The Avs were better than the Oilers in 2 of the 3 categories, but (a) it was close, (b) since then they've lost key contributors while (c) Edmonton is a stronger team than last year. This isn't a particularly difficult concept, not sure why it's causing you so much mental consternation.

How did the Oilers get better? Dylan Holloway, Jack Campbell, Stuart Skinner, full seasons of Kulak and Kane is a good start.

And finally, Toronto has absolutely nothing to do with this, I'm not sure why you can't defend your position without resorting to obfuscation.

Took a while to find your thesaurus . I only mentioned leafs because of Soupy; he is not a game changing goalie and he performed worse (on a better defensive team) than oilers goalies last year.

That’s just a tired excuse - Oil lost b/c of goaltending. They were swept & badly out played in 3/4 games bs Avs; they dominated game 3 but did not score.

; Kane’s history shows he is just as likely to regress as continue

Just my opinion, but in no way are Oil likely to beat Avs in playoff series

Smith was healthy for less than half the season last year, mostly Oilers starter was Mikko Koskinen. So comparing save percentages (which already partially accounts for the difference in team defense) isn't going to give you an accurate picture.


Well, you don't have to like the facts, that's on you. Of course it wasn't entirely goaltending, but it was in a large part.
Alright, it was mostly goaltending; if save % is suddenly not indicative of goalie performance, then how xGA? Avs won that hands down too.


Oh? He's been pretty consistent, scoring between 20 and 30 goals in each of the past 7 seasons - even the seasons cut short by COVID and suspension. Last year he scored at a 42 goal pace while the year before it was a 32 goal pace. He'll be stapled to McDavid... I have a morbid curiosity what you see in Kane's history that suggests he's as likely to regress?

He has 286 career goals in 812 games and a history of off ice distractions. But ok, pencil him in for 40+ goals; if only the nhl worked on an “ on pace” basis .

Alright, it was mostly goaltending; if save % is suddenly not indicative of goalie performance,

then how xGA? Avs won that hands down too.

He has 286 career goals in 812 games and a history of off ice distractions. But ok, pencil him in for 40+ goals; if only the nhl worked on an “ on pace” basis squinty smile .

Not what I wrote. Go back and reread.


53% v 47%. That's not exactly "hands down". And did you miss that the Avs lost several key pieces in the offseason?


When did I pencil him in for anything? He scored 22 goals for Edmonton last regular season, he'll score more this year. And you're avoiding the direct question again: what in Kane's history suggests that he'll "regress" this year? He's been one of the most consistent goal scorers in the league for over half a decade.

286 goals in 821 = 0.34 gpg; that does not equate to one of the most consistent goal scorers in the league. You mentioned he was “on pace” for 42 goals which would be a 50% improvement
from his career Ave. he’ll “regress” back to his career ave which is ~25 goals, decent but nothing special.
I said Oil dominated game 3, albeit they were shutout. The other 3 games, they were badly outmatched. In the end, they were swept - which is hard to argue against, even for Oil fans wearing rose coloured glasses.
How did Avs get worse? They lost Kadri but will be getting back Girard.
If Oil played in any other division they’d be middle of the pack. They may get out of weakcific but as soon as they do, not good.

Kadri, Burakovski and Kuemper all had a greater impact on the Avs than Girard last year. Getting him back would help the Oilers if anything - the Avs allowed more shots, goals, expected goals, scoring chances and high danger chances when he was on the ice.

And we haven't even mentioned Draisaitl's ankle...