Post-Game Talk: Well we knew it would be a slog

[CycloneSweep]

This is the reason for so much of the present problems we see in Western Society. Goes far beyond just the demonstrations we tend to see here or online.

I picked Oilers in 6 and remain there. McD and Drai and Booch have been on a redhot mission and with others like Kane, Perry, Walman, Ekholm etc sure part of that party.

It doesn't escape me for a moment that I've never seen an Oiler team play with more resolve. This is the gravy people. The best Oiler team you're ever going to see.

They are the best Oilers team we will see but we still have some glaringly bad players and holes that are getting exposed now. Nurse is back to being a liability. Skinner isn’t bad but he is clearly the second best goalie and our bottom 6 is back to looking like the collection of 4th liners and tweeners it is.
They can still win but I think the magic of the last 2 series has dwindled.

 

[Drivesaitl]

They came back in both games. If anything- it’s Florida who looks to be in a rough spot. They can’t close out the oilers with leads. Bob is getting peppered and is starting to have pucks bounce of his glove and giving up a ton of rebounds.

There should be a metric on how many goal mouth pucks went just wide. Panthers got some around net luck in this game and pucks suibbling away just enough, or their D or G batting it away just enough. Oilers were so relentless that there were lots of close calls like that.

Even in the loss the Oilers had the clear edge in high quality chances. Other nights those pucks are going in.

In game 2 against Dallas seemed like everything went in, went right. Panthers contest better all over the ice though. Its so much harder sledding now.

 

[redgrant]

I mean I would any day of the week, but we all know Nurse will never, ever be scratched.

I remember when coach q scratched Seabrook. This was when he was making 8 mil at the time (basically 10 in today's dollars).

You need to do what it takes to win

 

[Stammertime91]

As an outsider, Florida played the way Florida does a lot of times even when they play like shit in the eye test. They play like champions because they are. Bend, but don't break. Though, I haven't seen another team take Florida to deep waters the way Edmonton has last year and this series so far. I think you guys are capable of doing it, but it's going to take smart play after smart play to not give them anything cheap and easy. You guys could have *easily* won that game but the point is moot when it's 1-1. It's how Edmonton responds. You absolutely cannot afford to give away a game. The way I look at it... Florida "deserved" that game in the sense they needed it for survival and were leading so late, but the bigger point is that Edmonton certainly needs a 2-2 split before coming back for game 5.

Trying to bring some sense of levelheadedness to you guys as an outsider, but I very much hate Florida so I'd tell Calgary fans the same if they were playing them. Just don't hate me okay

 

[guymez]

They are the best Oilers team we will see but we still have some glaringly bad players and holes that are getting exposed now. Nurse is back to being a liability. Skinner isn’t bad but he is clearly the second best goalie and our bottom 6 is back to looking like the collection of 4th liners and tweeners it is.
They can still win but I think the magic of the last 2 series has dwindled.

Getting exposed how?
The Oilers have been the better team for the majority of this series so far.

 

[CycloneSweep]

There should be a metric on how many goal mouth pucks went just wide. Panthers got some around net luck in this game and pucks suibbling away just enough, or their D or G batting it away just enough. Oilers were so relentless that there were lots of close calls like that.

Even in the loss the Oilers had the clear edge in high quality chances. Other nights those pucks are going in.

In game 2 against Dallas seemed like everything went in, went right. Panthers contest better all over the ice though. Its so much harder sledding now.

Even strength chances were tied. We only had more cause we had a ton of PPs.

Florida also had some terribly bad luck too. They should have won it in OT 3 times before they did.

 

[CycloneSweep]

Getting exposed how?
The Oilers have been the better team for the majority of this series so far.

Our bottom 6 is getting throttled. Podkolzin alone was on the ice for almost 35% of their quality chances against. Henrique line is awful. McDrai and Kane are playing well for forwards. The rest are invisible at best. Kapanen is getting chances but bleeding more and can’t finish.

Nurse and Kulak are getting shit on top. So we have 2 bad lines and an awful pairing. And our stars can barely overcome that playing the best they have played all year.

 

[Drivesaitl]

Even strength chances were tied. We only had more cause we had a ton of PPs.

Florida also had some terribly bad luck too. They should have won it in OT 3 times before they did.

I don't defer solely to the counts on HDSC. I find that they are imperfectly defined and don't really capture it. By my view Bobo was forced to make 10 stops harder than anything Skinner made a stop on. This happens invariably in the matchup, and why we should go with Pickard.

Both teams are so good they will get their highest quality chances. We need a goalie that can make stops on some of those. Clear as that.

As Oilers fans we have he bad luck of having Stu Skinner as our starter still in 2025.

 

[PitkanensGitch]

Here is a great example of the eye test matching the numbers. It's obvious to all of us just from watching the games that Nurse consistently panics with the puck and coughs up possession like he's smoking ten packs a game: whether it's with his idiotic icings, or his weak shot attempts that consistently lead to the opposition getting the puck.

It's almost like this team would rather lose the Stanley Cup than admit that they signed the guy to the worst contract in the league...even though they can 100% pin the blame on the Holland-Chiarelli one-two punch to the sack. I mean, sure, sitting him would reduce his trade value (if he even has any with that deal), but who gives a shit if he sits if it means we win the Cup? Hell, they should do the crazy thing so many have already proposed and try Nurse as a forward. Maybe in place of Frederic. At least he's not hurt like Frederic is.

Also, for someone who is supposedly a leader, what a great example he set by taking the least team-friendly deal I've ever seen. Zach Werenski and Seth Jones were far more deserving of their deals, but Nurse played well against six teams in what barely qualifies as an NHL season and that's enough to pay him like he's Victor Hedman?

There is one player on our D that is failing to do what our entire game plan and roster was built around — efficient puck moving from our D to avoid forechecking pressure.

Nurse is sullying the entire system. The stats back this up btw. Kulak is such a smooth skating, smart D man. Away from Nurse he is a VERY good player. They can not play together any longer. There’s no way Coffey sends them back out there next game.

I wonder if behind closed doors they’re talking about Nurse coming out. Coffey spent most of his time talking about how damn good Stetcher is in the last interview I saw of him.

Stetcher is no world beater but he knows how to move the puck. It’s jarring watching our D almost always make the right play with the lone exception being Nurse almost always making the wrong play. That is not lost on our coaching staff.

At this point it’s politics and nothing more. If we’re talking accountability only, Nurse is in the press box. It’s demented that we’re in the SCF and forced to trot this fool out there on a regular shift when we have a capable defender waiting in the wings — doing so would also fix our left-right pairings and address the glaring issue on the back end entirely.

 

[MessierThanThou]

Even micdingding who rings my bell from time to time knows I credit Skinner on occasion and when its deserved.

I still get a laugh from Ding Dong accusing you of denying Skinner played well in the same post where he quoted you saying verbatim "Skinner played well."

 

[CycloneSweep]

I don't defer solely to the counts on HDSC. I find that they are imperfectly defined and don't really capture it. By my view Bobo was forced to make 10 stops harder than anything Skinner made a stop on. This happens invariably in the matchup, and why we should go with Pickard.

Both teams are so good they will get their highest quality chances. We need a goalie that can make stops on some of those. Clear as that.

As Oilers fans we have he bad luck of having Stu Skinner as our starter still in 2025.

Eye tests quality chances were even. Do you not remember the grade A chance that Reinhart put wide or the Marchand one that the post saved? Florida had a ton of chances out of no where. When Florida decided to try we couldn’t handle it in the slightest.

 

[guymez]

Our bottom 6 is getting throttled. Podkolzin alone was on the ice for almost 35% of their quality chances against. Henrique line is awful. McDrai and Kane are playing well for forwards. The rest are invisible at best. Kapanen is getting chances but bleeding more and can’t finish.

Nurse and Kulak are getting shit on top. So we have 2 bad lines and an awful pairing. And our stars can barely overcome that playing the best they have played all year.

The Oilers have been the better team for 6 out of 9 periods against one of the best teams in the NHL.
Thats pretty damn good...more than good enough to win a series.
There is going to be ebb and flow to this series. There WILL be times when Florida looks good.
Knowing all that it makes no sense at all to overreact to the 3 out of 9 periods Florida has been the better team.

 

[CycloneSweep]

The Oilers have been the bbeeter team for 6 out of 9 periods against one of the best teams in the NHL.
Thats pretty damn good.
There is going to be ebb and flow to this series. There WILL be times when Florida looks good.
Knowing all that it makes no sense at all to overreact to the 3 out of 6 periods Florida has been the better team.

Okay cool. We were the better team and still only got the split. So what happens when Florida starts to play better, we just get throttled?
This isn’t the positive you are making it sound. Oilers were the better team for 6 periods and still struggled with Florida and needed 2 hero plays to get both games to OT and only won the first game from a bad penalty. And this was at home to

Florida is winning this in 5 or 6 and I just don’t see it any other way. Florida is much improved and aren’t taking us lightly like they did last year.

 

[Shanahanigans]

Our bottom 6 is getting caved. Henrique can’t do anything except take draws at this point, and Frederic is well….a warm body. RNH should probably be at 3C for a bit. This is exactly why you give guys like Philip and Savoie more runway during the season, but they elected to play guys like Max Jones when we had all the injuries instead. We need players who can keep up, and the bottom 6 isn’t doing much right now.

 

[Drivesaitl]

As an outsider, Florida played the way Florida does a lot of times even when they play like shit in the eye test. They play like champions because they are. Bend, but don't break. Though, I haven't seen another team take Florida to deep waters the way Edmonton has last year and this series so far. I think you guys are capable of doing it, but it's going to take smart play after smart play to not give them anything cheap and easy. You guys could have *easily* won that game but the point is moot when it's 1-1. It's how Edmonton responds. You absolutely cannot afford to give away a game. The way I look at it... Florida "deserved" that game in the sense they needed it for survival and were leading so late, but the bigger point is that Edmonton certainly needs a 2-2 split before coming back for game 5.

Trying to bring some sense of levelheadedness to you guys as an outsider, but I very much hate Florida so I'd tell Calgary fans the same if they were playing them. Just don't hate me okay

I love this crocodile analogy. Both of these clubs are apex predators. Well done.

You don't have to be an outsider. We know you despise the Panthers and are cheering for the Oilers.

The McD pass on the Drai goal and preceding play is pure filth. Not only that he beat the best Panthers on the ice doing that. Its the way the Oilers can score that forces the utmost resolve in opponents. Every one of our opponents has failed at the task. In respective series Kings lost theres in game 3, Knights lost their resolve in lol game 1 and Stars blew up in game 2. These are the figurative moments where each team were psyche defeated.

We haven't seen any moment like that in this series. Both team in.

 

[MessierThanThou]

Nurse played WAY better than Kulak bud.

I know you don't care about numbers but this is for other people who are open to actually finding out what the problem is. Weird how Kulak went from looking elite with Bouch to struggling with Nurse.

 

[guymez]

Okay cool. We were the better team and still only got the split. So what happens when Florida starts to play better, we just get throttled?
This isn’t the positive you are making it sound. Oilers were the better team for 6 periods and still struggled with Florida and needed 2 hero plays to get both games to OT and only won the first game from a bad penalty. And this was at home to

What makes you think that how Florida plays is completely independant of how the Oilers play?
The Oilers and their strategies were a primary reason why Florida didnt look as good and the Oilers were the better team so far.

Its like you think that the Oilers have played no role what so ever in winning 6 of 9 periods and that the only reason was because Florida just so happened to not play well.
Makes no sense at all.

These are the 2 best teams in the NHL...its going to swing both ways and thats exactly whats happened so far.
Maybe just take a breath and let things play out. If it keeps going the way its gone so far (with the team winning most of the periods) the Oilers should win the series IMO.

 

[Drivesaitl]

Eye tests quality chances were even. Do you not remember the grade A chance that Reinhart put wide or the Marchand one that the post saved? Florida had a ton of chances out of no where. When Florida decided to try we couldn’t handle it in the slightest.

I give zero credit ever to a forward shooting wide on a breakaway. people laugh in beer league when that happens.

 

[Drivesaitl]

I still get a laugh from Ding Dong accusing you of denying Skinner played well in the same post where he quoted you saying verbatim "Skinner played well."

Its too much isn't it?

"You never give Skinner any credit, oh you did, in the same post replied to."

lol that was classic.

You found all the cookies in that exchange.

 

[Kerberos]

Such an exhausting thread with people chasing their own tails. Game 3 can't get here fast enough.

Hopefully the players aren't as despondent as some of the posters here. I need a couple convincing Oilers blowout wins in Florida... the boys need to summon their games 4-6 performances from last season. This Florida team has benefited from lucky bounces, ref assisted goals and our own self-inflicted wounds during these first 2 games. One team hasn't shown anywhere close to their best stuff yet.

 

[CycloneSweep]

I give zero credit ever to a forward shooting wide on a breakaway. people laugh in beer league when that happens.

That’s still a high quality chance that we gave up. We gave up what 3? 1 on 0 breakaways in the OTs?

 

[MessierThanThou]

Such an exhausting thread with people chasing their own tails. Game 3 can't get here fast enough.

Hopefully the players aren't as despondent as some of the posters here.

To be fair, despite the hilarious argument over whether a bad goal (by any definition) in OT is or isn't a significant contributor to a loss, it's pretty much just one poster who is relentlessly negative here.

Its too much isn't it?

"You never give Skinner any credit, oh you did, in the same post replied to."

lol that was classic.

You found all the cookies in that exchange.

I'd call that person's post a textbook example of the Dunning-Kruger effect.

 

[Drivesaitl]

That’s still a high quality chance that we gave up. We gave up what 3? 1 on 0 breakaways in the OTs?

It was two periods of OT and we only gave up 12 shots and about 3 HDSC, maybe 4. We got way more on Bobo by my view.

The Oilers were the better team in OT, both games.

Anyway time to get some stuff done.

 

[Bumblebee Man]

Nurse played WAY better than Kulak bud.

It's astonishing that you claim to get paid to watch hockey and constantly getting absurdly wrong

 

[Drai Fi]

Series is over, Florida is just too good, they’ll spot us a win in Sunrise just so they can win on home ice in Game 6, because apparently the Oilers have no impact on the series or how the game is dictated and it’s just about if Florida wants to win that night or not.

Am I close?

Take a breath people, we took them to 7 a year ago and we’re in a much better spot than we were last year. It was always going to be a war. As Drive said, these are the two best teams in the league, maybe of the last 10 years. There’s going to be back and forth.

Personally, even if it feels like a missed opportunity to go up 2-0, I’d much rather be going to Florida knowing that we are able to play the game on our terms for a majority of the series so far, rather than us just barely keeping our heads above water. Florida will push, the team knows this, I trust Knob to take what he’s seen and adjust. It’s not coincidence our record is what it is as the series goes on.

We got this