GDT: Buffalo at Edmonton, 7:00pm, 10/16/16

[darksabre]

3 games in 5 nights to start the season for Edmonton. Think they were tired last night?

[Brawndo]

3 games in 5 nights to start the season for Edmonton. Think they were tired last night?

I think it was a combination of a let down after sweeping The Flames and overlooking the Sabres because they were without Eichel and Kane.

[darksabre]

I think it was a combination of a let down after sweeping The Flames and overlooking the Sabres because they were without Eichel and Kane.

Those things probably contributed as well.

[Huckleberry]

Like PHam was saying, Gorges deserves a TON of credit for this game. That might hurt some here to say that.  :angel:

 

Mcjesus lost his cool with him.

[Doohicksie]

Kulikov was great... Skated the puck outta harms way a couple of times, played tough and seemed to be a good passer, didn't make mistakes.

 

You didn't see the Lucic goal?

[beerme1]

Kind of early to predict season totals.

 

 

 

You sure bro?

[nucci]

I know it's only one game but Okposo is everything I hoped Kane could be. An absolute beast of a power forward.

Well, he's played like this with the Islanders so it shouldn't be a big surprise

[bob_sauve28]

Josh Gorges can't do a lick with the puck on his stick, but the man can defend. Great game by Josh.

Kyle Okposo is everything we hated Drew Stafford for not being.

That's a +2 for Foligno on the "but can he be consistent?" watch.

And you gotta love Johan Larsson.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, we are lucky to have Georges.

Okposo has skills. Tarvarse didn't make him, he earned his spot on that line.

Foligno is an enigma to me, not sure where he fits but he keeps playing well. Guess he has to with all the talent at forward coming up

Johan just keeps getting better. I remember the start of last season he was a disaster, now he is so solid. Maybe Nelson is the same?

[Taro T]

[Haven't read the thread yet]

 

Great game, great win!

 

Larsson was a beast as usual.  Grant getting PP time over him is ridiculous.  I'm so glad Johan picked up where he left off last season. Great night for Gionta as well.

 

...

Yeah, Larsson has earned pp time. BUT, he played over 20 minutes last night (2nd only to ROR by a handful of seconds) w/ nary a sniff of pp time. If he starts getting pp time, he's up in ROR's ridiculous usage from last year.

 

He has a role and fills it well. He seems to relish the tough minutes. Start giving him 23 minutes a night and his primary job probably doesn't get done as well by Thanksgiving or one of the cheap shots he takes nightly actually does injure him. Speaking of which, is he extremely chatty on the ice ticking his opponents off? He blankets them, but doesn't seem to play cheap / dirty, so his play by itself wouldn't seem to warrant the abuse directed his way.

 

He is the perfect 3C for this team.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, we are lucky to have Georges.

Okposo has skills. Tarvarse didn't make him, he earned his spot on that line.

Foligno is an enigma to me, not sure where he fits but he keeps playing well. Guess he has to with all the talent at forward coming up

Johan just keeps getting better. I remember the start of last season he was a disaster, now he is so solid. Maybe Nelson is the same?

He was getting 4th line W minutes. He was clearly unable to battle through the percieved slight, for whatever reason. (He REALLY only sees himself as a C, it would appear.) Once he got a crack at 3C, he grabbed on & hasn't let go yet.

[Huckleberry]

Lehner was solid though, he made some crucial saves several times.

If this team keeps playing like this, can't wait to have Eichel and Kane back, but think we won't see those two until end of december.

[bob_sauve28]

Yeah, Larsson has earned pp time. BUT, he played over 20 minutes last night (2nd only to ROR by a handful of seconds) w/ nary a sniff of pp time. If he starts getting pp time, he's up in ROR's ridiculous usage from last year.

 

 

He was getting 4th line W minutes. He was clearly unable to battle through the percieved slight, for whatever reason. (He REALLY only sees himself as a C, it would appear.) Once he got a crack at 3C, he grabbed on & hasn't let go yet.

He also learned how to take the body, use his body to shield the puck and get his butt into people. He was losing puck battles routinely last year, now he wins them routinely. Casey Nelson should take note! It's not about being tough, its how to angle your body into checks and leverage yourself on your skates. That's why I hate dismissing players, because you never know if they will figure it out before they get too old to actually do it.

[Doohicksie]

is he extremely chatty on the ice ticking his opponents off? He blankets them, but doesn't seem to play cheap / dirty, so his play by itself wouldn't seem to warrant the abuse directed his way.

 

What?  Blanketing them (and keeping them from doing *their* jobs) isn't enough to provoke frustration?

[Huckleberry]

Zemgus can learn a lot for Larsson.   Larsson actually makes Zemgus expendable.

[Doohicksie]

Actually I wonder whether Zemgus is really a Dan Bylsma type of player.

[bob_sauve28]

Actually I wonder whether Zemgus is really a Dan Bylsma type of player.

Him and Ennis seem odd men out. Even with the injuries it seems there is no place to let these guys shine like back in 2014 when they were The Guys for this team.

[Randall Flagg]

I don't know if it's about him being a Bylsma type, or just having to play in a system in general.

[Doohicksie]

Him and Ennis seem odd men out. Even with the injuries it seems there is no place to let these guys shine like back in 2014 when they were The Guys for this team.

 

It makes sense.  Part of building the team is acquiring the right pieces, but another part is removing the wrong pieces.  It doesn't mean Ennis and Zemgus are bad players, just that they don't quite fit with the team.  Darcy would hang onto guys like that because he wouldn't be able to ge what he thought they were worth in a trade, but we saw with the Staff/Myers trade that GMTM isn't bashful about exchanging players that aren't working for players that might.

[jsb]

Him and Ennis seem odd men out. Even with the injuries it seems there is no place to let these guys shine like back in 2014 when they were The Guys for this team.

Girgensons TOI got cut way back right after he didn't help his Dmen on either Oiler goal. He was late getting back on both if you watch the tape. After that he only played in spurts and I'm guessing he missed an assignment. DD also played the ROR and Larsson lines multiple minutes in the 2 period and for good reason they were both outstanding in that game.

 

Foligno for all the bashing he receives on this site, really plays well with Larsson and Gionta as the old vet knows where to play off both of them. That line was really impressive this game

[Huckleberry]

http://buffalonews.com/2016/10/17/irate-oilers-coach-mclellan-loss-sabres-looked-like-bad-news-bears/

 

McLellan really ripping his team :D

Edited October 17, 2016 by Huckleberry

[Doohicksie]

If GMTM were a coach, I think he would sound a lot like McLellan.

[TrueBlueGED]

Zemgus can learn a lot for Larsson. Larsson actually makes Zemgus expendable.

I don't agree with this. I can always find room for a 25 point player (if that's what Zemgus maxes out as) who plays well defensively and can skate. More to the point, as long as Deslauriers and Grant are skating regular shifts, Zemgus is not expendable. I see no reason to make this a Larsson OR Girgensons scenario.

[Taro T]

What?  Blanketing them (and keeping them from doing *their* jobs) isn't enough to provoke frustration?

Not Kaleta levels of frustration.

 

The Carbonneau's, Kasper's, & Lehtonin's blanketed the h*ll out of opponents but never seemed to take the same sort of punishment that Johan gets. Fustration is one thing, he gets abused daily. (See Thursday's slew foot w/ 3 seconds left as an example. )

[That Aud Smell]

I don't agree with this. I can always find room for a 25 point player (if that's what Zemgus maxes out as) who plays well defensively and can skate. More to the point, as long as Deslauriers and Grant are skating regular shifts, Zemgus is not expendable. I see no reason to make this a Larsson OR Girgensons scenario.

 

I've watched a bit more than half of the first two games. As I think maybe you're aware (was it someone else with whom I engaged on the subject?), I allowed myself to develop something of an off season man crush on this guy. It's taken just this amount of regular season hockey to make me question what I had in mind. 

[North Buffalo]

Not Kaleta levels of frustration.

The Carbonneau's, Kasper's, & Lehtonin's blanketed the h*ll out of opponents but never seemed to take the same sort of punishment that Johan gets. Fustration is one thing, he gets abused daily. (See Thursday's slew foot w/ 3 seconds left as an example. )

Johann plays chippy enough and talks enough trash to piss opponents. He gets them off their game more Barnaby like without the fighting but infuriating none the less.

[That Aud Smell]

Johann plays chippy enough and talks enough trash to piss opponents. He gets them off their game more Barnaby like without the fighting but infuriating none the less.

 

This is an interesting observation (made by others as well upthread). Three or four times last night, I noticed an Oiler player giving Larsson an extra shove, slash, etc. as the play ended or moved the other way. He must be getting under people's skins, eh?