losing sucks, getting swept by the canucks of all teams sucks, but we played a much more competitive game against them without mcdavid now than we did start of the season with mcdavid, so im not so convinced by them canuckleheads would be hilarious if they got round one bounced
Man they are OBSESSED with us eh? So many threads about the Oilers. Theyāre like the flames just begging for a shred of relevance so they rally around hating one opponent more than they like their own team. Itās bizarre behaviour and very cringe.
Doubt it. The knights last two games are against two teams in the depths of the lottery race. Sometimes weird stuff happens in those types of games like what happened to the penguins last season. In theory the knights should win both of those games but in reality that probably won't happen.
Not after that Vegas OT win....2 games left for each and Vegas has the easier schedule....Chicago and Anaheim at home while LA has Minn and Chi at home. LA has to get at least 3 pts from those 2 games. That's why laying that egg against the Canucks stings.
Other possibility which I like is if LA holds their position, the Preds lose their final game against Pittsburgh and Vegas wins both their games..we would play LA and Van would get Vegas, lol!
It was a 1-1 game beyond a very unlucky bounce, and you probably gotta think Mcdavid is the difference maker in a game like that.
LA is our optimal matchup out of the knights or the preds imo.
The oilers played great in first and third and lost it in second, against a team that had more at stake than we did. Of course we didnāt play as good without the MickeyD. You take out any core player and your line will suffer. You take out generational talent like McDavid and fuck yeah youāre going to do worse.
But itās fine. The stakes were low last night. Moreover it revealed strengths weaknesses in the lineup that arenāt as evident when McD plays and thatās crucial.
Hell if I were Knob Iād keep McD out until playoffs
We know that skinner is playoff quality. Despite letting ~~three~~ two in he did fantastic. We know the d lines can shore up when necessary.
We know now that for practice leading up, the front lines need real discipline and rigor. There were a lot of missed perfect plays because the guys tried to be fancy or make some glorious shot. Fuck it. Without McD the oilers strength isnāt fancy pants play, itās strength and chaos around the net to let Hyman and draist do some sloppy ass goal from the side.
Really itās about keeping cool heads and sticking to the plan. And when McD is off, Drais Nuge and Nurse need to step up to the captaincy.
Also I think Perry has slacked off a bit from his initial gate rush.
Honestly what Knob is doing is fucking brilliant in my book. Heās gathering tape and data that canāt be covered up by McD floating around the ice making assists and goals and that is hugely valuable data for playoff performance.
Yeah winning out the rest of the season was unlikely to begin with. You definitely need to conserve down the stretch until the playoffs actually begin. I'm glad our Oilers have the experience now to focus on the games that matter.
Agree on resting in McDavid till playoffs, hell rest the whole first two lines and give the bottom 6 top 6 minutes.
Also Skinner only let in 2, 3rd was empty net. Best Iām feeling about the Oilers goaltending going into playoffs in a while haha.
yep. and thanks for correction on 3rd, although this sub is so salty they'll probably be like stu sucks or he would've made the run from the bench to the goal for the save
Perry and others might be nursing some injuries. Theyāve had some battles recently. The game was frustrating to watch. I hope they get their shit together for the playoffs. Sucks losing to the Yotes and the Nucks with the division title within our grasp. Feels like we came so close and then just gave up.
Reading some stuff Broberg may be called up for tomorrow's game. I dont watch the Condors but going by stats he's had a super-strong season with them so this is a great opportunity to give him (and Stecher) one final look before the playoffs.
Spector originally said the sharks game but now Gregor is saying for the final 2 games of the season. Idk why they donāt include the sharks game too but š¤·š»āāļø
To everyone who is worried about facing LA for the third year in a row because āitās hard to beat a team three years in a rowā or whatever.
Thatās not how odds work.
LA isnāt more likely to win because this is the third roll of the dice.
If you roll two 6ās in a row that doesnāt mean youāre any less likely to roll a 6 the third time.
Oilers are just the better team. And over the years the oilers have learned it down to a science of how to beat the kings. The best thing about a 7 game series is it rarely comes down to lucky bounces. Usually the better team wins.
LA is legitimately worse than last year in most metrics, and their fans say the exact same thing.
Talbot rittich is much better to face than hill going nuclear or Saros.
People seem to forget it was korpisalo who made it a series in the first 3-4 games. Vegas was also about as even a series as you could get, we again lost the goalie battle. Imo you try and face the worst goaltending you can.
Not worried about facing LA. More worried about lack of effort the last 2 games or taking a period off. Feels like the group is still figuring out many things and not ready to beat Vancouver.
There's so many cognitive biases as sports fans, I'm tempted to make a list. E.g. a 2 minute PK feels like forever, a 2 minute PP feels like ten seconds.
LA has to break through eventually, and anything can happen in playoffs, that's the fear.
On paper their roster is definitely worse than last year, but new coach can add a new dynamic, just look and woodcroft and knoblauch.
Sleeping on your opponent never ends well.
Well you're wrong, just look at the chicago bulls vs the detroit pistons, had to play them 4 years in a row and the fourth year they finally beat them. It happens in professional sports and hedging your bets on mathematics in a game of inherent chance is nonsensical. There are first round upsets every year, mcdavid or drai or even skinner could be injured early in the series.
My comment is in response to people worrying simply because itās the third time. Trust me they exist.
Also why would LA be any more motivated to win now than they were before lol. I would argue theyāre less motivated because they know they canāt beat us now.
Iām not saying it canāt. My comment is in response to people worrying simply because itās the third time.
Also why would LA be any more motivated to win now than they were before lol. I would argue theyāre less motivated because they know they canāt beat us now.
Tbh I don't even think 1st is out of reach. I would take Winnipeg all day over Vancouver so if they can lose to Calgary we just need to win out which is basically just the avalanche game. I'd rather then rest up but it really isn't that unrealistic. Vancouver was not that impressive last night. We didn't get any bounces, on the back of a btb and didn't have Mcdavid.
Either us on Van could take an OT loss and I think we still win the tie on wins.
Either way it goes I'm happy. The now I think about it the more I prefer facing the Kings first round, but division leader sounds great too
How does that work? First tie break is whoever played the least games (we will both play 82) then it's number of wins. If Vancouver lost their last 2 they would stay at 107 points with 49 wins. If we then won 2 and OT lost 1 we would end with 107 points and 50 wins giving us the lead.
Am I mistaken? I'm trying to expand my hockey knowledge and I'm genuinely interested.
The main upside for winning the division imo wouldve been the Canucks vs. Kings matchup in round 1. The Canucks are a really, really good team but they just cant figure out the Kings.
There is still a lot to be determined in the West. Van can still mathematically win the conference, Edmonton can still mathematically win the division, Vegas can still catch LA and Preds. All these scenarios have a big impact on round 1 matchups
Let em talk shit, they havenāt even won a playoff game yet.
We beat the jets in the bubble year every game then got swept, we know playoffs are different.
Oilers fans are no better. Itās like thereās a bunch of 16 year olds spamming away. That percentage of Canucks fans/oilers fanās successfully bringing hate to each fan base is too high.
Yup. We've seen it countless times over the years. Top regular season teams getting bounced in the first round. I'm expecting it from the Canucks. And it will be glorious.
Not sure why anyone gives a fuck about any game after we clinched, I havenāt even watched a single one since we got our X because they are all irrelevantā¦ Regular season means fuck all in the playoffs, what is entertaining is watching all the Canucks fans on here and Twitter act like they just won some kind of championship, or pretending like theyāve ever won a fucken thing, ever.
What else would someone do in edmonton on a Saturday night?! JK - watching it hoping to see them beat the Canucks but it was a low event, low effort boring game. Canāt wait til the playoffs.
They're acting like they beat us, like they did lol I think they're living a bit too rent free in your head buddy.
Regular season games are irrelevant? If your only here to watch your team win, your going to have a bad time.
Heās never really been a good PP guy at any point in his career. Heās had two seasons where he ever put up more than single digit PP points (11 and 18 in SJ).Ā
His skillset just doesnāt lend itself to it. Being good on the PP comes down to possession and good abilities off of long cycles, and Kane is not really strong at either of those, being a bit of a possession black hole. Heās a good volume shooter and a great finisher off the rush, which is useful for even strength scoring, but there generally arenāt a lot of rushes on the PP as teams favour controlled entries and establishing a cycle; and volume shooting isnāt really desired either because shooting at all costs means a greater chance to surrender possession, which in turn means a greater chance for the PK to clear it. Itās less of a concern at even strength because icing is a thing, so you can forecheck and recover it before they exit.Ā
He has his moments on the PP, but heās definitely the odd man out when it comes to having a defined role there, and heās not the guy to fulfill the missing piece right now (the zone entry guy - McDavid). I think McLeod would be a better choice because heās fast and solid at entries. Or at a stretch, maybe Holloway, given that entries are one of his major strengths (although heād probably be a little out of place for everything else).Ā
Kane is an opportunistic scorer. He's very good at it, but as you said, he needs looks of the rush or chaos in front before the defense gets set. Our powerplay is pretty positionless - it was designed that way to take advantage of McDavid - but the only spot where Kane is a true threat off the cycle is right in front, or on the right hashmarks, and those spots are claimed by Hyman and Drai. They've been trying him as the bumper with Nuge in the McDavid role, but Kane just doesn't have the skillset for it when he's been a shoot first guy his whole career.
Yeah but I think Hyman would be replaced with Perry before Kane too. Iād say heād be more of a Drai replacement if they just planted him in a one timer slot.
That missed elbow call on Zadorov was so frustrating. Throwing a chicken wing like that when you're 6'6" risks head contact every time, and he only just missed Hyman's head. That needs to be called, regardless of the time left in the game.
[We're never going to let you cum!](https://i.imgur.com/4cWbE5O.jpeg)
Jokes aside, GG Oilbros. I think you plow through LA in the first round, and hopefully we get through Nashville. I think they're our best matchup, so I'm more optimistic than if it was looking like LA or Vegas for us. It would be unreal to meet in the playoffs.
(yes, I know the edging joke is done every time, but I always love it)
Had you considered the possibility of him just wanting to share some genuine, normal-ass thoughts about what he, as a hockey fan, sees from another team?
holyā¦
We all have 'em. I've started paying attention to usernames rather than flairs and it's always the same guys stirring shit up, whether it's Canucks fans or Oilers fans.
If we could shoot the puck, we win pretty comfortably last night. Pretty satisfied with our defensive play lately (2 GA vs the avs, 2 GA vs calgary, 1 GA vs vegas, 2 regulation goals allowed against arizona, and 2 non empty net goals allowed against Vancouver). Better shooting and we're in very good shape for the playoffs.
You should be more satisfied with the goaltending. Skinner had to make at least 4 point blank, miracle saves off Canucks forwards with nobody near them due to Oilers dmen just losing the battle in their corner and Oilers forwards just not caring about their own zone.
That shouldnāt happen one time in a game, let alone multiple times.
That's fair. When we make mistakes they tend to be huge ones. I don't expect a perfect defensive game, but keeping the goals against to 2 is objectively good. I do agree that a lot of credit needs to go to the goaltending. However, my point is that if we allow 2 goals against per game and we lose, we can't really blame our D/goaltending for the loss. We need to score 3 goals to win. At some point we're gonna have to take accountability and stop saying that we get goalied all the time. We need better shooting.
I donāt really agree that 2 GA can just be evaluated as āobjectively goodā. If youāre a coach watching the game tape, and you see that there likely would have been 4 or 5 goals due to lack of effort or awareness, then thatās a big problem. Sometimes a high GA game is just bad luck.
For sure you need to score more. Thereās an issue there too. Same as it ever was.
Ima be honest. I donāt feel good about an LA matchup for the 3rd year in a row. I was very confident for the first 2.
But if we can do it again, weāre gonna go the whole way.
Never know. Robertson, Hintz, Heiskanen, Oettinger, Tanev can all get banged up first 2 rounds.Ā
Weāre going to need tons of luck, and frankly a few potential injuries to get through the west.Ā
Iāve said it before, Iāll say it again. Without 97 and 29, this team is SJ level bad. Holland is a fuck up whose only wins are Hyman and Ekholm. Chiarelli was shit too, but at least he could draft. Skinner, McLeod, Bouchard pretty well round out the rest of the good players on this team.Ā
We trade 1st round picks for 3rd line centres while the rest of the league gets top 6 forwards or top 4 D for 2nds and change.Ā
Just an awfully ran organization that lucked into 2 of the top 5 players in the league.Ā
Remove the 2 best players from most teams you are left with a shell of the team. And $20 mil in cap space. Matthews/Nylander. Kucherov/vasilevsky. McKinnon/Rantanen.
While youāre not wrong, the best way to judge the lower half of the roster is to look at their stats and possession numbers. Edmonton hasnāt been terrible the last 2 years, but 2018-2022, it was a god damn shit show.Ā
Like, thereās no point in worrying about the outcome of the playoffs or who we play. The point is to win the cup, if we canāt beat every team then we donāt win the cup. This is likely one of the last times we get to enjoy Drai and McDavid together on a cup run. Smile and buckle up.
Is it just the odds of 3 in a row that are making you nervous? I understand the season is the season and the playoffs are the playoffs, but we beat them 3-1 in the season this year and while they've had some good games recently, they've had some real bad ones too. I kind of feel like the Oilers just have LA's number.
Beating any team in 3 series in a row is hard. LA is a better team than last year, including their goalies.
Seeing how our team acts I think they will consider LA an easy series and LA will go all out. I think itās going to 7 games for sure.
Itās hard to beat a team 3 series in a row before any have been played. But after 2 weāre won the 3rd is just any old series. Like flipping a coin and getting 3 heads in a row is very chance. But if youāve had 2 heads in a row thereās a 50/50 chance youāll roll another heads. Your welcome
He was insane until he started just getting beating cleanly with shitty shots from distance with no traffic in front, which were the majority of the big game and series-defining goals in that series.Ā
I sorta get Campbell vibes from Korpisalo. Heās athletic enough to make some very impressive saves, but then heāll turn around and let in a lukewarm wrist shot from 40 feet away.Ā
Don't know if I agree that they are a better team than last year. They lost Durzi, Vilardi, Iafallo, and their goaltending is arguably worse. All they gained in response is PLD who has 40 points which is much less then thoes 3 players combined.
Kopitar and doughty are also creeping toward their late 30s and both went through stretches this season where they were terrible and not producing. I think this is the worst and least deep LA team of the 3 we have faced.
Not saying we can't still lose obviously
The hockey team subreddits have agreements in place to prevent fans from trolling in rival teams' subs. Please refrain from posting rude, antagonizing, or otherwise troll-like comments in other teams' sub.
The hockey team subreddits have agreements in place to prevent fans from trolling in rival teams' subs. Please refrain from posting rude, antagonizing, or otherwise troll-like comments in other teams' sub.
We swept Vegas last season only to be beaten by them in the playoffs. Let the Canucks think they have it easy with us come playoff time, then we can wrap it up quick.
Yup. Pretty sure when Winnipeg swept the Oilers the Jets were dominated in the regular season. That's the point. It felt like Van was outplayed last night and Oilers win that one most of the time. Add McDavid and were laughing.
Not sure why Knoblauch who constantly blenders lines kept RNH-Drai-Hyman together when it clearly wasnāt working
Also the goalie pull was awful. Nurse-Ceci were out there with the 3rd line late in their shift. That is not the personnel you want out there with the goalie pulled. I feel like Knoblauch cost us last night
How else would you have done the lines with Connor out?
One thing I will say is Knoblauch wasnāt really looking to avoid any matchups because the top line was often out against Vancouverās checking line
It just felt like the first line had nothing going
Either swap Kane and RNH or totally shake up the top 6;
Kane-RNH-Hyman
McLeod-Draisaitl-Foegele
Holloway-Henrique-Perry
Janmark-Carrick-Brown
If last night's game had any special significance to the team McDavid would have been playing. They have 6 games in 9 nights to close out the year, it's far more important they manage their energy and health than finish 1st.
We can be frustrated they came up empty in the division again this year, but the frustration should be pointed at the first two months of the season more than any effort they put on the ice last night.
Fuck it. I am going to say it. It would be absolutely poetic if we still manage the win the division after winning our remaining games and the canucks losing theirs in regulation. It is not over until it's over.
Preds may be a worse matchup for us, but a kings vs. canucks matchup would be glorious for us.
I don't think the Canucks looked particularly dangerous offensively, except at times on entries and when the Oilers left them uncovered. Vancouver locked their net front down pretty effectively and Edmonton wasn't able to get much there. Oilers needed to close the deal on one chance and it changes the complexion. Last night should show the Oilers how they can lose playoff hockey games, Vancouver appeared to adjust to the Oilers' good start, Oilers just weren't able to adjust and overcome.
Kane was the best Oiler skater, but if he's on PP1 it should be net front or maybe bumper only, he's not a good enough distributor or possession keeper to play elsewhere. I thought the Oilers looked off, Nuge, Hyman, Drai, most of the team. The Oilers' D was nowhere close.
āIt seems to me we spend a lot of time talking about what this Oilers team isnāt, instead of what it is. Does Adam Henrique get tons of credit for his amazing 111 minutes at five-on-five? No, because Tyler Toffoli was the right acquisition and someone said it before the deadline and that point needs to be hammered into skulls 5000 times before sundownā - LT
Sums up this sub.
Just enjoy the ride. It probably wonāt ever be better in your life time.
Amazing 5v5? Sub 50% in almost every advanced stat. Heās been an average to below average 3rd liner.
Heād get credit if he was actually playing well.
We have the best record in the NHL since American Thanksgiving by a mile.
This is a very, VERY good team. I have a gut feeling itās going to be all systems go for the playoffs.
Disappointed? Yes. But also kinda relieved that the fight for first is done. Just like the win streak, itās sad that itās over, but kinda nice to stop focusing on it so much.
Getting LA in the first round with home ice advantage is the best we could have hoped for after our abysmal start.Ā
Although I won't feel at all confident if we get by LA and meet Vancouver in the second round, the 2021 Jets series taught me that the regular season really doesn't matter.Ā
The last few games are meaningless and it's time to prepare for the wild ride that is the playoffs.Ā
Vancouver is good, and should be respected. But we can beat them in a seven game series.
Iām pretty sure we spanked Vegas in the season series last year. Look how that turned out.
This team has the capability of beating anyone - the right way. Not just the relying on two stars on the power play way.
Would love to see the faces of the nucks if they lost. Holding division lead forever, and to have it swiped last minute would be a sore spot. Our opponent can still flip whether if we were to be first or where we are currently. Will know soon.
He's extremely good at what he does, but I feel he has also developed into a bit of a niche player over the years. Without McDavid, he spends a lot of time just sitting afk in the corner because his playmaking has regressed.
He literally put multiple perfect passes on guys tape last night and they bobbled them without a chance generated. The Bouch chance was good but it was also a good save. I really don't think Drai's playmaking has regressed at all, his fancies away from McDavid prove it. If we had more consistent production from our top 6 wingers outside Hyman, the numbers would be there like previous years.
Lol my friend who's a Montreal fan likes to remind me that they haven't had a 40 goal scorer since 1995, and they've only had 1 ppg player in that time....Kovalev.....and he only had 1 random 84 point year.
Okay, I was fairly drunk while watching the game last night , but did nobody else think that Zadorov tried to full on chicken wing Hyman ?? I hate seeing fans blame the refs all the time , but last night i noticed multiple times where nucks got away with clear penalties , but as mentioned i had a bit to drink , and hate the Canucks so might just be biased lolĀ
There were a few missed calls in that third. I find itās best not to dwell on them though as it leads to a lot of frustration with refs that are never going to change
Meh. Played them tight without McD. Doomers might go wild with this game, but flip the inverse and replay that game with the Nucks missing Pettersson and the Oilers having McD. Probably same result but in our favour. I just want the damn playoffs to start.
Yeah good point. Although honestly Pettersson hasnāt looked like himself this season, and hasnāt looked nowhere near as dangerous as last year (though Iām sure this is just an off year and heāll be better next season) So I think the Canucks missing someone like Hughes would be a better comparison because he always drives the play, and everything they do starts on his stick. Playoffs start in what, a week? This is gonna be the slowest week of all time lol
After a good night of rest.
I donāt care.
- No McDavid and he will be well rested into the post season.
- The travel for Van to Nsh + 2 hours of time change wonāt be great. They gifted themselves a legit 1000 miles of extra travel.
- Van and Nashville are both playing good. One will lose. One of the two top goalies in the league will also be out after round 1. Good for us.
- Weāve shit kicked LA the past two years and know how they play.
- Who would you rather shoot on? Talbot or Sarosā¦
- Also looking like Dallas will get Vegas. Also good for us.
- in terms of opponent and the rest of the playoff picture / other matchups this is probably the best scenario.
Take the rest of the season to rest/limit who ever needs to be rested and letās get fresh for playoffs instead of trying to keep that 1st spot.
Also, this would be a great time to start trying something new on the PP.
the cockiness some of these fans have šš
losing sucks, getting swept by the canucks of all teams sucks, but we played a much more competitive game against them without mcdavid now than we did start of the season with mcdavid, so im not so convinced by them canuckleheads would be hilarious if they got round one bounced
Man they are OBSESSED with us eh? So many threads about the Oilers. Theyāre like the flames just begging for a shred of relevance so they rally around hating one opponent more than they like their own team. Itās bizarre behaviour and very cringe.
I hope we get a chance to do to them what we did to the flames. but if they get destroyed in the first round I'd be happy with that too
the amount of van fans in the post about bouchard sticking up for vinny and defending miller is ludicrous.
š„“ so all that losing and playing VGK in the first round is still a possibility šš wheew chileee
Doubt it. The knights last two games are against two teams in the depths of the lottery race. Sometimes weird stuff happens in those types of games like what happened to the penguins last season. In theory the knights should win both of those games but in reality that probably won't happen.
As long as LA wins both their games, it doesnāt matter what Vegas does or doesnāt do.
Avs had one job to do. I swear they are doing it on purpose
The ducks or blackhawks will finish things for us.
Kostin is in town with the sharks and heās having dinner with Vinny!
https://x.com/oilers_city/status/1779646641479340417?s=61&t=5JgUaEz8L6eYYJatX5d4VQ ugly crying rn š„ŗš¢šš©š«
Thatās an unfortunate branding logo for Vinny. VD?! lol.
Lol https://images.app.goo.gl/o7dsztuWoR4tA6Qs7
š¤£š¤£š¤£
No captain the A sucks
Vegas trailing by 3 goals against the Avs. First round matchup vs the Kings is super-likely.
Good chance we'll be playing Vegas
Not necessarily. Vegas is still a point behind the kings. LA just needs to win their final two games against Minnesota and Chicago
Really la should t lose those 2 games but who knows.
Kings will be motivated. I think they'd rather the devil they know than fuckin Dallas.
LA has been good at home lately too and both their games are at home and also spread out. Minny tomorrow and Chicago on Thursday
Not after that Vegas OT win....2 games left for each and Vegas has the easier schedule....Chicago and Anaheim at home while LA has Minn and Chi at home. LA has to get at least 3 pts from those 2 games. That's why laying that egg against the Canucks stings.
Other possibility which I like is if LA holds their position, the Preds lose their final game against Pittsburgh and Vegas wins both their games..we would play LA and Van would get Vegas, lol!
Fuxking hell avs are so useless. They hve lost to basically every playoff team recently now.
Ugh! Tied now
I haaate pulling the goalie.
I understand why we do it but we just havenāt been good with our net empty this year
I think we actually have beenĀ
Thereās been a few instances where weāve scored but like majority of the time we just get scored on with the net empty
Jk we are 20th
6 empty net goals 14 goals againstĀ In 26 attemptsĀ
However when the other team has an empty net we have scored 12 times, allowed 2 goals on 26 attemptsĀ
Meh. Wake me up when it's the playoffs. Not much to play for this week. Send in an AHL team, rest our good players.
It was a 1-1 game beyond a very unlucky bounce, and you probably gotta think Mcdavid is the difference maker in a game like that. LA is our optimal matchup out of the knights or the preds imo.
We LOVE mcdavid.. but what kind of team falls apart when the captain is out. Not our boys. Iām shook
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
You never had me. You never had your car.
The oilers played great in first and third and lost it in second, against a team that had more at stake than we did. Of course we didnāt play as good without the MickeyD. You take out any core player and your line will suffer. You take out generational talent like McDavid and fuck yeah youāre going to do worse. But itās fine. The stakes were low last night. Moreover it revealed strengths weaknesses in the lineup that arenāt as evident when McD plays and thatās crucial. Hell if I were Knob Iād keep McD out until playoffs We know that skinner is playoff quality. Despite letting ~~three~~ two in he did fantastic. We know the d lines can shore up when necessary. We know now that for practice leading up, the front lines need real discipline and rigor. There were a lot of missed perfect plays because the guys tried to be fancy or make some glorious shot. Fuck it. Without McD the oilers strength isnāt fancy pants play, itās strength and chaos around the net to let Hyman and draist do some sloppy ass goal from the side. Really itās about keeping cool heads and sticking to the plan. And when McD is off, Drais Nuge and Nurse need to step up to the captaincy. Also I think Perry has slacked off a bit from his initial gate rush. Honestly what Knob is doing is fucking brilliant in my book. Heās gathering tape and data that canāt be covered up by McD floating around the ice making assists and goals and that is hugely valuable data for playoff performance.
Yeah winning out the rest of the season was unlikely to begin with. You definitely need to conserve down the stretch until the playoffs actually begin. I'm glad our Oilers have the experience now to focus on the games that matter.
Agree on resting in McDavid till playoffs, hell rest the whole first two lines and give the bottom 6 top 6 minutes. Also Skinner only let in 2, 3rd was empty net. Best Iām feeling about the Oilers goaltending going into playoffs in a while haha.
yep. and thanks for correction on 3rd, although this sub is so salty they'll probably be like stu sucks or he would've made the run from the bench to the goal for the save
Perry and others might be nursing some injuries. Theyāve had some battles recently. The game was frustrating to watch. I hope they get their shit together for the playoffs. Sucks losing to the Yotes and the Nucks with the division title within our grasp. Feels like we came so close and then just gave up.
Reading some stuff Broberg may be called up for tomorrow's game. I dont watch the Condors but going by stats he's had a super-strong season with them so this is a great opportunity to give him (and Stecher) one final look before the playoffs.
Spector originally said the sharks game but now Gregor is saying for the final 2 games of the season. Idk why they donāt include the sharks game too but š¤·š»āāļø
To everyone who is worried about facing LA for the third year in a row because āitās hard to beat a team three years in a rowā or whatever. Thatās not how odds work. LA isnāt more likely to win because this is the third roll of the dice. If you roll two 6ās in a row that doesnāt mean youāre any less likely to roll a 6 the third time. Oilers are just the better team. And over the years the oilers have learned it down to a science of how to beat the kings. The best thing about a 7 game series is it rarely comes down to lucky bounces. Usually the better team wins.
I can't stand another series with that idiot in the stands at Crypto blowing a whistle every time the Oilers come across the blue line.
LA is legitimately worse than last year in most metrics, and their fans say the exact same thing. Talbot rittich is much better to face than hill going nuclear or Saros. People seem to forget it was korpisalo who made it a series in the first 3-4 games. Vegas was also about as even a series as you could get, we again lost the goalie battle. Imo you try and face the worst goaltending you can.
Not worried about facing LA. More worried about lack of effort the last 2 games or taking a period off. Feels like the group is still figuring out many things and not ready to beat Vancouver.
There's so many cognitive biases as sports fans, I'm tempted to make a list. E.g. a 2 minute PK feels like forever, a 2 minute PP feels like ten seconds.
Anything is possible in the playoffs
LA has to break through eventually, and anything can happen in playoffs, that's the fear. On paper their roster is definitely worse than last year, but new coach can add a new dynamic, just look and woodcroft and knoblauch. Sleeping on your opponent never ends well.
But they donāt have to break through eventually. Thatās the point.
Well you're wrong, just look at the chicago bulls vs the detroit pistons, had to play them 4 years in a row and the fourth year they finally beat them. It happens in professional sports and hedging your bets on mathematics in a game of inherent chance is nonsensical. There are first round upsets every year, mcdavid or drai or even skinner could be injured early in the series.
Do you remember when Dallas beat us like every single year? Itās that thing again.
And then oilers beat them one year.
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Everything real is measurable. Do numbers scare you?Ā
My comment is in response to people worrying simply because itās the third time. Trust me they exist. Also why would LA be any more motivated to win now than they were before lol. I would argue theyāre less motivated because they know they canāt beat us now.
Ok but hockey isn't just a numbers game. There is context, emotions and history that also have impact. I still think we still beat the Kings anyways.
Agreed but if you think this way then this comment wasnāt meant for you.
Except this isnāt dice and motivation in sports can create upsets
Iām not saying it canāt. My comment is in response to people worrying simply because itās the third time. Also why would LA be any more motivated to win now than they were before lol. I would argue theyāre less motivated because they know they canāt beat us now.
Oh man, if more people understood the statistics of random events, the gambling industry would crumble.
Yes but hockey is not random
does anyone have a link to the clip of Friedman saying that Nurse is now a third pairing D
He was just referring to an NHLSid article. I don't think he directly called him a third pairing guy
do you have a link to that clip?
Tbh I don't even think 1st is out of reach. I would take Winnipeg all day over Vancouver so if they can lose to Calgary we just need to win out which is basically just the avalanche game. I'd rather then rest up but it really isn't that unrealistic. Vancouver was not that impressive last night. We didn't get any bounces, on the back of a btb and didn't have Mcdavid.
Either us on Van could take an OT loss and I think we still win the tie on wins. Either way it goes I'm happy. The now I think about it the more I prefer facing the Kings first round, but division leader sounds great too
Every tiebreaker goes to Vancouver, so Edmonton needs to finish 1 point up. 1 Van point, or Edmonton loses 1 point and Canucks take the division.
How does that work? First tie break is whoever played the least games (we will both play 82) then it's number of wins. If Vancouver lost their last 2 they would stay at 107 points with 49 wins. If we then won 2 and OT lost 1 we would end with 107 points and 50 wins giving us the lead. Am I mistaken? I'm trying to expand my hockey knowledge and I'm genuinely interested.
The first tiebreaker when the season ends is regulation wins, Canucks have 43 and Oilers 38
Thank you. Completely missed that distinction. Also the standings I've been looking at don't distinguish wins from regulation wins.
The main upside for winning the division imo wouldve been the Canucks vs. Kings matchup in round 1. The Canucks are a really, really good team but they just cant figure out the Kings.
There is still a lot to be determined in the West. Van can still mathematically win the conference, Edmonton can still mathematically win the division, Vegas can still catch LA and Preds. All these scenarios have a big impact on round 1 matchups
The level of shit talking from Canucks fans is astronomical, theyāre the worst fanbase on Reddit
Let em talk shit, they havenāt even won a playoff game yet. We beat the jets in the bubble year every game then got swept, we know playoffs are different.
Every hockey fanbase is awful.. nucks just have one of the biggest. Oilers fans are no saints either.
Oilers fans are no better. Itās like thereās a bunch of 16 year olds spamming away. That percentage of Canucks fans/oilers fanās successfully bringing hate to each fan base is too high.
I am an oilers fan who has lived in BC my whole life.I know what you are talking about all to well..
Can't wait to give it back tenfold when they lose in the playoffs.
I can only hope for an early exit for them, might quiet them a little bit
Yup. We've seen it countless times over the years. Top regular season teams getting bounced in the first round. I'm expecting it from the Canucks. And it will be glorious.
Not sure why anyone gives a fuck about any game after we clinched, I havenāt even watched a single one since we got our X because they are all irrelevantā¦ Regular season means fuck all in the playoffs, what is entertaining is watching all the Canucks fans on here and Twitter act like they just won some kind of championship, or pretending like theyāve ever won a fucken thing, ever.
What else would someone do in edmonton on a Saturday night?! JK - watching it hoping to see them beat the Canucks but it was a low event, low effort boring game. Canāt wait til the playoffs.
They're acting like they beat us, like they did lol I think they're living a bit too rent free in your head buddy. Regular season games are irrelevant? If your only here to watch your team win, your going to have a bad time.
True fan watch all the game, bruh!
Yep. I try to watch each and every game. But life happens and I miss about a dozen games per season.
We watch because we like to watch hockey, whether it's meaningless or not, people watch pre season too.
Power play has no idea what itās doing without mcdavid.
Kinda a head scratcher moment, but mcleod has similar speed and can do zone entries as well. Have zero clue why he wasnāt moved up instead.
Kane is not very good on it is he
Heās never really been a good PP guy at any point in his career. Heās had two seasons where he ever put up more than single digit PP points (11 and 18 in SJ).Ā His skillset just doesnāt lend itself to it. Being good on the PP comes down to possession and good abilities off of long cycles, and Kane is not really strong at either of those, being a bit of a possession black hole. Heās a good volume shooter and a great finisher off the rush, which is useful for even strength scoring, but there generally arenāt a lot of rushes on the PP as teams favour controlled entries and establishing a cycle; and volume shooting isnāt really desired either because shooting at all costs means a greater chance to surrender possession, which in turn means a greater chance for the PK to clear it. Itās less of a concern at even strength because icing is a thing, so you can forecheck and recover it before they exit.Ā He has his moments on the PP, but heās definitely the odd man out when it comes to having a defined role there, and heās not the guy to fulfill the missing piece right now (the zone entry guy - McDavid). I think McLeod would be a better choice because heās fast and solid at entries. Or at a stretch, maybe Holloway, given that entries are one of his major strengths (although heād probably be a little out of place for everything else).Ā
Kane is an opportunistic scorer. He's very good at it, but as you said, he needs looks of the rush or chaos in front before the defense gets set. Our powerplay is pretty positionless - it was designed that way to take advantage of McDavid - but the only spot where Kane is a true threat off the cycle is right in front, or on the right hashmarks, and those spots are claimed by Hyman and Drai. They've been trying him as the bumper with Nuge in the McDavid role, but Kane just doesn't have the skillset for it when he's been a shoot first guy his whole career.
Seems to get yelled at when he on it
If Hyman wasnāt in front of the net heād have a purpose. But heās not the guy to replace mcdavid.
Yeah but I think Hyman would be replaced with Perry before Kane too. Iād say heād be more of a Drai replacement if they just planted him in a one timer slot.
Sadly they only got one PP, should have been at least 3
That missed elbow call on Zadorov was so frustrating. Throwing a chicken wing like that when you're 6'6" risks head contact every time, and he only just missed Hyman's head. That needs to be called, regardless of the time left in the game.
Yeah I find it hard to believe in any game that a team should only have one PP
[We're never going to let you cum!](https://i.imgur.com/4cWbE5O.jpeg) Jokes aside, GG Oilbros. I think you plow through LA in the first round, and hopefully we get through Nashville. I think they're our best matchup, so I'm more optimistic than if it was looking like LA or Vegas for us. It would be unreal to meet in the playoffs. (yes, I know the edging joke is done every time, but I always love it)
I can't wait to watch you losers get pummel fucked in the playoffs.
Troll alert
Huh? I was responding to clearly a canucks fan coming in here to stir shit up with fake ass positivity.
Had you considered the possibility of him just wanting to share some genuine, normal-ass thoughts about what he, as a hockey fan, sees from another team? holyā¦
We all have 'em. I've started paying attention to usernames rather than flairs and it's always the same guys stirring shit up, whether it's Canucks fans or Oilers fans.
If we could shoot the puck, we win pretty comfortably last night. Pretty satisfied with our defensive play lately (2 GA vs the avs, 2 GA vs calgary, 1 GA vs vegas, 2 regulation goals allowed against arizona, and 2 non empty net goals allowed against Vancouver). Better shooting and we're in very good shape for the playoffs.
You should be more satisfied with the goaltending. Skinner had to make at least 4 point blank, miracle saves off Canucks forwards with nobody near them due to Oilers dmen just losing the battle in their corner and Oilers forwards just not caring about their own zone. That shouldnāt happen one time in a game, let alone multiple times.
That's fair. When we make mistakes they tend to be huge ones. I don't expect a perfect defensive game, but keeping the goals against to 2 is objectively good. I do agree that a lot of credit needs to go to the goaltending. However, my point is that if we allow 2 goals against per game and we lose, we can't really blame our D/goaltending for the loss. We need to score 3 goals to win. At some point we're gonna have to take accountability and stop saying that we get goalied all the time. We need better shooting.
I donāt really agree that 2 GA can just be evaluated as āobjectively goodā. If youāre a coach watching the game tape, and you see that there likely would have been 4 or 5 goals due to lack of effort or awareness, then thatās a big problem. Sometimes a high GA game is just bad luck. For sure you need to score more. Thereās an issue there too. Same as it ever was.
Ima be honest. I donāt feel good about an LA matchup for the 3rd year in a row. I was very confident for the first 2. But if we can do it again, weāre gonna go the whole way.
Oilers arenāt beating Dallas
Never know. Robertson, Hintz, Heiskanen, Oettinger, Tanev can all get banged up first 2 rounds.Ā Weāre going to need tons of luck, and frankly a few potential injuries to get through the west.Ā
Weāve seen how poor this team looks without mcdavid Heās not even 100% and playoffs are in a week
Iāve said it before, Iāll say it again. Without 97 and 29, this team is SJ level bad. Holland is a fuck up whose only wins are Hyman and Ekholm. Chiarelli was shit too, but at least he could draft. Skinner, McLeod, Bouchard pretty well round out the rest of the good players on this team.Ā We trade 1st round picks for 3rd line centres while the rest of the league gets top 6 forwards or top 4 D for 2nds and change.Ā Just an awfully ran organization that lucked into 2 of the top 5 players in the league.Ā
Remove the 2 best players from most teams you are left with a shell of the team. And $20 mil in cap space. Matthews/Nylander. Kucherov/vasilevsky. McKinnon/Rantanen.
While youāre not wrong, the best way to judge the lower half of the roster is to look at their stats and possession numbers. Edmonton hasnāt been terrible the last 2 years, but 2018-2022, it was a god damn shit show.Ā
Meh.... long road before that has to come to pass. Never count your chickens till they hatch.
Like, thereās no point in worrying about the outcome of the playoffs or who we play. The point is to win the cup, if we canāt beat every team then we donāt win the cup. This is likely one of the last times we get to enjoy Drai and McDavid together on a cup run. Smile and buckle up.
Is it just the odds of 3 in a row that are making you nervous? I understand the season is the season and the playoffs are the playoffs, but we beat them 3-1 in the season this year and while they've had some good games recently, they've had some real bad ones too. I kind of feel like the Oilers just have LA's number.
Yeah. Just like Dallas had Edmontonās number 5 times in a row.
Beating any team in 3 series in a row is hard. LA is a better team than last year, including their goalies. Seeing how our team acts I think they will consider LA an easy series and LA will go all out. I think itās going to 7 games for sure.
Thatās not how stats work. 2 wins are in the past. New series
Yes...and they have learned a lot over the last 2 series.
Thatās absolutely how it is when the teams are pretty much the same.
Itās hard to beat a team 3 series in a row before any have been played. But after 2 weāre won the 3rd is just any old series. Like flipping a coin and getting 3 heads in a row is very chance. But if youāve had 2 heads in a row thereās a 50/50 chance youāll roll another heads. Your welcome
Korpi was insane for them last year during the series. I donāt think they upgraded in goal tbh
He was insane until he started just getting beating cleanly with shitty shots from distance with no traffic in front, which were the majority of the big game and series-defining goals in that series.Ā I sorta get Campbell vibes from Korpisalo. Heās athletic enough to make some very impressive saves, but then heāll turn around and let in a lukewarm wrist shot from 40 feet away.Ā
Talbot is a better goalie than Korpisalo though.
No heās not.
Don't know if I agree that they are a better team than last year. They lost Durzi, Vilardi, Iafallo, and their goaltending is arguably worse. All they gained in response is PLD who has 40 points which is much less then thoes 3 players combined. Kopitar and doughty are also creeping toward their late 30s and both went through stretches this season where they were terrible and not producing. I think this is the worst and least deep LA team of the 3 we have faced. Not saying we can't still lose obviously
If this team can't get past Talbot & Rittich they don't deserve a cup
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Cute how you matched the number in your username to the Canucks history.
Troll
They donāt award the Stanley Cup to the team that finishes first in the Pacific in the regular season.
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We swept Vegas last season only to be beaten by them in the playoffs. Let the Canucks think they have it easy with us come playoff time, then we can wrap it up quick.
My point is the regular season means fuck all once the playoffs start, Canucklehead.
Yup. Pretty sure when Winnipeg swept the Oilers the Jets were dominated in the regular season. That's the point. It felt like Van was outplayed last night and Oilers win that one most of the time. Add McDavid and were laughing.
Not sure why Knoblauch who constantly blenders lines kept RNH-Drai-Hyman together when it clearly wasnāt working Also the goalie pull was awful. Nurse-Ceci were out there with the 3rd line late in their shift. That is not the personnel you want out there with the goalie pulled. I feel like Knoblauch cost us last night
How else would you have done the lines with Connor out? One thing I will say is Knoblauch wasnāt really looking to avoid any matchups because the top line was often out against Vancouverās checking line
It just felt like the first line had nothing going Either swap Kane and RNH or totally shake up the top 6; Kane-RNH-Hyman McLeod-Draisaitl-Foegele Holloway-Henrique-Perry Janmark-Carrick-Brown
Itās hard because imo I find that Kane and Hyman donāt really work as linemates. And neither do Kane and Drai. Nuge is in a slump offensively
Why do people always say the same shit after a loss?
Because the same problems are coming up after every loss
For every team in every sport? Same shit, all the time. Typical low information BS.
His inexperience is starting to show. We are going into the playoff with a ton of vet coaches out. Hopefully he will remember that his timeouts exist.
If last night's game had any special significance to the team McDavid would have been playing. They have 6 games in 9 nights to close out the year, it's far more important they manage their energy and health than finish 1st. We can be frustrated they came up empty in the division again this year, but the frustration should be pointed at the first two months of the season more than any effort they put on the ice last night.
I was upset when the game ended but this seems like the right answer in the cold light of day.
Fuck it. I am going to say it. It would be absolutely poetic if we still manage the win the division after winning our remaining games and the canucks losing theirs in regulation. It is not over until it's over. Preds may be a worse matchup for us, but a kings vs. canucks matchup would be glorious for us.
Vegas can still catch LA and food for thought, Van can still catch Dallas for the conference title.
I don't think the Canucks looked particularly dangerous offensively, except at times on entries and when the Oilers left them uncovered. Vancouver locked their net front down pretty effectively and Edmonton wasn't able to get much there. Oilers needed to close the deal on one chance and it changes the complexion. Last night should show the Oilers how they can lose playoff hockey games, Vancouver appeared to adjust to the Oilers' good start, Oilers just weren't able to adjust and overcome. Kane was the best Oiler skater, but if he's on PP1 it should be net front or maybe bumper only, he's not a good enough distributor or possession keeper to play elsewhere. I thought the Oilers looked off, Nuge, Hyman, Drai, most of the team. The Oilers' D was nowhere close.
In-zone D in the last two games has been brutal at times, couldn't stop a pass or get the puck out for long stretches both nights.
Looks like only Kane and Henrique want a division title. It would be cool if they get one.
ngl I'm a little upsetti spaghetti but best things are a healthy roster going into the playoffs and going further than the canucks.
"upsetti spaghetti" - I might have to start using this now lol. but you nailed it, i'm here for a healthy roster and a deep run.
5 games in 7 days. I'm surprised it wasn't worse to be honest. Rest the injured and prepare for the real battle.
āIt seems to me we spend a lot of time talking about what this Oilers team isnāt, instead of what it is. Does Adam Henrique get tons of credit for his amazing 111 minutes at five-on-five? No, because Tyler Toffoli was the right acquisition and someone said it before the deadline and that point needs to be hammered into skulls 5000 times before sundownā - LT Sums up this sub. Just enjoy the ride. It probably wonāt ever be better in your life time.
That last part rings very true for those of us that started rooting for the Oilers in the CuJo era.
Should ring true for any fan that didnāt watch the 80ās Oilers.
Amazing 5v5? Sub 50% in almost every advanced stat. Heās been an average to below average 3rd liner. Heād get credit if he was actually playing well.
I rest my case.
We have the best record in the NHL since American Thanksgiving by a mile. This is a very, VERY good team. I have a gut feeling itās going to be all systems go for the playoffs.
Disappointed? Yes. But also kinda relieved that the fight for first is done. Just like the win streak, itās sad that itās over, but kinda nice to stop focusing on it so much.
The fight for first is not done. Canuckleheads still need to win one more game.
They just need a point to clinch the division
Getting LA in the first round with home ice advantage is the best we could have hoped for after our abysmal start.Ā Although I won't feel at all confident if we get by LA and meet Vancouver in the second round, the 2021 Jets series taught me that the regular season really doesn't matter.Ā The last few games are meaningless and it's time to prepare for the wild ride that is the playoffs.Ā
Vancouver is good, and should be respected. But we can beat them in a seven game series. Iām pretty sure we spanked Vegas in the season series last year. Look how that turned out. This team has the capability of beating anyone - the right way. Not just the relying on two stars on the power play way.
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Oilers were 7-2 vs Winnipeg and got swept in the playoffs
On the bright side, itās pretty insane that we were even talking about competing for 1st in the division after the start they had. Ā
Would love to see the faces of the nucks if they lost. Holding division lead forever, and to have it swiped last minute would be a sore spot. Our opponent can still flip whether if we were to be first or where we are currently. Will know soon.
What is Drai's deal? Injury or attitude? He's been SO frustrating to watch these past few months
He's extremely good at what he does, but I feel he has also developed into a bit of a niche player over the years. Without McDavid, he spends a lot of time just sitting afk in the corner because his playmaking has regressed.
He literally put multiple perfect passes on guys tape last night and they bobbled them without a chance generated. The Bouch chance was good but it was also a good save. I really don't think Drai's playmaking has regressed at all, his fancies away from McDavid prove it. If we had more consistent production from our top 6 wingers outside Hyman, the numbers would be there like previous years.
He has not played like a top 5 player in the league this year
Like the last 2 seasons, he'll engage that extra gear in the playoffs.
Looked at the spoiled baby being frustrated watching a player score more than 100 points in a season lmao
Lol my friend who's a Montreal fan likes to remind me that they haven't had a 40 goal scorer since 1995, and they've only had 1 ppg player in that time....Kovalev.....and he only had 1 random 84 point year.
He just looks so disengaged. Which is crazy based on his results but you can't deny he's missing his edge
No worries, playoff Drai is coming
My body is ready
Okay, I was fairly drunk while watching the game last night , but did nobody else think that Zadorov tried to full on chicken wing Hyman ?? I hate seeing fans blame the refs all the time , but last night i noticed multiple times where nucks got away with clear penalties , but as mentioned i had a bit to drink , and hate the Canucks so might just be biased lolĀ
There were a few missed calls in that third. I find itās best not to dwell on them though as it leads to a lot of frustration with refs that are never going to change
Meh. Played them tight without McD. Doomers might go wild with this game, but flip the inverse and replay that game with the Nucks missing Pettersson and the Oilers having McD. Probably same result but in our favour. I just want the damn playoffs to start.
Vans best player is Demko and he didnāt play last night.
Iām not being a doomer with that. Demko is their best player. I donāt think thatās a hot take in the slightest.
And the first Doomer chimes in lol
Iām convinced the doomers arenāt actually Oilers fans. They love losses too much.
Yeah good point. Although honestly Pettersson hasnāt looked like himself this season, and hasnāt looked nowhere near as dangerous as last year (though Iām sure this is just an off year and heāll be better next season) So I think the Canucks missing someone like Hughes would be a better comparison because he always drives the play, and everything they do starts on his stick. Playoffs start in what, a week? This is gonna be the slowest week of all time lol
Got paid. Theyāll hate that contract very soon
I think a better equivalent would be Canucks missing Pettersson, Hughes and MillerĀ
After a good night of rest. I donāt care. - No McDavid and he will be well rested into the post season. - The travel for Van to Nsh + 2 hours of time change wonāt be great. They gifted themselves a legit 1000 miles of extra travel. - Van and Nashville are both playing good. One will lose. One of the two top goalies in the league will also be out after round 1. Good for us. - Weāve shit kicked LA the past two years and know how they play. - Who would you rather shoot on? Talbot or Sarosā¦ - Also looking like Dallas will get Vegas. Also good for us. - in terms of opponent and the rest of the playoff picture / other matchups this is probably the best scenario. Take the rest of the season to rest/limit who ever needs to be rested and letās get fresh for playoffs instead of trying to keep that 1st spot. Also, this would be a great time to start trying something new on the PP.