Post-Game Talk: Oilers play like an expansion team and lose.

[CantHaveTkachev]

Dave Tippett was a bozo and absolutely deserved to get fired.

That doesn't mean the roster isn't still terribly flawed, put together by a dinosaur of a GM who hasn't a clue, working for a coverup artist that really should be behind bars...

how's that Woodcroft-coached PK doing? lmao

you may hate Tipp, but his special teams were ELITE

 

[Ck1]

It's entirely plausible this player just isn't that good either.

Have you looekd at Holland's last four 1st round picks in Detroit? All busts. Why was that magically going to change in Edmonton? Because the time zone is different?

It’s plausible he isn’t yes but of all the young prospects we have in the system I believe imo Holloway is the one we keep. were supposed to be going into win now mode and some of our prospects and picks ( not all ) should be moved to bring in better veteran players to help put us in a position to win. I just don’t believe Holland can or will go down this road he’s going to hold onto most assets saying we need depth for the future we need to have a balanced team after Mcdrai are gone. He’s going to say the answer is in the room and be stubborn about it.

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

how's that Woodcroft-coached PK doing? lmao

you may hate Tipp, but his special teams were ELITE

Woodcroft's PP is even better than Tippett's. Of course, both share terrible even strength play, so I guess it evens out.

At least Woodcroft adjusts. Tippett is still wondering how the Hawks managed to score all those goals off point shots.

 

[CantHaveTkachev]

Woodcroft's PP is even better than Tippett's. Of course, both share terrible even strength play, so I guess it evens out.

At least Woodcroft adjusts. Tippett is still wondering how the Hawks managed to score all those goals off point shots.

sick "adjustments" Woody...when do they start to work? dude is a fraud and an AHL coach

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

sick "adjustments" Woody...when do they start to work? dude is a fraud and an AHL coach

Fitting because the Oilers are an AHL franchise.

Then again even AHL franchises are run better than this one.

 

[Drivesaitl]

This is why I supported a Reaves trade. We need a mascot to bring some life out of this ho hum group.

Thought it was interesting that Rishaug said that Woodcroft needs to be "a bit more careful" about what he says in press conferences in reference to the ridiculous "uncharacteristic errors" comment last night. Woodcroft likely still has the support of the fanbase, but that will go away very, very quickly if this bullshit continues and he keeps blowing smoke up our ass.

Coaches and GMs jump the shark here the moment they become a meme because of dumb public comments. Woodcroft is starting to walk down this tightrope.

Woodcroft has been making dumb comments the whole time. Its just that people weren't deepdiving it at all when things were going well. They were talking about nothing things like power stance (lol) confidence, and the smiling tongue and cheek stuff Woody does when all is well and he's playful.

He's really been a mop the whole time when it comes to saying anything astute, or really explaining anything. Its nonstop gobbledegook and it was for 7,5mins last night. When he runs out of junk talk he just starts repeating himself saying exactly the same things. One discerns next to nothing from listenting to Woodcrap. But his ardent supporters would then say this is his art of war.

People were talking this guy up like he was the renaissance man of coaching reinventing the wheel. The parallel is that people here were saying the same about Eakins.

I remember in preseason people noting Woody or the coaching staff are drawing extra lines on the ice and that this was proof positive that he's Coaching Einstein. The take is that people were looking at any reason possible to believe that Woody was a savant. When there just was little indication of it.

Its quite possible in totality that we have the worst coaching staff in the league. We're around it.

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

Woodcroft has been making dumb comments the whole time. Its just that people weren't deepdiving it at all when things were going well. They were talking about nothing things like power stance (lol) confidence, and the smiling tongue and cheek stuff Woody does when all is well and he's playful.

He's really been a mop the whole time when it comes to saying anything astute, or really explaining anything. Its nonstop gobbledegook and it was for 7,5mins last night. When he runs out of junk talk he just starts repeating himself saying exactly the same things. One discerns next to nothing from listenting to Woodcrap. But his ardent supporters would then say this is his art of war.

People were talking this guy up like he was the renaissance man of coaching reinventing the wheel. The parallel is that people here were saying the same about Eakins.

Its quite possible in totality that we have the worst coaching staff in the league. We're around it.

This is basically every single coach in the NHL. Nothing any of them say has any value. Stop interviewing them, or the players. Always the same tired shit with everyone.

 

[Tobias Kahun]

This is basically every single coach in the NHL. Nothing any of them say has any value. Stop interviewing them, or the players. Always the same tired shit with everyone.

NHL players are either boring and everyone is upset that they’re boring, or they actually say stuff and the old generation cries about it.

Does anyone really care about interviews anymore

 

[Davo Ikinzom]

NHL players are either boring and everyone is upset that they’re boring, or they actually say stuff and the old generation cries about it.

Does anyone really care about interviews anymore

Yes. I've enjoyed Kostin's interviews.

 

[Drivesaitl]

So Woody is angry and animated for the first time ever behind the bench yesterday calling the timeout at 2-2. At least he did it, no fault there, it was the right call. But he was ranting to players that weren't really listening and that proceded to play the rest of the period the same way and thus giving up 4 goals. The timeout and talk did nothing to fix problems, to change momentum, to change course or outcome. It did nothing at all to avert what was occurring.

But the problems were all over the ice. Drai forcing passes to nowhere because he has virtually nil options in Foegele and Yama. McD individually trying to do everything because he doesn't have much puck carrying help either.

In this particular game we had a third line that wasn't clicking, it just wasn't on, and yet theres 3 players there that could all help in topsix to provide some passing targets and help for superstars to have somebody to work with.

We have Holloway banished, still, to 4th line looks. I think he had one shift with Draisaitl and it looked good. Of course it didn't happen again.

Then we have Bro-Bouch as a pairing and Nemo again parked for some reason even though he had played several solid games in a row.

So Woody was talking about something but his player usage and allotments is compromising the team. These are the kinds of player usages you would employ if tank was the mission.

 

[Tobias Kahun]

Fair point, likewise.

Yes. I've enjoyed Kostin's interviews.

 

[BlackDogg]

So Woody is angry and animated for the first time ever behind the bench yesterday calling the timeout at 2-2. At least he did it, no fault there, it was the right call. But he was ranting to players that weren't really listening and that proceded to play the rest of the period the same way and thus giving up 4 goals. The timeout and talk did nothing to fix problems, to change momentum, to change course or outcome. It did nothing at all to avert what was occurring.

But the problems were all over the ice. Drai forcing passes to nowhere because he has virtually nil options in Foegele and Yama. McD individually trying to do everything because he doesn't have much puck carrying help either.

In this particular game we had a third line that wasn't clicking, it just wasn't on, and yet theres 3 players there that could all help in topsix to provide some passing targets and help for superstars to have somebody to work with.

We have Holloway banished, still, to 4th line looks. I think he had one shift with Draisaitl and it looked good. Of course it didn't happen again.

Then we have Bro-Bouch as a pairing and Nemo again parked for some reason even though he had played several solid games in a row.

So Woody was talking about something but his player usage and allotments is compromising the team. These are the kinds of player usages you would employ if tank was the mission.

This feels exactly like a tank mission, funny you should mention.

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

NHL players are either boring and everyone is upset that they’re boring, or they actually say stuff and the old generation cries about it.

Does anyone really care about interviews anymore

I certainly don't. You get the odd good one but they're usually the same tired crap no matter where you go.

 

[K1984]

So Woody is angry and animated for the first time ever behind the bench yesterday calling the timeout at 2-2. At least he did it, no fault there, it was the right call. But he was ranting to players that weren't really listening and that proceded to play the rest of the period the same way and thus giving up 4 goals. The timeout and talk did nothing to fix problems, to change momentum, to change course or outcome. It did nothing at all to avert what was occurring.

This group is honestly unique in the piss poor way they respond to any sort of adversity or how they respond to anything that normal teams respond to in general. Not just a Woodcroft problem, this dumb group has been doing this since McLelland.

Normal teams respond to timeouts and win the next few shifts. Not this team. Normal teams simplify when they are having trouble breaking out and in. Oilers like to make things more complicated. Normal teams respond with top tier efforts when they embarrass themselves. Oilers just keep doing the same thing. Normal teams make concerted efforts to correct when they develop bad habits/make mistakes. Oilers just keep doing the same thing and often it only gets worse.

There is something culturally very wrong with this team. No idea what the source is. No idea if its some form of curse. We can blame the GM and the coach all we want, and a lot of that criticism is very valid and very earned. But 95% of the roster has basically turned over twice in the past 5 years and we are on coach #4 in that same time frame. The same f***ing stupid traits still remain.

Still essentially only play loose, embarrassing hockey at home exclusively.

Still have severe issues with consistent work ethic.

Still implode every December.

Still have the same commitment to team defense as a single A pewee team.

Still can't start games worth a damn.

Still can't motivate themselves to be better.

Still can't defend a d-zone faceoff.

Four coaches. Probably around 50-60 players of a bunch of different backgrounds, reputations and stripes. Same f***ing result. At this point I'm not sure if there is any true solution here, they perform the same no matter what. The only hope we'll ever have to win anything is if they catch lightning in a bottle at just the right time. This group of pissant morons will never at any point be a normal team that plays an 82 game season in a coherent manner. It will always be a circus and that is honestly infuriating.

 

[Drivesaitl]

This group is honestly unique in the piss poor way they respond to any sort of adversity or how they respond to anything that normal teams respond to in general. Not just a Woodcroft problem, this dumb group has been doing this since McLelland.

Normal teams respond to timeouts and win the next few shifts. Not this team. Normal teams simplify when they are having trouble breaking out and in. Oilers like to make things more complicated. Normal teams respond with top tier efforts when they embarrass themselves. Oilers just keep doing the same thing. Normal teams make concerted efforts to correct when they develop bad habits/make mistakes. Oilers just keep doing the same thing.

There is something culturally very wrong with this team. No idea what the source is. No idea if its some form of curse. We can blame the GM and the coach all we want, and a lot of that criticism is very valid and very earned. But 95% of the roster has basically turned over twice in the past 5 years and we are on coach #4 in that same time frame. The same f***ing stupid traits still remain.

Still essentially only play loose, embarrassing hockey at home exclusively.

Still have severe issues with consistent work ethic.

Still implode every December.

Still have the same commitment to team defense as a single A pewee team.

Still can't start games worth a damn.

Still can't motivate themselves to be better.

Still can't defend a d-zone faceoff.

Four coaches. Probably around 50-60 players of a bunch of different backgrounds, reputations and stripes. Same f***ing result. At this point I'm not sure if there is any true solution here, they perform the same no matter what. The only hope we'll ever have to win anything is if they catch lightning in a bottle at just the right time. This group of pissant morons will never at any point be a normal team that plays an 82 game season in a coherent manner. It will always be a circus and that is honestly infuriating.

One doesn't even have to deepdive it. The cultural component is home vs road. The team is focused and successful on the road and they are complete tank garbage at home.

To wit the Oilers are 7th best team in the NHL in road games. Thats a scintillating stat because its hard for Canadian prairie teams to have a good record on road due to all the travel.

But the very same club are around the 7th worst home team in the league. We have the identical home record to Columbus who are intentionally tanking. We're in the sad pond of tanking clubs at home. We've lost 5 straight at home.

Somebody try to explain the difference. Obvious that home is not where the heart is with this club.

 

[K1984]

One doesn't even have to deepdive it. The cultural component is home vs road. The team is focused and successful on the road and they are complete tank garbage at home.

To wit the Oilers are 7th best team in the NHL in road games. Thats a scintillating stat because its hard for Canadian prairie teams to have a good record on road due to all the travel.

But the very same club are around the 7th worst home team in the league. We have the identical home record to Columbus who are intentionally tanking. We're in the sad pond of tanking clubs at home. We've lost 5 straight at home.

Somebody try to explain the difference. Obvious that home is not where the heart is with this club.

Might have to stuff them in a hotel on game nights or something for a bit until they learn how to focus themselves at home. Clearly they aren't capable of doing that on their own.

The way we play is night and day between home and road. We actually play structured hockey on the road with relatively few 10 bell mistakes (at least compared to home). I just don't get it.

 

[bucks_oil]

But Broberg could be really good in 3-4 years. He might even be almost as good as they player we could trade him for if everything possible goes right.

Exactly this... except he never will be.

I watched Broberg chase his man TO THE BLUELINE after a defensive draw TWICE, only to see guys in front of our net when the shot came from the point.... and they scored on one. Who could see this coming?

I didn't play D at a high level, so I have no idea if that's a thing, but I would LOSE MY $#!+ if any of my defenders ever did that.

Anybody play D? Is this something that you would ever do depending on the system? Am I absolutely crazy or is that such a HUGE lack of defensive IQ that he'll never be properly taught? I just don't see how that can happen at the NHL level (oh wait, Nurse did it 3 mins later).

I'm thinking he's Nurse 2.0 in terms of puck chasing, but without any of the redeeming physicality.

He should be on the plane to Phoenix with whatever else it takes TODAY.

 

[SupremeTeam16]

We spent New Years in Panorama with my wife’s family and we fly home on Friday morning so this was really the only game I was going to be able to make while we were back in Edmonton over the holidays… So I made her drive home with me from panorama a day earlier then everyone else was so that we could go to that game last night…

Boys the wife was not pleased about driving back 6 hours just to watch that lol. I wish I could have gotten her into the dressing room between the 2nd and 3rd she could have torn those boys to shreds, instead of me taking the brunt of “I can’t believe we cut a family vacation short to watch these losers shit their pants”

 

[tardigrade81]

At the risk of being called a troll again. Ha ha
I’ll start by saying that I’ll never defend Kane personally. There’s lots of evidence out there that he’s not exactly the greatest person on the planet
But
He is a great hockey player. Outside of Hopkins, he may be the best 200 foot player on this team. It’s important to realize that we’ve missed him greatly.
It’s great news that he’s getting healthy AND we are still within striking distance

Well said. Honestly at this point we need anything. This team just isn’t performing. We’re in deep trouble

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

We spent New Years in Panorama with my wife’s family and we fly home on Friday morning so this was really the only game I was going to be able to make while we were back in Edmonton over the holidays… So I made her drive home with me from panorama a day earlier then everyone else was so that we could go to that game last night…

Boys the wife was not pleased about driving back 6 hours just to watch that lol. I wish I could have gotten her into the dressing room between the 2nd and 3rd she could have torn those boys to shreds, instead of me taking the brunt of “I can’t believe we cut a family vacation short to watch these losers shit their pants”

Pretty sure you guys were sitting behind me. There was a very vocal lady very pissed off at the Oilers.

This group is honestly unique in the piss poor way they respond to any sort of adversity or how they respond to anything that normal teams respond to in general. Not just a Woodcroft problem, this dumb group has been doing this since McLelland.

Normal teams respond to timeouts and win the next few shifts. Not this team. Normal teams simplify when they are having trouble breaking out and in. Oilers like to make things more complicated. Normal teams respond with top tier efforts when they embarrass themselves. Oilers just keep doing the same thing. Normal teams make concerted efforts to correct when they develop bad habits/make mistakes. Oilers just keep doing the same thing and often it only gets worse.

There is something culturally very wrong with this team. No idea what the source is. No idea if its some form of curse. We can blame the GM and the coach all we want, and a lot of that criticism is very valid and very earned. But 95% of the roster has basically turned over twice in the past 5 years and we are on coach #4 in that same time frame. The same f***ing stupid traits still remain.

Still essentially only play loose, embarrassing hockey at home exclusively.

Still have severe issues with consistent work ethic.

Still implode every December.

Still have the same commitment to team defense as a single A pewee team.

Still can't start games worth a damn.

Still can't motivate themselves to be better.

Still can't defend a d-zone faceoff.

Four coaches. Probably around 50-60 players of a bunch of different backgrounds, reputations and stripes. Same f***ing result. At this point I'm not sure if there is any true solution here, they perform the same no matter what. The only hope we'll ever have to win anything is if they catch lightning in a bottle at just the right time. This group of pissant morons will never at any point be a normal team that plays an 82 game season in a coherent manner. It will always be a circus and that is honestly infuriating.

Heard from very good sources that the issue is a combination of water and toilet seat positioning.

 

[Soundwave]

Exactly this... except he never will be.

I watched Broberg chase his man TO THE BLUELINE after a defensive draw TWICE, only to see guys in front of our net when the shot came from the point.... and they scored on one. Who could see this coming?

I didn't play D at a high level, so I have no idea if that's a thing, but I would LOSE MY $#!+ if any of my defenders ever did that.

Anybody play D? Is this something that you would ever do depending on the system? Am I absolutely crazy or is that such a HUGE lack of defensive IQ that he'll never be properly taught? I just don't see how that can happen at the NHL level (oh wait, Nurse did it 3 mins later).

I'm thinking he's Nurse 2.0 in terms of puck chasing, but without any of the redeeming physicality.

He should be on the plane to Phoenix with whatever else it takes TODAY.

I have no idea what the f*** he was thinking on that 3rd goal that gave Seattle the lead.

 

[Drivesaitl]

We spent New Years in Panorama with my wife’s family and we fly home on Friday morning so this was really the only game I was going to be able to make while we were back in Edmonton over the holidays… So I made her drive home with me from panorama a day earlier then everyone else was so that we could go to that game last night…

Boys the wife was not pleased about driving back 6 hours just to watch that lol. I wish I could have gotten her into the dressing room between the 2nd and 3rd she could have torn those boys to shreds, instead of me taking the brunt of “I can’t believe we cut a family vacation short to watch these losers shit their pants”

The Oilers are crap at home. Few things have been as clear as that. I wouldn't drive even to DT to see this club if I had free seats at this point. Know a lot of people that now feel the same way. Even people that generally go to a lot of concert and events at Rogers are not going to see the Oil.

Looking at the crowd most nights I wonder how many tickets are just being gifted to people or going to charity.

Ticketmaster disguises ticket bloodbaths by circumventing how low tickets can be resold for. They set a minimum permissible discount price. To preserve the illusion of tickets keeping their value.

My suspicion is that if paper tickets still existed a person could pick them up for 30- 40 bucks around game time. Of course with ticketmaster minimum and service charges cost is much more than this.

STH must be hurting once again.

Unless this ship turns around pronto the Oilers loss last night was the one you look back to as being the path to missing playoffs. The Oilers had a series of divisional matchups that they wanted to make hay in. This was one that they needed to win.

 

[SwedishFire]

Really, I dont think a winnkng team has Yamamoto and Puljujärvi as top 6 players. Maybe Yamamoto as a fill in. And a cup winning team has a D leader that is stable defensivly. For McDavid and Draisaitls sake, they have depth enough, time to cover up the top. The last pieces.

My belive is that Holloway is a raw athletic guy, a forward version of Nurse. My take is that he is the weak link on a 2nd line, or the impottant part of a good 3rd line. So keep or trade? You could get a lot of him. My take is that Fogele is better now, Holloway will be better later.

Bouchard is also tradeable if you get something. Not because I want, because Holland doesnt want to address a partner for him.

 

[Drivesaitl]

Pretty sure you guys were sitting behind me. There was a very vocal lady very pissed off at the Oilers.



Heard from very good sources that the issue is a combination of water and toilet seat positioning.

Its sad but even in surround audio you can pick out the boo birds in the crowd. Its just that they aren't focused. Barrie was getting jeered the one time he bobbled a pass on the PP. Barrie has been our best D by miles and deserves some benefit. Its like the crowd was random in who they were giving it to. Pretty sure there was lots of rumblings all around in any section in last nights game. This is a divisional opponent that is ahead of us and with games in hand. We had to have this one and the team pissed it away on home ice. The Oilers can only catch Calgary or Seattle at this point. Thats it. Colorado for sure are going to also pass us for a Wild Card or better. We have no games left against Calgary. The Oilers taking things in their own hands would involve beating Seattle. This game will possibly end up being more important than might be thought.

 

[McHelpus]

It's really no surprise the oilers do this every year. They need to make it as hard as possible to get into the playoffs... if they don't turn it around right now, it might be a lost cause.