Edmonton is No Good Episode 4: New Rink, Same Stink

[topfiverecords]

Originally Posted by ThisIsAnOutrage

All right, I'll give it a go.

Please do. Very good. Left wanting more.

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by IamNotKenKing

Friedman this morning made the following comments (paraphrased), essentially saying as much:

(Talking generally about the Flames):Calgary is just really, really deep, and it is really starting to show.

(Talking generally about Edmonton): Edmonton needs more than just McDavid, and they really need secondary scoring.

On 960?

[Cecil Terwilliger]

Friedman also said that Edmonton Pittsburgh was the game of the year.

Ugh. Elliott. C'mon man.

[Azhouse]

Originally Posted by Kipper is King

Will The Edmonton Oilers Actually Fail to Make The Playoffs?

http://edmontonjournal.com/sports/ho...e-the-playoffs

Ah, fear and doubt is alive in Edmonton!

Also, there's a poll midway down the page! VOTE NO!!!

I started listening to the podcast (for kicks) and they talked about how Russel gives up the puck so frequently...no really?

[CaptainCrunch]

That's the thing though, I liked Russell, but we know what he is, a shot blocking guy that can make a good pass, but he's not that guy that can get you the puck, and when he does get it he's a bit of a fumbler.

I doubt that he gets a contract offer from the oilers unless its a major paycut, and Russell will want money.

On top of that the Oilers are going to be in FA hell in terms of signing help over the next few years.

[Racki]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

On top of that the Oilers are going to be in FA hell in terms of signing help over the next few years.

The $6,000,000 men (Lucic, Nugent-Hopkins, Eberle) are going to cause them some problems going forward for sure.

The one thing about them adding McDavid is that he sure makes it clear how ordinary the aforementioned guys are when you watch them all on the same sheet of ice.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by Street Pharmacist

On 960?

It is now up on the Sportsnet 960 archives

[Gaskal]

"The effort was there. I didn't think there was anything lazy or negligent about our play tonight."

"The desire was there, we just didn't execute... we need to get prepared for another game & move on."

-McLellan after the 4-1 L vs Habs

Good. Gooooooooood.

Carry on!

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by Racki

The $6,000,000 men (Lucic, Nugent-Hopkins, Eberle) are going to cause them some problems going forward for sure.

The one thing about them adding McDavid is that he sure makes it clear how ordinary the aforementioned guys are when you watch them all on the same sheet of ice.

The Oilers are starring at two massive raises in Draisatl who will probably get $6.5 and McDaivd who will probably get north of at least $11 million.

So the Oilers are going to have to in the next two years dump major salary and probably not sign any high priced help, unless they say screw it, next year is our window, and we might need to wreck our team to do it.

With the terrible threesome of Eberle, RNH and Lucic. I firmly believe that Eberle and RNH have pretty much plateaued and Lucic is on the slide down now.

that's 18 million that they'll have to get rid of, but in a cap world nobody is going to do the Oilers a favor and just take their full salaries.

Lots of big decisions and angst coming in Edmonton.

They really should have drafted better.

[Red]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

Oilers fans seem to feel the Flames are streakier than the Oilers because they have gone on two long winning streaks, therefore the Oilers are better because they are more consistent. At the end of the day you are what your record says you are.

Flames had one 3 Game losing streak and two 4 game losing streaks.

Oilers had one 5 gamer, one 4 gamer and are currently on their 4th 3 game losing streak.

I'd say the Oilers are more hot-cold than the Flames

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by Red

Flames had one 3 Game losing streak and two 4 game losing streaks.

Oilers had one 5 gamer, one 4 gamer and are currently on their 4th 3 game losing streak.

I'd say the Oilers are more hot-cold NO GOOD than the Flames

we all agree

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by Cecil Terwilliger

Friedman also said that Edmonton Pittsburgh was the game of the year.

Ugh. Elliott. C'mon man.

Crosby and McDavid and an epic mano a mano battle to determine the winner where.... they never even interacted with each other as there is no such thing as team play in a shootout.

Honestly, the simple fact that the game went to a shootout completely disqualifies it from "game of the year" contention, as far as I am concerned. Even if the rest of the contest was phenomenal, which this one was not.

[McG]

I'm sure that this should go in the out of town game thread, but I wanted to also comment in this thread about the broadcast last night.

In comparison to the regular oilers broadcast where every second word is either "connor" or "McDavid" (for our Edmonton readers, that means that the broadcast is "connor McDavid connor McDavid connor McDavid etc"), it was unbelievably refreshing to tune into a hockey broadcast last night and have McDavid treated like a hockey player on and off the ice.

I watched the last 4 minutes or so, and Bob Cole mentioned McDavid just as he would every other player. He talked about McDavid in equal measure with the other players on the ice, when they affected the play. There was no superfluous gushing about crossovers, who he dreamed of playing with, if a players first goal in the nhl was special because, you know, oilers and McDavid, just commentary as the play developed and players tried to play the game.

now, debrusk tried to talk about how "connor" almost stuffed a goal in the short side, because of his being connor and all, but cole brought it right back to the other players as well as McDavid who helped to create the chance. similarly, the sportsnet cameramen just can't help themselves but direct a camera at all times to McDavid, but fortunately Bob Cole just talked right over the gratuitous camera shots of connor picking his nose, farting, and drinking water on the bench.

It made it like a hockey game, and not a love shack for oilers. and it was a very welcome change.

having said all of that...e=ng regardless.

[burn_this_city]

Oilers as currently constructed remind me of the one trick pony Flames from the Iginla days. Playoff teams will key on him entirely and force the rest of the team to beat them. Not sure if they have the horses in a series if McDavid is effectively double teamed.

[IamNotKenKing]

Originally Posted by Street Pharmacist

On 960?

Yup.

Separated, so he wasn't comparing them directly, but I am parsing them together...

[Oil Stain]

Originally Posted by Jay Random

It's a pretty high rate of making the playoffs. But those teams went 23-35 in the first round, 7-16 in the second round, which are both pretty terrible. Looks as if the burnout factor is a real problem.

Yeah but 29 teams don't win the Cup every season. If you look at things that way I think you can find faulty conclusions.

How often does the team with an Art Ross, Norris, Hart, or Vezina winner go on to win the Stanley Cup?

Ditto with the President's Trophy. Teams that finish first in the regular season lose in the playoffs way more often than not.


I wouldn't rule out that fatigue could be a factor for goalies playing 70+ games but I'm pretty skeptical about this theory having any legs.

It kind of reminds me of some other accepted wisdom such as power forwards take longer, or players need an enforcer, or goalies should stand up in the net.

Most of these theories come about from media needing a narrative to explain why teams won or lost and they usually don't have any strong proof behind them.

[Da_Chief]

Originally Posted by Oil Stain

That's a pretty high rate of success isnt it?

If you compared it to all the seasons that a goalie played less than 70 games, those other goalies probably made each round of the playoffs less often than these 83 cases.

I mean playoffs 70% of the time. It is probably 60% maybe for all the other seasons of goalies playing less.

What's the odds for a goalie that played less than 70 games to make the finals? I guess maybe 5ish%?

Flip side, nearly 75% don't make the playoffs or knocked out in the first round.

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by Oil Stain

Yeah but 29 teams don't win the Cup every season. If you look at things that way I think you can find faulty conclusions.

How often does the team with an Art Ross, Norris, Hart, or Vezina winner go on to win the Stanley Cup?

Ditto with the President's Trophy. Teams that finish first in the regular season lose in the playoffs way more often than not.


I wouldn't rule out that fatigue could be a factor for goalies playing 70+ games but I'm pretty skeptical about this theory having any legs.

It kind of reminds me of some other accepted wisdom such as power forwards take longer, or players need an enforcer, or goalies should stand up in the net.

Most of these theories come about from media needing a narrative to explain why teams won or lost and they usually don't have any strong proof behind them.

sometimes you have to look really deep into a post to understand what it means

[sketchyt]

So long as the goaltender is not injured and is playing well, I don't see why a goalie can't play 70+ games and not suffer in play in that season.

From what I gather though, goalies who play a ton typically burn out/get injured the following season or have a shorter career. There are some outliers like Brodeur but it's not common. I don't care who you are and how bendy you are, but the mechanics of the butterfly is extremely hard on your body and will take its toll.

Basically, like many players going through the Oilers meat grinder, the overall development of the player isn't looked at and it will turn on them in regards to Talbot. I just don't think it'll be this year.

That being said, he's a goaltender who doesn't handle net crashing particularly well and has difficulty finding the puck 5 feet in with traffic. I don't find him to be a very good battler. Reminds me of poor man's in-his-prime-Luongo. Very good first save goaltender, but playoffs might be a struggle for him.

[ClubFlames]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

sometimes you have to look really deep into a post to understand what it means