Edmonton is No Good X: Up and Down Like a Toilet Seat

[Enoch Root]

Who could have ever predicted this coming?

(spoiler: a bunch of us called this last year)

He was deploying the fleet in exactly the same way that Tippett was. The only difference was that they acquired Kane and their goaltending got hot. So they win a few games and everybody thinks Woodcroft is a genius (IIRC, the word genius was actually used)

Now here we are, next morning, and the lights are on and the makeup is off, and... not so pretty

[jlh2640]

I mean, what could possibly go wrong with playing 2 great players 25 mins a night all season, over and over with no real system in place for them to play a 200 foot game

[topfiverecords]

Originally Posted by jlh2640

I mean, what could possibly go wrong with playing 2 great players 25 mins a night all season, over and over with no real system in place for them to play a 200 foot game

They have a 200ft system. Just it’s not a very good one and they’re not good enough to execute it.

[Bingo]

5 on 5 team stats

xGF%

Calgary 6th
Edmonton 22nd

Shooting percentage

Flames 24th
Oilers 23rd

Save Percentage

Flames 22nd
Oilers 19th

PDO

Flames 24th
Oilers 23rd

One of these teams should have hope that things might improve. I'll let you guess which one.

[Infinit47]

The Oilers are 22nd overall in 5v5 Xgf% at 48.76%, which I would say matches the eye test watching them.

No wonder ventriloquist doll is playing McDavid and Draisatl on the PK now. He needs to pump the ice time up and they aren't good enough 5v5 to draw lots of powerplays.

Also, is there even a pretense that Draisatl plays centre on a line away from McDavid?

[All In Good Time]

I subscribe to the theory that plus/minus is not a very useful statistic unless it indicates an “extreme”
I believe this is an example of an extreme
Mcdavid and draisatl, at 20ish games into the season, have about 100 points but are at about plus 10 combined.

[CaptainCrunch]

Look Woody was fortunate last year, I mean he had the new coach bounce and a different voice then Tippet who retired on the bench. Their goaltending suddenly got hot. McDavid and Draisaitl listened to him until the round against Colorado.

I mean yeah, he's been dealt a bad hand, and its a testiment to his coaching skills that the team has won as many games as they have. Mostly due to the Golddust twins and Skinner.

But any coach would look at that blueline and terrible group of forwards and say, hey, we need to be defensively aware, sit back a bit to protect our zone. I'm sure he's said that but I doubt guys like Draisiatl and McDavid really allow themselves to be coached. But they demand huge minutes a game. Because of that everyone else probably sits on the bench and rots and says F those guys, and F this coach.

Nurse is another problem, and its partially not his fault. He got a huge contract thanks to the pandemic, and had a complete fluke of a season against a weak Canadian division. But he was never a top pairing defenseman, he never had the hockey IQ to be good in his zone.

Frankly Oiler fans are being stupid about Woody's benching of Bouchard. But frankly despite his somewhat gaudy offensive stats, he's not capable of playing behind his blueline, he can't be trusted.

But he doesn't seem to be that great of a coach. But he's handicapped by the lineup and two players that are toxic to coaches.

I fully expect Holland to find a way to eject him, they can't afford to miss the playoffs, even though that lineup isn't a playoff lineup. If they do miss, you can bet that it will get ugly in Shelbyville. So they will probably dump Woody and bring in some new young turk because I doubt too many veteran coaches want to go to a coach killing environment unless they get a massive over payment and a long term deal. So they'll bring in a young coach, and pray for another new coach bounce.

I mean yeah, this season hasn't been great for the Flames, who have certainly underperformed, but watching the Oilers predictably stumbling is certainly . . . well . . . . awesome.

[Jacks]

Just watching some highlights of their game last night.

First WSH goal while the Caps are attacking the net Draisaitl is just standing there along the boards not even moving. I was trying to see where McLotto was? there were only 4 oilers in the screen. Then they went to the wide angle, there's the 5th man, hanging out at the centre line, pretty sure I know who that was.

[topfiverecords]

Originally Posted by Eric Vail

Nice to see McDavid on the ice for four goals against Washington. One was his shorthanded goal. The other three were goals against.

The first Washington goal Drasaitl should have gotten an assist. He made a beautiful soft pass into the slot to set up the Washington goal.

On the Washington PowerPlay goal, the announcer points out that McDavid and two other Oilers were in "nowhere land".

McDavid sure has a lot of bad games for the best player in hockey.

Draisaitl sure turns over the puck a lot for a Selke candidate.

Check it out: https://www.nhl.com/video/eller-ties...848/c-14099647

I like this one where Bouchard slides towards the goal, notices Protus spins to make the pass behind him to Dowd and Bouchard just gets up and stares at Skinner instead of turning around to do something. Continues to stare at the net after the puck goes in.

[zuluking]

Originally Posted by Infinit47

The Oilers are 22nd overall in 5v5 Xgf% at 48.76%, which I would say matches the eye test watching them.

No wonder ventriloquist doll is playing McDavid and Draisatl on the PK now. He needs to pump the ice time up and they aren't good enough 5v5 to draw lots of powerplays.

Also, is there even a pretense that Draisatl plays centre on a line away from McDavid?

Only in the pre-game lineup.

[Sofa GM]

Originally Posted by topfiverecords

I like this one where Bouchard slides towards the goal, notices Protus spins to make the pass behind him to Dowd and Bouchard just gets up and stares at Skinner instead of turning around to do something. Continues to stare at the net after the puck goes in.

Bouchard is way too slow to be holding the offensive line that hard. I like a bit of the Smith stare from Skinner to Bouchard after the goal. The wheels are falling off hard up north. The predictions of failure of based on the opinions and promises from those up north is coming true.

- The Beav is no longer a shoe in for the Jack Adams, talks of firing him.

- Although a great performance last night, Skinner is coming back to earth as a bottom half quality goaltender.

- Their prized goaltender signing is the worst goaltender in the league.

- They have the worst defensive group in the entire NHL. Bouchard, Nurse, Barrie, Broberg, Ceci are all absolute tire fires in their own end. Nurse leads the entire NHL in defensive giveaways.

- McDavid or Draisaitl, probably now more than ever, have zero interest in playing a 200 ft game or helping in their own end.


Holland is in a position here. I am guessing he is going to take a big swing here at Chychrun and cave on the asking price from the Yotes.

[getbak]

It must be Christmas time... There's snow on the ground, decorations are up, Christmas music in the malls, and Oilers fans are calling for their coach to be fired.

[tvp2003]

Originally Posted by topfiverecords

I like this one where Bouchard slides towards the goal, notices Protus spins to make the pass behind him to Dowd and Bouchard just gets up and stares at Skinner instead of turning around to do something. Continues to stare at the net after the puck goes in.

I'm not sure if it's McDavid or another Oiler but someone came in late and gave Skinner a nice snow shower right after the puck went in. Skinner responded with the ol' Mike Smith stink eye.

[topfiverecords]

Originally Posted by tvp2003

I'm not sure if it's McDavid or another Oiler but someone came in late and gave Skinner a nice snow shower right after the puck went in. Skinner responded with the ol' Mike Smith stink eye.

The Edmonton born pair #27 Kulak and #57 Hamblin both do a great job giving Edmonton born Skinner the snow shower.

[Eric Vail]

Originally Posted by tvp2003

I'm not sure if it's McDavid or another Oiler but someone came in late and gave Skinner a nice snow shower right after the puck went in. Skinner responded with the ol' Mike Smith stink eye.

That player is skating far too hard into the defensive zone to be McDavid. Two Oilers coast to the blueline and stop. I expect those are the wondertwins. That's how they play.

[TrentCrimmIndependent]

Originally Posted by Ashasx

Woodcroft is truly arrogant and unlikeable so I am enjoying his downfall.

yeah nobody like the new guy on the block who thinks he's all that after half a season of coaching in the league

icing McDavid and draisaitl more isn't a masterful stroke of genius

also gives off the air of a middle aged dweeb with his sweaters zipped up to the neck and his visor hat

Trent doesn't approve

[Reggie Dunlop]

No one can save the Oilers.

No one.

[TheIronMaiden]

No Oilers can save
Not one.

[jlh2640]

Originally Posted by Reggie Dunlop

No one can save the Oilers.

No one.

Edmonton is no good eh

[Sofa GM]

Originally Posted by tvp2003

I'm not sure if it's McDavid or another Oiler but someone came in late and gave Skinner a nice snow shower right after the puck went in. Skinner responded with the ol' Mike Smith stink eye.

In that goal clip you can see two Edmonton players absolutely mailing it in on the back check, guess who...........