Skookum Jim wrote on Sat, 14 October 2023 23:06

Kr55 wrote on Sat, 14 October 2023 21:05 "zone defense" Both D to the offensive zone slot. 2 Canucks forwards just chilling to the right of the image. Not how teams that think they can win a cup play. But the fun has been non-stop for a while now. Probably only actually played solid defense as a team for 1/2 a year after Tippett was fired. Nurse is last guy back.. Ceci had already committed to join rush.. Nurse with standard Zero puck IQ follows late.. ignores fact he is last guy back.. goes deep down into the slot thinking he's the second coming of Paul Coffey.. leaving nobody back.. then Foelgle misses the net.. as you'd expect.. you can see in the photo Ceci looking at Nurse in astonishment that he is right next to him.. caption shoudl be "Nurse.. W T * are you doing.. Here?" Other than Ekholm.. no Oiler defenceman can play effective defense.. Bouchard with another of his patented PP drop-pass-cough-ups right on to a guys stick.... killing 40 seconds off the PP each time.. he's done it 2 games in a row.. other teams can read him like a comic book. Then Skinner.. 4 goals on 16 shots.. a solid 0.75.. brutal. Then the offense .. nobody skating.. make themselves look like a slow team.. Brown, Kane, Hyman, no threat to score.. even 29... can't keep (or get) puck possession on a low tier team.. only guys that looked quick were McLeod and McD.. Current Oilers will get killed by one of the top 50% teams. Oilers change defensive systems to something that's supposed to be simpler .. and easier to execute.. Oilers still can't figure it out..

Ceci committed to just skating right beside (a bit ahead actually) a forward. That's a dumb play still. At best you've left Nurse with a 2 on 1. He had no good reason to be up there.

Ceci needs a smack. 99% of the time him jumping up is a complete waste, and usually turns into something worse coming our way. His offensive skill is crap, he should not be jumping and gambling up as much as he does. He needs to be the responsible one on his pair if that pair will have any hope. Nurse is never going to be the responsible one, it's not how he plays, and the coaches and his D partner need to be far more aware of it.

[Updated on: Sat, 14 October 2023 23:24]

"We need to get better immediately. That starts today"
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