Toggle sidebar

Pre-Game Talk: The Only Series We’ve Ever Known: Oilers @ Kings

Who wins?

  • Total voters
    166
bone said:
I'm still not buying Kuemper being elite. Goalie stats always seem to improve when they go to LA. Is he better than last year's duo, probably, but I'm not sure the gap between him in the prior two years is that much and looking at his cup win, it wasn't because of him being a major factor as he basically had the same stats Skinner had in last year's playoffs.

If LA makes it over the hump vs. Edmonton this year, I'd bet it's moreso likely that Clarke had a good first playoff appearance and that Byfield finally showed up for a playoff series
Click to expand...

Bingo.

In past years all of Quick, Talbot, and Korpisalo appeared "elite" by virtue of the way the Kings play, only to then get lit up by the Oilers no later than about Game 3. Each of those goalies had up and down track records before they got there too, similar to Kuemper.

I don't perceive Kuemper to be materially better or worse than the other three we have faced over the past three years.
 
  • Like
Reactions: stewy04, Ibanez and soothsayer
I'm quite excited to have Kane back in the lineup. Even when he was hurt last season, he was a productive player on this team. If he's healthy physically, it could be like adding a 30 goal scorer.

I think we're going to see fireworks in the first round, it's going to be a wild one.
 
  • Like
Reactions: stewy04, soothsayer and K1984
K1984 said:
Bingo.

In past years all of Quick, Talbot, and Korpisalo appeared "elite" by virtue of the way the Kings play, only to then get lit up by the Oilers no later than about Game 3. Each of those goalies had up and down track records before they got there too, similar to Kuemper.

I don't perceive Kuemper to be materially better or worse than the other three we have faced over the past three years.
Click to expand...

To be honest, my biggest concern with Kuemper is that we aren't having the benefit of two games vs. him with Leon and Connor in the lineup late in the season like we've had in recent year for them to start game planning around him. I think that's helped contribute to them breaking down whichever goalie they faced earlier in the series. For this reason alone, I was hoping both were playing tonight just so they can get a preliminary feel for what Kuemper is doing as a goalie.

In the McDrai era, it seems that if a goalie can contain them for a bit they usually figure them out by Game 3 or 4. It might also be part of the reason they couldn't get past Vegas as they only got 3 Hill starts before being eliminated.
 
  • Like
Reactions: K1984
All we can do is hope and pray that the guy that played net last night shows up for the series and not this version of him:

1744656907582.png
 
  • Haha
  • Like
Reactions: KlimasLoveChild, KlefDown and sepHF
Just rest as many guys as possible against LA tonight. Can’t risk more injuries and you just know they will be taking runs at guys.
 
bone said:
To be honest, my biggest concern with Kuemper is that we aren't having the benefit of two games vs. him with Leon and Connor in the lineup late in the season like we've had in recent year for them to start game planning around him. I think that's helped contribute to them breaking down whichever goalie they faced by Game 3 or 4.
Click to expand...
On the other hand, Darcy Kuemper is a guy who won the cup with a historically low .902 sv% on arguably the best hockey team in the modern era. Suggesting that Leon and McDavid should develop a strategy for beating Kuemper is like suggesting a spot to aim a Fat Mac rifle at on a home intruder. At some point, there's just nothing Kuemper (or the intruder) can do in response to the sheer force coming at them. I would say that LA's goalies have broken down just by virtue of facing relentless elite-quality chances, not necessarily a strategy used by the Oilers. Eventually, the damn just breaks.
 
  • Like
Reactions: K1984
Duke74 said:
I'm a little concerned that Draisaitl's timeline keeps getting extended. Initially, Knob said he'd be back "well before the playoffs." Then, yesterday, a Wednesday return was the "worst case scenario." Now, Wednesday is a maybe. Will he even be ready for Game 1 of the playoffs? And if so, will he be 100%? I have a hard time trusting anything this organization says regarding injuries.
Click to expand...

Bringing him back before the Kings probably isn’t smart given his history with that club. Flying him to SJ for a meaningless game against the Sharks is likely pointless.

I wouldn’t be too worried about Draisaitl
 
  • Like
Reactions: Ibanez and Duke74
K1984 said:
The reasons why the Oilers will win:

- We have a significant special teams advantage, the Kings power play is abysmal and our PK is heating up at the right time

- McDavid and Draisaitl have burned Denault and Kopitar alive in head to head matchups 3 years in a row and I don't see any reason that will be different this time. Ditto for Doughty.

- We know how to play them. Even in the 97/29less game in LA, I think it was a pretty evenly played game, we just didn't have finish or the power play in the lineup. The game here earlier in the year where we won a cagey 1-0 game is the template, and we know how to follow it

- The game we are seeing from the Kings is their peak. There is nowhere to go for them but down. Save for about a month this year, the Oilers have been a roller coaster and have nowhere to go but up. Still neck and neck with them.

- Kuemper is overrated, a beneficiary of their system, but doesn't get challenged a lot.

- We have playoff style players coming into the lineup at the right time

The reasons why the Oilers will lose:

- Goaltending

- "snakebit" randomly

- Returning injured players aren't healthy enough


I feel really good about the series despite the headwinds. I think it will take a total system failure in one area or another to lose, and I think we can avoid that.
Click to expand...
We could solve the goaltending by calling me or letting Pic start
 
soothsayer said:
On the other hand, Darcy Kuemper is a guy who won the cup with a historically low .902 sv% on arguably the best hockey team in the modern era. Suggesting that Leon and McDavid should develop a strategy for beating Kuemper is like suggesting a spot to aim a Fat Mac rifle at on a home intruder. At some point, there's just nothing Kuemper (or the intruder) can do in response to the sheer force coming at them. I would say that LA's goalies have broken down just by virtue of facing relentless elite-quality chances, not necessarily a strategy used by the Oilers. Eventually, the damn just breaks.
Click to expand...

Possibly, but in some ways isn't it the same thing. Eventually they break them down whether by them figuring him out or them breaking him down, either way by Game 3 or 4 they figure out how to put up 3+ goals if they need to. They even did it in that series vs. Winnipeg, but then Archibald went head hunting with a comfortable lead bringing Winnipeg back into the fight for Game 3 and after that it was just too late.
 
bone said:
Possibly, but in some ways isn't it the same thing. Eventually they break them down whether by them figuring him out or them breaking him down, either way by Game 3 or 4 they figure out how to put up 3+ goals if they need to. They even did it in that series vs. Winnipeg, but then Archibald went head hunting with a comfortable lead bringing Winnipeg back into the fight for Game 3 and after that it was just too late.
Click to expand...
I guess the difference is that they don't really need these games to figure him out. He's not really good enough to need to strategize against. Eventually, like you say, he will crumble like Quick, Korpisalo, and Talbot before him. LA is going to have to outscore Edmonton, and I just don't see that happening.
 
  • Like
Reactions: bone
soothsayer said:
I guess the difference is that they don't really need these games to figure him out. He's not really good enough to need to strategize against. Eventually, like you say, he will crumble like Quick, Korpisalo, and Talbot before him. LA is going to have to outscore Edmonton, and I just don't see that happening.
Click to expand...

Perhaps they could have used this game to start breaking him down sooner though.

Overall, I'm not complaining they aren't playing under the circumstances, just too bad they are dealing with these injuries making this the better choice.
 
  • Like
Reactions: soothsayer
Even if they got home ice, this would be a tough series this year.
But shoulda got home ice. Too many games off again aginst bottomfeeders.
 
If McDavid keeps playing at this level then I still like our chances in 6. We should beat the Kings without Ekholm with a healthy and firing McDrai. I don't think we could afford a limping Drai or Walman though.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 5 14 6 1
No team that employs one Stuart Skinner as their goaltender deserves any sort of confidence. The Kings must be licking their chops.
 
Another Kings thing - as much as they are feared at home, they're terrible on the road. Considering the environment we play in at home, that issue should compound for them.

I feel a lot better about the Oilers taking one in LA than I do the Kings taking one here.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users who are viewing this thread

  • ... and 5 more.
    • Total: 28 (members: 13, guests: 15)

    Latest posts

    Ad

    Ad

    Top Bottom