Pre-Game Talk: Prepare your Angry Jokinen emotes for more Smiling Stu

[MessierThanThou]

You caught that too. I mentioned it in GDT. its like Skinner groundhog day with these two.

And it will be groundhog day on here as well if Skinner starts again tomorrow. Skinner will be lit up for 6. Oilers will lose in part because of bad goals he let in, and the usual suspects will blame all of those bad goals on Bouchard, while saying "yeah, Skinner sucks but..." Then Pickard will start the next one, Bouchard and the team will magically improve again and very likely win, and the usual suspects will call out Pickard for the one bad goal he let in. It would almost be one big temporal loop if Skinner starts tomorrow...except we wouldn't be getting past the Kings this time.

 

[GrumpyKoala]

This is f***ing Groundhog day. But with infected zombies, giant spiders, and mandatory pineapple on brown bread burned pizzas.

This a crime again humanity, horror beyond comprehension, my day is ruined and my sanity gone.

 

[PositiveCashFlow]

Dear McJesus in the name of all things Oily, I hope they’re wrong.

I just think they have the wrong Skinner.

Otherwise the challenge won’t be the worst coaching decision in this series

 

[GhostfaceWu]

Holy moly. If Stu stinks up the joint once again, I hope the crowd gives it to him; sending a strong message to the coaches and management.

f*** that they better be chanting fire knob fire Bowman fire Jackson.

 

[Messrules11]

Skinner starting tomorrow is just absurd. How f***ing dumb is this coach?

 

[rboomercat90]

Those 2 mutts guys have nailed some things in the past. I would bet it's Skinner. They did the same thing last year against Vancouver.

You’re right of course that they did but I’d hope they aren’t just looking at that in a vacuum. If they’re thinking because it seemed to work last season it’ll certainly work again then they really are a group of morons. A lot has happened since then. Skinner has been awful for months and here we are again in another playoff series where he needs to be bailed out.

I would hope that at some point this guys poor play would be enough for him to lose his job like it does for every other goalie that plays this sport. Putting him back in just because you’ve previously anointed him as your guy, not for merit but for some other reason, seems a riskier proposition to me then playing the other guy who is performing better. Maybe we’re not at that point yet and a first round 5 game loss is what it’ll take to get there.

 

[tiger_80]

How would anyone think that Skinner would give them the best chance of winning? Who are the 2 mutts and what are they barking about?

Picard seems like a better goalie at this stage. Ride him until he plays poorly.

 

[Zerotonine]

I said early today don't be surprised if they go back to Skinner and people laughed. Go figure......

 

[Bryanbryoil]

That would be beyond stupid. It should be Pickard's net until he loses a game. That said leave it to our management and Schwartz to act like the smartest guys in the room and triple down on Skinner so that we end up going down 1-3 in the series.

 

[Pass the Saitl Sauce]

Pickard should have been starter going into the playoffs based off the regular season. Going back to skinner for game 4 would be the definition of insanity

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

 

[TopShelfGloveSide]

lol Skinner hasn’t been playable for 3+ months but I’m sure it will be different this time.

 

[Salvaged Ship]

So you lose the 2 games with Skinner giving up a ton of goals and decide to play Pickard game 3. You then win game 3 and decide its best to go back to Skinner? How the f*** does this make any sense at all, if this happens I would have to question why you decided to even play Pickard at all. If this happens it makes zero sense, none.

 

[tiger_80]

I think Emberton is higher on the depth chart than Stetcher. Stetcher will be No.7.

If Oilers beat LA and Ekholm returns, it's probably:

Bouchard
Ekholm
Nurse
Walman
Kulak
Klingberg
Emberton
Stetcher

 

[Valhallis]

I guess keep LA guessing? Throw them for a loop and have Picks wear a fake mustache while they're at it

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

I think Emberton is higher on the depth chart than Stetcher. Stetcher will be No.7.

If Oilers beat LA and Ekholm returns, it's probably:

Bouchard
Ekholm
Nurse
Walman
Kulak
Klingberg
Emberton
Stetcher

I doubt we see Ekholm anytime soon.

 

[tiger_80]

I doubt we see Ekholm anytime soon.

They only said out of the first round. If he was done for the year, there would no reason for them to withhold that information.

 

[bellagiobob]

Coaches meeting, Saturday Afternoon.

KK: Soooo, we have our video set, lines look good, D pairings not great but not terrible. Goalie, who starts?

Gully: What do you mean who starts? Picard starts, it’s not even a question.

Stuart: Yeah, I mean he got the W. Made a great save late on Kopitar.

Coffey: Bouchard plays better in front of Pics, so I gotta agree there Knobs.

KK: Ok that’s kind of what I figured too. Pics gets the net and…

Dustbin: Sorry to interrupt Coach but I’ve been working with Stu all day today and I really think he’s cleared his head.

KK: What makes you think that Dusty?

Dustbin: His hipster hat fits again. When his head is full of crap his hipster hat doesn’t sit right on his head after does the hair flippy thing. But it fits really nice right now.

Coffey: Dusty, he can’t make a tough save. I mean he can’t even move laterally.

Gully: He looks like a large mouth bass flopping around in the bottom of my bass boat.

Stuart: That’s what you said last year when Pics had to bail his ass out and the year before that when Soupy had to bail his ass out. What makes you think this year is any different?

Dustbin: Hey he got us to Game 7 remember?

Gully: Yeah and he sucked in that game remember? Couldn’t make a big save that game either.

Dustbin: He really feels it Gully.

Gully: He only feels what hits him Dusty.

Dustbin: Look guys, this time I really really really think he’s ready to go. His head is screwed on real tight and his stress smile is dental grade, I’m telling you, he needs to go in.

KK: Mmmmmm, I don’t know Dusty.

Dustbin: Look guys I am the goalie guy here. You always tell the media that you don’t know anything about the position and rely on me so guys, rely on me!

KK: I guess….

Gully: Knobby, your f***ing kidding right?

Coffey: Knobs, this guy played goal at the UofA and he wasn’t even that good. I wouldn’t listen to him.

Stuart: Bouchard sucks in front of Skinner.

Dustbin: Trust me.

KK: Sighhhh…scratches his head. Golly guys I’m going with Dusty here. He says this time Skinner will shut the door. He’s talked me into it.

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Sadly I don’t think this is far from the truth. I get taking input from positional coaches on who to play, but this is a no brainer, you win, you’re in. Don’t complicate it any further than that. Stu will get his chance at some point in these playoffs, but it better not be on Sunday. Hopefully it’s the same gamesmanship that KK showed with the morning skate yesterday.

 

[Macheteops]

I think Emberton is higher on the depth chart than Stetcher. Stetcher will be No.7.

If Oilers beat LA and Ekholm returns, it's probably:

Bouchard
Ekholm
Nurse
Walman
Kulak
Klingberg
Emberton
Stetcher

Doubt it. Stetcher has been better of late. Emberson was for a bit but I believe Stetcher has skipped him for the time being. Emberson had a tough stretch

 

[Shathar]

not surprising if stu starts tomorrow. dying on hills is kind of our thing.

 

[McDrai]

If Skinner starts tomorrow then it’s series over. It’s as simple as that.

 

[Pass the Saitl Sauce]

They only said out of the first round. If he was done for the year, there would no reason for them to withhold that information.

I fear that if ekholm returns he returns as healthy as Frederic is now

 

[tiger_80]

I fear that if ekholm returns he returns as healthy as Frederic is now

I am not holding my breath for his return either--if Oilers make it out of the first round at all. But I guess it depends on what his issue is. They may be playing conservative--a "long time" in the playoffs could be 1 month.

 

[Whoshattenkirkshoes]

I am going to go against the grain here and say I don't hate it if Stu starts. Picard is small and LAK shoot high often. I feel like Stu has a higher ceiling and we need that if we want to advance deep.


(I know Stu sucks and I am not a supporter at all. He's slow, not athletic and can't seem to get a .900 to save his life)

 

[Whoshattenkirkshoes]

And it will be groundhog day on here as well if Skinner starts again tomorrow. Skinner will be lit up for 6. Oilers will lose in part because of bad goals he let in, and the usual suspects will blame all of those bad goals on Bouchard, while saying "yeah, Skinner sucks but..." Then Pickard will start the next one, Bouchard and the team will magically improve again and very likely win, and the usual suspects will call out Pickard for the one bad goal he let in. It would almost be one big temporal loop if Skinner starts tomorrow...except we wouldn't be getting past the Kings this time.

Stu Sucks, but Picard was not much better.

Picard might be slightly better, but people here acting like Stu is Mike Smith and Picard is Carey Price