I consider that miracle run a fluke exactly for the reasons you mentioned. Lowe did hit a homerun on every move, they all worked out. How often does that happen and did even Lowe himself REALLY think they ALL would? Of course he hoped they wold, but realistically.... Every one of those guys played arguably the best hockey of their respective careers during those playoffs. That happening all during the same timeframe is the fluke part. The other reason I call it a fluke is that they barely made it in the playoffs period. It went down to the wire to actually get in.
Many people keep considering this the great fall of the Oilers compared to where they were that season. I have always maintained the thought of.....well........where exactly did they fall from? They were and 8th place team that played great hockey for a few weeks in a row. They were roughly an 8th place team for seasons before then, and recent history in the standings speak for itself.
I didn't want to get into coaching for the exact reason you mentioned. How could a visiting coach get the matchup HE wants regarding his top line? I could "how could..." Oiler coaching for hours, but will focus on Lowe since it all starts at the top.
Location: Seguin to the Bruins (e5) Joined: 11.14.2007
Nov 30 @ 4:35 PM ET
it breaks down like this.
kevin lowe is a bad GM. Mac T is an even worse coach. with new coaches/management the oilers would have an amazing future to look forward to. we need to dump a few overpaid players and stop teaching guys like, cogliano, gagner, nilsson, and schremp to play defense. let the scorers be scorers and keep your grit and 2 way guys on your 3rd and 4th lines.
kevin lowe is a bad GM. Mac T is an even worse coach. with new coaches/management the oilers would have an amazing future to look forward to. we need to dump a few overpaid players and stop teaching guys like, cogliano, gagner, nilsson, and schremp to play defense. let the scorers be scorers and keep your grit and 2 way guys on your 3rd and 4th lines. - coglianoisgod
What this team needs is a wake up call...not by trade, firing or returning players. They need to lose big... by 6 or seven goals... Why? Because they have been winning games with sub par efforts. Maybe the Colorado game was the slap in the face the oilers needed...
