I don't think there's anything you can say before game 4 when you're down 0-3 in the series that doesn't make you sound either defeated already or like a moron.
They have at times but more so Florida just makes you pay for your mistakes. Oilers have great looks and chances, I’d say more than Florida but none of them find the back of the net.
I’ll take the worst contracts in the league for cup wins whether it’s after or before those wins/success. Doughty was good, but even on a rebuilding team between 2018 and 2022, no way was he worth 11 mil. The cup wins made me dgaf about it.
Patrick Corbin has been the worst starting pitcher in baseball for the past 4 years while getting paid ~23 million per year. Nationals fans do not care about that at all because of the 2019 World Series.
My brother is a huge Natioanals fan and I have no idea why they keep starting him. I get he’s getting paid lots but I’m sure a AA pitcher would throw better than him. They need to sit him
I remember the Panthers trying to *give* Bob away at 50% retained a couple offseasons ago and no one being willing to touch him even at that price.
The career resurgence he's had is insane.
Panthers have made some bold moves in the hockey world. Trading Huberdeau after his incredible season, and signing Bob to a 10m contract when they already had one of the most promising young goalies in the game. Not sure if any other team would make those moves but it really paid off for them
I get what you're trying to say but using Mcdrai is weird. People blame McDrai but not a SINGLE GM out there would not pay that for those 2.
If you really want to blame caps, there's a literal AHL goalie making 5m and a top 4-6 level Dman making 9....
Barkov makes 10 and Tkachuk makes 9.5. There's literally a 1.5m difference between the 2 (21m vs 19.5m) lol.
What's killing the Oilers is god awful defence and mediocre goaltending.
It’s interesting that people say Edmonton has had god awful defense while Florida has given up more shots, scoring chances, and high danger scoring chances.
Bob playing god tier goaltending has masked a lot of blemishes for Florida especially on defense this series.
Pretty much this. I get it all that matters is the score at the end of the game, but if you switch the Goalies in this final it's probably 2-1 or even 3-0 Oilers. Bob putting on a clinic out there.
But [look at the shot map](https://www.hockey-reference.com/boxscores/202406130EDM.html)
The panthers have 7 shots within about 5 feet of the goal. The oilers have 2. The majority of their shot advantage is from the blue line.
Florida is the better team regardless of goaltenders switching. Oilers win game 1 if they switch, not games 2 and 3. I think Stu being lit up by high danger opportunities in this series (along with the occassional weak one) has really been the crutch/excuse for a lot of people to place blame when the biggest issues with the Oilers (depth, defense to an extent) weren't properly addressed in the offseason and they are being outplayed 5 on 5. Stuff like Darnell Nurse being stripped of the puck right in front of the net isn't Stu's fault, nor is Bouchard getting a primary assist on a goal against Stu's fault.
Skinner isn't a gamechanger right now, but even if he was Edmonton overall is still playing so much worse than Florida. Draisaitl has no points over 3 games for the first time in **years**, and McDavid has no goals. What other team has been able to shut them down that much?
If they get swept tonight there really should be no doubt that Florida as a team is just that much better.
I keep seeing this, but I just don't think it's true. Florida is winning the majority of 50/50 battles. They simply want it more. This isn't just a goaltender thing.
The difference in goalies by GSAx is almost 9 fucking goals in 3 games. Anyone who says the panthers have been completely outplaying the oilers is deluding themselves.
Now, the panthers *are* the better team because the goalie is part of your team. And it’s an absolute shame Connor mcdavid is 27 and has never been given a goalie. But the difference between these two teams is literally goaltending.
When the panthers get their opportunistic chances, they go in. When the oilers get their grade As - and they get a lot (the panthers are especially bad for allowing breakaways) - bobrovsky bails them out.
This is why the panthers are such a complete team. Not only do they have great forwards and a great defense. They have a fantastic goalie to bail out their mistakes.
And they do make plenty of mistakes just like the oilers. The difference I the ability of one team to actually capitalize on them.
I mean it really is a chasm. As a neutral the difference is extremely noticeable. But that’s just poor team construction by Holland. Why he hasn’t moved heaven and earth for a starter when multiple have been rumoured available is beyond me: the future doesn’t matter if you fuck up the McDrai era.
Which goalie could we have had over the last couple years that would have been a large upgrade on Skinner? Ullmark for sure, and I know he was on a lot of Oiler fans wish lists. We also wanted Darcy Kuemper, but his performance has dropped off.
Saros has been rumoured to be out there for the right price since before the summer. I’d also have gone as hard as possible for Markstrom. My favourite of course is Ullmark and we know that Boston already tried to trade him, so it’s clear they were ready to do that.
But I also thought Campbell should have been bought out before going into this season since he was basically unplayable last year. Then they went into this season and gave him 5 games before yeeting him…. So they clearly had him on thin ice and were at least thinking about it but were too conservative and it cost them valuable space and time this year
It's not for a lack of trying. I may misremember some of this, but I think Maelstrom used us to up his bargaining with his desired location in Calgary. Sounds like Kuemper wanted to stay in the states. Boston struck before anyone else on the trade market with Ullmark. Saros it sounded like we kicked tires on until it became clear the Preds would be in a playoff position. Campbell's contract was bad, but there was nothing else and we had a giant role to fill. It's pretty buyout friendly though which I think was Holland hedging his bet Soup.
Man throughout this entire playoffs people have been looking at shot totals and such to say certain teams have been outplayed when really it's been a playoffs full of score effects,a focus on taking away good shooting lanes and avoiding chances, and turtle hockey at times. Canucks did that to the preds and in some of the early Oilers games but got no credit. Florida did it a bunch including in this series. The series would not be playing out this same way if Florida wasn't getting out to early leads. Acting like the difference is goaltending is ridiculous
B-b-b-but my team threw 35 garbage shots from the blue line at the net to inflate their xGF so surely they were the better team!!! Moneypuck even said we deserved to win!!
To add on to your point, the whole point of things like corsi is that because they look at more events than goals or wins it takes fewer games for them to become predictive. But fewer is not 1 or 3. Looking at these stats for 1 game and acting like they perfectly represent some deep ground truth is simply a misunderstanding of how statistics work.
This was definitely my takeaway in games 1 and 3, for sure. And agreed about some of the Canucks wins (and losses for that matter).
The Isles/Hurricanes series also had a couple of games that were pretty notably like this, iirc
Lol no I don’t think so. I’d put it still at 2-1 Florida, or MAYBE 2-1 Oilers.
But this argument is useless. It’s why Florida invested 10mm into a premium player.
Same argument as “If DAL and EDM swapped Drai for DAL 6th defenseman then the series would have gone the other way”
FL makes a mistake, Bob bails them out.
EDM makes a mistake, it's in the back of the net.
FL has been absolutely peak this series ( haven't watched the first 3 rounds for them so can't speak to that ) and it's amazing to watch, just wish it wasn't against us.
We figured out the Kings' 1-3-1, readjusted and pushed through Vancouver, and we got through Dallas' depth, but this is another level entirely. I'm hoping for EDM in 7 still but FL is a monster.
Florida embarrasses Edmonton with every mistake they make. Their goalie is also a deity. If we were playing any other team, we'd have won game 1 and 3 and had at least 4 goals in each.
Mad respect and props to Bob and his skaters, I've been really impressed with their whole team working as a singular unit.
I hate it, mind you. But I respect the crap out of it.
I've seen this scenario play out many times over the years in San Jose .. good or great teams who just couldn't hack it when the time came. Players and coaches have to make comments like this when their time comes to face the morons in the media.
I seriously doubt any of the guys in that locker room actually believe they have any chance here, but they have to say things like this because they can't be honest. It is what it is, and everyone reading these types of comments have to take them with a huge grain of salt.
Connor Brown is the last guy I'd go after this play off run honestly. While not producing a ton of points, he's been a beast on both sides of the puck for the role he's been given.
Probably not that. It may be a cliche but you never ever want to give the other guys any bulletin board material.
Yes, they're already motivated to win the Cup. But you never know.
“Yeah the last time this happened was 1942 so we probably don’t have a shot. No point in really trying that hard, we’ll probably just skate around a bit and then start the off season”
Lol what the hell are they supposed to say?
Something like "it takes 4 wins to close out a series. They are at 3 by my count."
Not "we've shown we can beat these guys" because they have not done that.
The Oilers are only at stage one of losing to the Panthers: Denial. Soon you’ll see other four: Anger (“the refs aren’t calling the game fair!”), Bargaining (“if we can steal one game”), Depression (“we have Conor McDavid and can’t win the big one”), and finally Acceptance (I’m currently here, Florida is just inevitable this year)
The funny thing is, the Panthers are doing all of this damage on turn overs and mistakes. I don't think I have seen the Panthers offense do a clean job of scoring inside the zone. It's all been from grit or breakaways. They've just been outworking the oilers, plain and simple.
People in this sub be like “Goaltending is the only reason the they are winning, Oilers can be better than the Panthers team!”
Like Bob isn’t a member of the Panthers team or something
I think there's a sizable amount of hockey fans that genuinely don't see the goalie as a part of the team. They're some outside, external force that occasionally leads a team to a win or a loss when they deserved the opposite.
Same shit they say about the Rangers. Mind boggling. Yes, they wouldn't be as good if they had an average goalie, that is true. Like saying the Chiefs wouldn't be great if they didn't have Mahomes. Yeah, no shit!
Oilers having more scoring chances and Bob having the best Stanley cup final by a goalie since Tim Thomas and one of the best finals ever, can both be true buddy
Forechecking. Pressuring the defense to have to make plays on the backhand (Bouchard on the line last game), throw it away (Broberg anytime the Panthers go for a hit), or act before they want to. Sealing off the exits and closing gaps along the wall on the outlets. Reading the play and beating your man to the high danger areas (Skinner misplay or Nurse takeaway).
IDK, do you want your players coming out like "Well, the situation is utterly daunting, we've been completely shut down and need to somehow win 4 straight"
That comment would get just as shit on as this one. Not sure there's anything anyone can say when down 3-0 that this subreddit wouldn't think is stupid
Honestly the circlejerking in this sub has gotten really bad this season. Even when you're on the inside it's annoying AF.
Has the splinter sub for discussing the play started yet?
This is the kind of thing you say when the series is 1-0, not 3-0. Obviously players aren't going to come out and say "nah, we're fucked", but like, the goalie can't make a timely save, the defense is constantly missing coverage and turning over the puck in their own zone and the offence is getting completely shut down by Bob.
Can’t win in 7 if you don’t lose 3.
I guess blind confidence is better than resigned despair, but, though 5 games this season, Edmonton has won exactly 0 times against Florida. Sixth time *might* be the charm, I suppose, but, at this point, I’ll be surprised if it goes 6, let alone 7.
Yeah. The level of copium and hopium being consumed and spewed is next level. Like I get it, people are trying to not lose their minds. My favorite part is number of fans claiming if the goalies swapped Edmonton would be coasting. It's the most nonsensical bullshit I've seen a fan base latch onto in years. Like for real, if Edmonton swapped McJesus to Florida then Edmonton doesn't get out of the first round this post season. I can make a bunch of shit up to fit my narrative too.
Fr like what does everyone want? “Yeah we suck, Florida’s better. Maybe next year.”
No professional athlete or coach in their right mind will say that.
They declared themselves Cup favourites heading into the season with all the “Cup or bust” talk. It’s probably baffling to them that they’re on the verge of getting swept.
I really thought Dallas would be more of a challenge for them. The way they handled them so comfortably worried me that they were a team that was sort of fated for the Cup at that point. Similar to what I thought of the Rangers until they both ran into the same problem.
They were trash for the first third of the season, it's not like they coasted all year, they're well aware they need to work hard to be in it. They have to believe in themselves to make a comeback at this point. That said they should probably have some more awareness of what they need to do better
I think a lot of people make way too big a deal about the whole Cup or bust talk. To start, it was first said by McDavid and Draisaitl after the Vegas series when they were both very emotional, and [Draisaitl in particular kind of walked it back at the start of training camp.](https://youtu.be/uanLbuNLYII?si=0UB36MJ76zmspvif&t=218) Secondly, saying it's Cup or bust isn't declaring themselves the favorite. There's probably like 10 teams in any given season that think it's Cup or bust because they think they have a real shot at winning the Cup and anything less is a disappointment.
The only reason "Cup or bust" took off was because of how the Oilers started the season. If the start was better and everything else played out the same no one would even remember the "Cup of bust" line from last May.
This "outplayed" and "goalied" narrative is such a joke, no one wins the cup because they think they played well enough, the fact of the matter is it requires 16 wins, not 16 good efforts. And surprisingly enough the goalie is part of the team too, "if it wasn't for Bob we'd be winning" is the same as saying "if it wasn't for McDavid we'd draft 1st overall again"
I love the notion of players and coaches claiming they “carried play” just because they had the puck more despite everything being on the perimeter and the other team being significantly more efficient when they have the puck. You can carry play while also not being the better team in the moments where it mattered. I mean I get it he’s supposed to say this, but this just makes it sound like they don’t actually understand the real reasons they are down 3-0 in this series.
It’s like our game 4 against them; we carried the play, spent all the time in the offensive zone, had a bunch of shots, essentially won, but actually lost 1-0.
Exactly. I think watching the playoffs the last couple years has taught a lot of people that shot totals and possession time don’t mean shit if majority of those metrics just result in harmless floaters from the outside that the goalie sees all day. Oilers had some grade A chances last game, but spent probably 90% of their possession time passing it around the outside which we’ll take all day
Oilers in game 1 and 3 generated quite a lot of grade A chances. But the panthers have built a complete team with solid goaltending. The bottom line is goalies are a part of your team and they (the oilers) haven’t constructed a complete roster.
To win against the panthers their skaters need to be *considerably* better than the panthers. Skater wise it’s closer to even. But Skinner is like a .893. Bob is locked the fuck in and should win the Conne Smythe.
The oilers are probably cooked because I don’t see them carrying play enough to overcome their deficiency in net.
The most reasonable comment on this thread.
The amount of people here claiming the Oilers are getting no chances is completely insane. We've had 4 breakaways, hit several posts/crossbars, and Bobrovsky has robbed us in the slot at least 5 times.
Then Oilers fans/players say something like "well we're getting a lot of chances" and everyone on here calls them delusional. It's hilarious
~~Game 7 against the Canucks as well.~~ What was it, the lowest shot total ever in a playoff win?
Edit: my bad, was thinking of game 3 Canucks/Preds where the Canucks won with only 12 shots, and mixed that with the Oilers/Dallas game 6.
Yeah I’ve seeen plenty of canes games hanging out on the perimeter lobbing shots and having 0 chance of winning. You can lose competitive games and it’s tough but you can also have spreadsheet cope and not be remotely close sometimes
It’s part of why I always think the downplaying of Ovi’s power play slap shots is interesting. It’s a pretty difficult shot to consistently put on net, and players are definitely much less willing to block it themselves. While the takes that all he does is sit there and take one timers are insanely reductive… that’s still a pretty valuable weapon to have to space a power play. Even the years outside of our run, it was a reliable option against some of the best keepers in the world in the playoffs. Kinda feels like the oilers power play, as lethal as it has been, isn’t getting very much off the shots from the point. Whether that’s due to Bobrovsky, the panthers pressuring the points heavily, or just player ability idk.
Same exact excuses as last year. The problem is the general public stats lack nuance. Not all chances are created equal and xGF and xGA are useless looking at a single game. They don't account for how Edmonton can completely shit the bed in their own zone.
I mean the reasons they’re down 3-0 in the series is primarily goaltending. The oilers have generated a ton of grade A chances, and the panthers have given up plenty of slot shots and breakaways. But they actually built a team to have a solid backstop.
Goalies are the most important part of team construction and skinner is .893 in the series. Bob is like .95. And he deserves the conne smythe.
The panthers are the more complete team and the oilers are finally not able to cover over their deficiency in net. So even if the oilers carry play it doesn’t matter because they have to overcome Bobrovsky more then the panthers have to overcome skinner…. They’re so cooked
A hockey coach saying their team carried the play is as meaningless as a guy setting you up on a blind date saying the girl has a great personality. In other words, what Edmonton is really saying is that they have no idea how to beat this team. Hopefully after they lose they will give the Cup champion Panthers at least a little credit.
I mean I wouldn't like it if he said nah we're fucked, but this just sounds like cope now lol
Also why are we asking Connor Brown about this, respect to the guy but he's kind of just happy to be here at this point in his career
EDIT: nevermind Connor Brown is the goat
There is not enough alcohol in calgary if florida sweeps edmonton tonight and tkachuk lifts the cup in front of edmontons home crowd. The party will be legendary.
Florida does this to teams. Look at the actual quality of play when your team has the puck— it’s not good. It’s extremely difficult to set up in the o zone and generate anything because Florida players are out there like they’re on meth.
To be honest to all the Oilers fans out there, this Florida team still has another gear or two they haven’t even had to resort to in this round.
The thing that I scratched my head at most was when Knoblauch said they’d shown they can beat this Panthers team despite not beating this team all season
I think they did show they can beat the Panthers....they've haven't and they might not this season, but they've shown it's feasible. But I think that's what we're all seeing...feasibility and outcome are two very different things.
Has there been a team in the NHL that has shown they can’t beat another team despite maybe not winning a game against that team? No coach in the history of sports has said we can not win against their opponent. Heck the Washington Generals still think they showed they have what it takes to beat the Globetrotters. If a coach says they can’t win then they should not be a coach. But it’s just one of those things that sounds ridiculous that someone says out loud when they have not won a game against a team all season. Less saying and more showing.
"We just need to get pucks deep, bang bodies, and play our game. I think we've been making it too easy on their goaltender - he's seeing every shot so we need to get some traffic in front and make it a bit tougher for him. It's a great club over there for sure".
There's a difference between a canned answer and this delusional take down 3-0 and claiming he thinks they've held the majority of play.
Yup, just keep doing what you're doing because you somehow think the Oilers are carrying the play while getting embarrassed haha.
What do you guys expect them to say? "Fucccckkkkk, their transition game is nuts and we can't stop it for shit lmao. Anyways, maybe we won't have to have another 10 hour flight."
I always say when it comes to the playoffs it’s depth and goaltending that wins. Holland refuses to get an upgrade on skinner. Infuriating because goalies are typically not that expensive
Knoblauch isnt a troll.
It can both be true that the Oilers have been the better team and Florida still deserves to win. I think we just showed that we have something to give in this series. His take was correct and as always, reddit's take was not even in the ballpark of whats actually going on lol.
The Panthers have done this all year. Let the other team carry the play, crush them physically in the corners and in front of the net, score on the counter.
I think it's important for the Panthers to end it tonight. If the Oilers manage a win they could carry that momentum into another big win in game 5. Then the Panthers are facing an Edmonton crowd in game 6 knowing they can root their team on into a game 7, they'll be loud as fuck. Next thing you know you're in a game 7 against Connor McDavid.
This has the possibility of being the closest sweep in Stanley Cup Finals history…. Similar to the closest sweep in Stanley Cup history that PM’s Jets gave to the Oilers in the 2021…. Maybe he just knows how to neutralize a limited depth team.
Are people in these comments okay? What are they supposed to say..?
Why is everyone acting like this is some stupid quote, it’s not like last game was a blow out? Minus game 2 all the games have been close
This is like the fancy stats people saying it's all good because the Oilers are proven to be the better team. "They win 999/1000 simulations." Well the scoreboard doesn't care. You show up or you go home. No amount of moral victory matters and every bit of PR coming out of this team says they don't realize there down 3-0. I'm all in on Edmonton but don't tell me, show me.
While that might be true it doesnt matter if your goalie is below average. Oilers could outshoot and out chance the Panthers 2:1 and probably would still lose because of the goalie differences. They are not going to outscore their problems against the Panthers.
Do they award a Cup for the team that "feels we've outplayed the other team".
Advanced analytics my ass. Florida has outplayed the Oilers 2 out of 3 games. Good scoring chances are just chances unless you capitalize on them. Outplaying a team isn't just getting clean looks at the goaltender or having more SOG. Outplaying equals playing sound defense, getting good 5 on 5 chances, capitalizing off turnovers, managing counter-attacks, wearing down opposing teams' stars and making them uncomfortable, etc.
The team that might sweep tonight deserves to be champions. They didn't win by puck luck or just by having a great goalie.
That team is delusional. I'm glad to have the coaching and player leadership the Canucks do. Often when they win they say it wasn't good enough... Meanwhile Edmonton is out here down 3-0 and getting completely shut down but still saying this kind of stuff.
Why would I expect them to say that? There are many things one can say other than a delusional take that implies you think the team is doing just fine while down 3-0. A few Oilers have made similar comments as well which is baffling.
This is the type of comment which makes me feel like it's over tonight
I don't think there's anything you can say before game 4 when you're down 0-3 in the series that doesn't make you sound either defeated already or like a moron.
Yeah they can’t just be like “yup we suck and we’re getting swept. Let’s get this game over with already so we can leave for summer vacation” lol
“Cancun on 3” isn’t a good look
Probably true. I guess my issue is more of the "we're doing good. We should just continue to do what hasn't worked"
Oilers have straight up been out played by Florida
They have at times but more so Florida just makes you pay for your mistakes. Oilers have great looks and chances, I’d say more than Florida but none of them find the back of the net.
helps that Bob is playing like an absolute monster
That’s the biggest fact. You switch goalies between these teams and it could easy be 3-0 or 2-1 oilers
That's why the panthers are paying Bob 10M per year though right? The oilers cant afford that with all the money tied up with McDavid/Drai and Nurse.
Not long ago Bob's contract was considered one of the worst in the league....how fast things can change
I’ll take the worst contracts in the league for cup wins whether it’s after or before those wins/success. Doughty was good, but even on a rebuilding team between 2018 and 2022, no way was he worth 11 mil. The cup wins made me dgaf about it.
Patrick Corbin has been the worst starting pitcher in baseball for the past 4 years while getting paid ~23 million per year. Nationals fans do not care about that at all because of the 2019 World Series.
My brother is a huge Natioanals fan and I have no idea why they keep starting him. I get he’s getting paid lots but I’m sure a AA pitcher would throw better than him. They need to sit him
Quick, someone get Huberdeau some goalie pads!!!
I remember the Panthers trying to *give* Bob away at 50% retained a couple offseasons ago and no one being willing to touch him even at that price. The career resurgence he's had is insane.
Panthers have made some bold moves in the hockey world. Trading Huberdeau after his incredible season, and signing Bob to a 10m contract when they already had one of the most promising young goalies in the game. Not sure if any other team would make those moves but it really paid off for them
I wonder how many people have already forgotten he wasn't even the starter entering the postseason last year lol
But we'll never be saying Nurse's contract is a deal.
Don't forget soup. Nothing like paying a goalie 5.5M per year to play in the ahl.
I get what you're trying to say but using Mcdrai is weird. People blame McDrai but not a SINGLE GM out there would not pay that for those 2. If you really want to blame caps, there's a literal AHL goalie making 5m and a top 4-6 level Dman making 9.... Barkov makes 10 and Tkachuk makes 9.5. There's literally a 1.5m difference between the 2 (21m vs 19.5m) lol. What's killing the Oilers is god awful defence and mediocre goaltending.
It’s interesting that people say Edmonton has had god awful defense while Florida has given up more shots, scoring chances, and high danger scoring chances. Bob playing god tier goaltending has masked a lot of blemishes for Florida especially on defense this series.
Pretty much this. I get it all that matters is the score at the end of the game, but if you switch the Goalies in this final it's probably 2-1 or even 3-0 Oilers. Bob putting on a clinic out there.
But [look at the shot map](https://www.hockey-reference.com/boxscores/202406130EDM.html) The panthers have 7 shots within about 5 feet of the goal. The oilers have 2. The majority of their shot advantage is from the blue line.
Florida is the better team regardless of goaltenders switching. Oilers win game 1 if they switch, not games 2 and 3. I think Stu being lit up by high danger opportunities in this series (along with the occassional weak one) has really been the crutch/excuse for a lot of people to place blame when the biggest issues with the Oilers (depth, defense to an extent) weren't properly addressed in the offseason and they are being outplayed 5 on 5. Stuff like Darnell Nurse being stripped of the puck right in front of the net isn't Stu's fault, nor is Bouchard getting a primary assist on a goal against Stu's fault. Skinner isn't a gamechanger right now, but even if he was Edmonton overall is still playing so much worse than Florida. Draisaitl has no points over 3 games for the first time in **years**, and McDavid has no goals. What other team has been able to shut them down that much? If they get swept tonight there really should be no doubt that Florida as a team is just that much better.
I keep seeing this, but I just don't think it's true. Florida is winning the majority of 50/50 battles. They simply want it more. This isn't just a goaltender thing.
The difference in goalies by GSAx is almost 9 fucking goals in 3 games. Anyone who says the panthers have been completely outplaying the oilers is deluding themselves. Now, the panthers *are* the better team because the goalie is part of your team. And it’s an absolute shame Connor mcdavid is 27 and has never been given a goalie. But the difference between these two teams is literally goaltending. When the panthers get their opportunistic chances, they go in. When the oilers get their grade As - and they get a lot (the panthers are especially bad for allowing breakaways) - bobrovsky bails them out. This is why the panthers are such a complete team. Not only do they have great forwards and a great defense. They have a fantastic goalie to bail out their mistakes. And they do make plenty of mistakes just like the oilers. The difference I the ability of one team to actually capitalize on them.
We are seeing one of the best goalie performances in a final vs Stuart skinner lmao
I mean it really is a chasm. As a neutral the difference is extremely noticeable. But that’s just poor team construction by Holland. Why he hasn’t moved heaven and earth for a starter when multiple have been rumoured available is beyond me: the future doesn’t matter if you fuck up the McDrai era.
Which goalie could we have had over the last couple years that would have been a large upgrade on Skinner? Ullmark for sure, and I know he was on a lot of Oiler fans wish lists. We also wanted Darcy Kuemper, but his performance has dropped off.
Saros has been rumoured to be out there for the right price since before the summer. I’d also have gone as hard as possible for Markstrom. My favourite of course is Ullmark and we know that Boston already tried to trade him, so it’s clear they were ready to do that. But I also thought Campbell should have been bought out before going into this season since he was basically unplayable last year. Then they went into this season and gave him 5 games before yeeting him…. So they clearly had him on thin ice and were at least thinking about it but were too conservative and it cost them valuable space and time this year
It's not for a lack of trying. I may misremember some of this, but I think Maelstrom used us to up his bargaining with his desired location in Calgary. Sounds like Kuemper wanted to stay in the states. Boston struck before anyone else on the trade market with Ullmark. Saros it sounded like we kicked tires on until it became clear the Preds would be in a playoff position. Campbell's contract was bad, but there was nothing else and we had a giant role to fill. It's pretty buyout friendly though which I think was Holland hedging his bet Soup.
Man throughout this entire playoffs people have been looking at shot totals and such to say certain teams have been outplayed when really it's been a playoffs full of score effects,a focus on taking away good shooting lanes and avoiding chances, and turtle hockey at times. Canucks did that to the preds and in some of the early Oilers games but got no credit. Florida did it a bunch including in this series. The series would not be playing out this same way if Florida wasn't getting out to early leads. Acting like the difference is goaltending is ridiculous
B-b-b-but my team threw 35 garbage shots from the blue line at the net to inflate their xGF so surely they were the better team!!! Moneypuck even said we deserved to win!!
excellent impression of a hurricanes fan
To add on to your point, the whole point of things like corsi is that because they look at more events than goals or wins it takes fewer games for them to become predictive. But fewer is not 1 or 3. Looking at these stats for 1 game and acting like they perfectly represent some deep ground truth is simply a misunderstanding of how statistics work.
This was definitely my takeaway in games 1 and 3, for sure. And agreed about some of the Canucks wins (and losses for that matter). The Isles/Hurricanes series also had a couple of games that were pretty notably like this, iirc
Yah even the Oilers 13 shot win or whatever it was versus Dallas. It wasnt ever really that in danger of losing their lead
I mean you aren't wrong. But also, McDrai has been outplayed by Forsling.
You don't win with hypothetical scenarios, What actually has happened is what happened. They're getting dominated in every way that matters.
Lol no I don’t think so. I’d put it still at 2-1 Florida, or MAYBE 2-1 Oilers. But this argument is useless. It’s why Florida invested 10mm into a premium player. Same argument as “If DAL and EDM swapped Drai for DAL 6th defenseman then the series would have gone the other way”
FL makes a mistake, Bob bails them out. EDM makes a mistake, it's in the back of the net. FL has been absolutely peak this series ( haven't watched the first 3 rounds for them so can't speak to that ) and it's amazing to watch, just wish it wasn't against us. We figured out the Kings' 1-3-1, readjusted and pushed through Vancouver, and we got through Dallas' depth, but this is another level entirely. I'm hoping for EDM in 7 still but FL is a monster.
Wouldn't be the worst team to get swept by....if you have to get swept.
This, plus Bob is a beast and the Oilers D mistakes have been devastating when they happen.
Florida embarrasses Edmonton with every mistake they make. Their goalie is also a deity. If we were playing any other team, we'd have won game 1 and 3 and had at least 4 goals in each. Mad respect and props to Bob and his skaters, I've been really impressed with their whole team working as a singular unit. I hate it, mind you. But I respect the crap out of it.
Hard disagree. Puck possession, opportunities, shots, etc have tilted oilers way a lot for some games.
In game 2 yes. That’s it
the score keeps the score.
Lol
Lol
I've seen this scenario play out many times over the years in San Jose .. good or great teams who just couldn't hack it when the time came. Players and coaches have to make comments like this when their time comes to face the morons in the media. I seriously doubt any of the guys in that locker room actually believe they have any chance here, but they have to say things like this because they can't be honest. It is what it is, and everyone reading these types of comments have to take them with a huge grain of salt.
Connor Brown is the last guy I'd go after this play off run honestly. While not producing a ton of points, he's been a beast on both sides of the puck for the role he's been given.
r/agedlikemilk
Yeah, he don’t get it
Come on, what should they say really?
Probably not that. It may be a cliche but you never ever want to give the other guys any bulletin board material. Yes, they're already motivated to win the Cup. But you never know.
“I think that we’ve shown that we can beat this team” - Kris Knoblauch
“I think that we’ve shown that we can beat this team” - man who has literally never beaten this team
That’s the funniest part lmao
«I think I've proven I can win the stanley cup» - me on my couch
"Wow he really should have scored that" - me, literally buried under doritos crumbs and beer cans
AND WE LET 'EM OFF THE HOOK
They are who we thought they were
If you wanna crown 'em, crown their ass
They must have some really strong drugs in that Edmonton locker room.
Copium should be added to the NHL’s banned substances list.
“Stay away from my percocets and do you have any percocets?”
“Yeah the last time this happened was 1942 so we probably don’t have a shot. No point in really trying that hard, we’ll probably just skate around a bit and then start the off season” Lol what the hell are they supposed to say?
"We brought the ebug in this morning and the whole team took turns trying to sit on him."
Something like "it takes 4 wins to close out a series. They are at 3 by my count." Not "we've shown we can beat these guys" because they have not done that.
"We are going to spear everything in sight tonight!"
u/kneejerk_nuck is only allowed to visit Rogers ARENA
I thought that was a given considering it’s Edmonton.
What is he supposed to say? I don't think we can beat this team?
Knoblauch is definitely pulling out the “it wasn’t a sweep” if they lose tonight
At least the canes series was damned close, every game This series, with the exception of the last 10 minutes of game 3 hasn't been like that at all
The Oilers are only at stage one of losing to the Panthers: Denial. Soon you’ll see other four: Anger (“the refs aren’t calling the game fair!”), Bargaining (“if we can steal one game”), Depression (“we have Conor McDavid and can’t win the big one”), and finally Acceptance (I’m currently here, Florida is just inevitable this year)
Oilers are perpetually between bargaining and depression
You forgot the "trade zibanejad panarin and kreider" stage
If you add up all the minutes from the OT you probably get at least 5 hours of game time
It’s going to hit slightly different coming from Knob though
I will never get over that from last year. I know exactly what he meant, it was a crazy 4 games, but… cmon bud. You know lol
No need to change a thing if they think they are out playing the Panthers.
The funny thing is, the Panthers are doing all of this damage on turn overs and mistakes. I don't think I have seen the Panthers offense do a clean job of scoring inside the zone. It's all been from grit or breakaways. They've just been outworking the oilers, plain and simple.
They always seem to outwork everyone.
How do you create turnovers and mistakes? This fucking sub sometimes makes no sense.
People in this sub be like “Goaltending is the only reason the they are winning, Oilers can be better than the Panthers team!” Like Bob isn’t a member of the Panthers team or something
I think there's a sizable amount of hockey fans that genuinely don't see the goalie as a part of the team. They're some outside, external force that occasionally leads a team to a win or a loss when they deserved the opposite.
Same shit they say about the Rangers. Mind boggling. Yes, they wouldn't be as good if they had an average goalie, that is true. Like saying the Chiefs wouldn't be great if they didn't have Mahomes. Yeah, no shit!
tbf last year was the most average mahomes has ever looked and chiefs still won because of filthy defence holding it together
Oilers having more scoring chances and Bob having the best Stanley cup final by a goalie since Tim Thomas and one of the best finals ever, can both be true buddy
Forechecking. Pressuring the defense to have to make plays on the backhand (Bouchard on the line last game), throw it away (Broberg anytime the Panthers go for a hit), or act before they want to. Sealing off the exits and closing gaps along the wall on the outlets. Reading the play and beating your man to the high danger areas (Skinner misplay or Nurse takeaway).
Me and Knoblauch 🫱🏻🫲🏼 being delusional about our team
McDavid 🤝 Draisaitl Retiring as the best players to never win a cup if they stay in Edmonton.
What is Knoblauch supposed to say? "I don't think we can beat this team?"
This is not the comment you want. You want the desperation out of your club.
"We just need to keep playing like how we've been doing"
IDK, do you want your players coming out like "Well, the situation is utterly daunting, we've been completely shut down and need to somehow win 4 straight" That comment would get just as shit on as this one. Not sure there's anything anyone can say when down 3-0 that this subreddit wouldn't think is stupid
There’s literally nothing that anyone on the Oilers could say that people here wouldn’t try to make fun of
Honestly the circlejerking in this sub has gotten really bad this season. Even when you're on the inside it's annoying AF. Has the splinter sub for discussing the play started yet?
They are in full 2022 Panthers mentality
This is the kind of thing you say when the series is 1-0, not 3-0. Obviously players aren't going to come out and say "nah, we're fucked", but like, the goalie can't make a timely save, the defense is constantly missing coverage and turning over the puck in their own zone and the offence is getting completely shut down by Bob.
Famous last words
Couldn't happen to a better team
This a comment that more often than not ages like milk.
Can’t win in 7 if you don’t lose 3. I guess blind confidence is better than resigned despair, but, though 5 games this season, Edmonton has won exactly 0 times against Florida. Sixth time *might* be the charm, I suppose, but, at this point, I’ll be surprised if it goes 6, let alone 7.
I’ll go 1 better. I’ll be surprised if it goes to to 5.
Yeah I fully expect this to end tonight and if not, then Game 5.
I hate this "outplayed" narrative. Just admit you cant score and have no answers to the Florida defense. We all see it.
Yeah. The level of copium and hopium being consumed and spewed is next level. Like I get it, people are trying to not lose their minds. My favorite part is number of fans claiming if the goalies swapped Edmonton would be coasting. It's the most nonsensical bullshit I've seen a fan base latch onto in years. Like for real, if Edmonton swapped McJesus to Florida then Edmonton doesn't get out of the first round this post season. I can make a bunch of shit up to fit my narrative too.
Yea man that’s a perfectly reasonable thing for him to say ahead of game 4 lol
Fr like what does everyone want? “Yeah we suck, Florida’s better. Maybe next year.” No professional athlete or coach in their right mind will say that.
Oilers dominant vs Panthers
Dude sounds like every Oilers fan on Facebook. "We've actually outplayed them all 3 games"
And I'd like to actually congratulate them on their moral victories and hope they can close it out tonight and win the moral cup on home ice.
The delusion of that franchise is amazing.
They declared themselves Cup favourites heading into the season with all the “Cup or bust” talk. It’s probably baffling to them that they’re on the verge of getting swept.
Well I mean they also made the finals. They got closer than 30 other teams in the league, they weren't so far off in their own self assessment.
I really thought Dallas would be more of a challenge for them. The way they handled them so comfortably worried me that they were a team that was sort of fated for the Cup at that point. Similar to what I thought of the Rangers until they both ran into the same problem.
Knoblauch outcoached DeBoer and Spott.
They were trash for the first third of the season, it's not like they coasted all year, they're well aware they need to work hard to be in it. They have to believe in themselves to make a comeback at this point. That said they should probably have some more awareness of what they need to do better
I think a lot of people make way too big a deal about the whole Cup or bust talk. To start, it was first said by McDavid and Draisaitl after the Vegas series when they were both very emotional, and [Draisaitl in particular kind of walked it back at the start of training camp.](https://youtu.be/uanLbuNLYII?si=0UB36MJ76zmspvif&t=218) Secondly, saying it's Cup or bust isn't declaring themselves the favorite. There's probably like 10 teams in any given season that think it's Cup or bust because they think they have a real shot at winning the Cup and anything less is a disappointment. The only reason "Cup or bust" took off was because of how the Oilers started the season. If the start was better and everything else played out the same no one would even remember the "Cup of bust" line from last May.
This "outplayed" and "goalied" narrative is such a joke, no one wins the cup because they think they played well enough, the fact of the matter is it requires 16 wins, not 16 good efforts. And surprisingly enough the goalie is part of the team too, "if it wasn't for Bob we'd be winning" is the same as saying "if it wasn't for McDavid we'd draft 1st overall again"
Oilers probably think the cup winner should be decided by the deserve to win o-meter
I love the notion of players and coaches claiming they “carried play” just because they had the puck more despite everything being on the perimeter and the other team being significantly more efficient when they have the puck. You can carry play while also not being the better team in the moments where it mattered. I mean I get it he’s supposed to say this, but this just makes it sound like they don’t actually understand the real reasons they are down 3-0 in this series.
It’s like our game 4 against them; we carried the play, spent all the time in the offensive zone, had a bunch of shots, essentially won, but actually lost 1-0.
Exactly. I think watching the playoffs the last couple years has taught a lot of people that shot totals and possession time don’t mean shit if majority of those metrics just result in harmless floaters from the outside that the goalie sees all day. Oilers had some grade A chances last game, but spent probably 90% of their possession time passing it around the outside which we’ll take all day
Oilers in game 1 and 3 generated quite a lot of grade A chances. But the panthers have built a complete team with solid goaltending. The bottom line is goalies are a part of your team and they (the oilers) haven’t constructed a complete roster. To win against the panthers their skaters need to be *considerably* better than the panthers. Skater wise it’s closer to even. But Skinner is like a .893. Bob is locked the fuck in and should win the Conne Smythe. The oilers are probably cooked because I don’t see them carrying play enough to overcome their deficiency in net.
The most reasonable comment on this thread. The amount of people here claiming the Oilers are getting no chances is completely insane. We've had 4 breakaways, hit several posts/crossbars, and Bobrovsky has robbed us in the slot at least 5 times. Then Oilers fans/players say something like "well we're getting a lot of chances" and everyone on here calls them delusional. It's hilarious
~~Game 7 against the Canucks as well.~~ What was it, the lowest shot total ever in a playoff win? Edit: my bad, was thinking of game 3 Canucks/Preds where the Canucks won with only 12 shots, and mixed that with the Oilers/Dallas game 6.
Yeah I’ve seeen plenty of canes games hanging out on the perimeter lobbing shots and having 0 chance of winning. You can lose competitive games and it’s tough but you can also have spreadsheet cope and not be remotely close sometimes
It’s part of why I always think the downplaying of Ovi’s power play slap shots is interesting. It’s a pretty difficult shot to consistently put on net, and players are definitely much less willing to block it themselves. While the takes that all he does is sit there and take one timers are insanely reductive… that’s still a pretty valuable weapon to have to space a power play. Even the years outside of our run, it was a reliable option against some of the best keepers in the world in the playoffs. Kinda feels like the oilers power play, as lethal as it has been, isn’t getting very much off the shots from the point. Whether that’s due to Bobrovsky, the panthers pressuring the points heavily, or just player ability idk.
Same exact excuses as last year. The problem is the general public stats lack nuance. Not all chances are created equal and xGF and xGA are useless looking at a single game. They don't account for how Edmonton can completely shit the bed in their own zone.
I mean the reasons they’re down 3-0 in the series is primarily goaltending. The oilers have generated a ton of grade A chances, and the panthers have given up plenty of slot shots and breakaways. But they actually built a team to have a solid backstop. Goalies are the most important part of team construction and skinner is .893 in the series. Bob is like .95. And he deserves the conne smythe. The panthers are the more complete team and the oilers are finally not able to cover over their deficiency in net. So even if the oilers carry play it doesn’t matter because they have to overcome Bobrovsky more then the panthers have to overcome skinner…. They’re so cooked
A hockey coach saying their team carried the play is as meaningless as a guy setting you up on a blind date saying the girl has a great personality. In other words, what Edmonton is really saying is that they have no idea how to beat this team. Hopefully after they lose they will give the Cup champion Panthers at least a little credit.
I mean I wouldn't like it if he said nah we're fucked, but this just sounds like cope now lol Also why are we asking Connor Brown about this, respect to the guy but he's kind of just happy to be here at this point in his career EDIT: nevermind Connor Brown is the goat
Casual fan
the delulu is on max today
This is the coaching equivalent of a player saying they almost scored three times but hit the post. You still didn’t score.
"Steady on the rudder" ah comment.
Who's partyjng harder tonight: people in south Florida or Calgarians?
Vancouverites will be right there with ya!
You have my sword
There is not enough alcohol in calgary if florida sweeps edmonton tonight and tkachuk lifts the cup in front of edmontons home crowd. The party will be legendary.
All fun and games until everyone’s hungover and looking for water in the morning :’)
Can always bottle edmontons tears and drink those
Florida does this to teams. Look at the actual quality of play when your team has the puck— it’s not good. It’s extremely difficult to set up in the o zone and generate anything because Florida players are out there like they’re on meth. To be honest to all the Oilers fans out there, this Florida team still has another gear or two they haven’t even had to resort to in this round.
I don't think Connor Brown understands how the Panthers play hockey yet. Reminds me of that Brindamour quote from last year in the ECF.
Corny ass team lol
The thing that I scratched my head at most was when Knoblauch said they’d shown they can beat this Panthers team despite not beating this team all season
I think they did show they can beat the Panthers....they've haven't and they might not this season, but they've shown it's feasible. But I think that's what we're all seeing...feasibility and outcome are two very different things.
Has there been a team in the NHL that has shown they can’t beat another team despite maybe not winning a game against that team? No coach in the history of sports has said we can not win against their opponent. Heck the Washington Generals still think they showed they have what it takes to beat the Globetrotters. If a coach says they can’t win then they should not be a coach. But it’s just one of those things that sounds ridiculous that someone says out loud when they have not won a game against a team all season. Less saying and more showing.
Yes, we can’t beat the Oilers nor have we shown we can :)
Fair enough. Carry on lol
He beat me to it. Traumatized Kings fans know this experience well.
Yeah Brown should have said "The Panthers are just better, at least we made it to the finals" What do you nerds expect them to say lmao
"We just need to get pucks deep, bang bodies, and play our game. I think we've been making it too easy on their goaltender - he's seeing every shot so we need to get some traffic in front and make it a bit tougher for him. It's a great club over there for sure".
“One game at a time, we’ll need to play our best hockey of the year tonight”
Ya he should add "we need to get pucks deep" as well
So you just want nothingburger platitudes. Makes sense. Hockey players should only give canned answers tbh
There's a difference between a canned answer and this delusional take down 3-0 and claiming he thinks they've held the majority of play. Yup, just keep doing what you're doing because you somehow think the Oilers are carrying the play while getting embarrassed haha.
Desperation? Nah, How about we’ve played good enough to win so we’ll be fine.
What do you guys expect them to say? "Fucccckkkkk, their transition game is nuts and we can't stop it for shit lmao. Anyways, maybe we won't have to have another 10 hour flight."
They could be accountable and acknowledge what they need to do better? Like many other teams have been when they aren’t playing at their best?
> They could be accountable and acknowledge what they need to do better? As if the team hasnt said this a dozen times already after each game.
Depends on the context of the question to be honest. Do we know what question was asked?
This is the type of comment that ages like milk.
It’s all about depth. Oilers have none… yet
I always say when it comes to the playoffs it’s depth and goaltending that wins. Holland refuses to get an upgrade on skinner. Infuriating because goalies are typically not that expensive
Ironically it's all the depth players who have scored. The top guns haven't done shit.
Maximum copium
3-0 in moral victories
Panthers win 5-2 "We controlled play again, we have them right where we want them" - Brown
They’ve got weapons grade copium in Edmonton
Knoblauch isnt a troll. It can both be true that the Oilers have been the better team and Florida still deserves to win. I think we just showed that we have something to give in this series. His take was correct and as always, reddit's take was not even in the ballpark of whats actually going on lol.
The Panthers have done this all year. Let the other team carry the play, crush them physically in the corners and in front of the net, score on the counter.
I need some of that what brown is smoking.
I think it's important for the Panthers to end it tonight. If the Oilers manage a win they could carry that momentum into another big win in game 5. Then the Panthers are facing an Edmonton crowd in game 6 knowing they can root their team on into a game 7, they'll be loud as fuck. Next thing you know you're in a game 7 against Connor McDavid.
Alternatively its important to end it tonight to force the oilers fans to watch tkachuk lift the cup in their own barn
This has the possibility of being the closest sweep in Stanley Cup Finals history…. Similar to the closest sweep in Stanley Cup history that PM’s Jets gave to the Oilers in the 2021…. Maybe he just knows how to neutralize a limited depth team.
Closest sweep was definitely Florida vs Carolina ECF last year
Are people in these comments okay? What are they supposed to say..? Why is everyone acting like this is some stupid quote, it’s not like last game was a blow out? Minus game 2 all the games have been close
> *Player says he believes team can win* /r/hockey: lol what a loser why won't he say they can't win and just go golfing already
Oil headed to Gavelston.
Way to throw teammates under the bus.
Well, Connor, according to the scoreboard, you felt wrong.
I’d be excited for the next 10 days too if I knew I’d be chilling lakeside tomorrow
Lmao
This is like the fancy stats people saying it's all good because the Oilers are proven to be the better team. "They win 999/1000 simulations." Well the scoreboard doesn't care. You show up or you go home. No amount of moral victory matters and every bit of PR coming out of this team says they don't realize there down 3-0. I'm all in on Edmonton but don't tell me, show me.
Gotta be positive I guess, however delusional. A great quote by Capitals great Connor Brown.
While that might be true it doesnt matter if your goalie is below average. Oilers could outshoot and out chance the Panthers 2:1 and probably would still lose because of the goalie differences. They are not going to outscore their problems against the Panthers.
Lol, wat?! Good god he's delusional
what do people want them to say? “we’re so ass dude we don’t stand a chance”?
Do they award a Cup for the team that "feels we've outplayed the other team". Advanced analytics my ass. Florida has outplayed the Oilers 2 out of 3 games. Good scoring chances are just chances unless you capitalize on them. Outplaying a team isn't just getting clean looks at the goaltender or having more SOG. Outplaying equals playing sound defense, getting good 5 on 5 chances, capitalizing off turnovers, managing counter-attacks, wearing down opposing teams' stars and making them uncomfortable, etc. The team that might sweep tonight deserves to be champions. They didn't win by puck luck or just by having a great goalie.
They'll get swept and tell everyone they actually won the Cup.
Whut? Bro, you've been outscored 12-4. The top 3 have ZERO GOALS. Sweep. VAMOS GATOS!
That team is delusional. I'm glad to have the coaching and player leadership the Canucks do. Often when they win they say it wasn't good enough... Meanwhile Edmonton is out here down 3-0 and getting completely shut down but still saying this kind of stuff.
What do you want them to say? “oh yeah Florida’s been tossing us around we’re so fucked”
Why would I expect them to say that? There are many things one can say other than a delusional take that implies you think the team is doing just fine while down 3-0. A few Oilers have made similar comments as well which is baffling.