Western Confedrence Semi Finals: #1 Anaheim Ducks vs. #2 Edmonton Oilers

[Samifan]

Should be a helluva game. All the pressure will be on the veteran Ducks at home IMO.

[MadDevil]

2 hours ago, Samifan said:

Should be a helluva game. All the pressure will be on the veteran Ducks at home IMO.

 

Considering they've been eliminated in a Game 7 at home after blowing a 3-2 series lead 4 straight years, I would agree. Although this time they don't have Boudreau, so maybe they'll finally stop that trend.

[Kings Redeem LA]

The most ferocious response game in NHL postseason history? Does anyone

remember anything like it?

 

Currently I can't recall any two-game stretch like games five and six in this series.

It'd be interesting if it could be qualified whose psychological trauma goes deeper

between the Oilers losing game five in heartbreaking and historic fashion, or

Anaheim and two goalies playing 60 minutes as punching bags for game six.

 

Before these two battles I already suspected I'd never run a successful

psychic-hotline network , so I have even less an idea how to predict

game seven. I'm gonna say Oils in double OT and the Anaheim fans riot at

another game-seven and series-comeback heartbreaker.

 

Edmonton's speed staggers me. At times tonight it seemed as though they had

three Paul Coffeys on the ice.

 

[B21]

That was a good old fashioned spankin'.  That said - it's still just one loss. The Ducks are too savvy and experienced to let that kind of game get to them. I still like them in Game 7.  

 

 

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

My original pick was Quacks in 6.

Well, that is out the window as this thing goes to a Game 7.

 

One would THINK Anaheim would still have the advantage (more experience, home ice, generally more aggressive players up n down the lineup), but I am done with the corny cliches!

Anaheim's Jekyl and Hyde act is just hard to predict.

 

I'm gonna say now the Oil pull off the upset, win a close one, and meet those Predators in the Western Finals.

The thing is, UNLIKE that run Edmonton had years ago where they rode Dwayne Roloson all the way to the Finals, I don't think this particular Oiler squad is a one-trick pony.

These guys really are this good...and will only get better with playing time moving forward.

 

Inexperienced and young players? Sure. But those same players are loaded with genuine talent too...and they do have just enough veteran presence to not be totally green to winning in the post season.

 

This game 7 really can go either way given both teams' track records during the series, but to heck with it...Edmonton takes it.

Music City...here they come!

[Samifan]

If I'm the Ducks, I am having an exorcism to ensure any lingering stench from Uncle Fester has been removed from Honda Center before Game 7.

[JR Ewing]

42 minutes ago, TropicalFruitGirl26 said:

I'm gonna say now the Oil pull off the upset, win a close one, and meet those Predators in the Western Finals.

The thing is, UNLIKE that run Edmonton had years ago where they rode Dwayne Roloson all the way to the Finals, I don't think this particular Oiler squad is a one-trick pony.

These guys really are this good...and will only get better with playing time moving forward.

 

 

Off-topic, but that 2006 team was way better than just riding a hot goalie. They were a strong team that badly outshot opponents all year, but had historically bad goaltending until Kevin Lowe acquired Dwayne Roloson at the deadline. Much has been made of their upset victories in the playoffs, but had winning records against the Red Wings, Sharks and Ducks through the year. All they did in the playoffs was keep beating teams they had been beating already.

 

They had a very balanced team that was very difficult to play against, with a dominant defenseman and later on, strong goaltending as well.

 

[flyercanuck]

22 hours ago, B21 said:

That was a good old fashioned spankin'.  That said - it's still just one loss. The Ducks are too savvy and experienced to let that kind of game get to them. I still like them in Game 7.  

 

 

 

If anything, the Oilers would likely have preferred a close game 6 victory than the ass-whoopin' they inflicted on the Ducks. They HAVE to be one pissed off team going into game 7. 

 

 I hate having to play a team you embarrassed the game before.

[AJgoal]

29 minutes ago, flyercanuck said:

 

If anything, the Oilers would likely have preferred a close game 6 victory than the ass-whoopin' they inflicted on the Ducks. They HAVE to be one pissed off team going into game 7. 

 

 I hate having to play a team you embarrassed the game before.

 

Look no further back than game 4 of the Sharks-Oilers series. Oilers got spanked 7-0, and won two straight to close out the series. At least the Oilers know how it feels, so they should know how hard the Ducks are going to play right out of the gate.

[JR Ewing]

1 hour ago, flyercanuck said:

 

If anything, the Oilers would likely have preferred a close game 6 victory than the ass-whoopin' they inflicted on the Ducks. They HAVE to be one pissed off team going into game 7. 

 

 I hate having to play a team you embarrassed the game before.

 

45 minutes ago, AJgoal said:

 

Look no further back than game 4 of the Sharks-Oilers series. Oilers got spanked 7-0, and won two straight to close out the series. At least the Oilers know how it feels, so they should know how hard the Ducks are going to play right out of the gate.

 

This isn't to disagree with the point that either of you are making, because I think it's a fair one, but there was a difference between these two butt kickings. In the 7-0 win for the Sharks, there were a couple of issues:

 

-The game was fairly close until the Oilers lost discipline and took repeated stick infractions due to frustration, and got lit up by the Sharks powerplay.

-About half of the Oilers roster was sick with the flu. As an example, Zack Kassian played more minutes than any other forward.

 

In the 7-0 win the other night, the Oilers simply came out and put the boots to the Ducks, and already had 4 on the board before scoring a PP goal late in the game. Now, I don't know what health issues Anaheim might be facing (though we know the Oilers defence was short two of their top four last game) so that can make a difference, too.

 

I really have no idea what will happen or what to expect other than that I think Anaheim will play a much stronger game than their game 6 effort. They're just too good of a team not to do that.

 

[Kings Redeem LA]

And I'm so excited for this Game 7 too! Two in one night tomorrow! 

 

[Samifan]

In all the excitement of the Caps choking AGAIN, I forgot to congratulate the Ducks for breaking the curse of Uncle Fester.

 

 

[Kings Redeem LA]

@TropicalFruitGirl26 Hello...! I recall you wrote something about the Oilers being 

the next Canadian squad that'll win the Cup. How long do you think it'll be until that happens

for this exciting group? What do you think it will take? 

 

Myself I think they could be as close as only two years away. Given how close they got to 

the Conference finals this year, I don't think they need much more than maybe one or two more 

useful veterans.

 

and Heaven help Edmonton's competition if Talbot gets even better!  

 

@JR Ewing Any thoughts on immediate Oiler Cup prospects? 

 

 to you both! 

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

@thenewestlights

 

I'm not sure when exactly, but the Oilers certainly are on the right track, and if I were to rank all 7 Canadian teams TODAY as to who is the closest, I would say the Oilers with perhaps the Maple Leafs (that would have been a joke a season ago), Flames, and Jets not that far behind.

 

Ottawa may make a liar out of me this year, but for the Sens to get through Pittsburgh and either the Ducks or Predators, I think is asking too much of that group right now, despite their position in the final four this year.

 

In looking over capfriendly, the Oilers have some good players under contract for a while, have one of the best players in the NHL now (McDavid), have the goaltending, finally understand the importance of team toughness, and are starting to develop what is NOW an underrated defense core, though it may not stay underrated for very long.

 

What I believe to be most interesting for the Oilers to become real contenders moving forward, is how they now draft and develop.

For years, they were used to having the higher picks, which usually translates to high end players.

Now, they will draft from mid level positions (what contenders usually have) and need to really do their scouting work to find players late in the 1st and in the 2nd, 3rd, etc rounds that will fill in 'roles' and give the team quality depth so that an injury or two to a key player doesn't cripple the team (see Tampa Bay for a good example of a team that has great depth and can withstand key injuries)

Good scouting will also unearth that hidden gem in later rounds that will become a key cog to their success as well.

 

They won't be finding another McDavid, or an Eichel, or a MacKinnon type in the later rounds, so their smarts (such as what teams like Detroit and Chicago have done for years) will come into play to keep their franchise a winning one year in, year out.

Also, attracting and keeping quality free agents will also dictate how well they remain a contender year after year.

 

It wouldn't surprise me at all if the Oilers were in either the Cup Finals or at the very least, Western Finals next year.

The rest of the Canadian squads, IMO, are looking up at the Oilers from a development standpoint right now.

[JR Ewing]

3 hours ago, thenewestlights said:

 

@JR Ewing Any thoughts on immediate Oiler Cup prospects? 

 

 to you both! 

 

The site ate my post. It was there, posted, and now gone. Again.

 

Oh well.

 

----

 

I'm not Carnak the Magnificent, so as usual I'll skip the prediction part of things. I'll say that the Oilers are trending in the right direction, and the players have now had a taste of the extreme stress and competitiveness of the playoffs, and can be better prepared for the future. They went from 29th overall to a hair's breadth of playing in the Conference Finals in one season. They improved their goal differential by 80 goals. This isn't really a fair comparison. It REALLY helped having a healthy Oscar Klefbom, and the addition of Adam Larsson brought an ability to defend which wasn't there before. Note: Klefbom had an excellent year and also picked up only up 3 minor penalties.

 

For their part, management has had a chance to see how players handled things, and will no doubt take that into consideration going forward. As an example, I'd say that Jordan Eberle may find his days numbered in Edmonton.

 

[hf101]

9 hours ago, JR Ewing said:

The site ate my post. It was there, posted, and now gone. Again.

 

odd, try selecting the back arrow next time you see this happen.

[JR Ewing]

2 hours ago, hf101 said:

 

odd, try selecting the back arrow next time you see this happen.

 

Will do.

[Kings Redeem LA]

16 hours ago, TropicalFruitGirl26 said:

@thenewestlights

 

I'm not sure when exactly, but the Oilers certainly are on the right track, and if I were to rank all 7 Canadian teams TODAY as to who is the closest, I would say the Oilers with perhaps the Maple Leafs (that would have been a joke a season ago), Flames, and Jets not that far behind.

 

Ottawa may make a liar out of me this year, but for the Sens to get through Pittsburgh and either the Ducks or Predators, I think is asking too much of that group right now, despite their position in the final four this year.

 

In looking over capfriendly, the Oilers have some good players under contract for a while, have one of the best players in the NHL now (McDavid), have the goaltending, finally understand the importance of team toughness, and are starting to develop what is NOW an underrated defense core, though it may not stay underrated for very long.

 

What I believe to be most interesting for the Oilers to become real contenders moving forward, is how they now draft and develop.

For years, they were used to having the higher picks, which usually translates to high end players.

Now, they will draft from mid level positions (what contenders usually have) and need to really do their scouting work to find players late in the 1st and in the 2nd, 3rd, etc rounds that will fill in 'roles' and give the team quality depth so that an injury or two to a key player doesn't cripple the team (see Tampa Bay for a good example of a team that has great depth and can withstand key injuries)

Good scouting will also unearth that hidden gem in later rounds that will become a key cog to their success as well.

 

They won't be finding another McDavid, or an Eichel, or a MacKinnon type in the later rounds, so their smarts (such as what teams like Detroit and Chicago have done for years) will come into play to keep their franchise a winning one year in, year out.

Also, attracting and keeping quality free agents will also dictate how well they remain a contender year after year.

 

It wouldn't surprise me at all if the Oilers were in either the Cup Finals or at the very least, Western Finals next year.

The rest of the Canadian squads, IMO, are looking up at the Oilers from a development standpoint right now.

 

Howzabout an Oilers v. Leafs Cup Final in 2019? That doesn't seem too far afield. And I'm actually finding myself wanting to see those two exciting teams play in this year's Final.

 

I see this series loss against the Ducks... Please hold as I imagine a duck in the mouth of a Predator.  Thank you for holding... I see it being informative and inspiring on many levels for the Oils. They had, if you will, two chances to close out Anaheim: unthinkably going up 2 - 0 on the road but not delivering a near-fatal blow via winning game 3 at home, and surrendering a big lead so late in game 5. Those can only, should only, hone their focus, intensify their hunger. 

 

On the Sens and Pens note: One could be excused for thinking the battered Penguins should be gone from the playoffs by now. But they have found ways to not only win, but to even kick the crapola outta Columbus, all while Fleury has discovered some rebirth. Does a fully healthy Pittsburgh defeat a fully healthy Ottawa? Probably. But of course that's not the case here given Pitt or Karlsson. My 50/50 Miss Cleo tendencies are telling me we're gonna have a Preds - Pens Final. 

 

[Kings Redeem LA]

14 hours ago, JR Ewing said:

 

The site ate my post. It was there, posted, and now gone. Again.

 

Oh well.

 

----

 

I'm not Carnak the Magnificent, so as usual I'll skip the prediction part of things. I'll say that the Oilers are trending in the right direction, and the players have now had a taste of the extreme stress and competitiveness of the playoffs, and can be better prepared for the future. They went from 29th overall to a hair's breadth of playing in the Conference Finals in one season. They improved their goal differential by 80 goals. This isn't really a fair comparison. It REALLY helped having a healthy Oscar Klefbom, and the addition of Adam Larsson brought an ability to defend which wasn't there before. Note: Klefbom had an excellent year and also picked up only up 3 minor penalties.

 

For their part, management has had a chance to see how players handled things, and will no doubt take that into consideration going forward. As an example, I'd say that Jordan Eberle may find his days numbered in Edmonton.

 

 

An incredible run by Edmonton this year. If I'm a team in the West I'm 

wanting nothing to do with them come playoff time next year.