Eakins on discipline of West vs. East

Quality interview in The Edmonton Journal with Oilers coach Dallas Eakins.

He's initially asked about the physical differences between Taylor Hall and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, which, in itself, is worth checking out.

“Hallsy’s a freak a little bit. I think he could go out every day and eat what he wants and he’ll still come in ripped. He’s a really fit kid,” said Eakins.

But with a broader scope, Eakins is asked about some Western Conference vs. Eastern Conference comparisons. He's very complimentary of the East, to be sure (see the full article), and explains why he believes the Oilers match up better against Eastern teams at this point in the team's development.

“Our side is very different from the East (more wide-open) and that’s no disrespect to them. How we play is different (heavier bodies), and it’s not going to change,” said Eakins.

“Where we’re at now, we match up better against Eastern teams. The top teams in our conference play this absolute robotic great cycle game and it’s so hard to break that cycle and as soon as those teams lose the puck, they’re simplistic with their back pressure and getting on the puck,” said Eakins.

“The teams in the East, the cycles are easier to break, the teams are apt to take more chances, maybe try to get it into a track meet. They’re not so disciplined as the St. Louis’s and the Anaheim’s and the San Jose’s play. In our development, we match up better against the East in getting out of our zone and into theirs where we can do some damage.”

“Off the top of my head, Boston’s the only team that could easily be a top team in our conference. And I’m not criticizing the East by any means. There are some tremendous teams over there with unbelievable talent that will skill you to death,” he said.

Source: Jim Matheson, Edmonton Journal