Pimlach

I would not rejoice for Kane. I like Kyle much more, I can see a decent person there. I do not care for Kane and I wish we never traded for him or Bogo.

We don't know the full story on this, other than the boycott really happened. The interview with Kyle made me think that he supported the boycott, I was expecting to hear "booing and firing coaches are part of the game and the young players have to understand it", but he didn't say that. But what was worse was the interview with the coach. Granato actually put out there comments that the players feelings are hurt, and some of them signed long term deals to be here. That was the interview that led me to believe that Granato was a big problem and stunting the teams growth. Whatever really happened, it was handled wrong, and you can include Adams in there too. Time to move forward. Ruff is a different kind of coach and leader.

Just about every year a player finally gets a Cup. There are always vets dealt at the deadline from poor teams to strong teams, and always hope that it could happen for them. Edmonton had a similar older guy in Henrique, but no one talks about the losing teams very much. Kyle is the guy this year, and he got it in part because Florida wanted him. He had a coach that knew when to play him and when to let him talk to the team, even if he was a new player with very little skin in the game. To me that says something about him that we fans don't see. PS - Paul Maurice really proved he can go beyond X's and O's, and motivate and really understand his team and how to get the most from them.

I prefer no individual songs, just a team song. But it sounds like Lindy has picked up the vibes of the modern Gen Z players so if it is even up to him, which I am not sure it is, then he will allow it.

It is possible that they can trade a few prospects and still keep the draft pick at 11. Right? They have a lot of options and it comes down to whether the trade partner wants 11OA, or one of our current prospects more?

Well, this should sum up the MVP argument. 16 of 17 first place votes for McDavid means lots of people saw the same thing. McDavid is special, even if he didn't score in the last 2 games, he was a force the entire playoff. I can understand the argument for picking a player on the winning team since it is extremely rare to see this result, but every season is different. Reflecting back on it and listening to their coach talk about it, Florida must really have some great internal leadership that extends beyond who wears the C and the A's.

Say what? The entire Oilers team was completely gassed for the last two minutes of the game. Knoblach probably overplayed his top players in the 3rd period, they pulled their goalie too late, and they had nothing left for a final push. Florida had a fresh Evan Rodrigues out there for the last minute and he dogged the puck excellently. Talk about a guy that plays smart hockey and knows his role on a team. Rodrigues came up big in many ways, 7 goals and 14 points, and he was out there to finish the game in a defensive role. But I must say that Knoblach overall did a fine job, he just asked a bit too much of his top players in the 3rd. Great game. I did not expect the Oilers to have so much grit and compete.

23.5 year old average age teams do not win cups. The problem with KA’s plan.

ERod played the last shift quite well.

When they break out they won’t send two skaters deep into the offensive zone.

Wow. Lots of battles in front of the Florida net. Bob with a few really big saves.

The long silent pauses during action.

How about a line of Reinhart - ERod - Kyle ? Come on Maurice.

Reinhart scores.

Good shift for Kyle.

Good game so far. Florida seems to be out of their funk.

A breakaway though. But yes, he needs to make some big saves like he was earlier in the series.

Oilers seem to get behind Florida a lot.

ERod throws it at the net.

Alanis did a nice job.

I do not think he was great captain here, but do not think he was a poor one either. I am saying that often we equate having a great captain and having a great team as synonymous. Timing is also a factor. To see that Okposo has generated that much respect in Florida, as the above information conveys, tells me that he deserves the respect he gets in Buffalo.

Interesting, as some here will have you believe that all the good really teams have great captains.

I just read that Maurice is going with Kyle tonight. Good luck to him.

The Oilers acquired Henrique at the deadline, who at 34 years old and played 82 games, scored 24 goals and 51 points for the season, plus 3 goals in the playoffs. The old man can still play, he always was a pretty solid two way player. Would like to see him get a cup.