WCSF: Game 4 - Edmonton Oilers vs Vancouver Canucks, 7:30pm, ESPN

[Artemi Panarin]

Lets go, Couvy!

Do it for HFBoards

 

[WetcoastOrca]

Hopefully someone can update that ESPN list again tonight!

They are all busily revising their Oilers in 4, …,errr Oilers in 5…Oilers in 6 predictions.

 

[Czechboy]

 

[JAK]

4) Go 6 on 5 all game.

 

[BurnabyJoe7]

Oilers coach has not even played in the minor leagues, his coaching record mostly consists of junior leagues, Canucks coach has an NHL career that has 952pts and 2972 PIMs in 1144 GP, with one Cup as a player and two as Assistant Coach.

I think those sort of reflect their coaching philosophies. One has been in the trenches, and one hasn't.

Bowman is one of the best coaches of all time and never had a lick of professional hockey as a player.

I wouldn't say the experience of playing the sport professionally doesn't matter, but it's overrated and we're seeing that because more professional coaches are coaching sports that they've never been professional athletes in.

RT is a great coach and I respect him despite his whiny interviews this round, but we haven't seen Knoblauch adjust anything substantial until we played the kings in round 1.

Goaltending is obviously the x factor but I think RT is the one who will be looking to make some changes based on how the last 2 games played out.

 

[JAK]

Bowman is one of the best coaches of all time and never had a lick of professional hockey as a player.

I wouldn't say the experience of playing the sport professionally doesn't matter, but it's overrated and we're seeing that because more professional coaches are coaching sports that they've never been professional athletes in.

RT is a great coach and I respect him despite his whiny interviews this round, but we haven't seen Knoblauch adjust anything substantial until we played the kings in round 1.

Goaltending is obviously the x factor but I think RT is the one who will be looking to make some changes based on how the last 2 games played out.

Ask Bowman about his stance on physicality in playoffs.

 

[ManofSteel55]

So do the Oilers change their game because Pickard is in net? More conservative break outs etc?

They should play more conservatively anyway. They played their best hockey this year when they played defensively.

 

[Czechboy]

Go to 30 seconds and listen for a minute or so. Still my absolute favorite answer on hits.lol

 

[ManofSteel55]

Go to 30 seconds and listen for a minute or so. Still my absolute favorite answer on hits.lol

What a clown.

 

[LuckyDay]

McDavid scores 3 goals and 4 assists tonight. Draisaitl scores 2 goals 3 assists.

In the second and third period, Boeser scores 4 straight goals and Lindholm scores to tie the game and force the game to overtime.
Pickard is pulled after the 6th goal on the 12th shot and Silovs stands on his head stopping 50 shots with 7 goalposts hit and 2 empty nets at point blank missed.
Dakota Joshua recieves a sick pass from Coner Garland who powers over Darnell Nurse in overtime (who was just standing there) and buries it in the top right hand corner to make the comeback complete.
On to game 6. 13 suspensions handed out.

That's what I think. It will be a tough one, but It I think the guys can pull it off.

 

[WetcoastOrca]

So do the Oilers change their game because Pickard is in net? More conservative break outs etc?

Their game plan is to play McDrai 30 minutes, score on the PP, shelter the Ceci-Nurse pairing who are a combined minus 14 and have the bottom six skate around for a few minutes to give McDrai a rest.
The result will depend entirely on whether McDrai are able to dominate enough to offset the depth advantage that Vancouver has. They did in game 2 but not in games 1 and 3.

 

[Frank Drebin]

Their game plan is to play McDrai 30 minutes, score on the PP, shelter the Ceci-Nurse pairing who are a combined minus 14 and have the bottom six skate around for a few minutes to give McDrai a rest.

dont forget switching the goalies for a breather

 

[Sergei Shirokov]

4) Go 6 on 5 all game.

If McDavid & Draisaitl can play 60 mins it might not be the worst option

 

[JAK]

If McDavid & Draisaitl can play 60 mins it might not be the worst option

That's why they get paid the big bucks, they have to play all 60 minutes

 

[LuckyDay]

So here is something I wanted to discuss with you lovely people.

Coaching philosophies. I was listening to the Oilers coach, and he was asked multiple times about physicality, hits, intensity, and tenacity.

He was asked if it’s overrated, if it’s not a big indicator, etc.

His answer surprised me. In multiple interviews, he basically said that it’s not a good gauge. Physicality is overblown, and hits especially mean nothing. Go back and listen to three of his last four interviews; he goes in-depth on this.

In contrast, the Canucks coach keeps talking about physicality, intensity, how players have to be strong on the puck, need to hit hard, forecheck hard, and how it’s an incredibly important gauge to see and match teams' intensities or dictate your own.

He said that if you’re playing hard, you’re naturally going to hit more, which usually is a good indicator of how hard you’re working for that specific game.

So my question to you guys is: which style/opinion do you believe in more?

When Fred Shero coached the 1974 expansion Philadelphia Flyers against the best team in the world, the Boston Bruins, his famous strategy was to have the guys dump into Bobby Orr's corner every chance they got.
They spent the whole series wearing him out and it worked.
Funny enough, this is what Nashville and Edmonton are trying to do with Hughes. The Canucks are doing this with McDavid.
But this is hockey, not basketball where you can triple team the star player, and this is not 1974 when the players smoked, and didn't work out except on the ice on game day.

 

[Sergei Shirokov]

I knew Pickard was a possibility but still a bit surprised to see it actually happen.

 

[JAK]

What do the gambling odds makers know that we don't? Oilers are -200.

 

[LuckyDay]

What do the gambling odds makers know that we don't? Oilers are -200.

probably nothing more that they are 2-1 in the series.
Know your limit; play within it. Also good strategy probably for the Oilers.

 

[Dust]

So here is something I wanted to discuss with you lovely people.

Coaching philosophies. I was listening to the Oilers coach, and he was asked multiple times about physicality, hits, intensity, and tenacity.

He was asked if it’s overrated, if it’s not a big indicator, etc.

His answer surprised me. In multiple interviews, he basically said that it’s not a good gauge. Physicality is overblown, and hits especially mean nothing. Go back and listen to three of his last four interviews; he goes in-depth on this.

In contrast, the Canucks coach keeps talking about physicality, intensity, how players have to be strong on the puck, need to hit hard, forecheck hard, and how it’s an incredibly important gauge to see and match teams' intensities or dictate your own.

He said that if you’re playing hard, you’re naturally going to hit more, which usually is a good indicator of how hard you’re working for that specific game.

So my question to you guys is: which style/opinion do you believe in more?

Somewhere right in the middle of both coaches. If you're doing nothing but hitting, it means you're chasing the play and you have no possession, but it is important to be physical when on the forecheck and to separate the opposition from the puck when given the opportunity.

 

[WetcoastOrca]

I knew Pickard was a possibility but still a bit surprised to see it actually happen.

It’s a Hail Mary. Lets see if it works. Maybe he’s hoping the Oilers tighten up defensively?

 

[JAK]

probably nothing more that they are 2-1 in the series.
Know your limit; play within it. Also good strategy probably for the Oilers.

But Panthers have same odds and they are 3-1 up

 

[WaitingForThatCab]

I think Pickard is the right call. If he's worse than Skinner, does it really matter? You can't win with Skinner.

 

[innitfam]

Hoping for the Canucks to steamroll this one trick pony Oilers team and light Pickard up like the tree at Rockefeller Center.

f*** it, bold prediction time. 6-2 Vancouver.

 

[BurnabyJoe7]

Ask Bowman about his stance on physicality in playoffs.

The avs and red wings games of the late 90s are a little different than the games today. Someone watching that series compared to any series today might think they're watching a different sport.

You also can't cause immediate onset CTE like Scott Stevens was doing 3 decades ago, so the physicality element is way different today.

Anyway, my point was that a great coach doesn't need to play professional to be good at their job and that a view of shying away from physicality isn't necessarily the wrong decision as it depends on team makeup and matchup.

 

[M88K]

I think Pickard is the right call. If he's worse than Skinner, does it really matter? You can't win with Skinner.

I mean it does.
the games have been close, if Pickard is worse than Skinner, then it could put the Oilers in a hole they cannot climb out of, instead of being a bounce or two away