Post-Game Talk: Monarchy Abolished (x3)

[5 14 6 1]

Anyone else notice how much calmer the boys are this year? Way less tempers flaring in the scrums, way less panic when LA was pushing, was less dumb dumb penalties. Wonder what combination of coaching, vets, and experience has been the key here. Hope this continues, team feels different this year.

Huge difference. Felt last year one of Kane or Drai was good for an undisciplined penalty once per game. That is out of their games thus far.

I do think Knobs calm demeanor keeps the team level, they have seen the process work and know if they stick to that plan it can pay off. G4 and G5 3rd periods felt like some of the least stressful periods in recent Oilers history.

 

[CornKicker]

Does anyone really get to the Oiler players anymore? Been awhile since I remember someone that has driven the guys nuts and even if it is one game doesn't seem to ever really impact them the next.

Agitate the fans yes, but players not as much it seems.

no thats a sign of maturity, nothing but winning matters any more. i think the drai/pietraneglo incident was the nail in that coffin.

also

Shout out to the PK.

View attachment 863664

Nuge at 2nd most icetime is kinda crazy.

heavily underrated player imo, maybe not by our fanbase but for sure outside of the oilers world he is

 

[bellagiobob]

I feel bad for ever doubting draisaitl during the season.

I don't think it's that many people doubted him, it's just that we have high expectations of him, and are passionate. We all love him and want him to be his best all the time, which just isn't possible, but the odd vent when a player isn't playing well is fine, as long as it comes from the right place, and I think in most cases it does, in that fans want him to succeed, and love the guy. It gets bad when the negativity towards players comes from a darker place, when posters want the players to fail to prove some stupid point.

 

[joestevens29]

I see Casino Bob is up. Few more pages and he'll be caught up

 

[5 14 6 1]

when would the second round start? Like in 7 days?

Sounds like Sunday at the absolute earliest. But more than likely Tuesday.

 

[K1984]

Someone put a shock collar on Nurse and zap him whenever he jumps up to pinch at the red line. 2 GA in this series (including the OT winner) just because of that.

Ceci makes horrible reads in that spot too. He had a bad pinch early that didn't end up resulting in anything, but was close.

It's like that pair takes turns deciding who is going to be the bigger idiot.

 

[bellagiobob]

I completely forgot that the Durzi trade was to make cap space for PLD. It just keeps getting worse the longer you look at it. The Kings needed a goalie desperately. So they signed an aging former starter and a guy who has been in and out of the league, traded a top 4 defenseman for draft picks, and then traded for a guy who was never going to help the defensive game much - not even if he played the best hockey of his life. Blake deserves the boot.

Don't forget about trading Brock Faber and a 1st for Fiala. Turned out to be an enormous price for a playoff diver.

 

[joestevens29]

Don't forget about trading Brock Faber and a 1st for Fiala. Turned out to be an enormous price for a playoff diver.

Fiala was pretty dangerous for them last year, although his latest playoff performance and Faber turning into a stud just hurts that much more today.

 

[RegDunlop]

I don't think there's ever been a better PP in the league. You have McDavid dancing around everywhere and not staying in one spot. Then add in the danger from the Bouch Bomb and Drai's sweet spot and Nuge's creativity. Then you have the best net presence player in the league in Hyman. It can kill you in so many different ways. The way they move the puck is like poetry on ice.

Agree
Even in glory years we would Harlem Globetrott opponents but it didn't look like this and certainly wasn't almost a guarantee. Close but I think this version is the most lethal group of 5 that has ever existed

 

[bellagiobob]

It was interesting watching the Oilers kind of pivot from engaging every time to skating away after losing game 2.

I wonder if Knob or Coffey just said that isn’t our game guys. Let’s beat them with our superior skill.

I know it's more complicated than this, but the teams seemed to take on the temperament of their coaches as the series went on. The Oilers played a very cerebral, tactical series, which mirrors their coach, while Hiller went spastic and irate at key moments in games, and his team responded by taking stupid penalties.

 

[ManofSteel55]

Don't forget about trading Brock Faber and a 1st for Fiala. Turned out to be an enormous price for a playoff diver.

Fiala had a bad series, but he is a good player. I don't think a 1st and a prospect would be a bad price for him if he kept his 30 goal scoring pace from the year before he was traded. I don't think anyone thought Faber would come in and be a top pair defenseman as a rookie, so I'll give Blake a little leeway there, but overall, you're right, a 1st and a prospect that became a top pair defenseman for a 25 - 30 goal, 70ish point winger is a bit steep in retrospect.

 

[CornKicker]

can we all acknowledge corey perry taking a penalty and flossing the injury to get the refs sympathy and then coming back 2 mins later from a severed leg lol, love the gamesmenship and called it as soon as he was hurt that it was a tactic. vet move vet player hes gonna come up clutch right when we need him imo

 

[TheNumber4]

can we all acknowledge corey perry taking a penalty and flossing the injury to get the refs sympathy and then coming back 2 mins later from a severed leg lol, love the gamesmenship and called it as soon as he was hurt that it was a tactic. vet move vet player hes gonna come up clutch right when we need him imo

Thought that was gamesmanship too. Returned the favor for when Mikey was on the ice trying to gain sympathy.

 

[RegDunlop]

This is how it looked. Leon was just incredible.

Looks like a pistol!
Seems accurate

 

[Fourier]

Huge difference. Felt last year one of Kane or Drai was good for an undisciplined penalty once per game. That is out of their games thus far.

I do think Knobs calm demeanor keeps the team level, they have seen the process work and know if they stick to that plan it can pay off. G4 and G5 3rd periods felt like some of the least stressful periods in recent Oilers history.

Lets hope that they can keep it up but this was definitely the most disciplined version of the Oilers I have seen in years.

I said this in a previous post but on several occasions early on I have seen Perry skate by Kane and seem to calm him down just as Kane was most agitated. Perry knows how to stay just on the right side of the line. I suspect that the discipline is a team thing. One for all and all for one but if a guy looks like he is going to lose it others chip in to remind him of the mission.

 

[Jimmi McJenkins]

This is perfect

 

[Mav3rick07]

I know it's more complicated than this, but the teams seemed to take on the temperament of their coaches as the series went on. The Oilers played a very cerebral, tactical series, which mirrors their coach, while Hiller went spastic and irate at key moments in games, and his team responded by taking stupid penalties.

Well said. The Kings coach was a loose cannon and that's probably why LA self-destructed last night in the second period.

 

[Ritchie Valens]

Well I was off my prediction by 1OT game. Think this was an easily a sweep if the Kings had less horseshoes.

I don’t think it was an easy 5 game series, like Colorado had with the Jets. Not one of those four Colorado wins were close. In game 1, LA would have gotten within one goal if they didn’t have that one called back for a high stick or gloved in, whatever the call was. It would have made the game interesting if it stood as LA was storming back.

Game 2, LA took it to them and Talbot being playoff Talbot let them back in it but Skinner had an off game.

Game 3, the Oil dominated, start to finish.

Game 4, Skinner stole that one. I’m not even sure Rittich broke a sweat with the limited pressure and shots the Oilers had on him.

Game 5, LA was again coming hard and carried the pace until the Draisaitl goal woke the Oilers up. That big second period helped the Oilers but LA again made it interesting in the final 5 minutes, until Moore hooked Draisaitl with the empty net sealing it.

I personally think it was a closer series than the final 4-1 spread makes it look.

I’m glad they finished them off, hopefully Nashville stretches their series to 7 games to give these guys a solid week off to heal up some bumps and bruises.

 

[guymez]

I hate to pile on Woody but he was vastly out-coached against Vegas...which bled into the beginning of the season (that led to his demise)

Knoblauch is a straight shooter that doesn't play games nor does he think he's the smartest guy in the room...I look forward to seeing how he manages his bench in Round 2

100%
I liked Woody as a coach but once the playoffs came in 2023 it was clear that he was overmatched.
He wasnt able to recover from that either...as a matter of fact he took the team a step backwards with the defenisve adjustments he tried to make.

 

[ToeMcDrag83]

We haven't even unleashed our secret weapon yet.
Connor "Pisani 2024" Brown waiting in the wings for his moment.

 

[Ritchie Valens]

Well said. The Kings coach was a loose cannon and that's probably why LA self-destructed last night in the second period.

Him losing his shit over the hookiest hook that was ever hooked on Draisaitl with 20 seconds left proved it. How do you even argue that .

 

[OilerTyler]

Kind of wild that the Kings got their only win against us in OT this year, their only two wins against us in OT last year and their third and final win against us in 2022 in OT. We've played 14 playoff games against them in a row without losing in regulation. Too bad OT losses count the same in the playoffs haha.

 

[CROTT]

This is perfect

IIRC, that was the Carolina game that was when the season turned around. The Oilers went on an eight game win streak, and went 24-3 with a three game losing streak separating the eight game and sixteen game win streak’s.

 

[JordanGalhanth]

IIRC, that was the Carolina game that was when the season around. The Oilers went on an eight game win streak, and went 24-3 with a three game losing streak separating the eight game and sixteen game win streak’s.

And that was my only chance to see them all season...

Lousy result on the scoreboard, but just incredible to see where they've come since then.

 

[bellagiobob]

Exhibit A to refute those that say we got all the calls that series. This call was a comedy of errors by the officials. Perry gets his stick slashed out of his hand, and then is tripped into the goalie. And Perry gets the only penalty.