What Has Disappointed You Most About The Edmonton Oilers?

What Has Disappointed You Most About The Edmonton Oilers?

What has been one thing that you have found like this team has been very inconsistent obviously they’re winning one losing the next and even throughout games it’s like periods period they’re completely different team what do you think the reason is for that I just my biggest frustration I thought that’s what you’re going to ask the question was what’s your biggest frustration in those moments and for me it’s just it it consistently is the fact that they’ve now had bad teams in my opinion compared to the Oilers uh down in games and had their foot on the throat and they have not had that killer instinct that uh we expect and know that they’re capable of. So for me it’s just that they have not finished off teams when they’ve had the opportunity to do so. I think last night was a great example of that. Rangers too. Like that’s two games in the last three that a twogoal lead game mostly in control. Especially on the road. Like obviously losing a home is bad, but like the Blues fans was they were non-existent cuz they had nothing to cheer about. They had nothing. Yeah. And then a mausoleum in there. There was I think Jack mentioned it on the broadcast. He’s like it’s pretty dull in here. And then even like the winner with a minute 30 whatever it was at the end of the game. That was their fourth shot of the period. Yeah, and I still felt like they had more shots than the Oilers. I know they didn’t. I think the Oilers have like seven or eight in that period, but it just didn’t feel like the Oilers were able to do anything decent in the third. To me, like to answer the delish debate is their lack of a killer instinct right now. Yeah. When you see a team like St. Louis that had just lost seven in a row going into that game, they’re down just like the Rangers were a handful of games ago. They were down. And when you build a lead like that, you know, push their [ __ ] head underwater. Yeah, don’t give them any space to come back. And that’s what happened in both games. And it’s like they hung the mission accomplished flag midway through the game and I just it drives me nuts. It just felt like well both teams did like waiting for the loser point. What’s happening? I think I finally found the answer. The reason I was being so quiet, Dan gave homework before the show. Dan wanted to know when the last time the Oilers had a game where neither Conor McDavid or Leandre had a shot on goal, which happened last night. Which happened last night. And it did happen once last year or something like that, but it was the game Connor got hurt and only played 30 seconds, so we don’t count that one. I scrolled through all their game logs, and if this is wrong, I’m gonna be pissed the hell off. That’s wild. Good for you. I believe the last time it happened, allegedly, was February 26th, 2016 against the Anaheim Ducks. Hang on a minute. You went back nine years. I went through every single year’s game logs of Conor McDavid and Leon Dryidle. The way I did it is I went to their game logs on NHL.com yearbyear and I would just sort all the games where they didn’t have any shots on goal cuz there was a year where Conor McDavid had a shot in every single game which is crazy. But I think I finally found the game. Not that anyone except Dan was asking. That’s why I was quiet for the first 10 minutes of the pod. I was pretty obsessed with finding out that answer. Did he score 64 goals by chance in the area to shut every single game? I think so. I think it was like eight. Weird. Now that you put that that tweet out though, you’re going to absolutely crush the numbers. I just I’m really nervous that it has to be right. Are you doing bag milks trivia over there? Yeah, I don’t know. Maybe this might be the answer. Rick, what’s your answer to the delicious debate? It’s frustrating, but yeah, you’re right. It’s just not playing 60 minutes. And to me, I think that this kind of falls on the coaching staff. I think the coaching staff has to find a way to keep their players engaged. I know it’s not very exciting 14 games into the year. There’s a lot more to talk about. The games meet a lot more, you know, later down the road, but there’s still some to be played for right now. And I think that the coaching staff has to find a way to bring it out of the players. And that’s part of why like their there their starts are so slow as well. That I you got to find a way as the coaching staff to to have your players ready to roll and roaring and ready to go right off puck drop. And that means starting the same line all the time because you got to deal with them or whatever. I don’t know what it really it is, but you are in the room with these guys. You have a feel for them. You should know what makes them tick and uh you should be able to get them going. I also wish there was a guy like just to build on your point that I wish that there was something like somebody would take it upon themselves like a guy like Trent Frederick going out grabbing somebody and getting in a scrap or something like as much as people don’t want to talk about that and I know Dan does because hockeys.com but like that stuff will get the bench going. And I think about a couple years ago when the Oilers were really struggling and then they played LA in January and there was four or five scrap night and then from there outward they were more united as a team. I just I wish there was some of that some of the urgency being pissed off about what’s happening grabbing somebody dropping the mits like do the Oilers have a fight this year? No. You don’t even go that just go hit some bodies. I want to fight. How many times have you seen a guy in the corner and a forward comes down on him and then he moves the puck and the forward just kind of like spins and turns away from him. hit the [ __ ] player. We know what this does in the playoffs. It works in the [ __ ] game 15 as well. I’ve noticed that a little bit more from Frederick actually the last handful of games that he is completing his checks or not. He is. He started against Vancouver a little bit, I thought. Yeah, like last night. Yeah, last night was definitely an effort for him to maybe it was the fact he had a solar box probably was helpful to it, but we need more we need more guys doing it. 100%. I’ve seen 92 spin spin away too much. I’d like to see a bit more from Pods. Even like Angie Aani, I know he’s not a huge guy by any means, but like you we know he’s got that bit of rattiness in him and bit of grin grind. So, I’d like to see that a bit more from him. And even like Nurse, I guess to an extent. I don’t think Nurse has been terrible on that side of things. At least he’s willing to kind of like grab guys a little bit here and there, but like I don’t know. I’d like some more scrums. It’s not a fight. Yeah, I agree. Little emotion. I want just emotion or passion in general. They’re just such a dull hockey team to watch right now. They don’t get too high. Don’t get too low. That’s kind of annoying cuz I get high and I get low. Therefore, I want them to match my But, you know, you see them score a goal and I get jacked up and then Leon’s just like, “Hey, back to the bench.” Yeah. Have some fun, boys. This is what we I know. But it’s because they don’t give a [ __ ] till game 60 on or whatever like that. But you got to find a way. Yeah, it is very annoying. Anybody else? What’s frustrating you? It’s just that for me, like lack of passion. And that’s why I kind of wanted Chris Knoblock this year to just like really lean into like playing the kids and like you know what if if the veterans and the rest of the team aren’t going to give a [ __ ] until February. Play mats of night Howard 16 minutes a game and whatever the results will happen or they won’t you’ll be a middling hockey team who goes all right we’ll try start trying in January or February and at least play the kids so we can watch somebody have some fun because the way they play right now is just dull as [ __ ] They aren’t exciting offensively. I think that’s the way they’re being coached and that’s what scares me. like there’s they need to you need a little more high high reward high you know take some chances high reward otherwise they’re doing this play safe all the time play safe play safe and then they almost get lulled to sleep and then instead of playing safe there’s playing laxidasical and puck ends up in the back of your net just like last night two nothing on a team who’s on a sevengame losing streak with a goalie who can’t stop a beach ball and you just refuse to stop attacking offense or you just start shooting them get that third goal if you get a fourth goal you’ve already killed them man cuz there was a couple of shifts who like where the Oilers absolutely hemmed the Blues down in their zone and then it just kind of dissipates. The puck comes out of the zone for whatever reason and we can’t get back down there again. You can’t sustain any offensive pressure. I don’t think they’re being coached that way though. I think that would be honestly insane. But it it so first of all like almost every time there’s a loose is telling to stop shooting. Almost every time there’s a loose puck in our own end instead of like turning a a quick transition which we should we have speed. We have guys who can move the puck. That’s what we should be doing. We get it and we go backwards. Go behind the net. Go by the net. Go behind the net. Stop going behind the damn net. Take advantage of the fact there’s two guys on on the other team already behind the puck and fire out. Use your offensive skill. I agree with you to a certain extent that it’s being coached into them in that it’s not being like expressly identified as an issue right yet by block. Well, he’s not going to say it in the media. No, but but even just like from the team’s perspective, like Tyler’s saying, like you’ve got effort, strong effort coming from these young guys and and some good games coming from them, but we’re not seeing the rewards for them in minute and time in minutes and time played. Dry, David, still lead the still lead the team in those when those guys are frankly like that. That’s a crazy stat to have a game where both your leaders have not put a shot on the net for the first time. Assuming it’s correct. But you know what that does? Well, let’s go back and see what other like so when was lastly last night is correct. We know that. When was last time Sid and Gino didn’t have a shot in the game. Is it that rare or is it these two are that good? That makes it that rare. The other side of it too is that shouldn’t be mistaken in all of us. Conor McDavid finished with two points yesterday and he scored two goals. Mhm. Like yes, he had no shots on that and that’s not good. But he also had two points. I’m not Yeah, I guess I mean Thank you. It plays into the narrative of Yeah. I don’t know. And like I I don’t know. Like those guys can have off nights, I guess. But it’s just like last night was a night they couldn’t afford to have one because they needed him bad. To me, it’s just like guys are going to have off nights or whatever. I mean, Connor still got two points. He’s got what, 19, 14 games, something like that. Starts the season. And that’s only with three goals. But like the defensive lapses and the issues that are causing these goals against and the giveaways and just the small details that a contending team should have sorted out even though it’s still early. That bothers me. I don’t know. I don’t I can’t find a stats website that tracks this and I’d love to know if this is like fan bias or an actual thing. Holy [ __ ] do they ever ice the puck a lot. I can’t tell if it’s an Oilers problem or if it’s just like something you notice when you watch one team all the time. But are we talking bad passes? Are you just talking dumping the puck out? Just any scenario. Feels like they just don’t hesitate to ice the puck. Interesting. Like a reset almost. I guess I like I think our goalender should be covering the puck more often instead of dumping off in the corner cuz we’re not very good at picking up the puck in our own defensive corner. Cover it. New lines. Get his face off going. I would like to see and I should have looked at the shift chart. Maybe Tyler can look it up as I’m uh sure. No laptop for Liam today. No, I’m going to use the He’s raw dogging it. Um, I don’t think Evan Bush should have been out on the ice for that final goal against you’ve got a guy here who is continuously struggling defensively and help him out a little bit. And I know people won’t want to hear that and I agree. He made a terrible mistake yesterday. He should have fought harder in front of his own net. But nurse and Warman should be a shut down duo and just put them out on the ice if there’s a defensive zone draw. Like give those two the minutes of like stand in front of some pucks, block them cuz you know nurse is going to battle in front of the net. That’s you know’s going to block anything. Exactly. So like why are we putting those two out on the ice and people are going to be like, “Oh, he makes 10 and a half million. He should do this.” Like sure, but like I’d also prefer not to have the conversation about 10.5 million every day because the only reason we’re talking about it is cuz he keeps making mistakes. But if you put him in a bit more of a position to succeed just to that moment in particular, the other ones are definitely on him. Then we don’t have to talk about it today. And maybe the others lose overtime and it’s just whatever. You know what I mean? Like right before he went back out and the goal got scored. They did have Nurse and Wman out there for a pretty extended shift. So how do you have put you in a bit of a hole here? Where did they start the shift? Do we know that? I have it all. I think it was in it was a Dzone start. Yeah, Bad did. Yeah, I think so. I would almost put Kulak out there to be honest for that more, especially right now when you know the guy is struggling as much as he is. Yeah, like that’s what I mean. Like I just think that could have been handled a little bit differently. Like trust your guys. And talked about this the other day too of like so you play who do they play? The Rangers. Busad makes a mistake at the end of the game and then everyone’s talking about accountability, accountability, accountability. I was like, okay, totally fair. why NBlock didn’t trust Nurse in that situation too which is very ironic because the game before he almost blew it for the other two like he had two goals that game him and Warman were going give them those shifts and like see like Bard you are not playing and you can play when like say the power play still happens that’s when you put him out there you’re like this is your chance you’re the one of the best power play guys in the league go prove it again like win this fan base back for the night I still think that Matias Holm is the issue here he hasn’t good this year. I think he’s been hurt. So he was re He’s probably not even 100%. He’s probably 70%. Dude was hurt all year. So didn’t get a chance to rehab was spend his summer rehabbing instead of working out. Yeah. I don’t think you’re going to see that. Yeah. I don’t think that’s true. Didn’t they say someone was ripped off the bone for him? He played in the cup final. Yeah, but anybody plays in the Patrice Bone played in the cup final. That dude had had a a lung hanging out of his back pocket. Like it was that dude was half broken. But I mean, you you play through those games. Look what Kane played through that one year. Um I just don’t think he’s fully healthy. I think those guys should sit out. Like if you’re injured, don’t play. Zack Heyman’s not playing right now cuz he is injured. Yeah, but that’s a different kind of injured. What’s Sure. Like his hands [ __ ] up. If he if he was able to be If he was able to be playing, he would be we just said that muscle off the bone. Yeah. Yeah. But I I think he’s you’re well enough to be able to play and then you go force yourself to play. That’s just what that’s just what professional athletes do. And that’s fair. And there’s a whole warrior players and everything. Just like just don’t play. If you’re injured, if you’re injured for the first two weeks of the season, I think everyone would be understanding like you’re still out. Just don’t play. We’ll play Tony Structure. I just think that Bousard’s style of play has always been this like highrisisk cover defensive liability and when Ekholm came in we all toouted him as the you know the Bousard whisperer because he was able to cover up for some of the mistakes. You look at the team now who leads the team in giveaways right now it’s Matias Ekholm at 26 giveaways. So yeah and again giveaways are a are a not a great stat to look at but Bard’s only at 21. So, like I just I I think that there’s that there’s multiple issues there, you know, more and more I and I appreciate that you guys just have to go through the discourse of Buchard um every single game. And so, it’s easy to look at him because he’s the one that’s making the giveaways, but he’s always been this guy. He’s always been this player early in the season. We’ve needed to have support for him and it just isn’t there right now. Like last year, I bet if we went last year, October, November, the exact same thing. Totally. And then he calms down. He’s usually fine and then he makes another mistake and everyone’s like, “This guy sucks. Whatever. The frustrating part from last night wasn’t that it was a puck error. It was literally a lack of effort. Yeah, it was an effort error. And that is the biggest problem. I would say the same thing on the uh JT Miller OT winner against New York. He basically like paved him away right to the net and then Leon stopped skating. That one I hated. I think I was a bit of a mixture of both. But you’re right, like it’s like we’ve seen it a few times now of just like just steps out of the way. There was even It’s almost like the play is to get out of the way so the goalie can see it and you try and deal with the rebound. I don’t like that play, but I’m trying to figure out why they’re doing it. They do it so often, though. Well, then that goes to another thing like Calvin Pickard was great to start last night. Did not finish well. The classic Calvin Pickard where if you showed someone a montage of all the saves he made, you they’d be like, “Whoa, he stole them the game.” Then if you showed them the goals he gave up, they’d be like, “Oh [ __ ] he cost them the game.” Like, it’s great saves, acrobatic flopping around, and then it’s goals that you’re just like, “You’re not an NHL goalie.” But that’s why he is where he is in his career. What’s up, nation citizens? If you like that video, then you need to be subscribed to the Oilers Nation YouTube podcast, live shows, exclusive interviews and analysis, everything you need from your favorite voices at Oilers Nation. And you don’t want to miss any of it, so hammer that subscribe button.

We kicked off the Friday episode of ONR with a delicious debate over what has caused the Oilers’ inconsistencies through the first 14 games of the year. Whether it’s a lack of killer instinct, the inability to put in a full 60 minutes, or a lack of physicality, it’s incredibly frustrating that a team this talented struggles to live up to the level everyone expects of them. Regardless of what frustrates you, there are plenty of issues happening with the Oilers right now that are completely fixable.

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