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Oilers » Pregame: Edmonton @ Detroit (Game #11)

Re: Pregame: Edmonton @ Detroit (Game #11) [message #794136 is a reply to message #794131 ]	Tue, 09 November 2021 12:48

Adam
Messages: 6928
Registered: August 2005
Location: Edmonton, AB

6 Cups

RDOilerfan wrote on Tue, 09 November 2021 11:14

It's nice to see Skinner get into a game, I hope he does well. If he can be the back up next year, that would be huge.

The team is 9-1 and people are still carving the coach or finding other things to complain about. I am assuming if the day comes they ever win a championship some people will complain they didn't win the last game by enough or didn't win the series fast enough.

This is the second post like this in two days from a poster annoyed because people are daring to criticize the team. You should always look at your team with a critical eye. It is a mistake to think just because you've won a few games that the team is beyond reproach - just as it's a mistake to think you should tear it all down if you have a long losing streak.

So let's look at what's gone wrong the last couple of years and see if we have addressed these things:

- Lack of depth scoring - the 3rd and 4th line have been badly outscored and most are minus players despite the team being 9-1.

- the coach's heavy reliance on loading up McDavid/Draisaitl which makes it easier for other teams to try to throw a blanket over them in the post-season. He doesn't seem to have confidence that the team can work with those two split up and at the first sign of trouble he reverts to that.

- Over-reliance on special teams - this is of course a problem because the NHL throws out their rule book in the playoffs. Well, so far, 15 of the Oilers 45 goals this year are on the powerplay. That's a full third for anyone keeping score. On top of that, the powerplay is firing at a ridiculous 50% efficiency. While I think it is the best powerplay in the game, I also think it's fair to say that it is likely to regress.

- An unwillingness to challenge the league or refs about persistent non-calls. As the team's powerplay efficiency has continued to climb, we're seeing less calls from the referees - afraid that giving the Oilers too many powerplays will decide the game. They should be calling infractions - it is the other team giving up the game by doing illegal things not the ref's fault, but it's a microcosm of what we can expect to see in the post-season. Again, complete silence from the Oilers, even as media pundits puzzle about the decided lack of calls drawn by McDavid.

- Defence issues - I think it's safe to say we haven't really fixed that, even though we've shuffled the players involved.

- Goaltending issues - It's the same tandem. Smith is hurt again. Koskinen is getting overplayed again.

- Coaching issues as the Oilers get out-maneuvered by opposition coaches and Tippett shows no creativity. Still an issue - we're just fortunate we have some incredible players who can win games no matter what sometimes.

I don't think any of these things are unfair to point out, and I really really hope that Holland, Lowe & Nicholson aren't just looking at the record and thinking all is well with the world. We have some of the ingredients of a championship team, so what does it take to get us over the edge? Understanding these weaknesses now could make a big difference in finding and acquiring the right pieces to excel.

"Thinking that a bad team's best players are the reason the team is bad is the "Tambellini re-signing Lennart Petrell" of sports opinions." @Woodguy55
~~#FireLowe~~ #FireBobbyNicks #FireKenHolland #FireKeithGretzky

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Pregame: Edmonton @ Detroit (Game #11)	By: OilFans on Tue, 09 November 2021 02:00
Re: Pregame: Edmonton @ Detroit (Game #11)	By: Adam on Tue, 09 November 2021 08:56
Re: Pregame: Edmonton @ Detroit (Game #11)	By: GabbyDugan on Tue, 09 November 2021 09:48
Re: Pregame: Edmonton @ Detroit (Game #11)	By: Adam on Tue, 09 November 2021 10:08
Re: Pregame: Edmonton @ Detroit (Game #11)	By: Kr55 on Tue, 09 November 2021 10:41
Re: Pregame: Edmonton @ Detroit (Game #11)	By: Mike on Tue, 09 November 2021 10:57
Re: Pregame: Edmonton @ Detroit (Game #11)	By: Adam on Tue, 09 November 2021 11:03
Re: Pregame: Edmonton @ Detroit (Game #11)	By: Mike on Tue, 09 November 2021 10:37
Re: Pregame: Edmonton @ Detroit (Game #11)	By: Oscargasm on Tue, 09 November 2021 10:14
Re: Pregame: Edmonton @ Detroit (Game #11)	By: RDOilerfan on Tue, 09 November 2021 11:14
Re: Pregame: Edmonton @ Detroit (Game #11)	By: Adam on Tue, 09 November 2021 12:48
Re: Pregame: Edmonton @ Detroit (Game #11)	By: NetBOG on Tue, 09 November 2021 13:00
Re: Pregame: Edmonton @ Detroit (Game #11)	By: Adam on Tue, 09 November 2021 13:22
Re: Pregame: Edmonton @ Detroit (Game #11)	By: benv on Tue, 09 November 2021 15:03
Re: Pregame: Edmonton @ Detroit (Game #11)	By: CrusaderPi on Tue, 09 November 2021 15:06
Re: Pregame: Edmonton @ Detroit (Game #11)	By: Adam on Tue, 09 November 2021 17:17
Re: Pregame: Edmonton @ Detroit (Game #11)	By: Mike on Tue, 09 November 2021 13:00
Re: Pregame: Edmonton @ Detroit (Game #11)	By: welcometotheOC on Tue, 09 November 2021 14:27
Re: Pregame: Edmonton @ Detroit (Game #11)	By: RDOilerfan on Tue, 09 November 2021 16:32
Re: Pregame: Edmonton @ Detroit (Game #11)	By: Mike on Tue, 09 November 2021 16:45
Re: Pregame: Edmonton @ Detroit (Game #11)	By: Dragon_Matt on Tue, 09 November 2021 16:59

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