Skookum Jim wrote on Sun, 09 June 2024 18:58

Kr55 wrote on Sun, 09 June 2024 09:25 I feel like I've seen this exact same sequence for a goal against 2 dozen times in the last year. Maybe 2 dozen is actually a low count. Travis Dakin @TravisDakin Watch how many times teams exploit that pairing. It's a set play. Dump it into Ceci's corner and watch Nurse mentally malfunction. Avs did it. Vegas did it. They aren't learning. Go back to the pairings from game 4, 5 and 6. It's ok to admit you f'd up. I think it's very clear that Ceci is targetted. He lost a crazy amount of puck battles last night on the boards, maybe 90%+ of them. Many just totally clean letting Florida guys just take it and pass directly to a teammate. Nurse, you just need to get him puck watching, and he can turn into a floating pylon. Not even a real pylon on the ice that can block a pass, a floating one that you can just pass right through if you choose. 🎯 It was like dejavu.. .. Nurse facing guy behind the net.. puck goes through him.. to the wide open man in front of the net. You used the term "floating" pylon, but I think its more like porous pylon.. so many pucks in general seem to get past/through him.. rarely stopping 2 on 1 cross passes, or break up a play with a stick/body check .. lots of porosity. For comparison, a guy like Ekholm always seems to either get his body and/or stick in to break up a play or cycle.. he just consistently erases chances against.. Bouchard has acquired some of that ability now as well. A good example of porosity was on the 1st goal.. a 3 on 2 .. Nurse doesn't break up the 1st cross pass to the 2nd guy.. and then Ceci fails to stop the 2nd cross pass to the 3rd guy.. shot.. net.. goal. Then on the 2nd goal, Nurse first fails to recognize the open man behind him in the slot.. then fails to stop the puck going through/past him .. the whole play was almost like he wasn't there. Also of note in that photo you posted.. McLeod in classic mid fly-by mode.. McLeod was the 1st forward back into the D-zone.. and contributed zero help.. it was effectively a 3 on 1 situation.. and no one manages to make a play.. I think Dakin is right, the other teams have been scouting the Oiler weak links.. one of which is the Nurse-Ceci pairing; dump it in Ceci's corner, he doesn't have great mobility, and a good chance you can turnover the puck on a forecheck.. and then just utilize analytics.. the high probability of some Nurse chaos enabling a grade A chance. Hopefully Oilers figure out some effective counter measures. On a positive note.. Broberg is looking like our 3rd, or even 2nd best, puck moving defenseman.. the guy gets the puck out of trouble.. and he makes plays.. He and Kulak were effective.. they might be our 2nd D pair now.. Nurse-Ceci the 3rd pair

I'm not sure if you can get away with a pair as bad as Nurse/Ceci at this point anymore. I think Kulak and Broberg both need to carry a pair to try to mitigate the damage.

It's nuts we went away from the D pairs that won 3 straight vs Dallas.

"We need to get better immediately. That starts today"
- Lowe, 2013

"Next year I would forecast as another developmental year"
- MacT, 2015

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