Post-Game Talk: OT Heartbreaker

[bone]

Huh? I didn’t exclude them. I said 1-4 against the Kings. Again, most OTs finish in the first five minutes. You can’t ease your way into it. You have to be on your toes. Allowing a breakaway in OT is inexcusable. 3-11 speaks for itself.

They generated 5 shots in 22 minutes of play. Are you saying that’s good?

I must have misread it as I thought I saw it as 0-1 vs. the Kings (which was the case with Smith). The 5 shots aren't great, for sure, but neither is 2 GA on 1 good scoring chance.

 

[Ritchie Valens]

The first question when interviewing GM candidates should be: “What would be the first roster move you’d make to make this team not just a Stanley Cup contender, but a finalist and champion?”

If the answer isn’t “Acquiring a successful, legitimate starting goalie”, then it’s on to the next candidate.

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

I must have misread it as read it as 0-1 vs. the Kings (which was the case with Smith). The 5 shots aren't great, for sure, but neither is 2 GA on 1 good scoring chance.

I’ll grant you goal #4 but letting a future HoFer blow by you in OT wasn’t going to end well. I said as soon as regulation ended they’d lose. They suck ass in OT and have since the McDavid era started.

 

[sepHF]

How shocking that Nurse, Ceci, and goaltending are the culprits again. Ceci blindly running out of position and Nurse losing coverage and letting his man get wide open.

Ceci should've been gone last offseason.

How was Ceci out of position there?

As a defender you're supposed to close the winger off on the wall on a play like that, he just didnt tie up his stick good enough

And Nurse was reading a dump in so he was trying to be on the far side to be the first man back. No one could've predicted that insane deflection / bounce to Kopitar that Byfield did

 

[guymez]

They didn't look comfortable because Skinner was a hot mess.

Imagine, you just battled back to tie the game after being down 3-1. You come out for huge 3rd period and your goalie falls on his face 2 mins into the period giving them yet another lead.

Skinner didnt force them to play the way they did. They started giving up chances right from the begining of the game.

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

How was Ceci out of position there?

As a defender you're supposed to close the winger off on the wall on a play like that, he just didnt tie up his stick good enough

And Nurse was reading a dump in so he was trying to be on the far side to be the first man back. No one could've predicted that insane deflection / bounce to Kopitar that Byfield did

Nurse got caught flat footed. He couldn’t anticipate the sun coming up in the morning.

 

[Forgot About Drai]

Why does it feel like we're trailing in this series when we're tied 1-1.

Its the projecting forward. I dont think anyone on this board really things we will lose to LAK. But the symptoms that will sink us in later rounds really showed up last night.

 

[GMofOilers]

Skinner didnt force them to play the way they did. They started giving up chances right from the begining of the game.

I have never watched 1 game in the history of the NHL that a team hasn’t gave up multiple chances up.

It only matters when not my fault Skinner is in net.

 

[Lacaar]

The good news is they Usually have last nights game first and follow it up with a stinker.
This year they started good and didn't stink it up until the second game haha.

Honestly stinker is pretty harsh. They did play hard and a lot of them played well.
They found a way to lose is probably a better way to describe that game. A couple of players.. mostly Skinner. Cost them the W. Some Oilers played incredibly well.

My concerns are
1. Skinner.. no consistency in his game again. After the fourth goal I was shitting bricks EVERY L.A shot.
2. Oilers in high pressure situations. Their overtime record blows ass. Like don't miss the start of overtime they suck so bad at it bad. This is a team that is showing a penchant for not being able to rise up in high pressure situations like overtime. In fact they tend to wilt.


3-11 playoff overtime record isn't random. There's a reason for it. And I think it has to do with the identify of the team they've desperately tried to shake off that was front and center last night.

 

[K1984]

Skinner didnt force them to play the way they did. They started giving up chances right from the begining of the game.

That play - the soft pass up the wall in our D zone needs to be totally eradicated from our game and it will probably take tough love that we don't really have time for. That play is a cancer on our game, and we have a lot of players that love to do it.

Send a soft one up the wall to a player in motion? You're sitting the rest of the period.

 

[Gordy Elbows]

Not buying the negative takes on Skinner…doesn’t make sense.
Yes, he was a part of the early season crap start ( like a whole lot of other Oilers), but he was also a large part of the resurgence that finished 2nd in the Pacific. Finished the season in the top ten of goalies.
Last years’s playoffs don’t matter now. He was a rookie then and has come a long way since then.
And…looking around these playoffs….would you rather have Hellebuyck? Oettinger? Hill ( he had a great playoffs last year)? They’re not doing so hot these days.
Nobody expected us to win 16 straight playoff games. Or did you?

 

[guymez]

I have never watched 1 game in the history of the NHL that a team hasn’t gave up multiple chances up.

It only matters when not my fault Skinner is in net.

Its a nonsense narrative.
Skinner has taken responsibility for goals against..

 

[Duke74]

I agree the second line is trash. This is why i'm asking for Mcdrai together. I truthfully believe the second line is better with drai subtracted.

I haven't been impressed with his performance these playoffs so far. Only one ES point and his line is getting caved. He's been subpar all season and that trend seems to be continuing into the playoffs. I was expecting him to step up for the playoffs, but so far, I haven't seen it. He seems to play better on the road than at home, so we'll see

 

[guymez]

That play - the soft pass up the wall in our D zone needs to be totally eradicated from our game and it will probably take tough love that we don't really have time for. That play is a cancer on our game, and we have a lot of players that love to do it.

Send a soft one up the wall to a player in motion? You're sitting the rest of the period.

Exactly.
Its amazing to me that posters are actually trying to say that play was Foegeles fault.
It was 100% on Bouchard.
That is a lazy disengaged play and it just cant happen.
Especially in the playoffs. As you said that kind of play has to disappear forever.

To go down a goal against the Kings (basically give them a goal) plays right into their hands.
The Oilers best players continued to play right into their hands for the rest of the game.
That is a large part of why they lost.

 

[Drivesaitl]

Why do you keep saying this? Which goalie doesn't want to start?
Criticize Skinner's game all you want and I'd agree with you but to criticize him for wanting to start is bizarre, to be quite frank, and you've been saying this for a few years.

Because its been documented by multiple sources, Woody, Shwartz that they would ask Skinner how he's feeling about the next start, if he thinks he's ready for it. Then Skinner saying yes every time resulting in the BIZARRE pattern of a goalie being pulled 4X in one playoffs and STILL getting all the starts.

I could see consulting with the goalie occasionally. But deferring to his judgement of whether he should start every time is not productive.

 

[K1984]

Exactly.
Its amazing to me that posters are actually trying to say that play was Foegeles fault.
It was 100% on Bouchard.
That is a lazy disengaged play and it just cant happen.

Especially when all it would have taken was a punt (or even a harder pass) to spring an odd man rush.

When I was watching that live my eyes widened when I saw the King player screaming in to attack the blue line because I thought a relatively easy play was all we need to spring a chance the other way. Instead dumbass floats one up the wall despite the fact that this is all happening right in front of him.

 

[Drivesaitl]

No? But usually your coaching staff is smart enough to go "We are starting the other guy cause you are off your game right now". Thats whats being shit on.

Bang. Exactly. How is this not understood. Is the coaches decision to decide personnel. Does a team go out and ask Connor Brown if he should start every game? Should they? Theres a reason he's not in the lineup and the team is better without him.

 

[bone]

How was Ceci out of position there?

As a defender you're supposed to close the winger off on the wall on a play like that, he just didnt tie up his stick good enough

And Nurse was reading a dump in so he was trying to be on the far side to be the first man back. No one could've predicted that insane deflection / bounce to Kopitar that Byfield did

Exactly. Especially when two forwards are coming back as well.

He essentially created a 2 on 3 situation with the 2nd LA option still at LAs blueline with a potential 1 on 1 on Nurse, but Nurse had the wrong gap/lane to react to Kopitar. Both Nurse and Skinner are guilty on that play of assuming Byfield doesn't get a piece of that terrible pass which likely would have turned into icing. But Byfield did and it went the best possible spot on the ice for LA in that coverage to create the chance.

 

[Oilhawks]

I still think that playing Skinner against the Avs with a shit team in front of him in game 82 was a brutal decision. If Skinner is doubting himself and he continues to shit the bed we are toast unless Pickard gets the nod soon and plays great. If Skinner sucks the rest of the way he needs to be gone before the start of next season.

I get this, but if he can't handle losing in a nothing game like that, I'd say he doesn't have the mental resilience to go all the way

I'm just so tired of all the excuses being made for this guy. I think bone's post below more or less sums it up. He simply has not been good enough.

Don't feel like the stress of reading this entire thread, but wanted to share some fun stats if they haven't already made their way into it.

• Stuart Skinner career OT stats. 0-3 record. 11.48 GAA and .667 save percentage.
• In 14 career playoff starts, 6 games with a save percentage below .850, 9 games below .900
• Overall playoff stats, 3.81 GAA and .879 Save Percentage
• Since Game 2 vs. Vegas, pulled 3 times in 6 starts while going 4.55 GAA and .854 in save percentage.

One more bad game like that this series, especially if it ultimately leads to a series loss, and he's cooked as an NHL Number 1 starter, and he'll have blown any consideration for Team Canada that he was getting earlier this year.

 

[guymez]

Especially when all it would have taken was a punt (or even a harder pass) to spring an odd man rush.

When I was watching that live my eyes widened when I saw the King player screaming in to attack the blue line because I thought a relatively easy play was all we need to spring a chance the other way. Instead dumbass floats one up the wall despite the fact that this is all happening right in front of him.

Watching games live really reveals a lot more.
I watched it on TV and my response was FFS Bouchard...wake up!
You just cant make that play.

 

[Drivesaitl]

You’re talking to a guy who’s happy when the Oilers lose when the “wrong goalie” is in net.

The irony here is strong. The Oilers losing is when you tend to show up.

This place is just as bad as Facebook today. I really hope the team isn’t ready to throw in the towel like most of you seem to be. It was one loss did we actually expect the Kings to just roll over? 1 game does not a seven game series make. Chill out and enjoy the ride lots of hockey to be played still.

Who's throwing in the towel. The majority of suggestions I see is that starting a goalie every game who has allowed 9GA in just two games and has a close to 4GAA in playoffs isn't necessarily the best idea.

Most people are even of the opinion that the Oilers ran the Kings show two games in a row but that the goaltending handed the Kings the 2nd game.

 

[McFlyingV]

So I was interested in what the lowest sv% was in the playoffs to win a cup since the lockout given how abysmal Skinner's stats have been.

Colorado (2022) - Francouz .906/ Kuemper .902
Pittsburgh (2009) - MAF .908
Chicago (2010) - Niemi - .910

So its possible with average to below average goaltending. The majority of cup winners have Sv% ranging from .915 to .940 with most of those in the .920-930 range.

Think thats even more reason to give Pickard a chance if Skinner throws up another .8xx type game.

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

The irony here is strong. The Oilers losing is when you tend to show up.

I complimented them for a great game 1 win. They were full marks. This was not that. But by the same measure the poster in question shows up whenever Skinner lets in a goal. It’s their entire personality. They live and die in Skinners play. It’s honestly sad.

 

[bone]

Not buying the negative takes on Skinner…doesn’t make sense.
Yes, he was a part of the early season crap start ( like a whole lot of other Oilers), but he was also a large part of the resurgence that finished 2nd in the Pacific. Finished the season in the top ten of goalies.
Last years’s playoffs don’t matter now. He was a rookie then and has come a long way since then.
And…looking around these playoffs….would you rather have Hellebuyck? Oettinger? Hill ( he had a great playoffs last year)? They’re not doing so hot these days.
Nobody expected us to win 16 straight playoff games. Or did you?

I was hopeful, and still a little hopeful that this was the case. But yesterday gave lots of flashbacks to last playoffs where he literally could not make a single save in Games 3, 5 or 6 vs. Vegas last year.

He's bounced back from some bad games to go on a good run this year, so I'm hoping he taps into that energy, but unfortunately having the stinker this early means he's already in a situation where the team can't afford for him to have another one within the next three games without killing any potential playoff run they hoped for. We need at least two straight games now from him where he isn't a factor the wrong way to regaining the lost opportunity last nights performance pissed away.

 

[Kerberos]

Why does it feel like we're trailing in this series when we're tied 1-1.

Because Skinner is good for at least 1 more bed shitting in this series that will cost us a game.