Post-Game Talk: Oilers get ducked:

[iCanada]

heh. I know what its like. Used to do that too. Post workout posting. Haha, like a hamster on a wheel going round and round.

The thing is 40yr old Perry isn't supposed to be able to control this destiny. Credit to him for bringing some savvy looks and finding some cheese at times. He's been better scoring than he should be at this age. But the answer doesn't reside with him. 10yrs ago it would, he'd be one of the guys ABLE to make a difference. But at age he has to rely on trying to light the fire of others and credit he does that too.

I learned to hate respect Perry through the years. Wished he was an Oiler. But now is way too late, clock marched on. Henrique its the same thing. Players this old have an idea what they should be able to do out there to turn things. But they can't. Only somebody like OV can play to the level at his age and actually be a difference maker. But he's a freak of nature and probably the strongest player in the whole league physically. The ageless strength of Dracul.

The sobering thing this season is age has also finally hit Ekholm like time knew it would at some point. This is a very old team.

The other thing with Perry is - talking with my friend that's a ducks super fan and who works with their head office - he's never once before criticized his own teams goaltending in his entire career.

But like look at the list of Goaltenders he's played in front of; Guigere (who is one of 3 players that won the Conn Smythe after losing, including McDavid and Hextall), prime Bryzgalov, prime Toskala, Hiller, Gibson, Miller, Khudobin (who posted a .934 in the regular season in 54 games, and a .929 in the post season in 25 games), Price, Vasilevsky...

Going from that to Skinner must be horrifying. His career average on ice save percentage prior to Edmonton was like 92% and now he's at 88%.

 

[iCanada]

We don't necessarily need a best goalie. We need one capable of pulling goals out of the net and making big stops, at times. Tons of goalies like that exist in the league and aren't entirely heralded. We face one almost every game and like last night. Yes even a Dostal would be massive improvement. So many goalies have been moved in recent years that the Oilers could have nabbed. They guessed wrong because they don't scout goalies any better than they train them and its the same dope doing it...

Agreed that the stud goalies sometimes have to be drafted but the Oilers don't have the intelligence to find that gem. So they shouldn't try. Just draft forwards or D at least with higher picks.

Further to that - we need one that the team both doesn't resent and hasn't had their trust in utterly shattered. Even a lateral move that's theoretically not an upgrade would be huge.

The team right now is like a spouse trying to forgive their partner that cheated on them. No matter what they say or do - that doubt is just in the back of their mind and will always be.

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

Yes, it does suck at scouting, drafting, and developing. Skinner is a product of the team's scouting, drafting, coaching, and developing. So why do you think he's a solid backup and better than hordes of other goalies out there who were scouted, drafted, and developed by teams better at scouting, drafting, and developing? How many better goalies were missed by Schwartz and friends who are second or even third-string goalies? Probably LOTS.

It just doesn't make any sense when you say that the team is totally clueless at scouting, drafting and developing, and then defend a product of that cluelessness in Skinner. Even if he somehow has potential to get better (despite two consecutive years of regression) does it not make more sense that he's damaged goods due to being coached so much by Schwartz, and should be dropped? Like you said, how many goalies have ended up in the dumpster heap after their run here? Koskinen and Campbell couldn't even land a job in the league! And they were considered "starter material" by our dipshit brass. Do you think Skinner has any chance whatsoever of staying in this league the minute he's traded?

Because he's shown that he can be a decent goalie. As Drive said, the Oilers don't need a superstar, they just need a guy that can stop pucks. He's wildly inconsistent but when he's playing well he's all they really need.

What I'd like to see is him under tutelage that wasn't taken from a cereal box. There's a reason why Vancouver has been good at conjuring up goalies. Even the Flames seem to have it figured out. Obviously Winnipeg has to. ...Hell, are we the only Canadian team that struggles with this?

Unfortunately, last year's run has convinced management that only minor tweaks were needed and the ones they made were for the worse. It always happens whenever this team experiences some success.

The team still came within a goal of the Cup with Skinner in net. That fact will never change. The way they played complimented him well. The way they're playing now would get them ousted pretty quickly. Management f***ed up big time in the offseason, and there's a good chance that's it for this team.

With all that said, the team props Skinner up in a way that says "See? We aren't totally incompetent" as if it wasn't their gross incompetence that led to Skinner being the starter to begin with.

That game last night was horrifically bad in the first period, as many of our first periods have been lately. Pickard should've had the second goal, but the team in front of him still imploded as they've been wont to do. When this team gives up goals, they tend to be in bunches.

 

[Drivesaitl]

Further to that - we need one that the team both doesn't resent and hasn't had their trust in utterly shattered. Even a lateral move that's theoretically not an upgrade would be huge.

The team right now is like a spouse trying to forgive their partner that cheated on them. No matter what they say or do - that doubt is just in the back of their mind and will always be.

Seeing a loose goalie getting f***ed every other game is a pretty good way to develop lack of faith in that partnership. As well as being a pretty ugly sight in general. Complete with scars you just move on. The only sensible thing to do.

I mean who wants to see this?

 

[MessierThanThou]

Because he's shown that he can be a decent goalie. As Drive said, the Oilers don't need a superstar, they just need a guy that can stop pucks. He's wildly inconsistent but when he's playing well he's all they really need.

What I'd like to see is him under tutelage that wasn't taken from a cereal box. There's a reason why Vancouver has been good at conjuring up goalies. Even the Flames seem to have it figured out. Obviously Winnipeg has to. ...Hell, are we the only Canadian team that struggles with this?

Unfortunately, last year's run has convinced management that only minor tweaks were needed and the ones they made were for the worse. It always happens whenever this team experiences some success.

The team still came within a goal of the Cup with Skinner in net. That fact will never change. The way they played complimented him well. The way they're playing now would get them ousted pretty quickly. Management f***ed up big time in the offseason, and there's a good chance that's it for this team.

With all that said, the team props Skinner up in a way that says "See? We aren't totally incompetent" as if it wasn't their gross incompetence that led to Skinner being the starter to begin with.

That game last night was horrifically bad in the first period, as many of our first periods have been lately. Pickard should've had the second goal, but the team in front of him still imploded as they've been wont to do. When this team gives up goals, they tend to be in bunches.

Skinner doesn't play well nearly enough and he's NOT ENOUGH. We lost out on two Cups having faith in this guy, and need I mention both of his backups outplayed him in limited appearances, and you think we should keep going with him? When was the last time he actually played well? He's had five straight games with a save percentage in the .800s or lower, and his GSAx has remained steadily in the bottom quarter of the league, almost all season....

They came within a goal of winning the Cup after Skinner helped sink this team in the first three games and Florida only needed one more win. It's obvious the Panthers let their guard down. Aside from the Dallas series, Skinner has been a major liability for this team in the playoffs over six rounds, three of which he imploded. His .894 career save percentage over those rounds and worst GSAx of the entire cap era can attest to that.

 

[CycloneSweep]

To anyone saying goaltending doesn't effect the players.
Nuge literally said they got deflated after the second goal. And Perry said "one mistake, it's in the back of our net & we can't seem to get over that. Then things unravelled"

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

Skinner doesn't play well nearly enough and he's NOT ENOUGH. We lost out on two Cups having faith in this guy and you think we should keep going with him? When was the last time he actually played well? Come on, man. They came within a goal of winning the Cup after Skinner helped sink this team in the first three games and only needed one more win. It's obvious they let their guard down. Aside from the Dallas series, Skinner has been a major liability for this team in the playoffs over six rounds, three of which he imploded. His .894 career save percentage over those rounds and worst GSAx of the entire cap era can attest to that.

We should keep going with him... as a backup, like he was intended to be. I point to more issues for the team losing the last two seasons (Nurse/Ceci against Vegas, particularly the former, inability to score at EV, offense vanishing when playing in Florida, PP unable to produce).

Again, the problem with Skinner isn't his ability. It's that he's being put into a role he's not ready for. Remember the "Taylor Hall #1C" days? It's a lot like that.

To anyone saying goaltending doesn't effect the players.
Nuge literally said they got deflated after the second goal. And Perry said "one mistake, it's in the back of our net & we can't seem to get over that. Then things unravelled"

Glad Nuge showed up for the post-game interview. Was worried he'd gotten lost in a closet or something.

 

[Drivesaitl]

Hyman getting drilled into the middle of next season kind of typified this game and matchup. A young turk team with some testosterone and want and players like Gudas laying around and he knows he's the toughest gun slinger around and nobody we have wants to mess with him. He can just play black bart running around and firing his gun. Nobody in town is going to stop it. you know that before the puck is dropped and seeing the convos pregame from the Ducks, even during the anthem, I kind of suspected they came in here with mission. Could see that in spades from the Ducks. They had the verve and confidence.

Back to Hyman getting rung. Jake Michaels said he looked mad. No, not that, the look was when you get knocked the f*** out and you're on the bench trying to figure out where your marbles are and hope nothing is broke bad. He's in obvious pain feeling it in spades and feeling how hard it is to be an Oiler this season and teams all just gunning you and hammering you all over the place.

If you're an Oiler this season you all have a target on the back and no protection in sight. This has been going on all season. I don't blame Hyman for an instant. He's been hammered so much this season its amazing he's still standing. What a lot of punishment he's had this year. His nose and mouth must be pulp by now. Guy can't even eat breakfast porridge and people wondering why he doesn't just score 50 again.

 

[Drivesaitl]

Savoie sent down?

How many guys have been better than him lately? In limited action he did seem interested.

Sure he did. But man this kid is a little small to be a Center at all. KK had him take a faceoff. Was against Killorn. K just bowled him right on his back, took the puck away like a kid getting sand kicked him on the beach, trampled over him and Ducks score a goal within 10 secs.

Welcome to the NHL kid.

People have this impression of Savoie that he's gonna be such a massive piece. He's probably far less a piece than say Sam Gagner or even Mike Comrie who hit the ground running.

Not to throw shade on the player. The hell of playing on this org in this decade is that you have NO, ZERO protection as a player. If you're a small player, or any player here opponents will just take liberties. Ducks were doing that all of last night. Hyman still has a headache. He's been hurting all season. Cumulative damage does that.

FWIW Gagner got destroyed too. So did Eberle, So did Yams. Its what this org allows to happen in games without doing anything to address that. Its something this org has allowed this entire millenium. The last time this club was tough was around 1990's. Teams didn't mess with that club. They experienced it. I'd trade a whole line for somebody like Mike Grier.

 

[McBeastMode]

 

[Mack a doodle doo]

To anyone saying goaltending doesn't effect the players.
Nuge literally said they got deflated after the second goal. And Perry said "one mistake, it's in the back of our net & we can't seem to get over that. Then things unravelled"

They don’t have to say it, it’s a known factor in hockey, teams play with no confidence or swagger when the goaltending is lacklustre.

 

[K1984]

Long overdue. The way he's playing right now we lose nothing by resting him.

 

[MessierThanThou]

We should keep going with him... as a backup, like he was intended to be. I point to more issues for the team losing the last two seasons (Nurse/Ceci against Vegas, particularly the former, inability to score at EV, offense vanishing when playing in Florida, PP unable to produce).

Again, the problem with Skinner isn't his ability. It's that he's being put into a role he's not ready for. Remember the "Taylor Hall #1C" days? It's a lot like that.


Glad Nuge showed up for the post-game interview. Was worried he'd gotten lost in a closet or something.

Why did Jack Campbell of all people put up better numbers behind Nurse-Ceci? And who is to say the team couldn't score against Florida in OT? Skinner didn't even give them a chance to get there. He certainly didn't give them a chance when he put up an .826 in Game 3 where the Oilers had three goals yet only lost by one.

So you have a caption reading "Fire Dustin Schwarz" as you defend a guy scouted, drafted, developed, and coached by Dustin Schwartz, implying that he got it right with 50% of our goaltending tandem?

Why can't we get another backup who will cost less than $2.6 million, who wasn't scouted, drafted, developed, and coached by a person you apparently think is a fool? What makes Skinner so special to you that he even deserves to remain a backup on this team? What makes him better than so many other goalies that will come at a cheaper cap hit than $2.6 million, weren't pupils of Dustin Schwartz, and have objectively better numbers?

As for his ability, when you have former NHL goalies like Steve Valiquette and Jamie McLennan going on air and questioning his raw ability, and more or less saying what many of us have known for a while, that he's just big and nothing else...I think his ability should definitely be in question. Being too slow for the NHL extends beyond coaching.

Doesn't it get exhausting looking for so many ways to deflect blame away from what has so clearly been the team's biggest problem this entire time?

 

[Drivesaitl]

Hasn't been right since is odd wording. Somebody talk to Hyman as well. Got his brains scrambled last night. Pretty amazed he didn't go in concussion protocol. He was wrecked. Terrible thing to see. Its happened to him several times this season. Does this club even have adequate medical staff?

For sure though Ekholm looks sick. Red faced going to the bench all the time. Who knows could be secondary respiratory infection. He looks ill. Playing hockey is intense and makes that kind of infection(s) worse.

Edmonton is a hard place to play hockey because we get some nasty colds, and flu's around here every year.

 

[McDNicks17]

Interesting timing on that since they also just announced that they sent Dineen back down.

 

[NeverForget06]

FYI Jackson Lacombe was taken by the Ducks one pick after we draft Lavoie

Just like when Wyatt Johnston was one pick after Xavier Bourgault

 

[Zerotonine]

Gotta look at the plus, if managment doesnt pick up a goalie after that game, we deserve to lose the cup

The cup?? We won't even make it out of the first round lol

 

[Drivesaitl]

To anyone saying goaltending doesn't effect the players.
Nuge literally said they got deflated after the second goal. And Perry said "one mistake, it's in the back of our net & we can't seem to get over that. Then things unravelled"

A flat tire is telling the other tires they're deflated. At least with all the tires being flat the accident shouldn't be too bad, right?

jk around. Nuge is right but he sure isn't inflating anything.

FYI Jackson Lacombe was taken by the Ducks one pick after we draft Lavoie

Just like when Wyatt Johnston was one pick after Xavier Bourgault

f*** my life

 

[Canovin]

FYI Jackson Lacombe was taken by the Ducks one pick after we draft Lavoie

Just like when Wyatt Johnston was one pick after Xavier Bourgault

I don't think people realize how good of a defense and goalie factory Anaheim is. I don't think Jackson would have been the same if we drafted him

 

[CantHaveTkachev]

Why did Jack Campbell of all people put up better numbers behind Nurse-Ceci? And who is to say the team couldn't score against Florida in OT? Skinner didn't even give them a chance to get there. He certainly didn't give them a chance when he put up an .826 in Game 3 where the Oilers had three goals yet only lost by one.

I still love this narrative...Oilers scored 2 goals TOTAL in 3 games in Florida but offense wasn't a problem, it was goaltending

 

[MessierThanThou]

I still love this narrative...Oilers scored 2 goals TOTAL in 3 games in Florida but offense wasn't a problem, it was goaltending

I still love this narrative, as if scoring in OT is impossible and our goalie's poor performance (and save percentage) has nothing to do with the other team scoring goals on US. You must be a comedian.

 

[CantHaveTkachev]

I still love this narrative, as if scoring in OT is impossible and our goalie's poor performance (and save percentage) has nothing to do with the other team scoring goals on US. You must be a comedian.

I mean, they scored 2 goals TOTAL in Florida outside Game 5, scoring was next to impossible
maybe they should tried scoring a goal in game 1 then it doesn't go to Game 7?

 

[MessierThanThou]

I mean, they scored 2 goals TOTAL in Florida outside Game 5, scoring was next to impossible
maybe they should tried scoring a goal in game 1 then it doesn't go to Game 7?

Again, there's this amazing concept called overtime that gives teams additional 20-minute periods to score a goal. Kind of hard to get there when your goalie has a save percentage in the .800s for three consecutive games... I mean maybe if this was 1983.

 

[K1984]

I still love this narrative...Oilers scored 2 goals TOTAL in 3 games in Florida but offense wasn't a problem, it was goaltending

There are plenty of things that could have swung that series our way if they went differently, but the one that doesn't get talked about enough is how we scored nothing in the first period of Game 1 despite multiple breakaways/odd man rushes.

Bobrovsky was sharp, no doubt about that, but his hot glove hand was a story all playoff. Where did we shoot on each of those Grade A++ looks mentioned above? Glove side. Even the broadcast was mentioning it as dumb to be shooting there.

Not sure if it was a player error, scouting error, or both, but the series probably goes a lot different if we get one or two in the first period of Game 1.

 

[CantHaveTkachev]

Again, there's this amazing concept called overtime that gives teams additional 20-minute periods to score a goal. Kind of hard to get there when your goalie has a save percentage in the .800s for three consecutive games... I mean maybe if this was 1983.

also kinda hard to get there when the 2 best offensive players on the planet can't piss a drop in games 1, 2 and 7..