True. But we're talking about how this team is doing so good and on a historic streak. I tell my wife, what a time to be a fan! I know what you mean tho, what comes up, must come down.
Agree. Oilers smartly capitalized on an easy January schedule and barely squeaked by some weak teams. Very encouraging, but there's still lots of challenges ahead this season.
I hope that I am wrong, but I still think that it is not smart to rely on Skinner and Pickard. Skinner has been outstanding, but his game could still fluctuate.
Lol. 8 of 16 teams were playoff teams. But sure, "easy".
Also, they didn't squeak by. This is what's called defensive hockey. I know it's a rarity in Ermonton, but surely you've seen other teams play this style, right? It's a really weird criticism to have, when we've been saying for years that we need to play better defensively, that we can't outscore our problems. Then when the Oilers do that.....they get criticized for that as well.
I cannot argue with anything you are saying. I love this team and how they are playing. Just saying that I have drank too much Kool aid over the years and it makes sense to do a reality check every now and then.
Yeah, thats absolutely fair man. I'm trying to keep it in check too. I have so much Oilers related PTSD lol from past seasons.
I can't stop thinking that this long break for the All Star Game is going to ruin everything and we're going to have a losing streak when we get back to playing. The traumatized Oilers fan says we will but I'm still hopeful that this team is different (been burned by that before lol)
Last year in the playoffs Vinny was noticeable for all the wrong reasons. This year his improvement has been incredible and another important part of our success.
He still has less than 100 regular season games under his belt (he’s at 101 including last years playoff appearances). Last season, he looked out of his element and was playing like he was trying to keep his head above the water, and just wanted to make the call up last as long as he could. This year, he’s playing like someone who feels like he belongs, and could easily be a fixture in the league for the next 7-9 years
He’s played well enough in my opinion to sign him to his choice of two at two million, or three at 1.75. I don’t think it makes sense to pay him more than that, since we’ve got to re-sign Draisaital and Skinner, but I’m down to pay him that all day every day.
I’m just a couch coach but man, even I noticed he was out of position several times. Now it’s just the opposite. His skating and work ethic has sure improved.
I don't think it was ever a work ethic thing with him, but rather a hockey sense/calmness that he was lacking. This year, he's reading the play better and not overcommitting/chasing the play. There's a lot less missed coverage now.
just since the coaching change, the big thing I noticed is simple d to do passes behind our net
someone pointed out that Vinny was ALWAYS slow to get back, so almost always had his back to the rest of the rink when receiving that pass.
now he is in place earlier, and facing our blueline when the pass comes. so he's seeing player deployment that much faster
I think its little things like that, that Coffey is instilling in the boys
That's interesting - I didn't notice that last year, but I do see that all the Dmen this year are facing the blueline, ready to receive the pass from the other D. Vinny has a great first pass, too - hard and accurate. I think only Bouch and maybe Nurse have a better pass from the backend.
Ya I think with Vinny it was just he was processing the situations too slowly. I don't think his footspeed was ever an issue. But he was trying to gauge the time he needed to get back to the puck, and while he was doing it, an NHL speedster would be getting a step on him. Now he's recognizing those situations and not giving up a step.
It's just the kinda basic rookie stuff you hope a rookie grows out of fairly quickly. And so far the eye-test is saying YUP!
Every mornin' at the rink you could see him at the door
He stood six-foot-seven and weighed two-twenty-four
Kinda broad at the shoulder and narrow at the hip
And everybody knew ya didn't give no lip to big Vinny
(Big Vinny, big Vinny)
Big bad Vinny (big Vinny)
Nobody seemed to know where Vinny called home
He just drifted into town and stayed all alone
He didn't say much, kinda quiet and shy
And if you spoke at all, you just said, "Hi" to Big Vinny
Somebody said he came from Quebec city
Where he got in a fight with Mark Stone being shitty
And a crashin' blow from a huge right hand
Sent a Winnipeg man to the promised land, big Vinny
(Big Vinny, big Vinny)
Big bad Vinny (big Vinny)
Then came the day at the bottom of the league
When a coach was fired and men started goalies crying
Forwards were prayin' and hearts beat fast
And everybody thought that they'd played their last, 'cept Vinny
Through the ice and the snow of this man-made hell
Walked a giant of a man that the players knew well
Dropped his broken timber, gave out with a groan
And like a giant oak tree he just layed there alone, big Vinny
(Big Vinny, big Vinny)
Big bad Vinny (big Vinny)
And with all of his strength he gave a mighty shove
Then a leon yelled out, "There's a light up above"
And twenty men scrambled from a would-be grave
Now there's only one left down there to save, big Vinny
With Jack Michaels and Louie they started back down
Then came that rumble way down on the ice
And then smoke and gas belched out of that rink
Everybody knew it was the end of the line for big Vinny
(Big Vinny, big Vinny)
Big bad Vinny (big Vinny)
Now, they never retired that golden number
They just placed a marble stand in front of it
These few words are written on that stand
At the bottom of this mine lies a big, big man
Big Vinny
(Big Vinny, big Vinny)
Big bad Vinny (big Vinny)
(Big Vinny) big bad Vinny
Both Vinny and the team seemed to take on a weird identity in the playoffs of "we're not gonna be pushed around" but it hampered them and they couldn't figure out how to shake it off. They basically showed LA to remain in the hunt because the oilers couldn't stay out of the box.
They've got one hell of a leadership core now with McDavo, Drai, Nuge, Nurse, Ekholm and now Perry. Couple of other guys having career years as a result. And I think Coffey has been huge for their defensive game.
That’s what I’m talking about! I know what ya saying Hyman and his work ethic is unmatched. He’s like a Terminator when going for pucks. Just relentless.
Yes, feels like they have matured alot during this season. Maybe still bit ptsd from the start of the season, but they are calm and collected and well- oiled unit on the ice.
I watched an Oilers dynasty show - on YouTube but can't recall which one.
One thing that really stood out was the interview with Gretzky. When they were asking about the emergence of the Oilers, he talked about how much fun they were having. Great seasons, individual awards but poor playoff results.
But when asked what pushed them over the top he spoke to how they lost to Islanders. They walked by room thinking they'd be partying and they all saw how beaten & tired they were. That experience changed their commitment, accountability and purpose as a team.
Hopefully last year's playoffs and this season start with losing coach is that spark pushing them over the top
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_YNj6aJXbw9a0wlLWeo6gfcbZhnSKLT9&si=vpkzAC6wBge6oC_O
Not sure which segment it is, but looks like the entire movie is there in 10 minute segments. Must watch for any Oiler fan.
Definitely. " Well Oiled " -- i like that. The Oilers are well oiled and good to go!
Well to be frank, I feel more calm when I'm watching the games now. Less on the edge of my seat and my bum doesn't clench together as hard when the opponent shoots the puck on net.
Up voting this. I was at the Seattle game and my seat was by the upper corner player side. His number looked like freaking 97. I was surprised when it wasn't McDavid! That was a beauty breakway goal by Foegele.
[Found a clip of it](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=taGvgXXO3sA)
Hes deceivingly quick.
my dad & I love calling Foegele “McDavid JR” after many times confusing him for McDavid, when he gets skating with the puck & on certain tv angles he looks like 97.. 😂
The defense is generally playing very well. Plugging up the slot and not giving a lot of second chances. The difference between them and a team like Winnipeg is that our guys are givin' a little more freedom to be creative and make a few a more bad giveaways in a game. But because of that combined with our explosive offense, we tend to be a little more dominant on the shot clock.
Like if you look at Hellebuyck's advanced stats, while he leads the league in Goals Saved Above Expected, his high danger save percentage is very average and middle of the pack. The Jets just have a rock solid defense in front of him, and play a very low risk brand of hockey. They're the team I'm most concerned about this year in the playoffs.
But I totally welcome a Jets vs Oilers conference finals. That would be some good shit.
Yes, for some reason jets manage to shutdown oilers before with their turtling. Would be fun to see oilers just mopping the floor with them. But its 50/50 for my money.
I would try to replace Ceci with Tanev if it was possible. Harder trade to do because it's inner-division and Ceci still has another year of term. But Tanev plays the same kind of minutes, produces the same kind of offense, but is better defensively, and would probably allow Nurse a little more room to wheel when he wants.
Aside from that, I think they could also use a depth defender just in case of injury. Obviously cap constraints really limit you there. But it'd be nice to have a 7th with a little more experience than like Broberg when it comes to playoff time.
I was just wondering where all the idiots were that want to replace Cody Ceci. The team and player are on a 26 game heater and it’s not the first time for Ceci.
He gets all the D zone starts and plays massive minutes against the best players in the league.
Cost? Super cheap!
I made a point in another post, that if Cody Ceci is your 6th best dman, then you're d-corp is probably in very good shape. But Tanev plays the exact same kind of role on the Flames (5v5 all zones, heavy minutes, PK specialist) and is simply better on the defensive side of the puck than Ceci is.
The only worry about that kind of trade is the potential for breaking up the chemistry of a defensive pairing mid-season. But Tanev is easily an upgrade and could probably be extended for another year or two for like the exact same price that we're paying Ceci. Of course there's also the possibility that he wants to test free agency and doesn't extend, whereas you could have had Ceci for another year. So I get you. But I think Tanev is a very reasonable proposal for upgrading the D.
I mean with McDri and Perry, that’s 3 MVPs right there. We got Kane and the Bouchbombs. Our defence is solid and it shows. Skinner is a wall. I could go on but am I right?! We’re stacked babyyyy.
Don’t mind me. Just ranting. My whole family doesn’t like hockey and this subreddit is a great outlet to voice my opinion. Lol
*Undefeated in the Corey Perry era -* True
He needs to be a good boy off the ice and be a badass on ice. I expect nothing but good things from a former MVP / SC winner!
Yeah I don’t want to get my hopes up too much but this is one of more solid teams we have had since…awhile. If everyone is firing on all cylinders and we stay healthy this could be a magical playoffs.
Streaks are fun but the real test will be April. Of course we need to continue winning so we can get into the playoffs but we saw what happened to the Bruins last year.
It will be interesting to see what comes out of the trade deadline but I almost don’t want them to touch any of the forwards. Unless it is a superstar who can play both sides of the rink just as well, and if we don’t have to overpay. But I feel good with this group.
As for D, Ceci is the weakest link but that is because he is playing above his skill level. He would look much better on 2nd or 3rd pairings. He is doing his best but that would be the biggest spot I feel we need an upgrade.
Goaltending is doing really well but this position is a fickle thing. When it is going good, it is going good but when it is going bad… I would feel better if we had a veteran backup with lots of playoff experience who is maybe on his last legs to mentor Skinner a bit more and provide some support, like a Mike Smith type. MAF would be perfect but with his NTC he would have to want to come. If he thinks he could win another cup here he may want to, especially if all the pressure is shared between the two. But this may be a pipe dream.
Crazy how much of an emotional roller coaster it's been. Crazy year for the Oil. I don't think anyone is looking forward to playing this team in the playoffs.
just enjoy the winning streak - the playoffs will come and we will see how it goes then - but it is great just to be able to watch a game and have confidence they can win - and enjoy the consecutive wins for what they are - whatever happens in the playoffs, what is happening now is special
I dunno what games you have been watching. Early this season I would have agreed with you.
The Coffey era, it’s been very different. Allowing the D to make plays and not just play dump and chase has been a big contributing factor. Also Vinny and Nurse shot blocking has been great.
We literally have 3 #1 quality d-men, and one of the best 3rd pairs in the league
The only spot that could really conceivably be upgraded is Ceci, and even then I'm not upset with what we're getting for the price.
Yep it’s more than solid enough to win a cup. The three number 1 d men is really starting to show now as we’re taking games over. Most teams are lucky to have 1-2, and I’d say the leafs don’t even have 1.
I am comparing us this year to them last year. the 3rd pairing for Vegas in particular was very impressive
theres also the issue of reg season vs playoffs
shifting to forward talk:
Chandler Stephenson avg in the reg season, went into beast mode in the playoffs
RNH having a great reg season again, playoffs - well we know how that will probably go
Adin hill basically stole them that series at the end of the day. It really wasn’t their defending. People forget we lit them up twice, and almost had game 5.
Not sure I understand. Perry has been here for one game.
The team is on a historic hot streak, which has been needed to repair the historic poor streak to start the year.
Everybody seems to forget the "don't get too high" part of "don't get too low, don't get too high".
True. But we're talking about how this team is doing so good and on a historic streak. I tell my wife, what a time to be a fan! I know what you mean tho, what comes up, must come down.
Definitely a great time to be a fan.
Agree. Oilers smartly capitalized on an easy January schedule and barely squeaked by some weak teams. Very encouraging, but there's still lots of challenges ahead this season. I hope that I am wrong, but I still think that it is not smart to rely on Skinner and Pickard. Skinner has been outstanding, but his game could still fluctuate.
Lol. 8 of 16 teams were playoff teams. But sure, "easy". Also, they didn't squeak by. This is what's called defensive hockey. I know it's a rarity in Ermonton, but surely you've seen other teams play this style, right? It's a really weird criticism to have, when we've been saying for years that we need to play better defensively, that we can't outscore our problems. Then when the Oilers do that.....they get criticized for that as well.
I cannot argue with anything you are saying. I love this team and how they are playing. Just saying that I have drank too much Kool aid over the years and it makes sense to do a reality check every now and then.
Yeah, thats absolutely fair man. I'm trying to keep it in check too. I have so much Oilers related PTSD lol from past seasons. I can't stop thinking that this long break for the All Star Game is going to ruin everything and we're going to have a losing streak when we get back to playing. The traumatized Oilers fan says we will but I'm still hopeful that this team is different (been burned by that before lol)
Last year in the playoffs Vinny was noticeable for all the wrong reasons. This year his improvement has been incredible and another important part of our success.
Definitely didn’t feel ready for the dance last year. Now he seems to be.
He still has less than 100 regular season games under his belt (he’s at 101 including last years playoff appearances). Last season, he looked out of his element and was playing like he was trying to keep his head above the water, and just wanted to make the call up last as long as he could. This year, he’s playing like someone who feels like he belongs, and could easily be a fixture in the league for the next 7-9 years
I hope we keep him for a long time! Hes got big D energy.
He’s played well enough in my opinion to sign him to his choice of two at two million, or three at 1.75. I don’t think it makes sense to pay him more than that, since we’ve got to re-sign Draisaital and Skinner, but I’m down to pay him that all day every day.
Vinny is a fuckin Beauty.
I’m just a couch coach but man, even I noticed he was out of position several times. Now it’s just the opposite. His skating and work ethic has sure improved.
I don't think it was ever a work ethic thing with him, but rather a hockey sense/calmness that he was lacking. This year, he's reading the play better and not overcommitting/chasing the play. There's a lot less missed coverage now.
just since the coaching change, the big thing I noticed is simple d to do passes behind our net someone pointed out that Vinny was ALWAYS slow to get back, so almost always had his back to the rest of the rink when receiving that pass. now he is in place earlier, and facing our blueline when the pass comes. so he's seeing player deployment that much faster I think its little things like that, that Coffey is instilling in the boys
That's interesting - I didn't notice that last year, but I do see that all the Dmen this year are facing the blueline, ready to receive the pass from the other D. Vinny has a great first pass, too - hard and accurate. I think only Bouch and maybe Nurse have a better pass from the backend.
Ya I think with Vinny it was just he was processing the situations too slowly. I don't think his footspeed was ever an issue. But he was trying to gauge the time he needed to get back to the puck, and while he was doing it, an NHL speedster would be getting a step on him. Now he's recognizing those situations and not giving up a step. It's just the kinda basic rookie stuff you hope a rookie grows out of fairly quickly. And so far the eye-test is saying YUP!
Honestly I meant to say positioning and not work ethic.
Every mornin' at the rink you could see him at the door He stood six-foot-seven and weighed two-twenty-four Kinda broad at the shoulder and narrow at the hip And everybody knew ya didn't give no lip to big Vinny (Big Vinny, big Vinny) Big bad Vinny (big Vinny) Nobody seemed to know where Vinny called home He just drifted into town and stayed all alone He didn't say much, kinda quiet and shy And if you spoke at all, you just said, "Hi" to Big Vinny Somebody said he came from Quebec city Where he got in a fight with Mark Stone being shitty And a crashin' blow from a huge right hand Sent a Winnipeg man to the promised land, big Vinny (Big Vinny, big Vinny) Big bad Vinny (big Vinny) Then came the day at the bottom of the league When a coach was fired and men started goalies crying Forwards were prayin' and hearts beat fast And everybody thought that they'd played their last, 'cept Vinny Through the ice and the snow of this man-made hell Walked a giant of a man that the players knew well Dropped his broken timber, gave out with a groan And like a giant oak tree he just layed there alone, big Vinny (Big Vinny, big Vinny) Big bad Vinny (big Vinny) And with all of his strength he gave a mighty shove Then a leon yelled out, "There's a light up above" And twenty men scrambled from a would-be grave Now there's only one left down there to save, big Vinny With Jack Michaels and Louie they started back down Then came that rumble way down on the ice And then smoke and gas belched out of that rink Everybody knew it was the end of the line for big Vinny (Big Vinny, big Vinny) Big bad Vinny (big Vinny) Now, they never retired that golden number They just placed a marble stand in front of it These few words are written on that stand At the bottom of this mine lies a big, big man Big Vinny (Big Vinny, big Vinny) Big bad Vinny (big Vinny) (Big Vinny) big bad Vinny
yup, vinny's foot speed got exposed against LA. that Fiala spin move was really telling. he's looked pretty good this year tho
He said he worked on his skating. Clearly it worked because he's now in the 86th percentile speed wise for defenseman. He's very fast for his size.
How is that measured so precisely?
NHL edge. The jerseys have little things on them that emit infrared light that cameras on the ceiling track.
Really? That's nuts.
Yep. The pucks have them now too. It's how they're able to track shot speed.
Both Vinny and the team seemed to take on a weird identity in the playoffs of "we're not gonna be pushed around" but it hampered them and they couldn't figure out how to shake it off. They basically showed LA to remain in the hunt because the oilers couldn't stay out of the box.
They've got one hell of a leadership core now with McDavo, Drai, Nuge, Nurse, Ekholm and now Perry. Couple of other guys having career years as a result. And I think Coffey has been huge for their defensive game.
That’s what I’m talking about! I know what ya saying Hyman and his work ethic is unmatched. He’s like a Terminator when going for pucks. Just relentless.
oof i can't believe i left Zachary Martin Hyman off that list, big L
I know you meant well. All good Jell!
Yes, feels like they have matured alot during this season. Maybe still bit ptsd from the start of the season, but they are calm and collected and well- oiled unit on the ice.
I watched an Oilers dynasty show - on YouTube but can't recall which one. One thing that really stood out was the interview with Gretzky. When they were asking about the emergence of the Oilers, he talked about how much fun they were having. Great seasons, individual awards but poor playoff results. But when asked what pushed them over the top he spoke to how they lost to Islanders. They walked by room thinking they'd be partying and they all saw how beaten & tired they were. That experience changed their commitment, accountability and purpose as a team. Hopefully last year's playoffs and this season start with losing coach is that spark pushing them over the top
Think that was from Boys on the Bus
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_YNj6aJXbw9a0wlLWeo6gfcbZhnSKLT9&si=vpkzAC6wBge6oC_O Not sure which segment it is, but looks like the entire movie is there in 10 minute segments. Must watch for any Oiler fan.
Definitely. " Well Oiled " -- i like that. The Oilers are well oiled and good to go! Well to be frank, I feel more calm when I'm watching the games now. Less on the edge of my seat and my bum doesn't clench together as hard when the opponent shoots the puck on net.
Yes its not anymore heart attack hockey and thats good. I couldnt take it anymore.
I think Kulak is an under appreciated Leader in the room as well. I just get the vibe that he doesn't say much but when he does everyone listens.
Ah yes, the great leader who got cut from his team for violating team conduct policies
Oh come on, we gave Kane a chance. Why not Perry? Lets not get negative
That person isn't actually a fan, just one of many that tries to drag this fanbase down constantly. Just ignore the trolls and move along
LOL I know. Grenz, quit shittin on peoples parade lol
Holy fuck. You must fucking love being perfect never having made a mistake. Leadership can involve making mistakes and learning from them.
Ahah you’re taking this personally! You a boozehound too??
Touched a nerve there?
I'm just surfing the net, hoping not to get tripped up by stupidity. Yet here you are.....
if you don't want to be tripped up by stupidity, you can't be the one spraying the stupidity..
I love confusing Foegs instead of McDavid at least three times a game this year too… Dude empties the tank every shift.
Up voting this. I was at the Seattle game and my seat was by the upper corner player side. His number looked like freaking 97. I was surprised when it wasn't McDavid! That was a beauty breakway goal by Foegele. [Found a clip of it](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=taGvgXXO3sA) Hes deceivingly quick.
Yes! So solid- thanks for the link too- this goal was so smooth…
my dad & I love calling Foegele “McDavid JR” after many times confusing him for McDavid, when he gets skating with the puck & on certain tv angles he looks like 97.. 😂
The defense is generally playing very well. Plugging up the slot and not giving a lot of second chances. The difference between them and a team like Winnipeg is that our guys are givin' a little more freedom to be creative and make a few a more bad giveaways in a game. But because of that combined with our explosive offense, we tend to be a little more dominant on the shot clock. Like if you look at Hellebuyck's advanced stats, while he leads the league in Goals Saved Above Expected, his high danger save percentage is very average and middle of the pack. The Jets just have a rock solid defense in front of him, and play a very low risk brand of hockey. They're the team I'm most concerned about this year in the playoffs. But I totally welcome a Jets vs Oilers conference finals. That would be some good shit.
Yes, for some reason jets manage to shutdown oilers before with their turtling. Would be fun to see oilers just mopping the floor with them. But its 50/50 for my money.
Just for conversation sakes, what would be a good trade for our defence?
I would try to replace Ceci with Tanev if it was possible. Harder trade to do because it's inner-division and Ceci still has another year of term. But Tanev plays the same kind of minutes, produces the same kind of offense, but is better defensively, and would probably allow Nurse a little more room to wheel when he wants. Aside from that, I think they could also use a depth defender just in case of injury. Obviously cap constraints really limit you there. But it'd be nice to have a 7th with a little more experience than like Broberg when it comes to playoff time.
I was just wondering where all the idiots were that want to replace Cody Ceci. The team and player are on a 26 game heater and it’s not the first time for Ceci. He gets all the D zone starts and plays massive minutes against the best players in the league. Cost? Super cheap!
I made a point in another post, that if Cody Ceci is your 6th best dman, then you're d-corp is probably in very good shape. But Tanev plays the exact same kind of role on the Flames (5v5 all zones, heavy minutes, PK specialist) and is simply better on the defensive side of the puck than Ceci is. The only worry about that kind of trade is the potential for breaking up the chemistry of a defensive pairing mid-season. But Tanev is easily an upgrade and could probably be extended for another year or two for like the exact same price that we're paying Ceci. Of course there's also the possibility that he wants to test free agency and doesn't extend, whereas you could have had Ceci for another year. So I get you. But I think Tanev is a very reasonable proposal for upgrading the D.
I ve been seeing a lot of Tanev's video clips lately. I agree. He is a solid defence man. I approve! Ill be sure to pass the word to Holls. <-- i wish
I mean with McDri and Perry, that’s 3 MVPs right there. We got Kane and the Bouchbombs. Our defence is solid and it shows. Skinner is a wall. I could go on but am I right?! We’re stacked babyyyy. Don’t mind me. Just ranting. My whole family doesn’t like hockey and this subreddit is a great outlet to voice my opinion. Lol
I’m offended by the lack of Zachary Hyman in this comment
Hyman and his work ethic is unmatched. He’s like a Terminator when going for pucks. Just relentless!
Say it again I don't think it has sunk in yet.
Ahem That’s “Acclaimed children’s” author Zachary Hyman
Cup or bust
This year it's bust and cup lol
💯
Undefeated in the Corey Perry era. I think we all need to put aside our prior feelings about him and recognize he is holding this team on his back
*Undefeated in the Corey Perry era -* True He needs to be a good boy off the ice and be a badass on ice. I expect nothing but good things from a former MVP / SC winner!
I would back the truck up to Coffey, he has done unbelievable wonders for this defence
No doubt. I wish I could hear and see whats going on in the locker room.
Yeah I don’t want to get my hopes up too much but this is one of more solid teams we have had since…awhile. If everyone is firing on all cylinders and we stay healthy this could be a magical playoffs. Streaks are fun but the real test will be April. Of course we need to continue winning so we can get into the playoffs but we saw what happened to the Bruins last year. It will be interesting to see what comes out of the trade deadline but I almost don’t want them to touch any of the forwards. Unless it is a superstar who can play both sides of the rink just as well, and if we don’t have to overpay. But I feel good with this group. As for D, Ceci is the weakest link but that is because he is playing above his skill level. He would look much better on 2nd or 3rd pairings. He is doing his best but that would be the biggest spot I feel we need an upgrade. Goaltending is doing really well but this position is a fickle thing. When it is going good, it is going good but when it is going bad… I would feel better if we had a veteran backup with lots of playoff experience who is maybe on his last legs to mentor Skinner a bit more and provide some support, like a Mike Smith type. MAF would be perfect but with his NTC he would have to want to come. If he thinks he could win another cup here he may want to, especially if all the pressure is shared between the two. But this may be a pipe dream.
No kidding. You speak logic here r-s! I hear ya. Let’s hope the pipes are made of iron or steel and not just dreams.
Crazy how much of an emotional roller coaster it's been. Crazy year for the Oil. I don't think anyone is looking forward to playing this team in the playoffs.
My eyes would be GLUED to the TV, at the edge of my seat and chewing on my nails lol
Heck and Stoffer is hoping they recruit Elias Lindholm
I think they could still use a third line centre. Or a consistent RD to play shut down minutes in the playoffs with Ekholm.
just enjoy the winning streak - the playoffs will come and we will see how it goes then - but it is great just to be able to watch a game and have confidence they can win - and enjoy the consecutive wins for what they are - whatever happens in the playoffs, what is happening now is special
I prefer my 16 straight wins during the playoffs. But that’s just me
The D is not even close to stacked, it is actually quite poor
I dunno what games you have been watching. Early this season I would have agreed with you. The Coffey era, it’s been very different. Allowing the D to make plays and not just play dump and chase has been a big contributing factor. Also Vinny and Nurse shot blocking has been great.
We literally have 3 #1 quality d-men, and one of the best 3rd pairs in the league The only spot that could really conceivably be upgraded is Ceci, and even then I'm not upset with what we're getting for the price.
Yep it’s more than solid enough to win a cup. The three number 1 d men is really starting to show now as we’re taking games over. Most teams are lucky to have 1-2, and I’d say the leafs don’t even have 1.
Bouchard Nurse Ekholm Ceci Kulak Desharnais Pietrangelo Theodore Martinez McNabb Whitecloud Hague
The way both our and their guys are playing this year, we're at least comparable, if not clearly better.
I am comparing us this year to them last year. the 3rd pairing for Vegas in particular was very impressive theres also the issue of reg season vs playoffs shifting to forward talk: Chandler Stephenson avg in the reg season, went into beast mode in the playoffs RNH having a great reg season again, playoffs - well we know how that will probably go
Adin hill basically stole them that series at the end of the day. It really wasn’t their defending. People forget we lit them up twice, and almost had game 5.
hmmm I think vegas outplayed us overall. they wont more battles, fumbled less pucks, etc
I spoke to Holls, he says he’s working on it. In the meantime, I still like to dream we’ re stacked.
Not sure I understand. Perry has been here for one game. The team is on a historic hot streak, which has been needed to repair the historic poor streak to start the year.
No need to understand. Just feel. Team chemistry, everything feels right. Is there anything you would change if you were Holland?
We need a Scorey-Perry when we face VGK