.

So yeah I'm not saying he's solely to blame, but saying he has no blame whatsoever is also silly.

If he can't ever outplay Adin Hill, that's kind of a problem.

And yet on the season Vegas' offense is clicking at 3.50GF/G. Ours is at 2.88GF/G.

 

[Soundwave]

And yet on the season Vegas' offense is clicking at 3.50GF/G. Ours is at 2.88GF/G.

Yeah and they were crap last night. We outplayed them on the forward side.

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

Yeah and they were crap last night. We outplayed them on the forward side.

But still failed to score, an issue that continues to plague this team.

I just checked and despite our woeful start last year our offense was so much better at this point of the season. And our GA/G is lower too this season.

 

[Drivesaitl]

Definitely goaltending SHOULD be the teams weakness. It's where they've invested the least amount of money quite honestly.

The Oilers have bottom tier goaltending and pay for bottom tier goaltending. They're kind of getting what they pay for. Well maybe a bit worse haha.

The Oilers have mid tier scoring and pay through the roof for it.

I'll maintain the reason the Oilers are a middle of the pack team is because the massive investment we have in our forwards is not paying off.

There isn't a single forward sans Draisitl on this team having what you could call a "Good Year" compared to their past performance history.

It does raise bring up something on the team. Who is having an average or better year?

Just off the top of my head

Draisitl, Nurse, Kulak, Ekholm, Emberson

That's it.. those are the only players I can think of and say. Hey they're having a decent season.
McDavid's standards are so high I can't say he's having a good season while not being at least top 3 in scoring.. just being honest.

good post but not complete as part of what the Oilers did invest in the goaltending file was the expenditure, now bought out, but still existing, of Jack Campbell. Pretty clear here too that Mr Popularity Stu Skinner that is somehow god to the org here and the press was gong to get the nod no matter what happened with Campbell. Skinner wanted this starter role badly, and has had 3 seasons now to improve to it or acclimate to it. The "he was never supposed to be starter" arguments are null and void.

Agreed that the Oilers have went for the fence on a lot of stupid forward additions that haven't panned out. Only one that did was Hyman.

But lastly the dynamic you don't mention is that this club has to play such airtight defense to limit GA that it also takes a potential chunk out of their GF. Typically when teams are into positional play, NZ play, shot and chance suppression its going to impact their offense as well. Look at Vegas last night. They invested everything in prevent D and had two scoring chances all night. Scoring one and hitting a post on another. lol

Multiple things are true. Oilers goaltending is weak and their offensive forward support is weak too.

 

[Soundwave]

But still failed to score, an issue that continues to plague this team.

I just checked and despite our woeful start last year our offense was so much better at this point of the season. And our GA/G is lower too this season.

Been discussed already, the difference in goals for is basically just the powerplay difference. Teams are scouting the PP and Knoblaugh is doing f*** all to adjust to it. No giant mystery there. Hyman has scored less, but McDavid and Draisaitl are scoring more themselves, the rest of the team is a wash.

The goals against, lol, I should freaking hope so that it's better, last year was a complete gong show to start, Dallas Eakins-esque defensive meltdowns. The D/goaltending got slapped around three times by Vancouver alone in the first 20 games.

 

[Drivesaitl]

And yet on the season Vegas' offense is clicking at 3.50GF/G. Ours is at 2.88GF/G.

its unsustainable if one looks at that lineup and what theyve lost. Unless one thinks that guys like Dorofeyev are suddenly 40 goal scorers. Vegas any night I'm watching them look like a popgun offense thats gonna dry up any moment and has.

The same Vegas scoring that your pumping have scored a grand total of one goal in their last 2 games.

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

its unsustainable if one looks at that lineup and what theyve lost. Unless one thinks that guys like Dorofeyev are suddenly 40 goal scorers. Vegas any night I'm watching them look like a popgun offense thats gonna dry up any moment and has.

The same Vegas scoring that your pumping have scored a grand total of one goal in their last 2 games.

Probably not, but the results are what they are. They've only been shutout half the times we have. The forwards are paid to score and they're not doing that.

Been discussed already, the difference in goals for is basically just the powerplay difference. Teams are scouting the PP and Knoblaugh is doing f*** all to adjust to it. No giant mystery there. Hyman has scored less, but McDavid and Draisaitl are scoring more themselves, the rest of the team is a wash.

The goals against, lol, I should freaking hope so that it's better, last year was a complete gong show to start, Dallas Eakins-esque defensive meltdowns. The D/goaltending got slapped around three times by Vancouver alone in the first 20 games.

Then I guess last year was just a mirage. Doesn't bode well for this team.

 

[Soundwave]

Probably not, but the results are what they are. They've only been shutout half the times we have. The forwards are paid to score and they're not doing that.


Then I guess last year was just a mirage. Doesn't bode well for this team.

Or some Oiler fans have the memory of a gold fish. Like last year was literally just *last year*, lol. How is it half the board has like no memory of anything prior to like May 2024?

When I bring up things from like November/Dec 2023 it's as if I'm reciting facts from November 1994 or something to some people, they're like mind blown, lol. Like wowza this was only 12 months ago, is people's sense of memory that bad these days? Smartphones really have rotted people's brains I guess?

 

[Drivesaitl]

Probably not, but the results are what they are. They've only been shutout half the times we have. The forwards are paid to score and they're not doing that.


Then I guess last year was just a mirage. Doesn't bode well for this team.

McDrai are. Several of the forwards we let go are, but unfortunately none of the ones we retained are. sigh.

Should be embarassing to our forward group how many of our D are among our leading goal scorers. lol. If this was Ronnie low coaching he would make some of this can't score in a barn players to have to score 3 goals every practice or scrimmage or die trying.

One year he had the no hands lunks taking penalty shots on backup goalies until they scored 2. They weren't allowed to leave the ice until they got it done. Some of the forwards on that team took 29 attempts. Funniest thing I ever saw. Finally the goalie just accidentally fell out of his net so the last exhausted forward could score an empty net and buy him a beer. Those practices were free and they were worth the price of admission Low was some kind of character as a coach.

 

[Soundwave]

McDrai are. Several of the forwards we let go are, but unfortunately none of the ones we retained are. sigh.

Should be embarassing to our forward group how many of our D are among our leading goal scorers. lol. If this was Ronnie low coaching he would make some of this can't score in a barn players to have to score 3 goals every practice or scrimmage or die trying.

One year he had the no hands lunks taking penalty shots on backup goalies until they scored 2. They weren't allowed to leave the ice until they got it done. Some of the forwards on that team took 29 attempts. Funniest thing I ever saw. Finally the goalie just accidentally fell out of his net so the last exhausted forward could score an empty net and buy him a beer. Those practices were free and they were worth the price of admission Low was some kind of character as a coach.

People underestimate how much of an adjustment period it takes to play well here as a forward. Hyman was the outlier, not the rule.

Foegele was dog shit when he first got here (2 goals in his first 27 games here) and took 3 years to finally have one year at a 20 goal pace (barely).

McLeod started slow here too, Holloway as stated had a mediocre 6 goal rookie season, that makes Yamamoto look like Ovechkin.

McDavid and Draisaitl aren't that easy to play with. Only a few guys have managed to plop right in and start scoring immediately. It takes time to learn how to play/read off each other, and if you're a player like Strome or Jeff Skinner who really needs prime playing time with those guys and you're stuck with a coach who won't give you a shit there, well then you're totally f***ed.

 

[Drivesaitl]

People underestimate how much of an adjustment period it takes to play well here as a forward. Hyman was the outlier, not the rule.

Foegele was dog shit when he first got here (2 goals in his first 27 games here) and took 3 years to finally have one year at a 20 goal pace (barely).

McLeod started slow here too, Holloway as stated had a mediocre 6 goal rookie season, that makes Yamamoto look like Ovechkin.

McDavid and Draisaitl aren't that easy to play with. Only a few guys have managed to plop right in and start scoring immediately. It takes time to learn how to play/read off each other, and if you're a player like Strome or Jeff Skinner who really needs prime playing time with those guys and you're stuck with a coach who won't give you a shit there, well then you're totally f***ed.

I'm not even a Foegele fan but he outscored Arvid away from PP over several seasons. He will continue to. If you're surmising Arvid is going to suddenly start scoring gobs here he's not even off the injured list. The Oilers never haven released what nature of injury is, and the duration going from cited "game to game" to now being 4 weeks out, and still no disclosure suggests to me it could be another back injury and the org too embarassed at this point to even disclose.

Arvid for sure isn't getting anywhere near 20 goals. lol the last time Arvid even hit 20EV goals he was 25, healthy, prime of life and before multiple back surgeries. This contract is so indescribably stupid. Oilers just bought out the Jack Campbell contract to have money to waste it on the latest clusterf*** signing.

 

[Stauf4Prez]

This is not game related and I do not really care - but for anyone driving on the roads today with this freezing rain, exercise the highest amount of caution because they are absolute skating rinks. Couple extra minutes getting home or to where you need to be is worth a lot more than risking your life (or someone else's) being in a rush.