Post-Game Talk: Poor discipline and poor reffing is a bad combination

[McBigYak]

No, it looks like that's what it does. The 2 of the biggest 3 TV markets in North America are NY and LA. A Kings/Rangers final does more for the league than Edmonton/Toronto could ever hope to, especially in terms of growth and reach.

No, it doesn't.

Nobody in Los Angeles cares about hockey and nobody in Los Angeles will ever care about hockey. They had a period of dominance and multiple Stanley Cups, and nobody cared about hockey in Los Angeles.

You could argue Rangers/Leafs all day, probably a wash financially. But Oilers LA? It's not even close. The NHL does better with the Oilers in the finals. The only reason LA sells the building out is sheer volume in terms of population. The majority of that market will never give a shit about hockey even if you handed them 5 cups in a row.

 

[Ritchie Valens]

No, it looks like that's what it does. The 2 of the biggest 3 TV markets in North America are NY and LA. A Kings/Rangers final does more for the league than Edmonton/Toronto could ever hope to, especially in terms of growth and reach.

And @McBigYak

2022 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs on ESPN and ESPN2 Draw Strong Viewership for First-Round Game One Matchups

Back to back in the first two nights of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, ESPN had the most-viewed Game One of a first-round NHL Playoff on cable in 20 years with the Boston Bruins at the Carolina Hurricanes on Monday, and surpassed that number with last night’s electric Pittsburgh Penguins at New York...

espnpressroom.com

This was last year after game 1s in round 1. Notice where the Toronto/Tampa game was...3rd place with 466,000 viewers. 400K to 500K viewers behind Boston/Carolina and Pittsburgh/NYR.

I have to agree with you Jimmy, an all Canadian final would not financially suit the league.

Follow the money.

 

[SupremeTeam16]

Drai hacked Kempe, the Kings top goal scorer twice in back of leg in front of officials after a whistle the other night. Drai has a long list of after the whistle hacks. I'm among his biggest supporters but he has to knock the shit out and I've been saying that for two years now. Obviously the officials and the league are looking at it and called it. Drai would not have had that penalty had he not had a long rap sheet of the same.

Desharnais is another Oiler that is earning extra attention from the officials and he absolutely set that table after game 1. They will throw the book at him for anything. At the end of the day officials are human and if you abuse them they take note and respond as humans tend to do.

Kane? lol. He's another. Long rap sheet, its part of what we get for the player and one reason why he was available.

Trouble for the Oilers is they take stupid penalties, but none of them, none, are good at instigating calls.

The Oilers have been undisciplined no doubt about that but I think they’re playing with the understanding that the refs let a little more go in the playoffs with the physical play and intensity ramping up but that hasn’t been the case in this series.

I mentioned this before but what I’ve noticed is that Kings are doing a lot of the same shit the Oilers are they’re just being way more sneaky about it, taking their shots behind and away from the play. They’re also doing an ungodly amount of embellishing, a tactic they’ve clearly built into their game plan to the point where alot of people are talking about how blatant it is.

 

[Sra1974]

I guess the issue is I dont believe they can not take dumb penalties given the calls.

Drai can absolutely not slash a guy just after a goal when you have a bit of a rep for that. Foegle can not push the guys head into the ice. Desjarnais call was crap so agree there. Nuge lost position and broke a stick which is almost always a call. So3 of the 4 could go away with better play and decisionS. 2 cost them.

 

[guymez]

Context matters post whistle scrums aye part of the game and mostly let go. Shit after goals is always more scrutinized. Throwing a cocky slash at a guy skating to the bench as you go to celebrate is not part of the game in the slightest

I agree.
I would like to see the team (and Draisaitl specifically) just focus on the game...not the extra curricular stuff and see how things play out.
The only thing I see happening is that it will benefit the team and increase the chances of winning.

 

[Stoneman89]

I agree but the Kings looked better last night.
I still think the Oilers are the better team but the margin is much closer than I originally thought.
The Kings out chanced the Oilers last night by my eye.
Rewatching the game suggests that the Oilers didnt adjust to what the Kings were doing. Too many times they tried to carry the puck straight through the seaweed that is the Kings defensive system.
Hyman and Kane has been essentially useless top 6 players. Offensively and defensively. At least Yamamoto, who cant score to save his life, is playing a smarter game and doesnt cost his line defensively. Kane and Hyman are liabilities at both ends.
RNH has been a liability as well.
Draisaitl, who has played great in this series, has to find some discipline. If he doesnt know the standard (who does really) then dont give the refs an opportunity to call something stupid.
Skate away.
Skinner played his best game of the series so far. Made no less than 2 game saving saves.
He wasnt the problem.

Last year after 3 games the Oilers had outscored the Kings 17 -6 and had a 2-1 series lead.
This year after 3 games both teams have scored 9 goals.
The Oilers are not generating nearly enough offence to outscore the poor defensive play of Kane, Hyman and RNH and the odd defensive gaff by Nurse, Bouchard and Ceci.

Now the Oilers have to win 3 out of the next 4 games against a very good team to win this series.
The margin of error is very small and that means there is much less room for defensive misreads in the next couple of games.
With there being so many liabilities defensively right now and a lack of offence its a very troubling combination. If the Oilers can seperate from the Kings early then the reffing becomes much less of an issue as well.

There is still a lot of series to be played and the Oilers can absolutely win but they need to dig deep and tighten up their defensive game until their offence starts to come around or they wont be winning this series.

Biggest difference for me is the Kings goaltending. Last year, Quick alternated between brilliant and shabby. Korpisalo looks really steady right now. Need to get in his grill a bit and not let him see pucks.

 

[McBigYak]

And @McBigYak

2022 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs on ESPN and ESPN2 Draw Strong Viewership for First-Round Game One Matchups

Back to back in the first two nights of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, ESPN had the most-viewed Game One of a first-round NHL Playoff on cable in 20 years with the Boston Bruins at the Carolina Hurricanes on Monday, and surpassed that number with last night’s electric Pittsburgh Penguins at New York...

espnpressroom.com

This was last year after game 1s in round 1. Notice where the Toronto/Tampa game was...3rd place with 466,000 viewers. 400K to 500K viewers behind Boston/Carolina and Pittsburgh/NYR.

I have to agree with you Jimmy, an all Canadian final would not financially suit the league.

Follow the money.

Come on. You're comparing 4 teams with strong markets (CAR/BOS/PIT/NYR) to the Tampa Bay Lightning?

If it's Toronto with any of those other teams, it's the highest watched game by a mile.

 

[Sra1974]

And @McBigYak

2022 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs on ESPN and ESPN2 Draw Strong Viewership for First-Round Game One Matchups

Back to back in the first two nights of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, ESPN had the most-viewed Game One of a first-round NHL Playoff on cable in 20 years with the Boston Bruins at the Carolina Hurricanes on Monday, and surpassed that number with last night’s electric Pittsburgh Penguins at New York...

espnpressroom.com

This was last year after game 1s in round 1. Notice where the Toronto/Tampa game was...3rd place with 466,000 viewers. 400K to 500K viewers behind Boston/Carolina and Pittsburgh/NYR.

I have to agree with you Jimmy, an all Canadian final would not financially suit the league.

Follow the money.

This talk about somehow league execs deciding who they want in the next round, then telling the refs to call certain ways to help ensure that AND nobody talks about that or leaks it bugs me. The league isn’t fixing for match ups, they are just incompeten.

 

[guymez]

Drai can absolutely not slash a guy just after a goal when you have a bit of a rep for that. Foegle can not push the guys head into the ice. Desjarnais call was crap so agree there. Nuge lost position and broke a stick which is almost always a call. So3 of the 4 could go away with better play and decisionS. 2 cost them.

Exactly.
When the margins are as tight as they are in this series you have to be smart.
Give yourself a better chance of winning.
Its a no brainer.

 

[DrDrai]

This team needs to get korpisalo off his game, bring the scrums to him, accidentally push into him etc.

To all the “Get over it, the league doesn’t have a mandate, the oilers need to be more disciplined”.
When the exact same plays aren’t being called on LA then there is an issue. Yes the Oilers could be smarter, but that doesn’t fix the kings not getting called at all.

That’s just accepting that the refs can job you, no one should accept that at all.

 

[Drivesaitl]

The Oilers have been undisciplined no doubt about that but I think they’re playing with the understanding that the refs let a little more go in the playoffs with the physical play and intensity ramping up but that hasn’t been the case in this series.

I mentioned this before but what I’ve noticed is that Kings are doing a lot of the same shit the Oilers are they’re just being way more sneaky about it, taking their shots behind and away from the play. They’re also doing an ungodly amount of embellishing, a tactic they’ve clearly built into their game plan to the point where alot of people are talking about how blatant it is.

if you ain't cheating you're not trying hard enough. Its been the thing in hockey forever, and the 80's Oilers were far better at getting calls. Its like an area of work the team needs to do. Teams do anything to get an edge.

 

[guymez]

Biggest difference for me is the Kings goaltending. Last year, Quick alternated between brilliant and shabby. Korpisalo looks really steady right now. Need to get in his grill a bit and not let him see pucks.

I agree.
Korpisalo has been very good. His play tightens the margin of error even more for the Oilers.
All the more reason to play the smartest game possible.

 

[Stoneman89]

Really thought I was over this and ready for next game, but someone just told me the difference is the kings are “scoring on the PP when it matters”.

The kings have scored on 4 PPs, 3 of them at a time that was considered a game changer (2 in OT, 1 with under 2 mins in the game and down by one), and one that could be argued was a game changer (taking away the momentum with a weak unsportsmanlike on Drai).

Meanwhile the Oilers PP opportunities have been:

- 2 calls 10 ish minutes into the first period of game 1

- 1 call with 30 seconds left in period 2 of game 1.

- 1 call around 10 mins into the first period of game 2

- all 3 game 3 calls being in the first 5-10 minutes of each period.

We haven’t had a single PP at a time that could have decided the game like the kings have. Meanwhile both kings OT PP goals were preceded by a blatant missed call against the kings (Foegele getting elbowed in the face in game 1, and Mcdavid getting pinned to the ice in game 3).

Agreed. It's like we get 1 or 2 token penalties in the first portion, but when the game tightens up, the calls are all going the other way.

 

[3IR]

Agreed. It's like we get 1 or 2 token penalties in the first portion, but when the game tightens up, the calls are all going the other way.

As soon as the game gets to the point where the next goal is likely to decide it, the kings get away with murder and the oilers get called for things the kings got away with all game.

 

[Sra1974]

This team needs to get korpisalo off his game, bring the scrums to him, accidentally push into him etc.

To all the “Get over it, the league doesn’t have a mandate, the oilers need to be more disciplined”.
When the exact same plays aren’t being called on LA then there is an issue. Yes the Oilers could be smarter, but that doesn’t fix the kings not getting called at all.

That’s just accepting that the refs can job you, no one should accept that at all.

I’m not saying I like the poor reffing or accepting it, but since the Oilers know it I do think they could modify their approuch. And win

 

[BoldNewLettuce]

Agreed. It's like we get 1 or 2 token penalties in the first portion, but when the game tightens up, the calls are all going the other way.

The good news is you can expect an PP in the final 3 minutes if they are down by 3 goals. No question.

 

[bellagiobob]

Good teams have the ability to rise above the incompetence that surrounds them and prohibits them from excelling in their usual fashion. Time for bitching is done, use that as motivational fuel to prove we are the better team. Boys need a day away from the rink to chance their mindset, and I fully expect us to even things up tomorrow night.

 

[guymez]

Agreed. It's like we get 1 or 2 token penalties in the first portion, but when the game tightens up, the calls are all going the other way.

I think that there is some truth to this.

If we go back to game 1...if the Oilers were able to get the 3rd goal that game in all likelihood goes into the win column IMO
They need to get more from Kane, Hyman and RNH. A major part of the teams offence is MIA.

 

[Drivesaitl]

I would love to see the advanced stats but by my eye the Kings had more 10 bell chances than the Oilers did. It was quite obvious on the second viewing.

Yeah I didn't see the Oilers get any 2 on nothing breakaways. just going on memory Kings have had 3-4 breakaways in series. Can't remember what the Oilers have had if any.

Again hockey hard to quantify. Just categorizing spot shots taken from specicif areas as HDSC doesn't really reveal much of anything. The Oilers break down the times they do, and real good. On first goal a King is alone in front of the net to tap home a rebound. On Kempe goal Its due to Drai being silly and taking a penalty, and the Oilers going to sleep once again on a standard set play. The Oilers don't even look or view the Kings set plays. Kempe scores an easy tying goal there.

But ultimately its Korpi being a lot better than Skinner.

 

[Oilhawks]

The good news is you can expect an PP in the final 3 minutes if they are down by 3 goals. No question.

But here’s the bad news, if the Oilers score on that PP, they’ll get one called against them literally immediately after, particularly after the refs get their bet lines sorted out

 

[Mr Positive]

I think it does now looking at this. Right near the end.

I still say it's hard to tell if the puck is in front of the stick. To call back a goal I want to see a change of trajectory.

 

[McAsuno]

The league knows they got the call wrong. Will they openly apologize for it? Nope.
Will they hide behind their typical 'inconclusive evidence?' Yep.

 

[McWeber]

So I am still a little pissy after last night. The one call that irks me the most is the non-call on Danault sitting on Mcdavid after Klim had gotten called for it earlier. Everyone is licking Danault's bag as being able to shutdown Mcdavid but when you can do anything to him with impunity what do you expect?

 

[Ritchie Valens]

Come on. You're comparing 4 teams with strong markets (CAR/BOS/PIT/NYR) to the Tampa Bay Lightning?

If it's Toronto with any of those other teams, it's the highest watched game by a mile.

Your argument was an Oilers/Leafs final would be a license to print money. I'm showing you have arguably the team with the largest fanbase in the NHL and is one of the teams you specifically mentioned being in a cup final (along with another Canadian team) which couldn't even crack 500K viewers when they have built a rivalry with the Lightning.

The Lightning have been one of the league's best teams for several years now and have a strong market, cap Olympics be damned. This is ESPN numbers, not SN numbers. They also finished third in gate attendance so don't tell me they have a weak market.

NHL 2022-23 team attendance at hockeydb.com

Attendance for the National Hockey League for the 2022-23 season

www.hockeydb.com

 

[Drivesaitl]

Time to get out the blind ref avatars for the rest of the playoffs

Nah, not doing it. referees are not cute and cuddly, cats are.

I change my avatar around once an eon. Plus I love Black Sabbath so..

Y'all talked me into this with this whole cat thing. Now you're stuck. Or I am.

kudos to the Mr Bean avatar though.