Speculation: Rested souls.....cup is ours

[Captain Controversy]

I look forward to a rematch with the kings. They are looking improved this year and if it's any team that the oilers will get fired up for, it's the Los Angeles Kings.

That being said, Oilers win. With or without home ice.

 

[Mr Positive]

Reality is 3 good teams exist in Pacific and other than one outlier year its the same 3. Kings do seem somewhat improved this season. Improved goaltending. But the improvement due to Clarke hasn't been covered here. He gives them a different dimension in the back end and good at making plays. D overall are better this year for LA. They got Jeannot and Foegele and the latter is playing how the Oilers always wanted him to but has a bigger role with the Kings. Just watching a couple games Kuzmenko is slotting in so far and playing his best hockey in years.

Kings are physically bigger this year, have Doughty back (most people wrote them off playing 5mths without Doughty this season) and they've added other D and size. Generally they have more roster options to draw in than before. Still scoring by committee and still Kempe and Kopitar running the farm but Byfield has had a bounce back season.

Still, with all this improvement they aren't any better in the standings, and have a lower point percentage.

They are still a D-first team, and I don't think they can change that no matter who their players or coaches are. Their core players just are that type of player.

We are all wrong for the Kings because you can't plan much to play against us. We are chaotic. It's even worse this year with us making additions but having injuries that make the team hard to understand. We don't even know what we'll be like.

I'm not taking them lightly though. They have a lot of talent on that team and a lot of desire to take us out I'm sure. I just think the matchup favors us, and the past years back that up.

 

[bone]

Reality is 3 good teams exist in Pacific and other than one outlier year its the same 3. Kings do seem somewhat improved this season. Improved goaltending. But the improvement due to Clarke hasn't been covered here. He gives them a different dimension in the back end and good at making plays. D overall are better this year for LA. They got Jeannot and Foegele and the latter is playing how the Oilers always wanted him to but has a bigger role with the Kings. Just watching a couple games Kuzmenko is slotting in so far and playing his best hockey in years.

Kings are physically bigger this year, have Doughty back (most people wrote them off playing 5mths without Doughty this season) and they've added other D and size. Generally they have more roster options to draw in than before. Still scoring by committee and still Kempe and Kopitar running the farm but Byfield has had a bounce back season.

Perfectly fair, though I thought Clarke had been sat out a lot since Dougty returned (which was mind-boggling to me) but following up on that, it seems they've moved past that dumb idea fairly quickly (good on them). Clarke is certainly a wild card here, but a 21 year old d-man in their first playoff games are just as likely to get exposed as them immediately shining.

For sure, the concern with LA is the skaters, They might finally be back to similar depth as they were pre-PLD trade, so we need all hands on deck to keep the scoring in check, but I'm not stressed about Kuemper at all.

 

[Drivesaitl]

Still, with all this improvement they aren't any better in the standings, and have a lower point percentage.

They are still a D-first team, and I don't think they can change that no matter who their players or coaches are. Their core players just are that type of player.

We are all wrong for the Kings because you can't plan much to play against us. We are chaotic. It's even worse this year with us making additions but having injuries that make the team hard to understand. We don't even know what we'll be like.

I'm not taking them lightly though. They have a lot of talent on that team and a lot of desire to take us out I'm sure. I just think the matchup favors us, and the past years back that up.

Kings last season though were kind of dead in the water in the back half of season. If you remember the Kings were around first in league last season for awhile but they hit the ditch halfway through season and were never really the same again. Kings had very little belief or mojo last spring. They did at start of season. This years been more improvement as season has gone on, or more stability anyway.

Agreed that the matchup favors us. The special units have favored us and I'll still think Kings don't have answer to our PP until I see different. It was their undoing, special units. Kings lack any superstars that can take control of games like we have. Kings have weak links they have to rely on for production like Fiala or Kuzmenko who may be able to score but are not system players. Danault has really taken a step back. Age hitting him. he never scores anymore.

Kings needed more size and grit in lineup and got it. They need to be able to win more physical battles or their dead. Particularly when its not 5 on 5.

 

[Drivesaitl]

Perfectly fair, though I thought Clarke had been sat out a lot since Dougty returned (which was mind-boggling to me) but following up on that, it seems they've moved past that dumb idea fairly quickly (good on them). Clarke is certainly a wild card here, but a 21 year old d-man in their first playoff games are just as likely to get exposed as them immediately shining.

For sure, the concern with LA is the skaters, They might finally be back to similar depth as they were pre-PLD trade, so we need all hands on deck to keep the scoring in check, but I'm not stressed about Kuemper at all.

Yeah. LA goaltending isn't going to steal games but its less likely to lose them outright as well. In the past sometimes some pretty shit goaltending was sinking kings either Regular season or playoffs and like the Oilers they would have to work much harder due to weak goaltending. They haven't had that toll this season. The goaltending has normalized for the Kings thus with the Kings team play being rewarded with better GA stats, better pk stats.

I still don't think the LA coaching is strong. Not very good at team specific strategems. Kings coaching staff made essentially zero adjustments last spring.

Trouble with playoffs though is its which team finds its game in any series. This will likely be harder than last spring.

 

[bone]

We scored 22 goals against the Kings in 5 games last year, with one of those being a 1-0 game. I don't think we can say the goalies were hot when we scored 7, 6, 4, and 4 goals in the other games. The year prior, we only were goalied in one of the playoff games - we buried Korpisalo pretty badly. The year before, Quick stoned us on a couple of nights, but we still had an 8 goal game and a 6 goal game. I just don't think its accurate to suggest that the Kings' goalies were playing hot when we faced them. We buried their goalies pretty easily.

Not in the playoffs but going into the playoffs LA fans and NHL analysts were optimistic about their goaltending.

Talbot was an all-star last year with an .913 save percentage, albeit he wasn't as hot down the stretch, but he had a good year. Rittich also had a very strong season as their backup putting up a 2.15 GAA and .921 save percentage.

The year before Korpisalo had gone 7-3-1 with a 2.13 GAA and .921 save percentage after being acquired.

They year before Quick had a bit of a rebound season putting up a .910 save percentage after some average seasons prior. He especially got hot down the stretch going 7-1-2 in his final 11 starts with a 2.23 GAA and .917 save percentage.

The thing with LA is they play a style that allows goalies to have good seasons and hot streaks. Almost the opposite of the Oilers really. Where Edmonton has broken down LA in the past is they have a harder time keeping Edmonton in check defensively, and alternatively, the Oilers had sort of figured out how to play LA defensively to limit their chances leading to a low scoring game the few times the LA defense manages to contain Edmonton.

So the question to me won't be whether Kuemper will be better than the prior 4-5 goalies, but rather can LA carry their game into a series vs. Edmonton allowing those goalies to keep things in check.

 

[CrazyJoeDavola]

I agree. We have tons of issues but just look at how things are lining up.

We are a playoff focused team and things are aligning for us to our maximum when it matters

That assumes that the injuries are not too bad. The Ekholm one has me concerned.

We just need Fred and Kane to come back at somewhere close to 100% and we will be fine, and EKH to be ready to go. If that happens, we can do some damage

 

[AddyTheWrath]

Finding optimism on HF is like finding water in a desert.

I appreciate the positive outlook! What's the point of cheering for this team if you always expect disappointment.

Go Oilers Go

 

[brentashton]

We just need Fred and Kane to come back at somewhere close to 100% and we will be fine, and EKH to be ready to go. If that happens, we can do some damage

At around the 38-40 minute mark Stauffer says that Evander told him that the core surgery he had done has never been performed on an NHL player before.

Hmmm,

So was the injury so unique that it needed a unique approach or was it a typical core injury that they opted for a different approach because it was a) helps mend faster, is b) less Invasive, c) experimental for whatever reason??

Either way makes me “anxious” for how Kane will be once he is game ready. Hopefully much ado about nothing.

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

I do not share the optimism purveyed in this thread. Skinner is still our goalie. LA poses a serious threat and if they have home ice advantage it’ll be a tough out. Even if we beat LA not having home ice for every round doesn’t bode well. Plus did I mention we have Skinner as our starting goalie? And Bouchard still needs to fully pull his head out of his ass and play like he did in last years playoffs.

 

[McDrai]

Thank you for the positive thread. I have been negative about the team recently like many other fans (mostly due to inconsistency in play and goaltending). One positive I will mention is that if our players come back fully healthy (McDavid, Ekholm, Kane, Frederic) I could see us going on a bit of a run in the playoffs.

 

[CrazyJoeDavola]

At around the 38-40 minute mark Stauffer says that Evander told him that the core surgery he had done has never been performed on an NHL player before.

Hmmm,

So was the injury so unique that it needed a unique approach or was it a typical core injury that they opted for a different approach because it was a) helps mend faster, is b) less Invasive, c) experimental for whatever reason??

Either way makes me “anxious” for how Kane will be once he is game ready. Hopefully much ado about nothing.

I can see Kane wanting to do things "his" way as a reason he would go off the board. I hope it worked... we are doomed without him and Fred filling out this fwd core.

 

[ManofSteel55]

I fully endorse an optimism thread. WE SHALL NOT GO GENTLE INTO THAT GOOD NIGHT!

I love the optimism, I'm just having a hard time getting there. Given the struggles the team has had this year, our goalie issues, and the significant regression of our special teams, I am...concerned. Hopeful, but concerned.

 

[ManofSteel55]

The real worry with the Kings is that this is an opponent that will not look past us. They want the cup, sure, but beating the Oilers is a huge focus for their players and fans. I still say the nature of that team is to play conservatively, which favors us, and favors players who have some rust who might be half a step slow.

It's definitely better than taking on St.Louis or Vegas

St. Louis is terrifying right now. This is a team that is firing on all cylinders. I don't think they are a legitimate cup threat, but with how they are playing, they are absolutely a candidate to play spoiler and ruin some contenders chances early.

 

[NeverForget06]

This team seems to love making it as hard on themselves as possible, and then rallying behind that difficulty, usually to some success. Wouldn't surprise me if we have to go on the road to LA in the first two games this year, and it also wouldn't surprise me if the Oilers play very well in those two road games and come home with at least a split.

It's just the way these guys are. Nothing is easy. They have to be almost dead before they start really going.

 

[Slats432]

I love the optimism, I'm just having a hard time getting there. Given the struggles the team has had this year, our goalie issues, and the significant regression of our special teams, I am...concerned. Hopeful, but concerned.

I have been pretty negative for a bit now. Time to say....Let's go!!!

 

[Arpeggio]

I have been pretty negative for a bit now. Time to say....Let's go!!!

Yeah this season has pretty much sucked, but we are going to get playoff hockey, and that is the best time of year as a hockey fan. Can't be too upset about that, especially when you have McDavid and Draisaitl on your team.

 

[ManofSteel55]

Yeah this season has pretty much sucked, but we are going to get playoff hockey, and that is the best time of year as a hockey fan. Can't be too upset about that, especially when you have McDavid and Draisaitl on your team.

You know, you're right. I remember the decade of darkness. I remember the trauma indusing early 90's dynasty sell-off. What do we have to complain about? Having the 2 best players in the world hasn't gotten us another cup yet, and we are no longer in contention to win the division. Those are small complaints to what we've had to deal with in the past. Perspective change unlocked! No more negativity here!

 

[Paralyzer]

Finding optimism on HF is like finding water in a desert.

I appreciate the positive outlook! What's the point of cheering for this team if you always expect disappointment.

Go Oilers Go

More like finding water on Mars. The same place those people want to live the rest of their miserable lives.

 

[MessierThanThou]

I do not share the optimism purveyed in this thread. Skinner is still our goalie. LA poses a serious threat and if they have home ice advantage it’ll be a tough out. Even if we beat LA not having home ice for every round doesn’t bode well. Plus did I mention we have Skinner as our starting goalie? And Bouchard still needs to fully pull his head out of his ass and play like he did in last years playoffs.

I hope sanity prevails and they give Rodrigue as many looks as they can. We know Pickard isn't our guy and we sure as shit know Skinner isn't.

 

[K1984]

I hope sanity prevails and they give Rodrigue as many looks as they can. We know Pickard isn't our guy and we sure as shit know Skinner isn't.

Sanity would be seeing if Pickard can get and hold some momentum in his game with more play, not starting a below average AHL goalie for critical games down the stretch in hope that some prayer is answered and he magically becomes a starting NHL goalie out of absolutely nowhere.

Pickard isn't our guy long term, but we have no idea if he can hold water for the rest of this year or not.

 

[MessierThanThou]

Sanity would be seeing if Pickard can get and hold some momentum in his game with more play, not starting a below average AHL goalie for critical games down the stretch in hope that some prayer is answered and he magically becomes a starting NHL goalie out of absolutely nowhere.

Pickard isn't our guy long term, but we have no idea if he can hold water for the rest of this year or not.

We've seen Pickard on a couple occasions now totally collapse when starting a second consecutive game. We've seen what we have with him. And we've seen more than enough of Skinner.

Rodrigue definitely deserves a chance to play, but obviously if he's as bad or worse than the other two I'd be fine with pulling the plug, as we do have a very real chance of missing the playoffs, whether people want to believe it or not. Rodigue definitely deserves a start in the Sharks game.

 

[K1984]

We've seen Pickard on a couple occasions now totally collapse when starting a second consecutive game. We've seen what we have with him.

Rodrigue definitely deserves a chance to play, but obviously if he's as bad or worse than the other two I'd be fine with pulling the plug, as we do have a very real chance of missing the playoffs, whether people want to believe it or not. He definitely deserves a start in the Sharks game.

We've also seen Skinner play very well and steal some games in the playoffs. Things change.

Other than the team collapse against the Kraken, he has primarily had quality starts. The only other blemishes were another total team collapse against the Ducks and the game in Washington where he sucked, but that was also a total collapse.

I'm having a hard time thinking of the last time he failed us when the team in front actually held up their end of the bargain. Seeing how this plays out is certainly a better bet than chasing essentially lottery ticket odds of Rodrigue being anything. I'd be fine with starting him against the Sharks, but not any more assuming the other two are healthy.

 

[MessierThanThou]

We've also seen Skinner play very well and steal some games in the playoffs. Things change.

Other than the team collapse against the Kraken, he has primarily had quality starts. The only other blemishes were another total team collapse against the Ducks and the game in Washington where he sucked, but that was also a total collapse.

I'm having a hard time thinking of the last time he failed us when the team in front actually held up their end of the bargain. Seeing how this plays out is certainly a better bet than chasing essentially lottery ticket odds of Rodrigue being anything. I'd be fine with starting him against the Sharks, but not any more assuming the other two are healthy.

Skinner has imploded in way more playoff games than he's stolen. You don't get the worst save percentage of any goalie to make it to the SCF in the cap era by stealing many games or being consistently good...

And you want to question the sanity in trying out Rodrigue yet think it's more plausible that a goalie who has visibly regressed by every measure and has a history of collapsing in playoff rounds will magically play well?

What you're describing in Pickard is a guy who can't consistently play well. The Oilers still sucked in that period yet Rodrigue made two high-danger saves. I think the kid earned another look at the very least.

 

[TopShelfGloveSide]

St. Louis is terrifying right now. This is a team that is firing on all cylinders. I don't think they are a legitimate cup threat, but with how they are playing, they are absolutely a candidate to play spoiler and ruin some contenders chances early.

I remember the Preds went on a similar run at this same time last season. They did not look good in the playoffs.

Good for the Blues but I think they get worked when things turn up a notch.