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

Who wins?


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Bingo.

In 2022 Foegele got scratched for quite a bit of the playoffs because he didn't have the ability to hold the puck on his stick for longer than about a second without losing it or passing it to the other team. He had some games off in 2023 if memory serves as well. He has terrible hands at the best of times, and when you lose the half second you need to get a handle on it before making a play it's tough to overcome.

Each year the playoffs serve as a good reminder that players that are good/contributors at a normal regular season pace quickly become liabilities when the pace goes up a level. Foegele and Desharnais were poster boys for that here.
So lets get this straight. According to comments in the thread Arvid is playing "GREAT" because he has 5Goals in last 10GP (actually one an ENG) and that after doing much of nothing the entire rest of season.

McLeod, constantly villified here scored 4 G in last 10 playoff games which is apparantly nothing, means he can't play or something and he has 50pts this season but with people glad he's gone...

I don't get it, other than we blindly support the players we got. Its a complete joke we got Arvid at 4MX2 doing jack squat vast majority of season.

As for playoffs Arvid has one playoff goal in the last 5yrs. I should check if it was an ENG.
 
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So lets get this straight. According to comments in the thread Arvid is playing "GREAT" because he has 5Goals in last 10GP (actually one an ENG) and that after doing much of nothing the entire rest of season.

McLeod, constantly villified here scored 4 G in last 10 playoff games which is apparantly nothing, means he can't play or something and he has 50pts this season but with people glad he's gone...

I don't get it, other than we blindly support the players we got. Its a complete joke we got Arvid at 4MX2 doing jack squat vast majority of season.

As for playoffs Arvid has one playoff goal in the last 5yrs. I should check if it was an ENG.

I don't think anyone is celebrating Arvidsson or his contract, just that we're happy that it seems he's getting it together and is contributing. Same as when McLeod showed signs of life late in the playoffs after a deserved healthy scratch and vilification from the fans.

I know that your MO is to decide you don't like someone on day 1, then continue to basically attempt to will the player being bad into fruition no matter how good or bad the player actually plays, but I think most fans on this board want players to play well while they're here even if they don't like the player, the contract, how they were acquired etc.

Arvidsson playing well lately is a good thing that people cheering for the team should like. I'd be happy if we could find a way to jettison him next year, but for now I hope he keeps playing well.
 
Big whoop. Like I said I'm not impressed with the many forwards on this club that did barely anything the majority of the season thus letting the stars on the club do all the production and work.

I think we really settle and accept less here in our expectations of support forwards, even topsix forwards.

All I heard in GDT last night was F-off Foegele, people talking as if he did nothing here, is a creampuff etc. Well He has as many goals almost as Skinner and Arvid put together and neither of the latter are physical in the slightest, either.

A player like Arvid scores once in awhile, is easy to play against, and will lose pucks, make misplays, pass puck anywhere etc. Arvid is a high event player meaning when he's not cashing a lot or producing much at all he's a huge liability. At contract cost he's ridiculous. We could have had Holloway AND Foegele for around the price.
Yup.

Fact of the matter is I wanted guys like McLeod and Foegele gone. They didn't bring enough in the playoffs. I can't imagine Skinner and Arvi bringing anything either. Two soft puff players for another two -- only difference is the guys we sent away ended up outperforming what they did with us -- McLeod in quite a dramatic fashion.

We're at the point in this era's lifespan where I don't care how we do in the regular season, or how our individual players perform, as long as we make the playoffs. We're there now, and it doesn't matter if Arvidsson put up 100 or 0 points this season. If he can bring it in the playoffs, I'll be happy.

I would shocked to see Jeff Skinner and Arvidsson perform any better than McLeod + Foegele did here in playoffs, which is a very mediocre, underperforming let down. Adding them was a mistake. We should have replaced the guys we let go with more players like Coyle, Frederic, etc.

Coyle is going to pop off in the playoffs. Same way Bennett does. Guys we could've got for barely anything with the proper pro scouting. I have been on these guys for many years and we missed out on both. I love Frederic as a player and if he's healthy he will be a big boon for us...but so many missed opportunities to add quality players who play the way you need in the playoffs.

The fact we brought Henrique back and signed Jeff Skinner as well is insane to me. It took a couple deep playoff runs for our power forward style players to be completely ruined. Long term injuries, hindered, careers slowing down. Hyman will be a shell of his former self for example. Only a select few can bring it like that for a bunch of playoff pushes in a row. Most break down.


It's another year of praying McDrai can carry the game for 28 minutes a night while the others don't bleed out too bad. IF you think RNH is going to come alive and start making plays in the playoffs for the first time in his life you're lost. Him and Hymno were the definition of PP merchants in the historic run last year with the best playoff performance ever from Davo giving them tap ins on the PP. They do nothing at evens in high intensity hockey.

Most of our club had 5-8 points each, playing 25 games mind you. Nobody stepped up to the plate and rose above their station for us. Anyone think Skinner, Henrique, or Arvi will? No. They don't have the wheels.

Brought in a bunch of old broken down slow players. Oldest team in the league. I put Philp and Savoie in and hope they can rise to the occasion a la Broberg, Bouchard, Holloway in their coming out parties. Watching LA trot out Kempe who dominates us, plays hard, hits -- and their entire roster is built like this. Every line. They're no joke this year.

Let's keep in mind, all of us can agree Foegele would be an absolute force if he started driving the net more often. If we see that from him in this first round, I am terrified. They have that guy buying in to their gritty style whereas he was trying to play like McDavid here. Just following in the footsteps.

Go through their lines. Their group is like Montreal's. No McDavid but damn deep. Way deeper than us full of psychotically tenacious skilled grinder players. Playoff players. We beat them the last few years off PP opportunities and McDrai carrying. If they falter in any way shape or form, we're done. They are way better this year, and we are way worse.

I'd be shocked if we win this series. McDrai going nuclear is the only way it's close.

Foegele-Danault-Moore is a genuinely incredible line. We have nothing like that.
Kuzmenko-Kopitar-Kempe as well oozes skill.
Fiala-Byfield-Laferriere is going to give us nightmares. Byfield coming out party, Fiala elite skill, Laferriere out of nowhere putting up more points while playing a hard nosed game none of our guys can match.

We took Arvidsson from them and they found three replacements for him instantly. We got the shell of him. What a disaster. Apologies for the ramble.
 
I don't think anyone is celebrating Arvidsson or his contract, just that we're happy that it seems he's getting it together and is contributing. Same as when McLeod showed signs of life late in the playoffs after a deserved healthy scratch and vilification from the fans.

I know that your MO is to decide you don't like someone on day 1, then continue to basically attempt to will the player being bad into fruition no matter how good or bad the player actually plays, but I think most fans on this board want players to play well while they're here even if they don't like the player, the contract, how they were acquired etc.

Arvidsson playing well lately is a good thing that people cheering for the team should like. I'd be happy if we could find a way to jettison him next year, but for now I hope he keeps playing well.
meh. I at least partially blame the org for getting such dolts to play with Draisaitl all these years. For half a dozen years I had to put up with the team planting Yamamoto on Drais line.(yes I wasnt even in favor of drafting the runt) Now old Arvid. Gee imagine how I'd be frustrated with any of that. I don't want Arvid on my team tbh. Never did. Sure don't want him playing with Drai.

Arvid is -3 on the season, somehow, despite playing most of his minutes with Drai who is rocking every stat. it boggles the mind how a player could be - playing almost all season with Drai.

LA were right to not even attempt to retain Arvid after the back surgeries.
 
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Yup.

Fact of the matter is I wanted guys like McLeod and Foegele gone. They didn't bring enough in the playoffs. I can't imagine Skinner and Arvi bringing anything either. Two soft puff players for another two -- only difference is the guys we sent away ended up outperforming what they did with us -- McLeod in quite a dramatic fashion.

We're at the point in this era's lifespan where I don't care how we do in the regular season, or how our individual players perform, as long as we make the playoffs. We're there now, and it doesn't matter if Arvidsson put up 100 or 0 points this season. If he can bring it in the playoffs, I'll be happy.

I would shocked to see Jeff Skinner and Arvidsson perform any better than McLeod + Foegele did here in playoffs, which is a very mediocre, underperforming let down. Adding them was a mistake. We should have replaced the guys we let go with more players like Coyle, Frederic, etc.

Coyle is going to pop off in the playoffs. Same way Bennett does. Guys we could've got for barely anything with the proper pro scouting. I have been on these guys for many years and we missed out on both. I love Frederic as a player and if he's healthy he will be a big boon for us...but so many missed opportunities to add quality players who play the way you need in the playoffs.

The fact we brought Henrique back and signed Jeff Skinner as well is insane to me. It took a couple deep playoff runs for our power forward style players to be completely ruined. Long term injuries, hindered, careers slowing down. Hyman will be a shell of his former self for example. Only a select few can bring it like that for a bunch of playoff pushes in a row. Most break down.


It's another year of praying McDrai can carry the game for 28 minutes a night while the others don't bleed out too bad. IF you think RNH is going to come alive and start making plays in the playoffs for the first time in his life you're lost. Him and Hymno were the definition of PP merchants in the historic run last year with the best playoff performance ever from Davo giving them tap ins on the PP. They do nothing at evens in high intensity hockey.

Most of our club had 5-8 points each, playing 25 games mind you. Nobody stepped up to the plate and rose above their station for us. Anyone think Skinner, Henrique, or Arvi will? No. They don't have the wheels.

Brought in a bunch of old broken down slow players. Oldest team in the league. I put Philp and Savoie in and hope they can rise to the occasion a la Broberg, Bouchard, Holloway in their coming out parties. Watching LA trot out Kempe who dominates us, plays hard, hits -- and their entire roster is built like this. Every line. They're no joke this year.

Let's keep in mind, all of us can agree Foegele would be an absolute force if he started driving the net more often. If we see that from him in this first round, I am terrified. They have that guy buying in to their gritty style whereas he was trying to play like McDavid here. Just following in the footsteps.

Go through their lines. Their group is like Montreal's. No McDavid but damn deep. Way deeper than us full of psychotically tenacious skilled grinder players. Playoff players. We beat them the last few years off PP opportunities and McDrai carrying. If they falter in any way shape or form, we're done. They are way better this year, and we are way worse.

I'd be shocked if we win this series. McDrai going nuclear is the only way it's close.

Foegele-Danault-Moore is a genuinely incredible line. We have nothing like that.
Kuzmenko-Kopitar-Kempe as well oozes skill.
Fiala-Byfield-Laferriere is going to give us nightmares. Byfield coming out party, Fiala elite skill, Laferriere out of nowhere putting up more points while playing a hard nosed game none of our guys can match.

We took Arvidsson from them and they found three replacements for him instantly. We got the shell of him. What a disaster. Apologies for the ramble.
Agree with some of this, not all. Oilers are always dangerous with McDrai. Just bugs the shit out of me that it always has to be the same guys carrying the rest of the carcass of the team along.

All the guys we brought in. Pods, Arvid, Skinner, Henrique, Brown were production dismal the vast majority of the season. The only elder pulling weight here has been Corey Perry. Good for him. I don't expect the rest of the stragglers to do much in the playoffs either.

I'm cynical too. I wonder how some of these forwards suddenly showing up just down the stretch is worry that they might be right out of the lineup if they didn't. Kane and Frederic are probably better than some of the dolts we dragged in. Wonder if that put some jump and fear into players like Arvid.

Kings have a lot of trouble scoring goals. Their PP most of the season was putrid. Their pk not special either and I still don't think they have an answer to our PP.

It comes down to whether penalties are called or not. If its actively officiated the Oilers get an advantage on special teams. EV its pretty even.
 
Yup.

Fact of the matter is I wanted guys like McLeod and Foegele gone. They didn't bring enough in the playoffs. I can't imagine Skinner and Arvi bringing anything either. Two soft puff players for another two -- only difference is the guys we sent away ended up outperforming what they did with us -- McLeod in quite a dramatic fashion.

We're at the point in this era's lifespan where I don't care how we do in the regular season, or how our individual players perform, as long as we make the playoffs. We're there now, and it doesn't matter if Arvidsson put up 100 or 0 points this season. If he can bring it in the playoffs, I'll be happy.

I would shocked to see Jeff Skinner and Arvidsson perform any better than McLeod + Foegele did here in playoffs, which is a very mediocre, underperforming let down. Adding them was a mistake. We should have replaced the guys we let go with more players like Coyle, Frederic, etc.

Coyle is going to pop off in the playoffs. Same way Bennett does. Guys we could've got for barely anything with the proper pro scouting. I have been on these guys for many years and we missed out on both. I love Frederic as a player and if he's healthy he will be a big boon for us...but so many missed opportunities to add quality players who play the way you need in the playoffs.

The fact we brought Henrique back and signed Jeff Skinner as well is insane to me. It took a couple deep playoff runs for our power forward style players to be completely ruined. Long term injuries, hindered, careers slowing down. Hyman will be a shell of his former self for example. Only a select few can bring it like that for a bunch of playoff pushes in a row. Most break down.


It's another year of praying McDrai can carry the game for 28 minutes a night while the others don't bleed out too bad. IF you think RNH is going to come alive and start making plays in the playoffs for the first time in his life you're lost. Him and Hymno were the definition of PP merchants in the historic run last year with the best playoff performance ever from Davo giving them tap ins on the PP. They do nothing at evens in high intensity hockey.

Most of our club had 5-8 points each, playing 25 games mind you. Nobody stepped up to the plate and rose above their station for us. Anyone think Skinner, Henrique, or Arvi will? No. They don't have the wheels.

Brought in a bunch of old broken down slow players. Oldest team in the league. I put Philp and Savoie in and hope they can rise to the occasion a la Broberg, Bouchard, Holloway in their coming out parties. Watching LA trot out Kempe who dominates us, plays hard, hits -- and their entire roster is built like this. Every line. They're no joke this year.

Let's keep in mind, all of us can agree Foegele would be an absolute force if he started driving the net more often. If we see that from him in this first round, I am terrified. They have that guy buying in to their gritty style whereas he was trying to play like McDavid here. Just following in the footsteps.

Go through their lines. Their group is like Montreal's. No McDavid but damn deep. Way deeper than us full of psychotically tenacious skilled grinder players. Playoff players. We beat them the last few years off PP opportunities and McDrai carrying. If they falter in any way shape or form, we're done. They are way better this year, and we are way worse.

I'd be shocked if we win this series. McDrai going nuclear is the only way it's close.

Foegele-Danault-Moore is a genuinely incredible line. We have nothing like that.
Kuzmenko-Kopitar-Kempe as well oozes skill.
Fiala-Byfield-Laferriere is going to give us nightmares. Byfield coming out party, Fiala elite skill, Laferriere out of nowhere putting up more points while playing a hard nosed game none of our guys can match.

We took Arvidsson from them and they found three replacements for him instantly. We got the shell of him. What a disaster. Apologies for the ramble.
I think I'd give Skinner a chance to see how he does before writing him off. After all, he's never had the opportunity to participate in the playoffs before.
 
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It's going to come down to goaltending. LA has a clearer gap on advantage here than the past 3 years. We still have Skinner and Kuemper is significantly ahead of Quick/Talbot/Korpisalo/Rittich. He's a calm goaltender who read play very well - he gets his own stick in the passing lanes as far as 5-6ft out for a bunch of cross seam pass attempts. Guy lives at 2GA or less basically all the time. Scoring first is going to be huge in this series, chasing games is going to get exhausting against LA for an aged, injury-riddled squad who will have the zebras working against them more often than not.

I put down Oilers in 7 for this one. Still have faith, but this season's squad is a step back from last year's for me after seeing the full 82 - and I think those inconsistencies will still show, especially between the pipes.
 
They were getting sporadic and very little time with him. Arvid is stapled with Drai. Perhaps a difference. McLeod and Foegele also had more pts than Arvid last season and this season.

Foegele scored in the first game of the playoffs last year and had an assist in game 2. After that I stopped checking as you'd already been misinformed.

At least be somewhat accurate.
Yea, you're right, Foegele had an empty netter in game 1 and then didn't score again for nearly 2 months. My bad. What a hero.
 
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Yea, you're right, Foegele had an empty netter in game 1 and then didn't score again for nearly 2 months. My bad. What a hero.
You said he didn't have a point until round 3. Goal in first game, assist in 2nd game. Just saying. Arvid scored an empty net in a game recently and people figured he's "great" because of it.

Foegele has near 50pts this season, Mcleod has 50pts this season and Holloway was running near PPG stats.

All those guys were "nothing" according to some here. I'd have them all over the replacements. Isn't that the context? That we havent' improved over those?
 
You said he didn't have a point until round 3. Goal in first game, assist in 2nd game. Just saying. Arvid scored an empty net in a game recently and people figured he's "great" because of it.

Foegele has near 50pts this season, Mcleod has 50pts this season and Holloway was running near PPG stats.

All those guys were "nothing" according to some here. I'd have them all over the replacements. Isn't that the context? That we havent' improved over those?
Holloway's the only one worth the money. The fact that Foegele and McLeod weren't sizeably upgraded on is more an indictment on management than anything. Should not have been difficult.
 
Agree with some of this, not all. Oilers are always dangerous with McDrai. Just bugs the shit out of me that it always has to be the same guys carrying the rest of the carcass of the team along.

All the guys we brought in. Pods, Arvid, Skinner, Henrique, Brown were production dismal the vast majority of the season. The only elder pulling weight here has been Corey Perry. Good for him. I don't expect the rest of the stragglers to do much in the playoffs either.

I'm cynical too. I wonder how some of these forwards suddenly showing up just down the stretch is worry that they might be right out of the lineup if they didn't. Kane and Frederic are probably better than some of the dolts we dragged in. Wonder if that put some jump and fear into players like Arvid.

Kings have a lot of trouble scoring goals. Their PP most of the season was putrid. Their pk not special either and I still don't think they have an answer to our PP.

It comes down to whether penalties are called or not. If its actively officiated the Oilers get an advantage on special teams. EV its pretty even.
The issue with the people we brought in is they don't bring it. Holloway brought it. Kostin brought it. These guys don't have 'that' factor where they go Godmode in big moments. We aren't going to see any of the guys we brought in running people over with regularity or making a sick play to score in big games. These guys bring a couple positive factors but lack enough of them to make them big game players. Just bad scouting by our pro department honeslty.

There were a lot of guys available in free agency and the deadline who would've been huge adds that didn't go for much more than what we chose. I think of Reilly Smith, Coyle, Kuzmenko, Sherwood, Duhaime, Amadio, Raddysh, the list goes on.

I'm only talking about guys that were similar or less price. I'll never understand why we grabbed the guys we did. We allegedly haave lots of players interested incoming here. Why did we get one single player who fits the mould of what this group actually needed in Frederic, and he might not even play games for us? Disappointing.

It's McDrai going nuclear or we lose.
 
The issue with the people we brought in is they don't bring it. Holloway brought it. Kostin brought it. These guys don't have 'that' factor where they go Godmode in big moments. We aren't going to see any of the guys we brought in running people over with regularity or making a sick play to score in big games. These guys bring a couple positive factors but lack enough of them to make them big game players. Just bad scouting by our pro department honeslty.

There were a lot of guys available in free agency and the deadline who would've been huge adds that didn't go for much more than what we chose. I think of Reilly Smith, Coyle, Kuzmenko, Sherwood, Duhaime, Amadio, Raddysh, the list goes on.

I'm only talking about guys that were similar or less price. I'll never understand why we grabbed the guys we did. We allegedly haave lots of players interested incoming here. Why did we get one single player who fits the mould of what this group actually needed in Frederic, and he might not even play games for us? Disappointing.

It's McDrai going nuclear or we lose.
The thing I don't buy for an instant is the "lets wait for playoffs and the players will bring it then" Its the same posters that were saying lets wait 10 games, lets wait 20, lets wait half a season before saying anything about the players. Its always a future supposition look. To me that only means there hasn't been that much expectation on any of these players.

Trouble with that is we've just witnessed yet another season where our go to players have to drag every drop the full season because we have a collection of doofuses that did hardly anything first 60GP. I'm beyond tired of seeing that.

Whoever decided to land on Arvid. Thats just not bad scouting. Its a question about whether any occurred. Did we just land on Arvid because we play the Kings in playoffs every year? Almost seems like it. I mean out of all the free agents out there you go to a guy off 2 back surgeries and dump the brinks truck at him, 8M bucks. Its lunacy.
 
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Did you miss the down the stretch part?
Did you miss the definition of the word great?

I pay no creed to short sample in regards to a player that has done jacksquat all season. Occasionally the Arvid rifle works. Only occasionally and never for long. Arvid hasn't had a scoring streak or hot streak last since around Nashville.

I get that the board wants to pretend that Arvid is a valid player, or even topsix player. I'm not into pretending that.
 
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Foegs was probably our worst forward in the playoffs. His regular season was never the problem.

Or are people forgetting what the actual goal is here?
Apparently the goal is ridding the team of its best prospects and replacing with old fodder. Did I get the answer wrong?

You actually think this forward lineup is better than what we've had?
 
Did you miss the definition of the word great?

I pay no creed to short sample in regards to a player that has done jacksquat all season. Occasionally the Arvid rifle works. Only occasionally and never for long. Arvid hasn't had a scoring streak or hot streak last since around Nashville.

I get that the board wants to pretend that Arvid is a valid player, or even topsix player. I'm not into pretending that.
lol you just did that after 4 games and Kuzmenko.

Sure great is a stretch buts he’s been decent lately.
 
lol you just did that after 4 games and Kuzmenko.

Sure great is a stretch buts he’s been decent lately.
No, Try watching the games. Kuzmenko has DRIVEN offense in LA, he's transformed their PP short term, and has been good EV. He's DRIVING plays.

A runt like Arvid has rarely done that in his life.

Kuzmenko, who yes only shows up when the mood moves him has 16pts in 20LA games and +11 there. Arvid hasn't had a stint of play like that ever, and has only been close to sniffing something like that years ago in Nashville.

.
 
Apparently the goal is ridding the team of its best prospects and replacing with old fodder. Did I get the answer wrong?

You actually think this forward lineup is better than what we've had?
Here I’ll answer for you. It’s winning games in the playoffs. Something Foegs didn’t help do 3 seasons a row.
 
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Apparently the goal is ridding the team of its best prospects and replacing with old fodder. Did I get the answer wrong?

You actually think this forward lineup is better than what we've had?
Absolutely and I don’t think it’s even close. We are way deeper than last year. All the best playoffs performers from last year are back and all the guys who were useless like Foegele and McLeod have been replaced. Even Holloway last year was a guy who had 7 points in 25 games. Our forwards are deeper with more finishers and when both Kane and Frederic are in will be more physical as well.
 
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