What happened to the once high-powered Stars offense?

[BMOK33]

They literally are an elite shut-down team.

I definitely would not say that, Florida, Carolina, NYR, Vancouver, LA, Dallas all allowed less goals in the regular season and those teams largely played in better divisions

 

[Connor McConnor]

Canucks in 5 tho right?

 

[Kiekura]

Hintz injured, Pavelski is done, Robertson has been ghost all playoffs. Heiskanen hands full with McDrai.

 

[trojansoilers]

I’m gonna say it, Dallas has too many over the hill old guys to keep up when the playoffs go deep. Couple that with career bad juju like Duchene and Deboer, recipe for disaster.

That and the Oilers are playing some great hockey right now!

Believe it or not, the Oilers are slightly older than the Stars based on the post deadline roster.

 

[MarotteMarauder]

After letting the Oil slip out of the stranglehold in Game 4 and come out skating mud for Game 5, this is another post season in the legacy of Peter DeBoer

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Idk, I watched a bunch of their rs games and always felt like the team alternated looking great and “what’s happening?”


Their system and speed is great but their defenders are known to have some serious brain farts, and the forwards sometimes fail a backcheck but that’s the regular season, they’ve had some sfinkers but mostly cut that out for sure

The Oilers' limited cap really hamstrung them when it came to their bottom 6.

For most of the season they only had enough space for 1 spare body, and that was near always a defenceman. Though there was a path where if they managed to hold out until the TDL, they would accrue enough cap space for a 2nd PB body. But that meant the team couldn't touch LTIP.

All that meant if you had a 1-way contract and a pulse, you were going to stay in the lineup.


Come the playoffs they were able to promote Holloway full-time. That let them scratch Brown, and give him a month off to finally get his legs under him. Dude looked like Bambi for most of the season, but has been moving well since he came back into the lineup.

 

[Panthaz89]

Yet the narrative that certain Oiler stars cheat for offense will continue to live on thanks to some HFers.

 

[Lshap]

I'm probably typical of fans who expected Edmonton's defence to be much worse than it's been. Instead, what I've seen is an Oilers D that can really skate. They're playing a very well-structured system in their zone and their forwards are almost never caught up ice. Even when the system breaks down a bit and Dallas is swarming around the net, Oilers are relentless in regaining possession and protecting Skinner. And of course Skinner deserves credit – he's been mostly very solid.

Never underestimate a roster with complete buy-in.

 

[Cup or Bust]

The Oilers have been a top defensive team since Knoblauch took over and have been excellent in the playoffs especially. The only people that don't know the Oilers are a really good defensive team are people who didn't watch them much this season or think it's still 2021. This is the only season going into the playoffs since 1991 that I believed the Oilers could win the Stanley Cup. That is why I changed my name on here right before the playoffs started. I believed if they could play the same defensive structure they have for most of the season they could do it. They have won absolutely nothing yet though.

 

[Fishy McScales]

Pavelski has played 99 games this season (82 reg season/17 playoffs). At his age, the tank is probably empty. No reason for a guy his age to play in all 82 games.

Benn is slower than a lot of beer leaguers. Seguin has high mileage.

The Stanley Cup playoffs are as much of an endurance test as they are about skill and execution. Too many of The Stars have hit the wall.

That being said, they will win the next two games

Also, the Stars' top 4 D are all in the top 5 for total minutes played in the playoffs with only Bouchard breaking that up at #4.

Heiskanen is the far away leader having logged 500+ minutes. In their bid to shelter the Petrovics and Lundkvists of the world, they are running the rest of their guys into the ground. Even a guy like Suter is 23rd on the list.

The longer this series goes the tougher it gets for those guys to keep it up. Heiskanen is a beast and in a game of inches, adrenaline could still see the Stars through. Just wanted to add to your point.

 

[thegazelle]

I suspect that the previous game deflated them and was a bit of a psychological obstacle. Losing a lead and then with the final score what it was - the momentum swing, perceived or otherwise, lasted through this game. The Stars seemed lethargic and the usually lively Dallas crowd was uncharacteristically muted.

That said, the Oilers are now that proverbial snowball rolling down the hill. I believe they believe themselves to be a team of destiny now. They showed perseverance and great intestinal fortitude in coming back from that Canucks series, so they as a group are not counting themselves out under any circumstance. That extra spring in the step is one of those intangibles that will get them over the hump and bring the cup back to Canada this year.

 

[commie]

Dallas truly was outstanding offensively during the season. Not just cuz people on some website were claiming them to be. They legitimately were…again just look at the #s. They had essentially 3 “1st” lines plus Heiskanen/Harley all putting up big #s and producing at a high level.

Did they really have 3 '1st' lines? or was it more like they had 3 '2nd' lines? Very balanced team, with their top score at 80 pts, then bunch of 60ish pts. They don't have a dominate 1st line like the top teams or typical cup winning teams.
They don't have the top players that score 100+ pts or 50+ goals.
In the playoffs, you need some of those elite top players to break out. Dallas is like Carolina, a very solid balanced team, when they don't have the game breakers.

 

[TheUnusedCrayon]

The Oilers defense.

There's a reason we had the least shots against in the playoffs and the third least shots against in the regular season.

And our team defense has stepped up yet another level as these playoffs have went on.

While team defense is good (can't deny they're playing well), they're also playing against teams that weren't heavy forechecking teams (Vancouver was during the regular season, but when Demko got injured Tocchet obviously tailored his team towards a park the bus approach, which was wildly different from the team that played most of the regular season). LA although more aggressive from regular season, was still LA, Vancouver was a shell due to goaltending woes and Dallas seems disinterested.

Good defense, but they're also being given some really easy games to play against. There's a lot of room out in the neutral zone still. Their offensive zone pressure is great though and has/was their biggest strength during regular season and in the playoffs. That's really the key to their success.

Dallas is not shelling up as much as LA and Vancouver, but they're also not forechecking like the other teams did as well.

 

[Sasha Orlov]

Oilers have been great defensively, especially Leon “Doesn’t Play a Lick of Defense” Draisaitl who has looked like Bob Gainey out there

 

[Chaos2k7]

Evan Bouchard is just a defensive dynamo I guess. Looks like Adam Foote out there. Either that or the dynamic fast-paced offensive line of Marchment-Duchene-Pavelski has just been unlucky.

Bouchard is a great Dman

 

[Hockeyholic]

Dallas will win games 6-7

 

[Fishy McScales]

While team defense is good (can't deny they're playing well), they're also playing against teams that weren't heavy forechecking teams (Vancouver was during the regular season, but when Demko got injured Tocchet obviously tailored his team towards a park the bus approach, which was wildly different from the team that played most of the regular season). LA although more aggressive from regular season, was still LA, Vancouver was a shell due to goaltending woes and Dallas seems disinterested.

Good defense, but they're also being given some really easy games to play against. There's a lot of room out in the neutral zone still. Their offensive zone pressure is great though and has/was their biggest strength during regular season and in the playoffs. That's really the key to their success.

Dallas is not shelling up as much as LA and Vancouver, but they're also not forechecking like the other teams did as well.

Vancouver was easy because they didn't forecheck because their goalie was hurt.

I've seen so many different takes to explain away the Oilers' accomplishments by now that I shouldn't be surprised anymore, but...

And before you reply "hey I said they were good!", I know what you said. I read your post lol.

 

[CanadienShark]

The Oilers defense.

There's a reason we had the least shots against in the playoffs and the third least shots against in the regular season.

And our team defense has stepped up yet another level as these playoffs have went on.

I was told that McDavid, Draisaitl, Nurse, Kulak, Bouchard, etc. etc. are lazy floaters that can't defend though.

Honestly, I think the Oilers are greater than the sum of their parts defensively. Offensively... We all know how great. And then goaltending... We know how terrible.

I'm hoping this is their year!

 

[WaitingForThatCab]

20 SOG for Dallas in last night's game is honestly not far off of their usual mark. Dallas has not been a high shot volume team in the playoffs. Usually hovering around 22-24 shots in most of the games I've watched.

Credit to Edmonton for doing a good job defensively and blocking 25 shots, too.

 

[OKR]

Did they really have 3 '1st' lines? or was it more like they had 3 '2nd' lines? Very balanced team, with their top score at 80 pts, then bunch of 60ish pts. They don't have a dominate 1st line like the top teams or typical cup winning teams.
They don't have the top players that score 100+ pts or 50+ goals.
In the playoffs, you need some of those elite top players to break out. Dallas is like Carolina, a very solid balanced team, when they don't have the game breakers.

”They don’t have the goaltending to win”
”They lack the depth to win”
”They lack the gamebreakers to win”

These are just lazy narratives that can easily made about every team in the playoffs, and it’s gettind tiresome to read them over and over again.

 

[Clint Eastwood]

This is the Oilers at their best win based on aggressive defensive play, 50/50 puck battles, blocks etc rather than simply overpowering offensively.

Very reminiscent of the last series GM 6 and 7.

Bingo. Edmonton at their best doesn't give up anything easy. Personnel wise, it's not a dream defensive core back there but they still have a solid group of guys and play excellent team D.

 

[snipes]

Oilers are underrated defensively and it seems a common pattern to blame their opponents rather than praise them. Their forecheck especially can really disrupt breakouts, and I think over a long series they can wear teams out with their speed.

This.

The Oilers forecheck when they get rolling is really difficult to handle. They are a big and fast team, it’s not even just big hits on the forecheck but it’s the suffocating puck pressure and winning races to the puck that creates havoc for other teams.

 

[elmaco]

I mean, Oilers have McDavid and Draisaitl. That's like a one-two-punch equilevant of prime Crosby-Malkin. Was it really such a surprise that they will be contenders someday?

 

[Spilot23]

. Yea no one can beat the Oilers but the Oilers. What a take.

Lets say the Oilers make the cup final and lose to lets say Florida. Its only because the Oilers beat themselves? What a homer take.

I agree with him. Avs lost in the 2nd round because they beat themselves. Well this and drugs

 

[TheUnusedCrayon]

Vancouver was easy because they didn't forecheck because their goalie was hurt.

I've seen so many different takes to explain away the Oilers' accomplishments by now that I shouldn't be surprised anymore, but...

And before you reply "hey I said they were good!", I know what you said. I read your post lol.

I mean, if that's your interpretation of what I said, I can't help ya. Tocchet tried to protect his backup and third string goaltender and figured that'd win games.

When Vancouver actually played with any efforts to not park the bus, they always seemed to take over against Edmonton. Problem is, they were obsessed with defense and changing lines for whatever reason. The better game plan won that series. The sad part, is if Demko was healthy they could have played that poor hockey and still won because Edmonton struggled defensively in that series (despite low shot totals).