Playoffs Discussion 2023-24

[CentreHice]

Jun 11, 2024 5:47:33 GMT -5 jkr said:

The only thing that is working well for Edmonton is their PK. It's now at 34 penalty kills in a row.

Impressive PK streak...but Rodrigues's 3-1 goal was scored with about 6 seconds remaining in Draisaitl's roughing call.

[jkr]

Jun 11, 2024 6:08:25 GMT -5 CentreHice said:

Jun 11, 2024 5:47:33 GMT -5 jkr said:

The only thing that is working well for Edmonton is their PK. It's now at 34 penalty kills in a row.

Impressive PK streak...but Rodrigues's 3-1 goal was scored with about 6 seconds remaining in Draisaitl's roughing call.

Thanks, missed that & it's obvious from the summary. Should have seen that.

[CentreHice]

Jun 11, 2024 6:42:09 GMT -5 jkr said:

Jun 11, 2024 6:08:25 GMT -5 CentreHice said:

Impressive PK streak...but Rodrigues's 3-1 goal was scored with about 6 seconds remaining in Draisaitl's roughing call.

Thanks, missed that & it's obvious from the summary. Should have seen that.

I had the volume up a tad ....and I heard either Cuthbert or Simpson mention it at the time of the goal. 6 seconds remaining...so close...

I don't know how Ekman-Larsson got the secondary assist. He passed it to Rodrigues who did the give-and-go, pass-and-tip with Lundell.
Bouchard with an ineffectual brush on Lundell at the blue line. Gotta be tougher there. Then Janmark noticed Rodrigues in the clear, took several strides closing the gap considerably, then coasted. I'll never understand slowing down on a back check.

[jkr]

Skinner with a misplay behind thd net & cant get back in time before Tarasenko makes it 2-1.

[jkr]

How is Nurse making 9 mill per season? Loose pkay in front of the net allows Tkachuk to set up Bennett. 3-1.

[folatre]

The Skinner mistake was probably a back-breaker for a team that cannot score. Down two goals, I hate to say it but this thing is over. And the series will be over Saturday.

The good news for hockey fans is that trades/news could start popping as early as Monday.

[jkr]

Game is getting away from EDM as Barkov scores on a 2 on 1. Now 4-1.

[jkr]

Agree on that Skinner mistake. Foegele had scored early to tie it & that took the wind out of their sails.

[folatre]

Edmonton is a deep, deep hole in this game and the series. And, moreover, when the team in the white jersey has the clearly better goalie, the goal scoring problems for the Oilers simply seem too much to overcome.

[drkcloud]

The forward group can only carry a terrible Skinner so far. And beyond Bouchard and Ekholm their defense is suspect

[folatre]

Nice comeback effort by the Oilers, but they are toast. The goalie is not as good as Bobrovsky. The d-men on Edmonton have made more mistakes than those on the Panthers. And the goals up front just have not been there for the Oilers top dogs, while the deep Florida roster has managed to get it done.

[seventeen]

I agree with Folatre, but besides Skinner, who just hasn't made the saves he was making in earlier series, it's McDavid who is failing. Except for maybe the WJC (where he would be surrounded with other good players), he never seems to win championships. Yet no one says he can't compete in the playoffs because of A, B or C. He's big enough, skilled enough, etc. He just doesn't want it as much as the other guys. Most of the success in playoffs is due to that simple factor. How badly do you want it? The Panthers, after losing last year, clearly want it more than the Oilers. It's too bad because they're a disgusting team and another Canadian team is on the verge of failing....again. Course, it would have helped if Alberta had no provincial tax, but that's another issue, which needs to be addressed before Canadian teams have a decent chance of winning the Cup again. Bettman gets what he wants, namely a southern US team winning the Cup...again.

Yet despite all his efforts, the fanbase in the US isn't growing much, the revenues aren't growing down there and hockey remains a poor cousing to the 3 other major sports, and far below the attraction to NASCAR, which is really embarrassing. No wonder Bettman wants a Gladiator spectacle rather than a hockey game. The U.S. sporting public responds much better to violence than grace and skill. The NFL is the best example of that.

[seventeen]

Jun 13, 2024 20:52:39 GMT -5 folatre said:

The Skinner mistake was probably a back-breaker for a team that cannot score. Down two goals, I hate to say it but this thing is over. And the series will be over Saturday.

The good news for hockey fans is that trades/news could start popping as early as Monday.

Thank god. It's the only good thing about the entire playoffs. As I suspected a while ago, the Oilers are being Skinnered alive. Holland, you were told, over and over again. You failed.

[CentreHice]

Postgame: MacLean starts off by complaining about a missed trip.

Hrudey and Bieksa protecting the Canadian asset...."If any team can come back, it's the Oilers...."


They all know it's over.

Unless Bill Ranford sets a time machine for 1990...

[Boston_Habs]

I picked Florida to win, but I thought it would be a much closer series. Besides the gap in net, Florida is just deeper and tougher than Edmonton. It's shocking to see a team with 4 of the top 5 playoff scorers get completely smothered. Meanwhile the Panthers are producing up and down the lineup from the stars to the depth guys. Definitely the hungrier team while Edmonton maybe felt getting to the Finals was enough this year.

Seeing a similar dynamic in the NBA finals. Boston is playing like the hungrier, more determined team, especially defensively. Maybe because they have more to prove after getting to the conference finals a few times and losing in the Finals in 2022. The Panthers have the look of a team that isn't going to let this chance slip away.

[Andrew]

The combination of disciplined, smothering team defense and all world goaltending is just too much for the Oilers. Oilers need to play mistake free hockey to have a chance, which isn't a realistic expectation. Kudos to Zito and Maurice for getting this Panthers team to where they are. They have all the right pieces on their roster, and are completely dialed in.

[jkr]

I don't agree that this situation lies with McDavid. The Oilers have only scored 4 goals and he's assisted on 3 of them. His supporting cast is letting him down big time. Bouchard, Draisaitl, Hyman and Nugent-Hopkins have one assist (Bouchard) between the 4 of them. And when your #! D pair was on for two goals against last night that is a real issue. They are getting chances but Bobrovsky is a wall right now.

The bottom of the lineup is contributing but that isn't going to get them very far.

[NWTHabsFan]

I think most of the hockey world are realizing just how incredible a two way player Barlow is. The best in the game. Just ask Kucherov, Pasternak, Panarin, and now McDavid and Draisaitl, all of whom he has outscored and left frustrated and without points.

I know a lot of folks are dumping on the Oilers right now, but the Panthers are so well structured and do so many small things well. They also swarm and take away time and space with their size and speed. There are a few of their players that I do not look forward to see winning the cup, but it is almost likely happening and is well deserved. And I hope they suck next year 😂.

[seventeen]

I’m going to take a slightly different viewpoint. The Oilers have been good since game (4?) vs Canucks. That’s when Skinner stuck an ‘NHL goalie’ sticker on his jersey. From the start of the finals he has an ‘AHL goalie’ sticker on his jersey. When you trust your goaltending you play relaxed, aggressive, and confidently. When you suspect your goaltending, it’s the opposite. You’re tentative, slow and passive.

It’s mostly that psychological edge that Florida has and they should finish it tomorrow. But if Edmonton gets one win and Skinner replaces that AHL sticker, it will make life interesting.

[Tankdriver]

I think I read somewhere that Nurse was on for more than half of the 50 goals scored against the Oilers this playoffs? That's a crazy stat for someone making 9 or 9.5 a year.

I predicted Florida would win. They swarm and collapse, taking any open space away and they had the advantage in goal. Skinner hasn't been bad, but also not great. K ow he has to be perfect and somehow Leon or Connor need to break out.

[seventeen]

Jun 15, 2024 12:15:08 GMT -5 Tankdriver said:

I think I read somewhere that Nurse was on for more than half of the 50 goals scored against the Oilers this playoffs? That's a crazy stat for someone making 9 or 9.5 a year.

I predicted Florida would win. They swarm and collapse, taking any open space away and they had the advantage in goal. Skinner hasn't been bad, but also not great. K ow he has to be perfect and somehow Leon or Connor need to break out.

Not saying Nurse isn't having a bad series, but you know who his partner is, right? Mr. Ceci. I think Nurse needs a dependable, Ekholm type next to him, but good luck getting that, Ken. Ceci has always been an issue, wherever he's gone. Somehow, he developed some kind of reputation that made him desirable to certain GM's. Too many holes in his game.

[NWTHabsFan]

Jun 15, 2024 12:36:44 GMT -5 seventeen said:

Jun 15, 2024 12:15:08 GMT -5 Tankdriver said:

I think I read somewhere that Nurse was on for more than half of the 50 goals scored against the Oilers this playoffs? That's a crazy stat for someone making 9 or 9.5 a year.

I predicted Florida would win. They swarm and collapse, taking any open space away and they had the advantage in goal. Skinner hasn't been bad, but also not great. K ow he has to be perfect and somehow Leon or Connor need to break out.

Not saying Nurse isn't having a bad series, but you know who his partner is, right? Mr. Ceci. I think Nurse needs a dependable, Ekholm type next to him, but good luck getting that, Ken. Ceci has always been an issue, wherever he's gone. Somehow, he developed some kind of reputation that made him desirable to certain GM's. Too many holes in his game.

Ceci has been terrible, but for the money Nurse has been awful. Terrible contract that will not age well. That was some kind of highway robbery by his agent at the time…Kent Hughes 😜.

[CentreHice]

Reading some "Corey Perry's bad luck" slant online.

As has been mentioned here before...Perry's been a big reason his teams have reached the Finals in 4 of the past 5 seasons. Playoff warrior.

[folatre]

Entertaining first period, Oilers 2-1 thus far. I have my doubts about how Edmonton, physically and mentally, will hold up over 60 minutes but hey at least they are not in hole early.

[jkr]

What was Forsling doing on that 3rd goal? Ekblad had Draisaitl but he moves over anyway & leaves Holloway wide open.

[jkr]

I see Tkachuk in a lot of scrums but has he been on thd scoresheet at all in this series?

[folatre]

Yeah, it seems like Forsling made a bad read or just being tired went brain dead for a few seconds. But man that was some nice sauce from Draisaitl and a cool finish by Holloway.

[folatre]

Wow, what were the odds tonight on Bobrovsky getting pulled? He will not doubt himself because of this. And it makes no sense to leave him in there when a long haul seven hour flight is awaiting everyone.

[jkr]

The guy has played a ton of high level hockey in the playoffs & it seems like the Panthers cant match the Oilers in desperation mode. Even Hyman is on the scoresheet tonight.

Give him some well deserved rest & I'm sure he and his mates will return to form on Tuesday.

When the Habs were down 3-0 to TB in 2021 all I wanted at that point was to avoid the sweep. They won game 4 then I came back to reality. I wonder if EDM fans are.

[jkr]

Shots 18-4 Oilers. Probably Florida's worst period of the playoffs.