[PGT] Edmonton Oilers at Vancouver Canucks | Dec. 23, 2019

[Toews]

6 minutes ago, rekker said:

Perhaps "10 to 12 times a game", ya, you got me there exaggerating. But

I stand by my turnovers at the blue line though. Selfish player that has a lot to learn and I'm not convinced he ever will. Time will tell.

McDavid is at his best when he can bring the puck into the o-zone with speed, it backs up the defenseman and gives him the room to create something. Why would you have a player of his skillset play dump and chase? And yes of course he is going to lose the puck, when he is one of the few players on that Oilers team that can gain the zone with control. 

[189lb enforcers?]

4 minutes ago, NeilColville said:

I take back everything I ever said about Virtanen. Kid comes to play 

Hold fast. 

Remember, Jake is streaky. 

New Jake is awesome. If he has stopped being streaky, I will join you. 

[JM_]

1 minute ago, 189lb enforcers? said:

Hold fast. 

Remember, Jake is streaky. 

New Jake is awesome. If he has stopped being streaky, I will join you. 

I think new Jake might be here to stay because he doesn't look like a lost fart defensively anymore. He's looking for ways to be engaged it seems every shift, and thats relatively new. Maybe his brain finally caught up to his body. 

[rekker]

11 minutes ago, IBatch said:

Bure was always at the top of the league board in both giveaways and takeaways by the eye test too.   Not sure if they tracked this back then but I do remember his plus minus wasn't very good a lot of years - not terrible either - usually around zero.   That said he more then made it up on both special teams .... loads of short handed goals and PP points each year.   I agree with the guy your posting with that guys like them get burned a lot more on the stat sheet because they have the puck on their stick way more then the average blue chipper.   Every year the players themselves vote him as the best in the league - which to me is a testament to his greatness more then scoring titles and almost on par with Hart trophies.  Same with first and second team all-star selections.  He's just entering his prime and already has about the same amount of accolades as Crosby has his entire career (Crosby would of had more for sure if he's wasn't concussed - thanks to that the Sedins got some hardware and Perry was given probably the least deserved or most underwhelming Hart trophy I've ever seen).

I say overrated because I get tired of the "best player in the world" label. Players like Henrik Sedin, Crosby, Bergeron had great plus numbers while putting up points. That to me is greatness and how you win. To me Connor is the most exciting player, best skater. MacKinnon may actually rival Connor skating wise. But best player? Nope not for me. All things being equal I have Crosby as my first line center and Bergeron as my second on a win all game. Connor would be on my first unit PP. 

[bones]

9 hours ago, Viper007 said:

Yup they changed it.  Before you couldn't even direct it in.  Now as long as the skate isn't in the air with a forward motion it's usually a good goal.

Someone should tell Dave Tippett about that. He was salty in in post game interview about it. 

[rekker]

11 minutes ago, Toews said:

McDavid is at his best when he can bring the puck into the o-zone with speed, it backs up the defenseman and gives him the room to create something. Why would you have a player of his skillset play dump and chase? And yes of course he is going to lose the puck, when he is one of the few players on that Oilers team that can gain the zone with control. 

One on one McD should come on with speed and yes he does back up the D. Perfect. What about one on two, one on three? At the blue line? Try that against good teams with good transition and its an odd man rush the other way. One out of ten times Connor may win that and create an opportunity but it doesn't make up for the turnovers that go the others way. Turnovers that create odd man rushes, zone time, penalties against in your zone. Not how you win hockey. Connor, even the great McSaviour should learn to dump and chase when one on two and one on three at the blue line. Watch Crosby. He's a mucker with a superstar skillset. He will dump in that situation and keep the puck at that end of the rink. 

[189lb enforcers?]

5 minutes ago, Jimmy McGill said:

I think new Jake might be here to stay because he doesn't look like a lost fart defensively anymore. He's looking for ways to be engaged it seems every shift, and thats relatively new. Maybe his brain finally caught up to his body. 

If that’s the case and he’s here to stay, we finally have legitimate power forward(s) on the team. It’s been a very long time since we could say that other than while being optimistic. 

 

Call me a skeptic. 

I watch Jake closely and he still has much to work on, but engagement doesn’t appear to be one of them. IMO, of course. 

 

Remember when the Province toilet paper put his name on the back page, titled, Goat? 

 

Puckers

 

I was one of many on here who called, emailed and railed against that rag, and haven’t bought or looked at a Province paper since. 

 

Great story for BC and Abby to have the hometown kid drafted high to kick-off a rebuild (in a manner of speaking  - no debate required) for the hometown Canucks. I love to see the BC boys in the line up. It makes me proud somehow, being a complete BC homer without rival. 

[bree2]

1 hour ago, Goal:thecup said:

Favorite part of the post game, McPout interview:

 

I'm not going to make excuses (but)

they got lucky tonight

we had a long road trip

we're tired

we're injured

he kicked it in

etc

a lot of kids coming into the league always have a player like Crosby, MacKinnon etc, who they look up to,  I don't think I have heard many say they look up to McDavid.

[73 Percent]

10 minutes ago, rekker said:

I say overrated because I get tired of the "best player in the world" label. Players like Henrik Sedin, Crosby, Bergeron had great plus numbers while putting up points. That to me is greatness and how you win. To me Connor is the most exciting player, best skater. MacKinnon may actually rival Connor skating wise. But best player? Nope not for me. All things being equal I have Crosby as my first line center and Bergeron as my second on a win all game. Connor would be on my first unit PP. 

The twins and Crosby all have a negative takeaway giveaway ratio in their career 

 

Connor has a positive in his career.

 

You're definitely entitled to your own opinion as to whom is the best player and who you would put on the ice. But the reasoning for your opinion is not great lol.

[HerrDrFunk]

3 minutes ago, bree2 said:

a lot of kids coming into the league always have a player like Crosby, MacKinnon etc, who they look up to,  I don't think I have heard many say they look up to McDavid.

That's definitely going to change over the next couple of years when kids who were 11 or 12 when McDavid broke in to the NHL start getting drafted.

[DrJockitch]

Connor has a team of muckers around him.  Other than Draisaitl and to a much lesser extent RNH there is little talent especially scoring talent.

He has to go all offence all the time and I am glad he does.  He is a joy to watch.  Still hope he loses every game but that is because I can't stand the team or city.  I don't blame him for getting drafted by the Oilers, he didn't have much choice in the matter.

Remember the first Devils team that one the cup, it was a team that would sit back and check you to sleep and the Stephan Richer would come flying down the ice and generate the entirety of their offence.  I kind of feel that this is what Edmonton is trying to emulate (though without Brodeur).  The hiring of Tippet certainly would suggest this. 

I don't think the argument of whether you would rather face MacKinnon or McDavid in the playoffs is really a very valid one.  Colorado is building a much more complete team than Edmonton.  It is still a team game.

[Googlie]

3 hours ago, rekker said:

I didnt say McDavid is overrated, rather his game play. Crosby is a way more complete player in so many ways. I acknowledged McD's speed which makes him exciting to watch. But he doesn't play a team friendly game a lot of the times. He's second in the NHL for turnovers.

Which means he has the puck on his stick a lot, and attempts a lot of passes that get picked off.

 

Hughes leads the Canucks in turnovers at 36, with Miller next worst at 25.  Does that make Hughes a selfish player?

[bishopshodan]

This team is showing it has character.

 

I'm pretty happy with what we have seen this year.

 

They have swagger and seem to honestly like each other.

 

Just a few tweaks and we got a great future being built. Fun time to be a fan. 

[rekker]

15 minutes ago, 73 Percent said:

The twins and Crosby all have a negative takeaway giveaway ratio in their career 

 

Connor has a positive in his career.

 

You're definitely entitled to your own opinion as to whom is the best player and who you would put on the ice. But the reasoning for your opinion is not great lol.

In the modern age Toews, Datsyuk, Bergeron, Kopitar, Crosby all better centers than McD. If I want to be oohed and awwed I will watch McD hilites. If I want to win a take all game I play those guys in their prime to win. Its why I have Connor as overrated. He has a ways to go and in my opinion I doubt he gets there. 

[mikeyman109]

Just my two cents from last night

Nice to see the extra effort that came out in the first couple of minutes of the third. It wasnt time to pack it in and head for the Christmas break. Much needed

Bo's goal as much as I know the rules have changed did look like a kicking motion to me. I know you can direct it in but moving the skate forward towards the goal is still a kicking motion to me.But how many times have the breaks gone the other way?

Hughes goal on the Power play was exactly the route to success in most games. Horvat screening, the pass was right where it needed to be and Hughes shot it before Koskinen could pick it up.

Virtanen has turned the corner from what I see. He is engaged physically, seems to make better plays and isnt afraid to shoot the puck which some seem to be. I say let him fire that one timer on the power play a few more times.

Markstrom has been our MVP and we need to resign him. TD is coming as well as Dipietro but for now he seems to be the man.

[Toyotasfan]

Too bad we won’t see the Oilers again in the 2019-2020 season. 

I would be happy to get a playoff matchup against them but they are a sinking ship.

 A small sample so far, but New Jersey is playing great without Hall while Arizona has barely managed to beat Detroit after losing 2. Rentals always look good on paper.

[JM_]

31 minutes ago, 189lb enforcers? said:

If that’s the case and he’s here to stay, we finally have legitimate power forward(s) on the team. It’s been a very long time since we could say that other than while being optimistic. 

 

Call me a skeptic. 

I watch Jake closely and he still has much to work on, but engagement doesn’t appear to be one of them. IMO, of course. 

 

Remember when the Province toilet paper put his name on the back page, titled, Goat? 

 

Puckers

 

I was one of many on here who called, emailed and railed against that rag, and haven’t bought or looked at a Province paper since. 

 

Great story for BC and Abby to have the hometown kid drafted high to kick-off a rebuild (in a manner of speaking  - no debate required) for the hometown Canucks. I love to see the BC boys in the line up. It makes me proud somehow, being a complete BC homer without rival. 

no, I never saw that goat thing, but i can't remember the last time I picked up a Province paper. Its the "1040" of news.

 

I think we're seeing a lot more good than bad with Jake, and thats reason to celebrate. I really want to see 'playoff Jake' and then we'll know for sure what we have. 

 

[189lb enforcers?]

28 minutes ago, HerrDrFunk said:

That's definitely going to change over the next couple of years when kids who were 11 or 12 when McDavid broke in to the NHL start getting drafted.

Not just the youth, but agree. 

 

If you’ve been around even one damn rink, anywhere in western Canada at least, you’d know how prevalent McJesus saves is. 

 

100% fabrication and utter ignorance to suggest the kids coming up don’t cite or revere the guy.

 

Just because they don’t claim to model their game after him isn’t a red flag as much as it might be respect, etc. No need to go into detail. 

Edited December 24, 2019 by 189lb enforcers?

[Pete M]

a question for the McDavid debate going on....

 

Would you trade EP40 straight up for McDavid?...or McDavid for Mckinnon?

Edited December 24, 2019 by Pete M

[Chicken.]

1 hour ago, NeilColville said:

I take back everything I ever said about Virtanen. Kid comes to play 

Wrong thread, @VforVirtanen can guide you though

Edited December 24, 2019 by Chicken.