Post-Game Talk: 100!

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

Vegas didn't look like a threat playing the Yotes. Both the Knights and Kings look to be playing chicken right now or at best resting. Of course the problem is if they jockey for last WC one of them will be getting Dallas. The team you say is no good.

I mean, getting matched up with Dallas probably wasn't their game plan. They'd much rather take on... well, basically anyone else that they could. And while they very likely will make the dance, sandbagging themselves seems antithetical to what they did last year where they were every bit as hot as we were going into the playoffs..

 

[Oilslick941611]

Ryan looks like McDavid’s dad there lol

He looked like he was about to leave the arena and head to the local newsprint and get his bundle to sell on the corner

 

[McFlyingV]

If the Oilers PP gets clicking again this team is unstoppable. They're an elite 5 on 5 team. They're an elite defensive team (yeah I just said that) because they are an elite puck possession team, and when the team buys in and plays a structured game they also don't give up much. Their issue is when they don't play that game they allow their opponents into games with the little puck possession time they get.

Every time I watch this team live I leave the game thinking that no team (or very few) snaps the puck around the way the Oilers do. The Oilers absolutely feasted on Vegas on the cycle and just ate them up with lateral neutral zone passes allowing them to attack with speed. Perry made a handful of excellent short passes both off the boards for breakouts and in the neutral zone to hit a streaking Holloway or McLeod. He looked really good in that role shielding pucks and then hitting his speedy line mates in full stride.

 

[CupofOil]

Home ice would be helpful...so I agree there but I dont think the first round opponent makes that much of a difference. Nashville is a different team (playing much better) than the last time the Oilers played them back in January. So I dont think that they will be much easier than Vegas or the Kings.
Aside from home ice advantage (where the Oilers have a very good record) I think they are going to beat whatever first round opponant they play.
So I would rather they didnt burn up the energy required to close out the season and get first place. Make sure that they are rested for the playoffs is a much bigger concern.

If they didnt have 6 games in 9 days to close out the season I would probably feel differently but 6 games in 9 days is a ridiculously stupid schedule and it lends itself to fatigue and/or injury.
Especially at the end of the season.
I just dont think its worth it.

There's a difference between giving McDavid a game or two off and saying that there's no reason to play him at all the rest of the season. There is a reason, the division title and keeping him and others sharp going into the playoffs. McDavid with over 2 weeks of inactivity going into an intense playoff battle wouldn't be ideal.

With that said, I wouldn't mind giving him and some others a game or two off later next week because the schedule is condensed but I think it's imperative for McDavid to get a few games in before the playoffs especially with the division on the line. I see no reason to not play him against Vancouver if he's good to go.

 

[Porkleaker]

Thought Hertl was pretty invisible last night.. didn't even notice him. Also nice to light up Hill for once. I know they were missing some key players last night, but Vegas really seems like a weaker team this year compared to last.

The one thing about Hill, he was injured and out since April 2nd and then comes back to this game and looks injured still, not sure he'll actually be viable for the playoffs.

 

[Gordian Knot]

So which players VGK added to their roster before TDL? Didn't notice anyone?

 

[bucks_oil]

Not to discount this at all but the reason we get 1:20 and more is the whole unit. We have two generational superstars, we have Booch who is great with the puck and moving away from pressure and holding line. We have a top scorer attracting attention around net. Nuge is a component of a very successful PP. But he's also a component of the best zone entry PP I've ever seen in my life because guys like McD and Drai gain zone and get setup for fun.

I know its just maybe how you worded it but attribution is with all. Its pretty much a perfect first unit PP It isn't the ozone possession machine it is because of one player. Its every part working and meshing to be that.

While I completely agree....

Drivesaitl, your bias is showing here - you couldn't leave this one alone? There was nothing in my post that could be construed as me disregarding the contributions of other players to our PP... in fact I specifically mentioned our FOUR playmakers on the PP. I suppose I missed out on mentioning Hyman.

I was simply stating that Nuge's role is sometimes unheralded, which of course can only happen because he is overshadowed by the legitimately Elite HoF level talent he plays with... that was clearly implied. And, as evidence of his unheralded role, I was responding to a poster suggesting we replace him with Evander Kane - and gave the reasons why that wouldn't work.

Also... as further evidence of Nuge's influence on that PP. Check his historical PP60 numbers, they are legit top 10-20 of all time (and were so before McDrai arrived)... and if you recall, in McDrai's first couple of seasons brilliant Eakins had Letestu on PP1 in Nuge's current position and Nuge centering PP2. That change alone led to our PP going from bottom half to top-5 overnight simply due to the puck possession (repossession) attributed to Nuge (not that I should need to say this, but to be clear I mean vs Letestu, not vs McDrai... it being understood and obvious that they were already elite on their own in this regard)

 

[oXo Cube]

If the Oilers PP gets clicking again this team is unstoppable. They're an elite 5 on 5 team. They're an elite defensive team (yeah I just said that) because they are an elite puck possession team, and when the team buys in and plays a structured game they also don't give up much. Their issue is when they don't play that game they allow their opponents into games with the little puck possession time they get.

Every time I watch this team live I leave the game thinking that no team (or very few) snaps the puck around the way the Oilers do. The Oilers absolutely feasted on Vegas on the cycle and just ate them up with lateral neutral zone passes allowing them to attack with speed. Perry made a handful of excellent short passes both off the boards for breakouts and in the neutral zone to hit a streaking Holloway or McLeod. He looked really good in that role shielding pucks and then hitting his speedy line mates in full stride.

The Oilers PP is just fine. It's second in the league at 10.75GF/60 and they've been gaining on 1st place Tampa for awhile.

What Edmonton's PP has is an opportunity problem. 21st in the NHL for penalties drawn and 30th for PPTOI*, but when they're out there they score at an elite rate.

*this statistic is obviously influenced by the fact that scoring a PP goal ends the power play

 

[bucks_oil]

It was so hard, it actually lifted the net up.

View attachment 849860

Great goal, but man Hill played that one TERRIBLY. I guess he thought his defender (who is that... #39?) was covering the far side of the net? He totally overcommitted short side.

 

[Oilers in NS]

Great goal, but man Hill played that one TERRIBLY. I guess he thought his defender (who is that... #39?) was covering the far side of the net? He totally overcommitted short side.

Ekholm has cranked a few top corner goals this year. Is this one of the best trades we have ever completed? What a Dman. Unreal

 

[BurnabyJoe7]

He had one good game. Doesn’t make him a good third liner yet.

Playing like a top 6 power forward? Didn’t this game and didn’t for the rest of the year.

Let’s settle down after one game of him looking like a good third liner lol

He has struggled to get on the scoresheet but he's looked great otherwise this year in the few chances he's had while also being juggled across the lineup.

Maybe last year ruined his reputation for you where he often did look lost, but he's a different player this year. He's also only 22 yo and has 17 goals and 26 points in his last 30 AHL games.

 

[TopShelfGloveSide]

Great goal, but man Hill played that one TERRIBLY. I guess he thought his defender (who is that... #39?) was covering the far side of the net? He totally overcommitted short side.

I don’t know the net was wide wide open. I don’t really blame Hill for panicking and over committing only to watch Ekholm clap it top shelf the other side haha.

He had one good game. Doesn’t make him a good third liner yet.

Playing like a top 6 power forward? Didn’t this game and didn’t for the rest of the year.

Let’s settle down after one game of him looking like a good third liner lol

I agree he looked great but this isn’t the first time he has looked great before going invisible.

He does seem way more confident though after his dominant stretch in the AHL. Maybe that’s all he needed.

 

[nally]

So close to locking up home ice for round 1.

We still want to finish ahead of Winnipeg and Colorado so we can get home ice against them if/when that happens.

 

[McFlyingV]

The Oilers PP is just fine. It's second in the league at 10.75GF/60 and they've been gaining on 1st place Tampa for awhile.

What Edmonton's PP has is an opportunity problem. 21st in the NHL for penalties drawn and 30th for PPTOI*, but when they're out there they score at an elite rate.

*this statistic is obviously influenced by the fact that scoring a PP goal ends the power play

It's been slumping recently the past few weeks and in the second half of the season it hasn't been doing what it's capable of. It's still been good by NHL standards, but it's capable of being the best PP in the league which it has done 3 of the past 4 seasons before this.

 

[joestevens29]

How about that Holloway ? I'd like to see him get a legit chance here at cracking our lineup.

Problem is where does he slot in? Gregor briefly touched on this yesterday and has an article on it today.

Kid is going to be in tough to make this lineup considering they probably aren't going to play him on special teams.

Think he's really only on this roster if injuries occur or someone drastically falls off a cliff.

Where Could Dylan Holloway fit in the Oilers lineup?

For years the Oilers gifted players ice time, simply because they didn...

oilersnation.com

 

[tardigrade81]

I hope he's well rested and you taught him the proper way to do the splits.

He’s ready!!!!

 

[guymez]

There's a difference between giving McDavid a game or two off and saying that there's no reason to play him at all the rest of the season. There is a reason, the division title and keeping him and others sharp going into the playoffs. McDavid with over 2 weeks of inactivity going into an intense playoff battle wouldn't be ideal.

With that said, I wouldn't mind giving him and some others a game or two off later next week because the schedule is condensed but I think it's imperative for McDavid to get a few games in before the playoffs especially with the division on the line. I see no reason to not play him against Vancouver if he's good to go.

You selectively edited my post.
I actually said...If its going to help then there is no reason to play McDavid.
So to expand on that...if it is going to help Connor then its better IMO to prioritize the playoffs as opposed to finishing first.

As I mentioned having to close out what amounts to a long season by playing 6 games in 9 days is a recipe for fatigue and/or injury.
So even in a general sense I would rather see a rested team not finish first as opposed to a more fatigued team finsihing first.

 

[Drivesaitl]

While I completely agree....

Drivesaitl, your bias is showing here - you couldn't leave this one alone? There was nothing in my post that could be construed as me disregarding the contributions of other players to our PP... in fact I specifically mentioned our FOUR playmakers on the PP. I suppose I missed out on mentioning Hyman.

I was simply stating that Nuge's role is sometimes unheralded, which of course can only happen because he is overshadowed by the legitimately Elite HoF level talent he plays with... that was clearly implied. And, as evidence of his unheralded role, I was responding to a poster suggesting we replace him with Evander Kane - and gave the reasons why that wouldn't work.

Also... as further evidence of Nuge's influence on that PP. Check his historical PP60 numbers, they are legit top 10-20 of all time (and were so before McDrai arrived)... and if you recall, in McDrai's first couple of seasons brilliant Eakins had Letestu on PP1 in Nuge's current position and Nuge centering PP2. That change alone led to our PP going from bottom half to top-5 overnight simply due to the puck possession (repossession) attributed to Nuge (not that I should need to say this, but to be clear I mean vs Letestu, not vs McDrai... it being understood and obvious that they were already elite on their own in this regard)

Sorry, I missed what you were responding to. Haven't been reading the board too much lately. For sure Kane would be a poor option in that role. Henrique could be an option in the role. Nuge makes some sweet passes that are the right velocity to get there, and to one time. Even McD and Drai tend to put a bit too much sauce on the pass. With Nuge the pass arrives in a good spot and easier to get cadence shooting the puck.

 

[alanschu]

What Edmonton's PP has is an opportunity problem. 21st in the NHL for penalties drawn and 30th for PPTOI*, but when they're out there they score at an elite rate.

This still makes me angry XD.

I refuse to believe a team with McDavid (who somehow doesn't lead the league in penalties drawn) and another all-world talent with Draisaitl, combined with pretty decent team speed, isn't at least a top half team in drawing penalties.

Not that I think there is an *explicit* "don't call penalties in Edmonton's favor" but I do wonder if our PP efficiency does make ref's swallow their whistle from time to time.

 

[CycloneSweep]

He has struggled to get on the scoresheet but he's looked great otherwise this year in the few chances he's had while also being juggled across the lineup.

Maybe last year ruined his reputation for you where he often did look lost, but he's a different player this year. He's also only 22 yo and has 17 goals and 26 points in his last 30 AHL games.

Holloway has looked fine in his time here mostly. Doesn’t get a lot done and keeps his feet moving but doesn’t impact the game usually in a positive way, if he did, he wouldn’t keep getting sent down. If he was playing as good as you said he is, he wouldn’t be in the minors like he has been.

He did have a good game.

I don’t know the net was wide wide open. I don’t really blame Hill for panicking and over committing only to watch Ekholm clap it top shelf the other side haha.


I agree he looked great but this isn’t the first time he has looked great before going invisible.

He does seem way more confident though after his dominant stretch in the AHL. Maybe that’s all he needed.

Holloway has been good in the AHL lately so the extra confidence is nice. I hope he has finally learned that as a young player you have to bust your ass to earn those extra opportunities higher in the lineup. You can make yourself seen on the third and fourth line, which he did last night.

Thats something I am looking for in these guys, doesn’t matter where you play, make the most of your minutes, lots of young skilled guys don’t always get that and can be a hard transition for them.

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

We have more or less secured home ice in round one. Hope they keep it up.

 

[CycloneSweep]

Sorry, I missed what you were responding to. Haven't been reading the board too much lately. For sure Kane would be a poor option in that role. Henrique could be an option in the role. Nuge makes some sweet passes that are the right velocity to get there, and to one time. Even McD and Drai tend to put a bit too much sauce on the pass. With Nuge the pass arrives in a good spot and easier to get cadence shooting the puck.

Nuge is great on the PP cause it mostly eliminates his weaknesses. This year he is less effective cause he is back to post or just missing the net on most of his shots. His passing though is still great.

 

[Ibanez]

The one thing about Hill, he was injured and out since April 2nd and then comes back to this game and looks injured still, not sure he'll actually be viable for the playoffs.

Yeah he looked way off in terms of positioning and then seemed injured on that one play

 

[TopShelfGloveSide]

Holloway has looked fine in his time here mostly. Doesn’t get a lot done and keeps his feet moving but doesn’t impact the game usually in a positive way, if he did, he wouldn’t keep getting sent down. If he was playing as good as you said he is, he wouldn’t be in the minors like he has been.

He did have a good game.

Holloway has been good in the AHL lately so the extra confidence is nice. I hope he has finally learned that as a young player you have to bust your ass to earn those extra opportunities higher in the lineup. You can make yourself seen on the third and fourth line, which he did last night.

Thats something I am looking for in these guys, doesn’t matter where you play, make the most of your minutes, lots of young skilled guys don’t always get that and can be a hard transition for them.

Agreed. I always think of this Tom Brady interview when people talk about opportunity.

 

[Stoneman89]

And this is why you strive for home ice advantage. So much better at home. Would really like them to take advantage of that by coming out of the gates hard for game 1.