travel_dude

I think Sutter knows what we did that didn't work. Getting too close to McD and getting beat. Same way the D gets beat by Johnny, on the edges. I'm not saying let him walk in, but put yourself between him and the net. If he's carrying, you can check the player. Just don't watch his eyes. Drive him wide and let your other players cover the passing option. Anyway, I don't know. Seems like we are only allowed to hit him when he's on the boards. Only in certain circumstances. What I do know is that Smith is shaky. Put it on the body and get to the rebound. Take a slapper close to his chin. Not to injure, but to make him duck or have a weird bounce come out. Get him wound up by invading his crease. Get the D to either take a penalty or push you into him.

Valimaki returned to the Heat, so it's possible we see Tanev in game 4. If he can go, then go 11-7 with Stone there to offset the minutes. The PK has been good without him, so use him 5v5 if he's dressing. Would likely add some stability to the pairs, and would show the young guys what compete means.

Has to be the oddest playoffs I can remember in some time. Zebras setting their own direction. Handing game 2 to the Oils. Scorefest in 2 games. Forget about the refs. The bozos are gone and won't be back. We have played our way to being the "underdogs" which is just fine. We know how to play. Let the Oil fans get over the top and think it's done. Just get the split.

The 2nd goal was the result of a PP ending and PKer needing to get off. Coleman (I think) didn't recognize the threat and the guy coming on (Lindy) was already behind the play. I mean it's ridiculous that you defend a guy for almost 2 minutes on the PP and he's first one out at the end of it too. Make his life miserable before he gets a chance to wind up. You know he's either carrying it or first pass to him coming out of the zone. Slash his ankle if you can't stop him. May cost you 2 minutes, but whatever. They call it for holding his books after school as it is. Make the penalty count. They don't let up on clipping Gaudreau.

Of course he won't. I didn't hear a question and even so I had no thought that Sutter would name his starter at the end of another game. They did that with Smith, but it was the day after. That's their business. A month ago they wanted to bury Smith, now he is the 2nd coming.

+1 I didn't like the game, but this love affair the crew has with him has to end. He was given the ice on a silver platter. In previous games the refs decided you are not to touch him or his line. One badly called game and we went tied into YEG. The refs f'd this series up from the beginning. I have far more faith the Oilers will mess it up. They got cocky in game 2. They used it in game 3, but they think they are invincible.

Oh, that makes sense then.

That was a joke call. It was only because of the score and who the goalie was. Nothing else. Nothing for Kadri? But, hey lets throw the book at Lucic for stopping up and Smith being a Double Spend.

Sutter answered a question at the end of the presser that I didn't catch. It was after they asked why they started Vladar in the 3rd. He said something like Vladr was in and Marky out. I doubt he was talking about next game, but hard to tell with the question impossible to hear.

I get ya. Not arguing with the logic of a reset, but I don't know that there is time now. If anything, it should have been last game as soon as the game was tied up. At the latest, the shorty. But there was reason to believe he could make 2 more saves. Marky has not made a good one on one save in some time. Maybe there was one, but it seems that a breakaway is a sure goal. It might be him backing into the net istead of being aggresive. Whatever it is, he looks tiny. No desperation svae. I don't know if you can fix this thing by switching the goalie. Marky's had the team's back but they didn't do the same.

It's a lot to ask Vladar to come in and mop the mess up. Marky wasn't great in game one and half of game 2. Husso couldn't stop the bleeding in STL, so I don't think we get magic going there. More likely to see a Marky shutout than a Vladar win. You pull Marky this next game, there's no coming back. Exactly what the Oilers want. I want better out of our goalie, but you can't expect to go 55 minutes without scoring and win. Doesn't matter who is in there. We got jobbed in game 2 and stunk up game 3. It happens. Get the crap worked out.

I missed Vladar staring the 3rd. Had the sound off due to the SN yapping. Unless there is something Sutter has noticed, there is not a great time to start Vladar. That's perhaps 3-1 territory. But I don't know. Defensively, we haven't been sharp since game 7. I don't think a goalie change gets you much if you give them 2- 1 for PP's. Lewis is smarter than that, but Sutter is rolling the dice with Lucic out there for any length of time. He can hold his own against 3 lines, but not a loaded up top line. Too slow to react and they make questionable reads. You have to recognize when the top line is gassed and throw the Lucic line out there. Burn minutes, but do is smart. We took two penaties because we rolled 4 lines. Against some eams that's okay. Not against a team that rolls 3 lines.

We also have to be concerned with him letting in one before we score. Marky gave us a period where we were outplayed at every turn. Maybe Vladar stops one or two of the odd man rushes. But maybe he leaks in a couple. I do tthink we need to do something different with the D. No speed on the 2nd pair with Stone and Zaddy. Even if Tanev can go, we need insurance. Ritchie hasn't factored into the game since the 1st period of game 2. Not that he's a liability, but we played better with 11-7.

It should have happened after 2. Can't start a backup with a healthy goalie and no practice. It's not that territory yet.

We play bad in game 2 no doubt, since I can remember. It happens to us. Game 3 is a coin flip. We can win 2 or 3 in a row or 3 out of the next 4. Doesn't really matter which. Just need to do. There is no try, only do.

Get them early next game

Low % shots on the PP are not helping.

Steady diet of Hanifin.

They have targeted him. They need to have someone else get the play going. Then let him feed someone. For F's sake, I don't want to see Hanifin out there for the next 2 and change.

PP. Get the goalie back in until you see how we look.

It's too late for this game but sow the seeds of doubt and blame.

Get another quick one here.

The part of his game it felt was missing since the injury

Smitty looks a natureal flopping on a shot like that. Johnny take notice.

There's the ice breaker. Just 2 periods too late.