The dive for five is now a full blown collapse!
Perhaps I should view it as a good thing, but frankly I can not. Basically the team did not pick a direction and stick with it and thus they were in limbo and now everything has crashed down and put them in this position.
There is nothing to celebrate, nothing to get excited about. Yeah the Oilers have completely failed and now in all likliehood will get a top 5 draft pick! Oh goody! It makes me angry, upset and sick to my stomach.
I don't need to starve to death to appreciate a good meal, but there really is no alternative. The Oilers need to dump contracts, dump anyone not considered core and let youth take over. No chasing rainbows (Heatley, Jagr etc), no expensive free agents.
It is now the only course of action that makes sense and that makes it a sad time to be an Oiler fan!
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Monday, December 28, 2009
Its the worst of times...
Really not much to say about this team. They are bad.
I have never been one to comment on Captains etc, because we just don't see what goes on in the dressing room but I think we have to start questioning Ethan Moreau.
The Oilers had the momentum were playing well and he takes a stupid penalty. Knocks over Luongo, did he really think he was going to get into Luongo's head? Poor Potulny then clears it over the board and the Oilers are two-man short and the game is virtually over as the Canucks score twice.
After the game, he questions the penalty killing? Perhaps Mr. Moreau needs to look at the mirror, why not question taking the penalty in the first place? Instead of calling out your teammates perhaps look in the mirror and acknowledge you are one of the problems. I wonder if Moreau will still be here by the end of the year?
I have truly enjoyed watching the Oilers prospects in the World Junior Tournament. Eberle gets it already, no he isn't as flashy as a Paajarvi-Svensson but he also doesn't make the mistakes or takes the chances that will result in turnovers that result in digging the puck out of his own net. The puck just follows him as it does for all great players and he finds the open man in a flash.
I also have enjoyed watching Hartikainen. He is most likely not going to put up big numbers at the NHL level but he is hard to play against, has a nose for the net and is not afraid to shoot the puck. The Oilers don't have enough of players like him, so I am rooting for him.
The Oilers play Calgary tonight, will the Oilers be the panacea for what ails the Flames? I hope not.
Go Oilers Go!
I have never been one to comment on Captains etc, because we just don't see what goes on in the dressing room but I think we have to start questioning Ethan Moreau.
The Oilers had the momentum were playing well and he takes a stupid penalty. Knocks over Luongo, did he really think he was going to get into Luongo's head? Poor Potulny then clears it over the board and the Oilers are two-man short and the game is virtually over as the Canucks score twice.
After the game, he questions the penalty killing? Perhaps Mr. Moreau needs to look at the mirror, why not question taking the penalty in the first place? Instead of calling out your teammates perhaps look in the mirror and acknowledge you are one of the problems. I wonder if Moreau will still be here by the end of the year?
I have truly enjoyed watching the Oilers prospects in the World Junior Tournament. Eberle gets it already, no he isn't as flashy as a Paajarvi-Svensson but he also doesn't make the mistakes or takes the chances that will result in turnovers that result in digging the puck out of his own net. The puck just follows him as it does for all great players and he finds the open man in a flash.
I also have enjoyed watching Hartikainen. He is most likely not going to put up big numbers at the NHL level but he is hard to play against, has a nose for the net and is not afraid to shoot the puck. The Oilers don't have enough of players like him, so I am rooting for him.
The Oilers play Calgary tonight, will the Oilers be the panacea for what ails the Flames? I hope not.
Go Oilers Go!
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Caps at Oilers, keep it simple stupid edition
This game looks like it has all the components of a nightmare for the Oilers, a team which looks completely lost defensively and against a goaltender that really doesn't make the big save at the right time.
But this team has shown it is completely bi-polar, it has played games where they play well defensively and we know they can create offence. The key for this team is how they move the puck, it all starts in their own zone.
When the defence isn't panicking and makes that first good pass out of their zone, you know the Oilers will have a good game. Conversely when they panic and just wrap it around the boards at full speed or hesitate on the boards you know it is going to be a long night.
In the offensive zone, do they try to get too fancy and make that extra pretty pass that invaribly gets intercepted, or do they shoot the puck and go for the rebound. The Oilers have been far more successful when they just shoot the puck and go for the rebound, but far too often think that those impossible passes that lead to highlight goals is the way to go. There is a reason those highlight reel goals make the sportscast! They are rare, most goals are scored on rebounds and by hard work, they are not pretty!
The key to both of these points is to keep it simple, move the puck, shoot the puck when you have the opportunity and the game will take care of itself. The Oilers try to make it a much more complicated game than it is!
The Oilers are now in the midst of going the wrong way, they need to turn this around and now!
Go Oilers Go!
But this team has shown it is completely bi-polar, it has played games where they play well defensively and we know they can create offence. The key for this team is how they move the puck, it all starts in their own zone.
When the defence isn't panicking and makes that first good pass out of their zone, you know the Oilers will have a good game. Conversely when they panic and just wrap it around the boards at full speed or hesitate on the boards you know it is going to be a long night.
In the offensive zone, do they try to get too fancy and make that extra pretty pass that invaribly gets intercepted, or do they shoot the puck and go for the rebound. The Oilers have been far more successful when they just shoot the puck and go for the rebound, but far too often think that those impossible passes that lead to highlight goals is the way to go. There is a reason those highlight reel goals make the sportscast! They are rare, most goals are scored on rebounds and by hard work, they are not pretty!
The key to both of these points is to keep it simple, move the puck, shoot the puck when you have the opportunity and the game will take care of itself. The Oilers try to make it a much more complicated game than it is!
The Oilers are now in the midst of going the wrong way, they need to turn this around and now!
Go Oilers Go!
Friday, December 18, 2009
Now what? Oilers get blasted 6-3
The Oilers defensive zone coverage was simply awful last night and Deslauriers wasn't up to the task and the Oilers got demolished 6-3. They simply had no answer for Nashville's forechecking, they didn't decide they need to cover the point until it was far to late. There is no one person to pin this loss on, it was a total team collapse.
Quinn blasted them for a 3-2 loss on Tuesday and Thursday's effort was much worse. Now what? What is he going to do, yell some more?
This team has continued it's 2 steps forward and 3 steps back philosophy.
I like Quinn and I really still think it was time for Mactavish to go, but it really is very obvious the coaching was the least of this teams problems.
The unbalance we talked about before the season is still a huge problem and no amount of great coaching is going to make up for that.
It was great to have a 5 game winning streak, but this team quickly turned it into a mirage. It's back to square one. I thought this game was very important as I wanted to see how the team reacted to being held accountable, we got our answer in spades. The team folded like a cheap tent!
It's back to the drawing board but I think this coaching staff is running out of answers! It was management that got this team into this mess and it won't be easy to correct!
Quinn blasted them for a 3-2 loss on Tuesday and Thursday's effort was much worse. Now what? What is he going to do, yell some more?
This team has continued it's 2 steps forward and 3 steps back philosophy.
I like Quinn and I really still think it was time for Mactavish to go, but it really is very obvious the coaching was the least of this teams problems.
The unbalance we talked about before the season is still a huge problem and no amount of great coaching is going to make up for that.
It was great to have a 5 game winning streak, but this team quickly turned it into a mirage. It's back to square one. I thought this game was very important as I wanted to see how the team reacted to being held accountable, we got our answer in spades. The team folded like a cheap tent!
It's back to the drawing board but I think this coaching staff is running out of answers! It was management that got this team into this mess and it won't be easy to correct!
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Predators vs. Oilers - St. Patrick's day Spat
The Predators come in as one of the hottest teams in the NHL so this will test the Oilers squad tonight.
Yesterday was like a soap opera in Oilersnation. Patrick O'Sullivan had his say and Pat Quinn had his, and it wasn't even St. Patrick's day. I am not going to put O'Sullivan under the bus, he hasn't had a great season and it would have been better for him to keep his mouth shut yesterday but it seems like he is an emotional guy and sometimes you have to let people be human.
I am more interested in his response and how he plays in the future than his comments. I will leave it at that.
Quinn admitted in making a coaching mistake by switching his lines yesterday, he admitted in a round-about way that he took some suggestions from his player and that might have been a mistake. Quinn is not afraid to be brutally honest but, he doesn't give himself any quarter either.
It will be interesting to see how the team responds, in the past they would have rested on their laurels after having a good road trip, been happy that they played a fairly good game against LA. It promptly led to complaincy and a two to three game losing streak. Which led to a constant two step-three steps back result.
I am anxious to see how the team responds tonight. It is easy to say all the right things to the press (as all the leadership group did) it is another thing to prove it on the ice.
Go Oilers Go!
Yesterday was like a soap opera in Oilersnation. Patrick O'Sullivan had his say and Pat Quinn had his, and it wasn't even St. Patrick's day. I am not going to put O'Sullivan under the bus, he hasn't had a great season and it would have been better for him to keep his mouth shut yesterday but it seems like he is an emotional guy and sometimes you have to let people be human.
I am more interested in his response and how he plays in the future than his comments. I will leave it at that.
Quinn admitted in making a coaching mistake by switching his lines yesterday, he admitted in a round-about way that he took some suggestions from his player and that might have been a mistake. Quinn is not afraid to be brutally honest but, he doesn't give himself any quarter either.
It will be interesting to see how the team responds, in the past they would have rested on their laurels after having a good road trip, been happy that they played a fairly good game against LA. It promptly led to complaincy and a two to three game losing streak. Which led to a constant two step-three steps back result.
I am anxious to see how the team responds tonight. It is easy to say all the right things to the press (as all the leadership group did) it is another thing to prove it on the ice.
Go Oilers Go!
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Oilers win streak over, they lose 3-2
Quinn went ballistic after the game but it really wasn't that bad of an effort. For Quinn it comes down to changing the culture. He is trying to turn this team into a winner and playing Ok isn't good enough. I have no problem with that.
That being said, the Oilers dominated most of the game, Penner must have had 5 grade A chances. If he lights the lamp we are most likely having a different conversation. On the other side of the equation, they passed up prime scoring chances by not shooting the puck, the powerplay was simply awful and they were not sharp for a lot of the night. So I could see why he was upset.
It looks like O'Sullivan has run out of chances, before the game he was demoted on the fourth line and in the third period I don't think he saw a shift. He is a player that has completely lost his confidence but I don't see the work ethic or determination to try to change things. His body language gives me the impression that he has given up! Does he feel he needs a change of scenery? Or is he just completely frustrated with himself?
In an earlier blog, we talked about determining which players we need to keep to build around and players that we need to dump. Nilsson and O'Sullivan were my prime candidates to be traded. Nilsson has slowly climbed out of the doghouse (though I am still not convinced that he will stay out) and O'Sullivan looks like he will be a casuality.
It should be interesting to see how the team responds to Quinn's bashing on Thursday. Will they feel that Quinn was too hard on them? Are will they respond with a great effort? Will they see that Quinn is trying to change the culture and giving them some tough love? Or will they feel sorry for themselves?
As I said yesterday, this team is very much a work in progress and how they respond will tell us a lot about which direction this team is heading.
Go Oilers go!
That being said, the Oilers dominated most of the game, Penner must have had 5 grade A chances. If he lights the lamp we are most likely having a different conversation. On the other side of the equation, they passed up prime scoring chances by not shooting the puck, the powerplay was simply awful and they were not sharp for a lot of the night. So I could see why he was upset.
It looks like O'Sullivan has run out of chances, before the game he was demoted on the fourth line and in the third period I don't think he saw a shift. He is a player that has completely lost his confidence but I don't see the work ethic or determination to try to change things. His body language gives me the impression that he has given up! Does he feel he needs a change of scenery? Or is he just completely frustrated with himself?
In an earlier blog, we talked about determining which players we need to keep to build around and players that we need to dump. Nilsson and O'Sullivan were my prime candidates to be traded. Nilsson has slowly climbed out of the doghouse (though I am still not convinced that he will stay out) and O'Sullivan looks like he will be a casuality.
It should be interesting to see how the team responds to Quinn's bashing on Thursday. Will they feel that Quinn was too hard on them? Are will they respond with a great effort? Will they see that Quinn is trying to change the culture and giving them some tough love? Or will they feel sorry for themselves?
As I said yesterday, this team is very much a work in progress and how they respond will tell us a lot about which direction this team is heading.
Go Oilers go!
Kings at Oilers - going for six in a row
I have read a lot of blogs about the five game winning streak and how it didn't mean anything because the Oilers beat bad teams. Huh?
Lets be realistic, the Oilers are not a good team, even after winning five in a row they sit 11th. The win streak basically gave them a chance to compete for a playoff spot, but to say it didn't mean anything because they beat bottom dwellers? Get a clue and look at the standings before each of those games. Hello, Mcfly! What do you think we were? We really aren't that far from that now. There is still a lot of work to do, but for the dive for five sanction, it ain't happening. No matter what happens, no matter where the Oilers sit. They are not going to tear the team apart and start again!
I have read all about the dive for five and how it wonderful it will be because we might have the chance to draft Taylor Hall. A couple things ignored by this faction. What do you think the constant losing would teach Sam Gagner, Andrew Cogliano, Gilbert Brule, etc, etc. This team needs to learn how to win, needs to learn how to become a team. Tanking a season most likely will not get us Taylor Hall (as we simply won't be bad enough) and it will teach our kids how to be perennial losers.
Secondly, lets just ignore the poor hard-working people who pay the freight. The season ticket holder. No, I am not going to gently sit by and watch a team purposely lose and buck up next year when they ask! I can not imagine many season ticket holders feel differently! If they are trying their best and lose we can handle that, we can handle the many injuries this team had that put a bubble team over the brink. But tanking on purpose, not a chance!
Thirdly, do you really think that Darryl Katz hired argubly the most expensive coaching staff in the NHL to tank the season? He hired them to teach the kids to win, he wanted them to change the "culture" of this team. A fancy way of saying that he was sick of losing! Anyone dreaming of a giant sell job are dreaming in technicolor. As I have said previously, if the Oilers are out of the race they may dump a couple of contracts but they won't tear the team apart and start again. It is not going to happen.
Changing a culture and teaching this team to win is not a overnight proposition and the Oilers may end up falling short and getting a high pick anyway but it won't be because they "tanked" the season.
Now back to the game. I worry about tonight's game, the Oilers are coming back from a long road-trip, teams generally do not play well in this scenario and the Kings lost last night so will be hungry. The Oilers need to make sure that they don't get "fat and satisfied" (you have to love Quinnisms)
Go Oilers go!
Lets be realistic, the Oilers are not a good team, even after winning five in a row they sit 11th. The win streak basically gave them a chance to compete for a playoff spot, but to say it didn't mean anything because they beat bottom dwellers? Get a clue and look at the standings before each of those games. Hello, Mcfly! What do you think we were? We really aren't that far from that now. There is still a lot of work to do, but for the dive for five sanction, it ain't happening. No matter what happens, no matter where the Oilers sit. They are not going to tear the team apart and start again!
I have read all about the dive for five and how it wonderful it will be because we might have the chance to draft Taylor Hall. A couple things ignored by this faction. What do you think the constant losing would teach Sam Gagner, Andrew Cogliano, Gilbert Brule, etc, etc. This team needs to learn how to win, needs to learn how to become a team. Tanking a season most likely will not get us Taylor Hall (as we simply won't be bad enough) and it will teach our kids how to be perennial losers.
Secondly, lets just ignore the poor hard-working people who pay the freight. The season ticket holder. No, I am not going to gently sit by and watch a team purposely lose and buck up next year when they ask! I can not imagine many season ticket holders feel differently! If they are trying their best and lose we can handle that, we can handle the many injuries this team had that put a bubble team over the brink. But tanking on purpose, not a chance!
Thirdly, do you really think that Darryl Katz hired argubly the most expensive coaching staff in the NHL to tank the season? He hired them to teach the kids to win, he wanted them to change the "culture" of this team. A fancy way of saying that he was sick of losing! Anyone dreaming of a giant sell job are dreaming in technicolor. As I have said previously, if the Oilers are out of the race they may dump a couple of contracts but they won't tear the team apart and start again. It is not going to happen.
Changing a culture and teaching this team to win is not a overnight proposition and the Oilers may end up falling short and getting a high pick anyway but it won't be because they "tanked" the season.
Now back to the game. I worry about tonight's game, the Oilers are coming back from a long road-trip, teams generally do not play well in this scenario and the Kings lost last night so will be hungry. The Oilers need to make sure that they don't get "fat and satisfied" (you have to love Quinnisms)
Go Oilers go!
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