Post-Game Talk: Rock Bottom, and Wrestlemania isn’t until Saturday

[Lacaar]

I honestly haven't really been interested in watching them play for a bit as well. Just seems to be get the season over with. The division is such a shit show nothing really matters standings wise. The matchups are all close. Home ice just isn't incentive enough to drain energy and risk injury. In that way I kind of understand this Jekyll and Hyde play.

but you have to appreciate a team like Dallas. Their drafting, developing, scouting is on a whole other plane of existence from ours. They're top of the league.. we're bottom no doubt in my mind. I'd honestly consider trading McDavid for their entire Development department. Especially if they have to take ours as we'd basically eliminate them as a contender in future years haha. I'm only being somewhat serious but man.. If we drafted and developed like them.. multiple cups already imo.

 

[TopShelfGloveSide]

meh, I tend to want to be playing good going into the playoffs...it's not the end-all be-all as the Oilers proved last year (14-0-1 in the final 15 games but bounced in the 2nd round)

but the Jets sputtered down the stretch and couldn't "turn it on" when it mattered last year

If the Oilers were “sputtering” like the jets were last season then yes I would be concerned.

The Oilers aren’t playing great but the Jets were straight up imploding going into the playoffs.

 

[kevy9999]

So you thought Draisaitl and Nurse played a good game?

I said so many bad takes. I didn't say those 2 were wrong. Lots of players played like crap. The sky isn't falling and this isn't the playoffs yet . Save all your mental energy for game 1 of the playoffs

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

Is it just me or is Nurse getting worse?

He has a stretch where he was playing better but now he’s just Nurse again

 

[Missing smitty]

No, good teams decimate hard forechecks using the middle of the ice and making short passes to supporting forwards. That's why we couldn't do anything against COL, DAL..etc. They eat our forecheck up and break out with ease.

We just panic throw it up the boards and lose it every time.

A good forecheck can make teams make mistakes. I agree that the forwards need to support instead of standing on the blueline, but the Oilers also need to forecheck harder, you would likely see plenty of throwing it up the boards from opposing dmen too.

 

[kevy9999]

The oilers just don't have the mental game to take it to the next step. The dominated early. Otteninger showed up to play and edmonton just figured it wasn't there night and litterally called it a night after the first

Oh but when they win and stick with it they have mental game lol relax. They beat Dallas in this building this year. So they had a crap game, it happens.

 

[Drivesaitl]

The other problem with Kane is that he just doesn’t play enough in front of the net in my opinion. With his drop off in skill either from injuries or age, I think he needs to change how he plays. Similar to how Hyman plays (Hyman has more skill obviously). Feels like a stubbornness, where he thinks he’s more skilled than he is.

Seems half engaged to me. Like Kane usually is when he's been with a club for awhile. Evander should be kind of ashamed going after Wyatt Johnson yesterday who is all of 20yrs old and 184lbs. Benn was right to step in there and chirp him. Worst is that Kane realized Benn was right and he was just being an idiot. I see stuff like this and figure Kane loses focus. Isn't even discriminating who he goes after or why.

I think Kane made his one hit of the night and was pretty much fine with it. You could have sat him a whole period and not noticed any difference. Kane is just there.

Hyman and his elite focus probably frustrates Kane to some extent because he has no will or intent to go to all that trouble. He's a floater this season. Thing with Kane is results are an aside, he's a superstar in his mind always. Was funny to see both Kane and King Karlson in SJ. One ego bigger than the other. This room would be destroyed like Pittsburgh if we had attained Karlson too. Bullet dodged.

Trust me Oilers fans, you'd rather have Booch any day.

Really the other poster was right. Oilers should have moved on from Kane. Perry aside from his sideshow antics looks like illusion too. Too old to bring his game.

Man this team is old. Only Ken Holland doesn't think this.

 

[Satoru Gojo]

The depth has dried up

 

[Drivesaitl]

A good forecheck can make teams make mistakes. I agree that the forwards need to support instead of standing on the blueline, but the Oilers also need to forecheck harder, you would likely see plenty of throwing it up the boards from opposing dmen too.

Dallas have the perfect personnel for a forecheck game. We don't have the kind of speed young talent they have in the lineup that can fly. Or the D making very good dumps or having one of the best transition games in the world.

Some things we can't be. Takes roster for it. Takes long range plan of what kind of team to build and draft to have it.

Dallas has better coaching, better goaltending, have an elite D, have some elite young forwards adding to some very trustable vet players. Dallas are deep. 8 forwards could have 20 or more goals this season.

Dallas are first in league in goal differential, top scoring team in league, tied for most pts, best road record in league, When Dallas play their game they win a lot of the time. Their peak game right now is as high as it gets.

The one thing Dallas lacks that burns them in playoffs is lack of a superstar forward. Their offense can run cold.

People underrate this Dallas club because it doesn't have a cup. Because they don't have superstars. But on good nights they are the best transition club on the planet.

Oh but when they win and stick with it they have mental game lol relax. They beat Dallas in this building this year. So they had a crap game, it happens.

Kevy says relax, relax dammit!

 

[Missing smitty]

meh, I tend to want to be playing good going into the playoffs...it's not the end-all be-all as the Oilers proved last year (14-0-1 in the final 15 games but bounced in the 2nd round)

but the Jets sputtered down the stretch and couldn't "turn it on" when it mattered last year

Dallas have the perfect personnel for a forecheck game. We don't have the kind of speed young talent they have in the lineup that can fly. Or the D making very good dumps or having one of the best transition games in the world.

Some things we can't be. Takes roster for it. Takes long range plan of what kind of team to build and draft to have it.

Dallas has better coaching, better goaltending, have an elite D, have some elite young forwards adding to some very trustable vet players. Dallas are deep. 8 forwards could have 20 or more goals this season.

Dallas are first in league in goal differential, top scoring team in league, tied for most pts, best road record in league, When Dallas play their game they win a lot of the time. Their peak game right now is as high as it gets.

The one thing Dallas lacks that burns them in playoffs is lack of a superstar forward. Their offense can run cold.

People underrate this Dallas club because it doesn't have a cup. Because they don't have superstars. But on good nights they are the best transition club on the planet.


Kevy says relax, relax dammit!

The Sharks were always a good regular season team too

 

[EnufAlready]

People thinking Kane should be in the Top 6 to somehow stimulate him before playoffs??? f*** that...this guy makes NO line better. Kills every line he is on. Doesn't work hard enough most nights. Shows his capable speed on two occasions...1. Opportunity to score or 2. Gets mad once in a blue moon and throws a late hit on a forecheck. Terrible passer but one of a few Oilers who can score from a distance greater than 6 feet.

Then we have the Leo posts

1. Poor Leo never gets good linemates or
2. Get Leo away from 97

Leo doesn't Drive a line. EVER. He has tried every linemate and people will be happy for 2 games or less and then this doesn't work or that doesn't work. The reality is he is a winger who is our best shooter, great passer(mostly) and a good faceoff man. He's a terrible centreman. He needs to play with guys who have some speed and a centerman who will be honest in his own end. That doesn't describe Evander Kane just to be clear. Run him with Mcleod and Foegelle or Mcleod and Henrique. Get them to figure it out. Maybe its not ideal but its what we have.

 

[Drivesaitl]

I honestly haven't really been interested in watching them play for a bit as well. Just seems to be get the season over with. The division is such a shit show nothing really matters standings wise. The matchups are all close. Home ice just isn't incentive enough to drain energy and risk injury. In that way I kind of understand this Jekyll and Hyde play.

but you have to appreciate a team like Dallas. Their drafting, developing, scouting is on a whole other plane of existence from ours. They're top of the league.. we're bottom no doubt in my mind. I'd honestly consider trading McDavid for their entire Development department. Especially if they have to take ours as we'd basically eliminate them as a contender in future years haha. I'm only being somewhat serious but man.. If we drafted and developed like them.. multiple cups already imo.

Yeah. I'm still enough of a purist that I can just appreciate good rosters and well run teams. Dallas are certainly that. Impressive as well how much they retain players longterm and manage to just keep building ontop of what they already have. Gotta be a strong room in there and a good way for their young players to adapt and learn NHL game.

Deboers never gets credit either but that was the best team performance the Oilers have faced all season. Dallas in waves creating chance after chance. Both telecasts commented on how much Deboers has done to change the way Dallas plays and make them much more attack oriented. Top scoring team in league as a result wwith top goal differential in league.

 

[Old Boys Club]

They play lazy. Against the bottom dregs of the league (which is essentially 17 through 32 in this loser point league) the Oilers can just win on skill alone. Once another team shows up that's decently talented themselves AND has a good work ethic, the Oilers completely crumble. The whole MO is high-risk hockey, it's how Ceci plays, Nurse plays, Draisaitl plays, and how the bottom 6 has decided to play as well apparently judging by how many odd man rushes this team gives up against good teams. Case and point being the 4 GA served on a platter last night, 2 from Draisaitl and 2 from Nurse.

Nurse has been in the league for almost 10 years and still has no idea how to play a 2 on 1 or how to cover a cross crease pass.

 

[kevy9999]

Dallas have the perfect personnel for a forecheck game. We don't have the kind of speed young talent they have in the lineup that can fly. Or the D making very good dumps or having one of the best transition games in the world.

Some things we can't be. Takes roster for it. Takes long range plan of what kind of team to build and draft to have it.

Dallas has better coaching, better goaltending, have an elite D, have some elite young forwards adding to some very trustable vet players. Dallas are deep. 8 forwards could have 20 or more goals this season.

Dallas are first in league in goal differential, top scoring team in league, tied for most pts, best road record in league, When Dallas play their game they win a lot of the time. Their peak game right now is as high as it gets.

The one thing Dallas lacks that burns them in playoffs is lack of a superstar forward. Their offense can run cold.

People underrate this Dallas club because it doesn't have a cup. Because they don't have superstars. But on good nights they are the best transition club on the planet.


Kevy says relax, relax dammit!

 

[Duke74]

Draisaitl has been garbage much of the season. Any checking pressure on him and he wilts and tries to either do too much or gets cornered and blindly throws some backhand pass to no where. He’s truly been the beneficiary of Mcdavid this season outside a few short bursts where in the past he had been a beast and could easily drive his own line consistently. No clue what happened to him this year. I’d be worried if he keeps this up and wants to sign long term again for like 15 mill a season. That will not age well. Lol

I agree that he's had a bad season but "garbage" is a bit of an overstatement. He's still on pace for over 40G and 100P. How many "garbage" players have those kinds of numbers?

I also agree that his production apart from McDavid has been questionable. However, when not with McDavid, he's been stuck with a rotating cast of players that belong nowhere near a top six on a contending team. Putting Nuge with him would help significantly.

I wonder if it's an injury, the start of an age-related decline or perhaps he's decided to mail it in because he's leaving. Hopefully we get more clarity in the off-season.

 

[CupofOil]

Dallas shot wide 3X on breakaways and none of Robertson, Hintz, Pavelski, Duchene had anything. They were blowing their chances all day. So that the top 4 Dallas producers on the season got zero pts.

Stars got 5 goals from supporting cast of old Benn, Old Seguin, Steel, Johnson, Faksa.

The difference in the clubs is there is very little fill on Dallas, everybody can play.

Conversely Oilers hit 3 posts, don't remember Dallas having any. Hockey is weird sometimes.

That said we lose almost every game that our top 4 don't even get a point.

The Oilers have an obscene amount of passengers when compared to other contenders.

It just illustrates the greatness of McDavid and Draisaitl (even in an off season for Drai) that this team is even in contention at all considering how putrid the rest of the lineup is for long stretches.
RNH, Kane, McLeod, Foegele when not in top 6, the entire 4th line pretty much. These guys go for weeks and even months at a time pissing barely a drop of offense. You just don't see this from most other contenders that have at least some form of consistency from their support players. Teams like the Avs, Stars, Knights and even Canucks have guys throughout the lineup who contribute and play the same way, the Oilers just don't.

The Oilers have lots of holes in the lineup but the lack of support and synchronicity among the forwards is arguably their biggest issue in tight playoff games which puts pretty much all the weight on the shoulders of two players. I don't know how this will change but it has to. RNH, Kane and McLeod in particular need to give much more for the Oilers to have a chance to make a meaningful run.

 

[K1984]

People thinking Kane should be in the Top 6 to somehow stimulate him before playoffs??? f*** that...this guy makes NO line better. Kills every line he is on. Doesn't work hard enough most nights. Shows his capable speed on two occasions...1. Opportunity to score or 2. Gets mad once in a blue moon and throws a late hit on a forecheck. Terrible passer but one of a few Oilers who can score from a distance greater than 6 feet.

Then we have the Leo posts

1. Poor Leo never gets good linemates or
2. Get Leo away from 97

Leo doesn't Drive a line. EVER. He has tried every linemate and people will be happy for 2 games or less and then this doesn't work or that doesn't work. The reality is he is a winger who is our best shooter, great passer(mostly) and a good faceoff man. He's a terrible centreman. He needs to play with guys who have some speed and a centerman who will be honest in his own end. That doesn't describe Evander Kane just to be clear. Run him with Mcleod and Foegelle or Mcleod and Henrique. Get them to figure it out. Maybe its not ideal but its what we have.

Kane showed signs of life when he was with McLeod and Perry, but we went ahead and decided to change that for reasons. He has chemistry with McLeod for whatever reason, and I though him and Perry fed off each other well in the sense of making it their individual mission to to forecheck hard, go to the net, and be a shit disturbing presence.

Again, that line must have been working too well though because it hasn't been seen since they dominated LA. For reasons I'm also assuming we won't see it again.

It's like every coach that comes here can inly make common sense roster decision for no longer than about 8 week before basically putting bullets in their feet with frankly dumb decisions.

 

[OILFAN FOREVER]

Not sure if this isn't obvious by now but neither McD or Drai are exactly wanting Kane on their line right now.

The potential reason its settled on Hyman and Nuge on top line is Hyman is fantastic and Nuge is amenable to direction. Kane is a poor passer and doesn't like having the puck. His immediate impulse with the puck is to try a shot or force some quick play. Seems not to like ragging the puck ever, as a skill player should be able to do. Its reasons like this he cannot be in a topsix at his age and reduced level of play.

My take is that McDrai by now have lost patience, or part of it, with Kane just as has occurred with every team Kane has played on.

Kane hasn't scored a goal in his last 21GP. This is the kind of string Jesse Puljujarvi would have.

I totally get it. Kane needs to be way better. But playing with Perry or Foegele etc doesn't do much in terms of boost his confidence. We can't only have McDavid, Draisaitl, Hyman going for the playoffs. We need depth scoring and Kane as well.

 

[Duke74]

Lol what injury did Draisaitl sustain from that slash?

How would you know if he was or wasn't injured? His play in the playoffs fell off a cliff after that stupid slash and he hasn't been quite right all year, especially his shooting, which points to a potential arm injury.

 

[Duke74]

Drai seems useless playing on his own line.

Perhaps play him with someone more skilled than McLeod, Brown, Foegele, a washed Kane, or an ancient Corey Perry. Then maybe he won't be so "useless." Why does McDavid get our two best wingers and Draisaitl gets stuck with dogshit? Let's see McDavid's numbers with two piles of dung on his flanks.

 

[K1984]

How would you know if he was or wasn't injured? His play in the playoffs fell off a cliff after that stupid slash and he hasn't been quite right all year, especially his shooting, which points to a potential arm injury.

If he actually was hurt it's a massive fail by the team not playing that up.

Bissonette has a great story from the 2012 playoffs. Basically Mike Smith got hit, sold it massively, and then left the game and didn't practice the next day. Everyone knew he was fine, but they kept him out because they knew suspension would be contemplated the next day and the spectre of an injury increased the likelihood of suspension.

This is the type of back room game that the Oilers just don't play or don't even try to play. We need to start learning it though, because we are never offered any breaks and need to fight for whatever we get. Take Leon out of practice the next day and list him as "questionable" for Game 5 and the outcome might be different.

 

[Drivesaitl]

The Oilers have an obscene amount of passengers when compared to other contenders.

It just illustrates the greatness of McDavid and Draisaitl (even in an off season for Drai) that this team is even in contention at all considering how putrid the rest of the lineup is for long stretches.
RNH, Kane, McLeod, Foegele when not in top 6, the entire 4th line pretty much. These guys go for weeks and even months at a time pissing barely a drop of offense. You just don't see this from most other contenders that have at least some form of consistency from their support players. Teams like the Avs, Stars, Knights and even Canucks have guys throughout the lineup who contribute and play the same way, the Oilers just don't.

The Oilers have lots of holes in the lineup but the lack of support and synchronicity among the forwards is arguably their biggest issue in tight playoff games which puts pretty much all the weight on the shoulders of two players. I don't know how this will change but it has to. RNH, Kane and McLeod in particular need to give much more for the Oilers to have a chance to make a meaningful run.

Holland has made one last foray into the thinking that old experience will win out. Look at all the players he's acquired in last few years and they are all on the wrong side of 30. Some way past it.

I hate to pick on Derek Ryan but when Holland brought him back for another year I was like WTF? Thats plain Holland laziness and not bothering to find better.

Last night I was watching a shift and McDrai were the forecheckers. They were banging in corners and getting pucks so that RNH could take his popgun out and do nothing with feeds. How do you even feel if you're these two? The only other players on the team fast enough to be good at forecheck are McLeod and Foegele. sigh, sigh. We don't even have grinders so it falls on McDrai to be everything including being superstars they have to be role play muckers in corners and McD has to lead the team in hits. What on Earth....

You remember I sensed in offseason that age and pace would be a problem for this club. Old and slow. Never more evident than last night its come to pass.

This team has to be impeccable at form and positioning to mitigate the lack of pace of so many of its players. That the Oilers even manage to do that 2/3 games is somewhat impressive.

Finally, in hockey you can only go so far with this level of goaltending and without elite D. Dallas have it all.

 

[oXo Cube]

Drai has been perfectly fine playing on his own line all season. He's been good even despite a down shooting year and being stuck with whatever castoff forwards the coaches feel like giving him. Why does this fanbase insist on constantly criticizing it's good players while giving anchors a free pass?

We're paying over 10 million dollars for RNH and Kane and they have a combined 0 even strength goals over a quarter season.

 

[brentashton]

Dallas have the perfect personnel for a forecheck game. We don't have the kind of speed young talent they have in the lineup that can fly. Or the D making very good dumps or having one of the best transition games in the world.

Some things we can't be. Takes roster for it. Takes long range plan of what kind of team to build and draft to have it.

Dallas has better coaching, better goaltending, have an elite D, have some elite young forwards adding to some very trustable vet players. Dallas are deep. 8 forwards could have 20 or more goals this season.

Dallas are first in league in goal differential, top scoring team in league, tied for most pts, best road record in league, When Dallas play their game they win a lot of the time. Their peak game right now is as high as it gets.

The one thing Dallas lacks that burns them in playoffs is lack of a superstar forward. Their offense can run cold.

People underrate this Dallas club because it doesn't have a cup. Because they don't have superstars. But on good nights they are the best transition club on the planet.


Kevy says relax, relax dammit!

 

[Drivesaitl]

I totally get it. Kane needs to be way better. But playing with Perry or Foegele etc doesn't do much in terms of boost his confidence. We can't only have McDavid, Draisaitl, Hyman going for the playoffs. We need depth scoring and Kane as well.

Kane confidence doesn't need boosting. He has an ego the size of Alberta. This guy has all the skills to be a 40-50 goal scorer, he has the whole package including a very good shot. he just refuses to be that level of impact player. You only tend to see it from Kane early in his tenure with new clubs. The guy hasn't forgotten how to score. He regularly forgoes the required getting several chances a night when the puck isn't going in. He goes complete games where he's not doing anything around the net. He's floating.