Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Post Game: Game #50 Oilers 3 Avalanche 2

Scoring Summary
1st Period
EDM Jordan Eberle 19 (Sam Gagner, Philippe Cornet) 4:59

EDM Eric Belanger 2 (PP) (Ryan Whitney, Ryan Jones) 17:37


2nd Period
COL Peter Mueller 4 (Chuck Kobasew, Paul Stastny) 1:16


3rd Period
EDM Taylor Hall 17 (Ales Hemsky, Shawn Horcoff) 6:01

COL Gabriel Landeskog 11 (Milan Hejduk, Ryan O'Reilly) 10:14


Penalty Summary
1st Period
6:10 Edmonton holding - 2 min B. Eager drawn by J. Hejda
15:47 Colorado high-sticking - 4 min T. Galiardi drawn by T. Peckham

2nd Period
17:01 Edmonton slashing - 2 min J. Eberle drawn by P. Stastny

3rd Period
None

Shots On Goal - Oiles 23 Avalanche 33

Game Notes:
- That was an odd, disjointed hockey game. Oilers didn't play overly well, but did enough to hang on to a 3-2 victory. The Oilers jumped out to a 2-0 first period lead and rode that the rest of the way. Not much to say about this one, neither team played all that well considering both teams had a week off. Both teams showed a significant amount of rust. It's good to see the Oilers get a victory and maybe the Oilers can draft a little higher this year and gain some respectibility.

Player of the Game:
- Devan Dubnyk. Dubnyk really had to shut the dorr in the third period, as the Avalanche picked up their play. They threw a barrage of shots Dubnyk's way. While he gave up one, he did not give up the tying goal, securing an Oiler victory. That's three solid games in a row for Dubnyk. He's on a nice roll right now. I'm sure he'll get the start again, against the Black Hawks. I'm interested to see how long he can sustain this run.

Goat of the Game:
- Ben Eager. I hate games like this where Eager doesn't want to engage physically. Maybe it was best he wasn't as the Avalanche sleptwalked their way through most of this game. Eager seems to be more motivated when he plays up the lineup and gets more than his 9 minutes a night like he did tonight. Eager still tried to make plays with the puck but had very little in the way of body contact tonight. Perhaps it was just one of those games and I'm being a little hard on him.

Next Game - Thursday February 2, 2012 vs. Black Hawks @ Rexall Place on TSN 7:30 PM MT.

Pre-Game: Game #50 Oilers vs. Avalanche



Time to get back at it. The next big date on the NHL calendar is February 27, a date the Oilers should be plenty busy on and before. Steve Tambellini isn't one for trades so we'll have to see how this all shakes down. Players that will be brought up as trade bait will be Ales Hemsky, Andy Sutton and Cam Barker, with the possibility of Sam Gagner, Nikolai Khabibulin and even potentially Shawn Horcoff. Cam Barker and Tom Gilbert skated with the Oilers yesterday while Ryan Nugent-Hopkins did not. RNH is recovering from a shoulder ailment and a bout of the flu. The Oilers layed a couple of fantastic games before the AllStar break, a 2-1 shootout win against San Jose and a 3-2 shootout loss. The Oilers have found their defensive structure and work ethic that won them games early in the year. It will be interesting to see how long it stays with them this time around. Colorado comes into this game losers of their last 2 games. They lost 3-2 to Minnesota last Tuesday night.

Forwards Oilers
- Avalanche are without Duchene and Oilers are without RNH, pretty much a sawoff. I look for Taylor Hall to have a big game.
Defense Oilers
- Ryan Whitney, one leg and all, makes a big difference to this defense.
Goaltending Oilers
- Dubnyk has been outstanding in the last two games. It will be interesting to see if he gets another shot here.
Special Teams Oilers
- Oilers have the 3rd best power play in the NHL. Colorado is 7th.
Coaching Oilers
- Both coaches are on the hot seat, but Tom Renney seems to have figured out his line combos for the time being.
Intangibles Oilers
- Both teams should be well rested. Oilers have home ice.

Oilers: (my version)
Hall-Horcoff-Eberle (Sc1)
Smyth-Belanger-Jones (Chk)
Eager-Gagner-Hemsky (Sc2)
Hordichuk-Lander-Petrell (Eng)

Whitney-Petry
Smid-Potter
Peckham-Sutton

Dubnyk
Khabibulin

Avalanche:
Landeskog-O'Reilly-Hejduk
Galiardi-Stastny-Mueller
Winnik-McClement-Jones
McLeod-VanDerGulik-Kobasew

Johnson-O'Brien
Quincey-Wilson
Hejda-O'Byrne

Giguere
Varlamov

Game Time - 7:30 PM MT @ Rexall Place on Sportsnet Edmonton.

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Post Game: Game #49 Canucks 3 Oilers 2 (SO)

Scoring Summary
1st Period
VAN Daniel Sedin 21 (Alexandre Burrows, Dan Hamhuis) 10:24

2nd Period
EDM Shawn Horcoff 9 (Taylor Hall, Ales Hemsky) 9:43

3rd Period
VAN David Booth 8 (Ryan Kesler, Chris Higgins) 5:00

EDM Taylor Hall 16 (PP) (Corey Potter, Ales Hemsky) 15:49


OT Period
None


Shootout
Vancouver Canucks VAN Alexander Edler shootout goal

Edmonton Oilers EDM Jordan Eberle shootout saved

Vancouver Canucks VAN Mason Raymond shootout miss

Edmonton Oilers EDM Sam Gagner shootout saved

Vancouver Canucks VAN Alexandre Burrows shootout saved

Edmonton Oilers EDM Ales Hemsky shootout goal

Vancouver Canucks VAN Ryan Kesler shootout saved

Edmonton Oilers EDM Taylor Hall shootout saved

Vancouver Canucks VAN Cody Hodgson shootout goal

Edmonton Oilers EDM Shawn Horcoff shootout saved

Penalty Summary
1st Period
None


2nd Period
2:07 Edmonton hooking - 2 min E. Belanger drawn by M. Lapierre

3rd Period
5:10 Edmonton hooking - 2 min J. Petry drawn by A. Burrows
14:58 Vancouver interference - 2 min D. Hamhuis drawn by R. Jones

OT Period
None

Shots On Goal - Oilers 32 Canucks 35

Game Notes:
- From an entertainment standpoint and a structural standpoint, that was a fantastic game. Closest the Oilers will likely feel to a playoff type atmosphere. Chances end to end, solid goaltending at both ends, not a lot of errors from either team, this game was simply just a treat to watch. The Oilers brought it tonight. Even though it was a back to back and the legs were getting heavy in the end, the Oilers really persevered through everything to try and make plays for the greater good of the team. It was truly refreshing to see. Ryan Whitney made his long awaited return to the lineup and you can see the impact he has on the backend. His calmness and awareness was infectious throughtout the backend. Whitney has an excellent sense of what needs to be done at any given time. Here's to hoping for many more games from Whitney. Dubnyk struggled at times but really battled, especially when the game was on the line. The last two games have been a thumbs up largely, conditioning may hold him back from being a 60-65 game starter, but there is little doubt he is an NHL goaltender. I still perceive Dubnyk to be a quality backup. I also want to give kudos to Ales Hemsky and Magnus Paajarvi for positive contributions tonight. They are back to using their speed on the edges, they will have to continue doing that if they want to be helping the team. It keep the other teams' defenses honest. On to the All Star break the Oilers go, they are off until next Tuesday.

Player of the Game:
- Taylor Hall. Speaking of speed off the edges, Taylor Hall was bringing it tonight. Setup Horcoff on the first goal with a sweet dish and scored the tying goal that sent the game into overtime. Hall was engaged in the game tonight. Hall is a pure treat to watch, he just wants to make plays. Watching the evolution of this player is something to behold. He's only going to keep getting better, folks.

Goat of the Game:
- Jeff Petry. First off, I want to say that everyone played well tonight. Really brought it. Its games like this that are tough to pick a GOTG but if I had to pick one its Jeff Petry. Petry is still having some issues with consistancy, which is fine for someone who is getting accustomed to big minutes. He is still trying to figure out energy levels and such. Petry had a cuple of blunders in handling the puck and getting mesmerized on the first goal where he didn't move when the puck was turnover. Other than that Petry played well and he is emerging in front of our eyes.

Next Game - Tuesday January 31, 2012 @ Rexall Place on Sportsnet Edmonton 7:30 PM MT.

Pre-Game: Game #49 Oilers vs. Canucks



No rest for the weary. Right back at it tonight. The Oilers dug deep and gutted out a 2-1 shootout victory last night over the Sharks. It's nice to have a feel good moment of a win from time to time, even if the win doesn't mean a lot in the overall scheme of things. Tonight a test of physicality as the Canucks will likely bring that, question is whether or not the Oilers will be able to stand up to it. Ben Eager and Darcy Hordichuk were healthy scratches against the Sharks, do they get in against a more physical Canucks team? If they do, who comes out? Personally, I think they will need Eager and Hordichuk in this one especially in a back to back. This game will serve as another one of those litmus test games. Will they build on a win or will they wilt like a desert flower? We'll know soon enough. The excuses are built into this game for the Oilers, the question is whether they will use them like a crutch or not. The Canucks come into this game winners over the Sharks 4-3 on Saturday night. The Canucks are well rested, so the Oilers should be ready for bear.

Forwards Canucks
- The Sedins and Ryan Kesler are going to be tough to handle. The Oilers better be physical with them.
Defense Canucks
- The Canucks are one of the deepest teams on defense in the NHL. Rivaling Nashville.
Goaltending Canucks
- Even though Dubnyk had a great game last night, Luongo and Schneider have been steady all year.
Special Teams Canucks
- One of the few teams where the Oilers would lose the specia teams battle to. Canucks have the best power play in the NHL.
Coaching Canucks
- At this stage, Vigneault has a better resume than Tom Renney does. Vigneault understands that his team needs to come out and pound the Oilers.
Intangibles Canucks
- Oilers had a home game tonight and then fly out to Vancouver.

Oilers:
Hall-Gagner-Eberle
Hartikainen-Horcoff-Hemsky
Paajarvi-Lander-Smyth
Petrell-Belanger-Jones

Smid-Petry
Whitney-Potter
Peckham-Sutton

Khabibulin
Dubnyk

Canucks:
D.Sedin-H.Sedin-Burrows
Booth-Kesler-Higgins
Raymond-Hodgson-Hansen
Malhotra-Lapierre-Weise

Hamhuis-Bieksa
Edler-Salo
Ballard-Alberts

Luongo
Schneider

Game Time - 8 PM MT @ Vancouver on Sportsnet West.

Monday, January 23, 2012

Post Game: Game #48 Oilers 2 Sharks 1 (SO)

Summary
1st Period
None

2nd Period
EDM Jordan Eberle 18 (Jeff Petry, Sam Gagner) 6:50

3rd Period
SJ Logan Couture 21 (PP) (Dan Boyle, Joe Thornton) 6:23

OT Period
None


Shootout
Edmonton Oilers EDM Jordan Eberle shootout saved

San Jose Sharks SJ Michal Handzus shootout saved

Edmonton Oilers EDM Sam Gagner shootout goal

San Jose Sharks SJ Dan Boyle shootout saved

Edmonton Oilers EDM Anton Lander shootout saved

San Jose Sharks SJ Joe Pavelski shootout goal

Edmonton Oilers EDM Taylor Hall shootout goal

San Jose Sharks SJ Logan Couture shootout saved

Penalty Summary
1st Period
None


2nd Period
2:18 San Jose holding - 2 min C. White drawn by T. Hall

3rd Period
5:37 Edmonton kneeing - 5 min A. Hemsky drawn by B. Burns served by T. Hartikainen
5:37 Edmonton game misconduct - 10 min A. Hemsky

OT Period
None

Shots On Goal - Oilers 18 Sharks 45

Game Notes:
- Good to see the Oilers finally pull two points out of a game, even if the shot clock was uglier than sin. They battled hard in front of their own net but they battled a lot in front of their own net. While its good to see the team pull the hard hats and work hard to gut out 2 points, you can still see the deficiencies that plague this team. The fowards can't seem to sustain any offfensive pressure and the defence isn't moblie or pass efficent enough to contribute offensively. But it is what it is and hopefully management does some things to help this team out going forward. To be honest though, I thought the game overall was a bit of a dud. Not a lot of ill will and not a lot of physicality at all throughout the game. If I were a Sharks fan, I'd be quite displeased with this team. While it does have a lot of high end skill and veteran savvy, this team doesn't play with much of a pulse. Needs a little more umph, still, if it wants to get over the top. For approximately 24 hours, this win will feel good, but its back at it against vancouver tomorrow night for a really stiff test.

Player of the Game:
- Devan Dubnyk. Dubnyk faced a lot of rubber tonight, albeit, a lot of outside floaters. But when the puck is in your own zone as much as it was in the Oilers end tonight, its really got to sap the energy out of you. Dubnyk stood tall tonight and didn't give away a lot of juicy rebounds that he has done in the recent past. He looked real composed in the net and its something to build upon. I'm sure he'll get his fair share of games down the stretch.

Goat of the Game:
- Ales Hemsky. Hemsky tried somewhat tonight, but got nothing done. Tried to make a hard play that caused him to take a kneeing penalty on Brent Burns that will likely put Burns on the shelf for awhile. I don't think the intent was there from Hemsky, but the penalty was fair considering the damage done to Burns. It can't do much for Hemsky's confidence, for when he actually does try, he is still putting his team behind the 8-ball. Just a tough luck play for Hemsky. San Jose's lone goal came on the 5 minute major that Hemsky had taken.

Next Game - Tuesday January 24, 2012 vs. Canucks @ Vancouver on Sportsnet West 8 PM MT.

Pre-Game: Game #48 Oilers vs. Sharks



So, sounds like the Oilers are offering Steve Tambellini a contract extension, eh. I'm not sure how all of this equates, as any normal team would have turned over their managaments and coaching staffs a long time ago. Welcome to Team Oiler where loyalty matters over everything else, including results. The clueless and the heartless come back to take center stage once again, against a veteran laden, battle tested group of San Jose Sharks. I would like to say that this is an interesting matchup, but its really not. When ownership and management makes it clear that the wins don't matter and the losses don't matter, than what is supposed to matter? Development? Chemistry? Role definition? Pride? Because none of those things are happening either. A team as bad as the Oilers should have had a line brawl by now, but they are afraid of getting their backsides kicked there too. So what's left? For the record, teams that rebuild usually see management and coaching changes once, twice, maybe three times during the course of the rebuild. A lot of it has to do with stale ideas, players tuning out, everyone questioning commitment to winning. There is a lot that goes into creating a winning environment and right now, the Oilers have turned out the lights on the paying public. Jebus knows whats gonna happen next. Either a surprise party or a knife in the back. Sharks come into this game losers of their last two games. Sharks are an odd team, just a team that always seems to leave stuff on the table. This game can go anyway, I wouldn't be surprised if the Oilers won this game or got blown out. Oilers cleaned out the bottom end of their roster by reassigning Josh Green, Ryan O'Marra and Colten Teubert and calling up Teemu Hartikainen, Lennert Petrell and Taylor Chorney. Sounds like a good chance that Ryan Whitney will be back in the lineup tonight.

Forwards Sharks
- Thornton, Marleau, Pavelski, et al are going to be a handful for the Oilers.
Defense Sharks
- What the Oilers could do if they had Boyle and Burns.
Goaltending Sharks
- Oilers goaltending is brutally inconsistant at best, maybe just flat out brutal.
Special Teams Oilers
- For as much talent as San Jose has, their special teams should be better. 19th on PP, 28th on PK.
Intangibles Sharks
- I just don't see much of an advantage here for the Oilers unless San Jose has one of their flaky episodes.

Oilers: (my version)
Hall-Gagner-Hemsky (Sc1)
Paajarvi-Lander-Eager (Sc2)
Smyth-Horcoff-Jones (Chk)
Hartikainen-Belanger-Hordichuk (Eng)

Smid-Petry
Whitney-Potter
Peckham-Sutton

Dubnyk
Khabibulin

Sharks:
Desjardins-Thornton-Pavelski
Marleau-Couture-Ferreiro
McGinn-Handzus-Mitchell
Winchester-McCarthy-A.Murray

Boyle-Vlasic
D.Murray-Burns
White-Braun

Niemi
Greiss

Game Time - 7:30 PM MT @ Rexall Place on TSN.

Sunday, January 22, 2012

The To-Do List At Trade Deadline



After another dreadful season, its time to start the purge. If this was my team, I would be talking to all kinds of hockey folks today. Another tough year is almost in the books.

Potential hires for GM:
- Bob McKenzie. A guy with no GMing experience but also a guy with a ton of hockey connections. We've all seen his schtick on TSN, he's a guy that knows his stuff. Whether or not he'd want the gig is another issue, but its someone I'd be pursuing. He understands the game enough where he knows what works and what doesn't work. He's one of the people in the world where I take his opinion seriously.
- Pat Quinn. I'd call him back, say I'm sorry and hope all would be well. This team is long on skill but short on grit. Pat Quinn would know how to identify this. I'm sure Pat Quinn is cursing out the managment for not giving him the chance to work with Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Jordan Eberle. Instead we gave him Robert Nilsson, Patrick O'Sullivan, and J.F Jacques.
- Mark Messier. A sentimental choice. Once again, someone with no GMing experience, but someone who has a strong passion for winning. This one is a tough call because, it could either the way of something wonderful or something the way of Kevin Lowe. After the way Kevin Lowe has run the team over the years, I personally rather someone from the outside. The '80s were a long time ago.

Potential coaching hires:
- Marc Crawford. Notoriously known for epically bad decisions, but also has a Stanley Cup ring to his credit. Someone needs to bring accountability to this team and Crawford isn't afraid to say whats what. He's known for leading teams that play an "under your skin" type offensive game. The Oilers need some "swagger" and he would help instill that in the young Oilers. This Oilers team is "too nice" and "too by the book".
- Todd Nelson. Nelson would be a nice hire, but he is having so much success with the Oklahoma City Barons that you would want to have him see it through the end of the year. Nelson has his team playing hard and playing with very good defensive structure, something the current Oilers team is devoid of. If the Oilers wanted to bring in Todd Nelson, it would likely mean Tom Renney would last the year.
- Derek Laxdal. Laxdal has taken the Oil Kings by storm. After taking them to the playoffs last year, this year he has them on top of the Western Conference of the WHL. He has done a nice job of implementing a pro style team. Solid defensive play, heavy forecheck, and a "take no guff" style that makes them very entertaning to watch. I don't know if Laxdal could implement that on this current team. He would need a lot of help from his GM.

Trade Bait:
- Ales Hemsky. Him being a UFA, lacklustre play and having an abundance of smaller, non-physical players makes him prime trade bait. I'd be looking for a Dman in return. One of Ryan Ellis, Dmitri Orlov or Slava Voynov would be a perfect return. I'm expecting a better return than the 1st rounder and Colten Teubert we got for Dustin Penner. Not sure we'll get it but I'm hopeful. Hopefully, there is enough of an auction created to get a decent return for him.
- Nikolai Khabibulin. Khabibulin has played well enough for some team to at least take a peek at him. Potential suitors could be Florida, Toronto, or Chicago. I wouldn't expect much more than a 2nd or a 3rd plus one of their goalie rejects back. With Nabokov and Harding still on the market, Khabibulin is a 2nd or potentially 3rd option at this point.
- Sam Gagner. Time to move the influx of smaller forwards out and bigger forwards in, even if they are less skilled. I can't see young Sam getting another pay raise out of the Oilers. I'd be looking at a future goaltender in return. Perhaps a Jonathan Bernier, Matthew Hackett or Braden Holtby. Sam Gagner could help someone in a playoff push. Need to address the D first, otherwise any goaltender coming in will be facing the firing squad.
- Cam Barker. As long as he is healthy, I'd be looking for some kind of return for him. Maybe a 3rd or a 4th rounder. I know Dmen are in demand at the trade deadline, but Barker's play of late has been subpar at best.
- Theo Peckham. Hate giving up on him, but there is no room for him. In the game of musical contracts, Sutton and Potter got one while Peckham can't even get into the lineup these days. Tough times for Peckham. This reminds me of the Matt Greene situation all over again. Would be a nice sweetener in any deal.
- Shawn Horcoff. I'd be putting all kinds of proposals out there for this player. It's time for him to move along and I'm sure he'd waive his NMC to do so. Isn't providing much leadership these days. I'm not sure you can move him, but I'd be at least trying anyway.
- Ryan Smyth. Only if he wants to leave. If he wants to stay, I'd keep him and work on 1 yr deals until he falls apart or retires. By the way he's been playing lately, the end could be this year. If he wants to leave, I'd accomodate him. He's been a good soldier this year.

Needs for the Oilers going into next year.
- Top 4 Defenseman, preferably right handed. (Dennis Wideman)
- Power forward top six winger, preferably one that shoots right handed. (Shane Doan)
- Young Goaltending, otherwise, at least a stop gap. (Jonathan Bernier)
- Bottom six winger that can hit and skate. Agitator type. (Jordin Tootoo)
- Veteran center. Preferably one that shoots right handed. (Adam Burish)

Saturday, January 21, 2012

Post Game: Game #47 Flames 6 Oilers 2

Scoring Summary
1st Period
CGY Mikael Backlund 4 (Mark Giordano, Lee Stempniak) 6:48

CGY Blake Comeau 3 (Scott Hannan) 10:14

CGY Lee Stempniak 10 (Jay Bouwmeester, Blake Comeau) 18:52


2nd Period
CGY Lee Stempniak 11 (Blake Comeau, Jay Bouwmeester) 19:24


3rd Period
EDM Andy Sutton 3 (Jordan Eberle, Ryan Smyth) 4:24

CGY Jay Bouwmeester 3 (PP) (Jarome Iginla, Olli Jokinen) 7:01

EDM Ryan Smyth 16 (Jeff Petry, Ladislav Smid) 16:15

CGY Lee Stempniak 12 (EN) (Unassisted) 17:55


Penalty Summary
1st Period
4:45 Edmonton high-sticking - 2 min C. Teubert drawn by B. Morrison
12:59 Edmonton hooking - 2 min R. Jones drawn by C. Butler

2nd Period
1:23 Calgary hooking - 2 min M. Backlund drawn by R. Smyth
4:03 Edmonton high-sticking - 2 min C. Teubert drawn by L. Bouma
7:34 Calgary cross checking - 2 min J. Bouwmeester drawn by S. Horcoff

3rd Period
6:29 Edmonton interference with goaltender - 2 min D. Hordichuk drawn by M. Kiprusoff
7:56 Edmonton puck over glass - 2 min C. Teubert

Shots On Goal - Oilers 23 Flames 23

Game Notes:
- Another game, another pathetic effort. Nothing left to do but throw your hands up in the air and wait for something to happen. Shabby goaltending, shabby coaching, shabby management, shabby play from vets, very little effort, very little chemistry, well has gone real dry on the offense, there is so much to clean up. As an Oiler fan and observer, just when you think rock bottom has hit, you soon realize there is further down left to go. I don't think Calgary played all that well, the Oilers played even worse, just a pathetic, inexcusable performance. It's no time to be positive, its time for people to lose their minds, decisions to be made and then collect yourselves and then move forward. This team has been far too passive for far too long, someone needs to break the company line and say what needs to be said. A lot of pressure on a 19 year old kid, but its Taylor Hall's team now, and everyone getting mailed Oilers' cheques should realize this by now. Next game, I'd hold a ceremonial pre-game festivity, stripping Shawn Horcoff of the captaincy and give it to Taylor Hall. Its his time and his team. Not much to say about the game, the Oilers were down 3-0 after the first and went down without a whimper...again.

Player of the Game:
- Andy Sutton. Boy, this is a tough one, a lot of goats tonight, but I thought Sutton played hard. Chipped in with the first goal of the game for the Oilers. Sutton is the lone pillar of strength of on the backend filled with players that get pushed off the puck too easily. Sutton has pulled his weight this year. He's been suspended twice but he's been physical more often than not. He's starting to become more creative with the puck on a team that doesn't have a lot of that on the backend.

Goat of the Game:
- Nikolai Khabibulin. He was pretty woeful early and put the Oilers behind the 8 ball. As good as he was on Thursday night, he was equally as bad tonight. It's a tell tale sign that Khabibulin's wheels are no longer as strong as they once were. I'm thinking there will be more of a 50/50 goalie split to end the year. To be honest, I'm hoping to see a different goaltender in here period. I have little faith in either Khabibulin or Dubnyk to take the ball and run with it.

Next Game - Monday, January 23, 2012 vs. Sharks @ Rexall Place on TSN 7:30 PM MT.

Pre-Game: Game #47 Oilers vs. Flames



The Oilers travelling road show comes home to welcome the Flames back to Rexall Place. The Oilers come home empty handed after losses in Columbus and St. Louis. It's at the point where it is what it is and nothing is saving this season now. The "Fall for Hall" was necessary, the "Plunge for Nuge" was something that wasn't necessary but inevitable, but the "Fail for Mikhail" or the "Fail for Nail" is something that could have been totally avoided. The Oilers had a chance to jump the curb and start trending upward, but for reasons unknown or to be non-competitive, they filled some lower end spots and watch them flounder for a good part of the season. The fans are left to wonder, "is this a part of the plan?" or "are these guys really that incompetant?" Any way you slice it, any team that loses as much as the Oilers have done over the last 3 years, should not be employed by any sports franchise anywhere in the world. I'm really hoping for change, someone with fresh ideas. The plan that is under current construction is tired and its time to see some improvement at any cost. The Flames enter this game as they usually do, hanging around .500 and the playoff cut line, currently sitting in 11th, coming off a 2-1 shootout win in Los Angelas. It's a good time for the Flames to come in and run the Oilers show.

Forwards Flames
- Newest addition Mike Cammelleri give the Flames another weapon to deal with.
Defense Flames
- With Mark Giordano back in the fold for the Flames, it gives them back their depth.
Goaltending Flames
- Miikka Kiprusoff owns the Oilers.
Special Teams Flames
- The Oilers PK has been slipping steadily and the power play isn't the same without the kids on it.
Coaching Flames
- Tom Renney has been infected by whatever Craig MacTavish was at the end of his tenure here. A lack of answers.
Intangibles Flames
- Oilers just look incredibly flat these days.

Oilers: (my version)
Eager-Gagner-Hemsky
Paajarvi-Lander-Eberle
Smyth-Horcoff-Jones
Hordichuk-Green-O'Marra

Smid-Petry
Sutton-Potter
Peckham-Teubert

Khabibulin
Dubnyk

Flames:
Cammalleri-Backlund-Iginla
Comeau-Jokinen-Jackman
Kostopolous-Jones-Stempniak
Stajan-Horak-Bouma

Butler-Bouwmeester
Giordano-Hannan
Brodie-Sarich

Kiprusoff
Irving

Game Time - 8 PM MT @ Rexall Place on CBC.

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Post Game: Game #46 Blues 1 Oilers 0

Scoring Summary
1st Period
None

2nd Period
None

3rd Period
STL Alex Pietrangelo 8 (David Backes, Carlo Colaiacovo) 14:46


Penalty Summary
1st Period
4:24 Edmonton elbowing - 2 min A. Sutton drawn by M. D'Agostini
14:21 St. Louis fighting - 5 min B. Crombeen drawn by B. Eager
14:21 Edmonton fighting - 5 min B. Eager drawn by B. Crombeen
16:23 St. Louis holding the stick - 2 min J. Arnott drawn by L. Smid

2nd Period
2:46 St. Louis roughing - 2 min S. Nichol drawn by D. Hordichuk
14:23 Edmonton hooking - 2 min C. Potter drawn by J. Arnott
16:00 Edmonton roughing - 2 min A. Sutton drawn by T. Oshie
18:22 Edmonton hooking - 2 min J. Green drawn by P. Berglund
18:22 St. Louis diving - 2 min P. Berglund drawn by J. Green
19:34 Edmonton tripping - 2 min S. Horcoff drawn by D. Perron

3rd Period
1:08 Edmonton tripping - 2 min A. Sutton drawn by M. D'Agostini

Shots On Goal - Oilers 15 Blues 39

Game Notes:
- Another game, another loss, another game close to grabbing a high draft pick. Winning just does not seem to be an option with this team. Not much to say about the game, the Oilers came out lifeless, were lucky to be in the game at all thanks to Nikolai Khabibulin, eventually the wall broke, the Blues squeaked one in and the game was over. The Oilers welcomed back Jordan Eberle to the lineup, but the offense was still very popgun. The few chances the Oilers had came off of Eberle's stick. The Blues were all over the Oilers from start to finish, one thing is for certain, Ken Hitchcock knows how to beat Edmonton Oilers teams. He still hasn't forgiven us for 1997. Regardless of what happens from here until the end of the season, its time for more change. Management needs to be cleaned out, coaching needs to move along. Its time for some new ideas and some new gameplans because whats here is clearly not working. I look forward to off season change. The only thing that scares me now is Steve Tambellini will still be control at trade deadline day.

Player of the Game:
- Nikolai Khabibulin. Only player that played above average tonight. The forwards and defense were lifeless and unable to make a play. Khabibulin was busy early, facing 18 shots through 9 minutes of action. Only gave up one goal on 39 shots. He did a wonderful job of getting himself some attention on the trade front, it would do him, the Oilers and his future employer a lot of good if something could get done on that front.

Goat of the Game:
- Ryan Smyth. Lost his man pinching in from the point, Pietrangelo, who scored the only goal of the game. Smyth looked bagged on the play. A lot of the vets of stunk for awhile, Smyth, Horcoff, Hemsky, Belanger when playing, just haven't been good enough lately, and a lot of that falls on Tom Renney for playing the jebus out of them earlier in the season. Now there is nothing left in the tank and all of them are shells of themselves. These guys need the All Star break badly.

Next Game - Saturday, January 21, 2012 vs. Flames @ Rexall Place on CBC. 8 PM MT.

Pre-Game: Game #46 Oilers vs. Blues



The Oilers head into St. Louis to take on the Blues tonight. The Oilers are coming off a 4-2 loss in Columbus where they started off with a 2-0 lead then slowly let it slip away from there. Taylor Hall had a mishap in the pregame skate in Columbus where he lost an edge and consequently took Corey Potter's skate blade to the head. He's likely out for tonight's game as well. Tough times for the Oilers now. Depleted lineup, no cavalry coming to save the day. All they can do is compete hard and hope for the best. The offense has dried up real fast with the "big 3" out of the lineup now. It's once again the time of year to look for the smallest of positives in what has turned into another dreadful season. St. Louis comes into this game winners 6 out of 7, coming off a 1-0 win against the Stars. Two weeks ago the Oilers dropped a 4-3 decision to St. Louis, in another game they let slip away.

Forwards Blues
- No RNH, Eberle and now Hall. Tough luck.
Defense Blues
- Oilers are depleted back their too.
Goaltending Blues
- Both Halak and Elliot are playing well these days.
Special Teams Oilers
- Oilers PK looking ragged but the Blues PP is ranked 27th.
Coaching Blues
- Ken Hitchcock has the Blues playing at the top of their game while Tom Renney is out of answers.
Intangibles Blues
- Home ice and last change for the Blues will give the Oilers fits tonight.

Oilers: (my version)
Smyth-Gagner-Hemsky
Paajarvi-Lander-Eager
Green-Horcoff-Jones
Hordichuk-Belanger-O'Marra

Smid-Petry
Sutton-Potter
Peckham-Teubert

Khabibulin
Dubnyk

Blues:
Perron-Backes-Oshie
D'Agostini-Berglund-Stewart
Sobotka-Arnott-Langenbrunner
Crombeen-Nichol-Reeves

Colaiacovo-Pietrangelo
Jackman-Shattenkirk
Cole-Polak

Halak
Elliot

Game Time - 6 PM MT @ St. Louis on Sportsnet West.

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Post Game: Game #45 Blue Jackets 3 Oilers 2

Scoring Summary
1st Period
EDM Anton Lander 2 (Josh Green, Ryan Jones) 7:01

EDM Ben Eager 5 (Jeff Petry, Ales Hemsky) 8:50


2nd Period
CLS Ryan Johansen 8 (Antoine Vermette, Tomas Kubalik) 2:37

CLS Derick Brassard 7 (PP) (Rick Nash, Nikita Nikitin) 19:59


3rd Period
CLS Derek MacKenzie 5 (Colton Gillies) 0:32

CLS Derek Dorsett 8 (EN) (Unassisted) 19:38


Penalty Summary1st Period
Penalty Summary Time Team Penalty Players
19:39 Columbus unsportsmanlike conduct - 2 min D. Dorsett drawn by T. Peckham

2nd Period
Penalty Summary Time Team Penalty Players
8:36 Columbus tripping - 2 min R. Johansen drawn by J. Petry
19:01 Edmonton roughing - 2 min T. Peckham drawn by D. Dorsett

3rd Period
Penalty Summary Time Team Penalty Players
9:00 Columbus boarding - 2 min T. Kubalik drawn by L. Smid
19:02 Edmonton too many men on ice - 2 min Bench served by R. O'Marra

Shots On Goal - Oilers 23 Blue Jackets 25

Game Notes:
- The Oilers couldn't make winning fashionable so back to their losing ways they go. After a blazing start to the game where they potted the first two goals, they slowly wilted away eventually coughing up the lead and giving away the game in the third period. Taylor Hall had a freak accident where he got a skate on the eye from Corey Potter in the pregame skate, so the Oilers were without the "big 3" of Hall, Nugent-Hopkins and Eberle. Without these kids the Oilers offense is terribly popgun. The Oilers defense was subpar, under a heavy forecheck attack from the Blue Jackets. Devan Dubnyk got the start for the 2nd game in a row and look pretty uncomfortable in the net. Mishandling the puck and giving out ugly rebounds everywhere. The game was not tight from the Oilers and eventually slipped away. Oh well, on to the next game.

Player of the Game:
- Ben Eager. Eager got a regular shift tonight and played over 14 minutes. Responded with some very responsible play tonight. Forechecked hard, scored a goal by going to the net and skated with a lot of energy. Led the team in shots with 4. It seems the more Eager plays, the more into the game he becomes. I'd expect Eager to be playing more of a top 9 role in the near future as the kids continue to heal from their ailments.

Goat of the Game:
- Corey Potter. First for clipping Taylor Hall in the pregame warmup with his skate. And then for his penchant of being in the wrong place in the wrong time tonight. Over committed to the boards on the winner, allowing a lot of free ice down the middle. Potter's game has plateaued, while a revalation at the beginning of the year has now been a minus gatherer over the last month and now is a whopping -12, second worst on the team to Shawn Horcoff.

Next Game - Thursday January 19, 2012 vs. Blues @ St. Louis on Sportsnet West 6 PM MT.

Pre-Game: Game #45 Oilers vs. Blue Jackets



The Oilers finally got a much needed win, 2-1 (OT) win against the Kings on Sunday night. They had lost their previous 5 games prior. The Oilers finally found some semblance of defense that they had rode off to a quick start earlier in the season. The Kings managed only 21 shost against the Oilers Sunday night. Eric Belanger was a late scratch in Sunday's game and the Oilers rolled with Gagner, Horcoff, O'Marra and Green at center. Not sure I'd want to roll with that full time but they competed hard to get the two points. With Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Jordan Eberle out to injury, the Oilers are struggling to score goals. Whlie they struggle, they cannot afford to sacrifice their defensive game in the pursuit of goals. 2-1 and 3-2 scores will be an order until they can get healthy again. The Oilers face the worst team in the NHL, the Columbus Blue Jackets. Doesn't mean a lick because the Oilers gassed a game on Friday to the Ducks who were the 2nd worst team in the NHL. Right now as it stand, the Oilers are tied with the Lightning and the Islanders for being the 3rd worst team in the NHL. The Oilers are once again stuck again in no man's land, trying to decide if winning or losing is more important, in January. The Blue Jackets are coming off a 2-1 loss to San Jose on Saturday night.

Forwards Oilers
- Tough call here but I'm giving the nod to the Oilers for Taylor Hall.
Defense Oilers
- Whoa, both these defenses are thin. A little more ruggedness on the Oiler side.
Goaltending Oilers
- Haven't liked Steve Mason's game for quite some time now. I'm sure the Blue Jackets are feeling the same.
Special Teams Oilers
- Columbus is 26th on the PP and 29th on the PK. 'Nuff said.
Coaching Oilers
- I'll give Tom Renney the nod here because I'm not sure of new Columbus coach Todd Richards knows what he's getting into.
Intangibles Blue Jackets
- Longer layoff for the Blue Jackets and a travel day for the Oilers on Monday.

Oilers:
Hall-Gagner-Hemsky
Smyth-O'Marra-Paajarvi
Lander-Horcoff-Jones
Eager-Green-Hordichuk

Smid-Petry
Peckham-Potter
Sutton-Teubert

Khabibulin
Dubnyk

Blue Jackets:
Prospal-Brassard-Nash
Johansen-Vermette-Kubalik
Russell-Pahlsson-Dorsett
Gillies-MacKenzie-Boll

Tyutin-Nikitin
Methot-Clitsome
Moore-Savard

Mason
Sanford

Game Time - 5 PM MT @ Columbus on Sportsnet West.

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Post Game: Game #44 Oilers 2 Kings 1 (OT)

Scoring Summary
1st Period
EDM Josh Green 1 (Jeff Petry, Magnus Paajarvi) 11:21


2nd Period
None


3rd Period
LA Justin Williams 8 (Slava Voynov, Anze Kopitar) 6:22

Penalty Summary
1st Period
9:21 Los Angeles hooking - 2 min D. Brown drawn by J. Petry
15:55 Edmonton slashing - 2 min C. Teubert drawn by D. Penner

2nd Period
5:13 Los Angeles holding - 2 min A. Kopitar drawn by S. Horcoff
11:37 Los Angeles misconduct - 10 min K. Clifford

3rd Period
0:09 Edmonton slashing - 2 min R. O'Marra drawn by J. Stoll
16:02 Edmonton tripping - 2 min L. Smid drawn by A. Loktionov

OT Period
2:45 Los Angeles high-sticking - 2 min J. Williams drawn by T. Peckham

Shots On Goal - Oilers 33 Kings 21

Game Notes:
- The Oilers finally pull a close one out. After losing many games vis a variety of different ways, the Oilers finally found a way to make a play to seal a game. The Oilers played well tonight coming off a stinking against the Ducks. This one was about pride and to a man they all played hard and came out with 2 points. The offense was a little dry tonight, had a lot of chances but the combo of the Kings goaltender, Jonathan Quick playing well and the Oilers not having a lot of offensive options, played into this tonight. Defensively they tightened it up nicely. Kept the middle of the ice clear and kept everything to the perimeter. Dubnyk didn't have a lot of work tonight, but played well in the action he did see. The Oilers played with energy and passion tonight, something that has been few and far between this year, hopefully its something we will see a lot more of going into the future. The battle level was high tonight, it was refreshing to see.

Player of the Game:
-Jeff Petry. Gotta give it to someone on the much maligned D. Jeff Petry had a solid game at both ends of the ice and finished the game north of 27 minutes on ice tonight. Petry is learning to shoot the puck more which is something I have waited for what seems an eternity, is finally starting to happen with some consistancy. In the absence of minute eating Tom Gilbert, its good to see Jeff Petry bounce back from a subpar game against the Ducks. The D as a whole played as well a game as they have played all season. Kudos to them.

Goat of the Game:
- Anton Lander. Made the only mistake that led to a goal in the game. A wring around the boards that Lander let slip by him where it was one pass and a one-timer and it was in the Oilers net. Other than that Lander played well on the wing in a checking line role. I'd rather see him at center with Paajarvi sans Belanger to get each other going, but it is what it is right now and the Oilers came out with 2 points tonight.

Next Game - Tuesday January 17, 2012 vs. Blue Jackets @ Columbus on Sportsnet West 5 PM MT.

Pre-Game: Game #44 Oilers vs. Kings



It feels like the season just ended but yet there is 38 games left to go in the season. A lot of meaningless games to play in another bunk of a season. The Oilers are going to need better efforts from the Smyth-Horcoff-Jones line in order to find a way to win a game. They were soundly beaten by the Ryan-Getzlaf-Perry line. The teams a mess right now. Not a lot of energy, wondering where the scoring is coming from with RNH and Eberle out, the defense is paper thin with all of their Dmen likely 5-6 guys playing well above their capabilities. The defense has some bad mixture to it. You have Sutton, Peckham, Smid, and Teubert who don't piss a drop offensively, then you have Petry who trying to find his game but manufactures little in terms of offense at the moment and Potter who only puts up points on the power play. The defense offensively is real dry. The Kings are coming into this game fresh off a 4-1 victory in Calgary last night. They look to be back on track. Another game, another chance at redemption, hopefully they come out with an effort that doesn't waste everyone's time.

Forwards Kings
- Big, physical forwards will be a handful for the Oilers defense.
Defense Kings
- The Oilers defense is pretty limited in what it can do.
Goaltending Kings
- I get the feeling we'll see Dubnyk tonight and he hasn't played well at all lately.
Special Teams Kings
- Without RNH and Eberle, the Oilers power play is in the dump and the Oilers can't seem to go a game without giving up a power play goal.
Coaching Kings
- Darryl Sutter will get the Kings playing like they should.
Intangibles Kings
- Back to back for the Kings? Who cares, the Oilers lost the last two games to teams coming in on a back to back.

Oilers:
Hall-Gagner-Hemsky
Smyth-Horcoff-Jones
Paajarvi-Belanger-Lander
Eager-O'Marra-Green

Smid-Petry
Peckham-Potter
Sutton-Teubert

Dubnyk
Khabibulin

Kings:
Brown-Kopitar-Williams
Penner-Richards-Stoll
Richardson-Loktionov-Lewis
Clifford-Fraser-Hunter

Scuderi-Doughty
Mitchell-Voynov
Johnson-Greene

Bernier
Quick

Game Time - 6 PM MT @ Rexall Place on Sportsnet West.

Friday, January 13, 2012

Post Game: Game #43 Ducks 5 Oilers 0

Scoring Summary
1st Period
ANH Jason Blake 1 (Cam Fowler, Francois Beauchemin) 8:00


2nd Period
ANH Teemu Selanne 15 (PP) (Lubomir Visnovsky, Ryan Getzlaf) 1:46

ANH Bobby Ryan 16 (Ryan Getzlaf, Luca Sbisa) 10:54

ANH Corey Perry 19 (Ryan Getzlaf, Sheldon Brookbank) 13:36


3rd Period
ANH Teemu Selanne 16 (PP) (Ryan Getzlaf, Cam Fowler) 17:18

Penalty Summary
1st Period
0:14 Anaheim puck over glass - 2 min N. Hagman

2nd Period
0:32 Edmonton cross checking - 2 min S. Gagner drawn by S. Koivu
7:04 Anaheim fighting - 5 min F. Beauchemin drawn by S. Gagner
7:04 Edmonton fighting - 5 min S. Gagner drawn by F. Beauchemin
13:55 Edmonton roughing - 2 min R. O'Marra drawn by A. Cogliano

3rd Period
14:15 Anaheim interference - 2 min T. Lydman drawn by R. Jones
16:08 Edmonton tripping - 2 min J. Petry drawn by S. Koivu

Shots On Goal - Oilers 33 Ducks 28

Game Notes:
- This game stunk. The whole team stunk, right from Daryl Katz all the way down to Joey Moss. I'm getting tired of watching this lifeless hockey. Nobody wanted to skate, nobody wanted to pay the price, way too many passengers. What can anyone do? Its terribly frusterating watching the losses pile up. Today's loss wasn't blamed on poor lines or lack of experience on D, it was a genuine disinterest to play the game tonight from anyone in an Oiler uniform. This is the most alarming loss of the season. It's the type of loss that gets people fired or traded. Now I'm sure nothing will happen on that front, but on a normal team, something would happen on that front. Ducks won every period, won the majority of the battles and the Oilers couldn't get out of their own way. Many pucks went in on the Oilers tonight off off shinpads, sticks or whatever other limbs could get in the way. There wasn't much karma in this game tonight for the Oilers, but offered little resistance against it. Ducks played hard, but I didn't think they played particalarly well. Hiller was a wall tonight, but the Ducks shots went in and the Oilers did not. Like I said in a previous post, welcome to the dog days of summer.

Player of the Game:
- Magnus Paajarvi. The only player that wanted to skate tonight. He was the freshest Oiler in a crater full of dregs the Oilers dressed tonight. It's a cheap POTG for Paajarvi, but there is no one else that I could give it to. There are 20 players I could give the GOTG to.

Goat of the Game:
- Nikolai Khabibulin. Wasn't sharp tonight at all. A couple of squeakers beat him early and he got pulled half way through the 2nd period. It was a snowball effect tonight. Defense was terrible at moving the puck tonight, goaltending couldn't make a save, forwards couldn't buy a goal and collectively, the entire Oilers' team quit on the game. A formula that has been very apparent of the last few years of the Oilers rebuild. A formula that needs to be burned and forgotten.

Next Game - Sunday January 15, 2012 vs. Kings @ Rexall Place on Sportsnet West. 6 PM MT.

Pre-Game: Game #43 Oilers vs Ducks



The dog days of winter have officially hit. 6 weeks until trade deadline, many games still left to play in the season, I think a tumbleweed just rolled by. Every game is a new chance at redemption, but the longer redemption takes, the less the games mean. The Oilers are coming a tough 2-1 overtime loss to the Devils on Wednesday night. A game where the Oilers had a lot of chances to seize it, but could never quite grasp it. The Oilers team, while depleted through injury, is slowly starting to take a better shape. Bigger bodies are filtering through, better balance amongst the forwards, the D has nice balance too but just lacks experience. If the Oilers can get to the point where they can replace Sam Gagner and Ales Hemsky with Jordan Eberle and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, they may be able to move forward from there. The defense still needs to be addressed but that can't happen until trades or off-season signings occur. Speaking of bigger bodies, Josh Green was recalled once again from OKC, I have a feeling he'll play tonight. Anaheim comes into this game, coming off of a 1-0 overtime loss in Calgary last night. Before that loss, they had won 3 in a row to right their ship somewhat. They continue to be the 2nd worst team in the NHL. The Oilers are the 4th worst team in the NHL.

Forwards Ducks
- The Ducks have Getzlaf, Perry and Ryan. The Oilers are without Eberle and the Nuge. 'nuff said.
Defense Ducks
- The Oilers defense is depleted. The Ducks have forer Oiler Lubomir Visnovsky, who will likely be a factor tonight.
Goaltending Oilers
- Could very well be seeing another former Oiler, Jeff Deslauriers in the pipes tonight. That could be a good thing or a bad thing.
Special Teams Oilers
- The Oilers special teams continues to defy logic. PP and PK are very good even though the team is not.
Coaching Oilers
- Bruce Boudreau is still trying to fogure out his team while Tom Renney is slowly starting to figure out some feasible line combos.
Intangibles Oilers
- Oilers facing another tean that lost in Calgary the night before. Hopefully this goes a little better for the Oilers this time around.

Oilers: (my version)
Hall-Gagner-Hemsky
Smyth-Horcoff-Jones
Paajarvi-Lander-Eager
Green-Belanger-Hordichuk

Smid-Potter
Sutton-Petry
Peckham-Teubert

Khabibulin
Dubnyk

Ducks:
Ryan-Getzlaf-Perry
Hagman-Koivu-Selanne
Blake-Bonino-Cogliano
Beleskey-Pelley-Palmieri

Beauchemin-Fowler
Sbisa-Visnovsky
Lydman-Brookbank

Deslauriers
Hiller

Game Time - 7:30 PM MT @ Rexall Place on Sportsnet West.

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Post Game: Game #42 Devils 2 Oilers 1 (OT)

Scoring Summary
1st Period
None

2nd Period
NJ Ilya Kovalchuk 17 (SH) (Unassisted) 8:35

3rd Period
EDM Ales Hemsky 4 (PP) (Corey Potter, Taylor Hall) 8:32

OT Period
NJ Zach Parise 15 (PP) (Patrik Elias, Ilya Kovalchuk) 1:06


Penalty Summary
1st Period
None


2nd Period
4:07 New Jersey tripping - 2 min Z. Parise drawn by R. Jones
6:44 New Jersey interference - 2 min D. Clarkson drawn by R. Smyth
18:38 New Jersey hooking - 2 min Z. Parise drawn by J. Petry

3rd Period
2:20 New Jersey interference - 2 min R. Carter drawn by S. Gagner
3:07 Edmonton interference with goaltender - 2 min R. Smyth drawn by J. Hedberg
8:23 New Jersey tripping - 2 min P. Elias drawn by R. Smyth
19:24 Edmonton tripping - 2 min C. Potter drawn by A. Larsson

OT Period
None

Shots On Goal - Oilers 23 Devils 25

Game Notes:
- Tough loss for the Oilers. It would be nice if the loser point might have mattered, but it this case it really doesn't. It was a solid, gritty effort from the Oilers tonight, the only problem that left in the forward ranks is relunctance to shoot. To spend that amount of time in the Devils zone tonight and only end up with 23 shots is a travesty. Too many cute passes tonight when the best option is trying to pound the puck through the goaltender. The Oilers aren't good enough to be cute. Simple effective plays are the way to go. When the shot is there you have to take it. Milan Kyntar was a late fly-in from Stockton when Ryan O'Marra came down with a lat case of the flu. Kyntar looked OK and kept things moving along. I'm sure its a moment he'll remember for the rest of his life. The power play was dreadful tonight. Once again, reluctance to shoot was a big culprit. The Oilers really miss Jordan Eberle and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins here. The lines for the first time in awhile looked alright tonight. Hall-Gagner-Hemsky looked pretty good tonight, getting the best oppurtunities. Smyth-Horcoff-Jones grinded like they should. Paajarvi-Belanger-Lander played OK, but is a mismatched unit. I'm sure Paajarvi would like to get away from Belanger. Eager-Kyntar-Hordichuk banged bodies and brought energy, can't ask more from them. All in all, its the best game they have played in awhile, still came up short in the end.

Player of the Game:
- Nikolai Khabibulin. The offense was real dry tonight and it forced Khabibulin to be sharp from start to finish. Didn't have a chance at either goal. The team in front of played pretty good tonight defensively. Centers were backchecking and the D were keeping the front of the net clear. All this allowed Khabibulin to see pucks and make saves. The fact the Oilers hemmed in the Devils for extended periods tonight, allowed Khabibulin to be fresh throughout the game. Its an important note if the Oilers are interested in winning more games this year.

Goat of the Game:
- Jeff Petry. Hate to give it to him because he had one of his best game of the year. But that play he made on giving up the Kovalchuk shorthanded goal was a travesty of a play. Tried to get cute and chip it pass Kovalchuk and he rolled right through him on his way to a breakaway goal. Petry needed to sell out a little harder on that play. Push him, tackle him, do something. Another thing that bugged me about Petry tonight is him getting cute with his shots. Just pound the puck as hard as you can on net. Petry has one of the hardest shots on the team. Don't be afraid to use it.

Next Game - Friday January 13, 2012 vs Ducks @ Rexall Place on Sportsnet West 7:30 PM MT.

Pre-Game: Game #42 Oilers vs. Devils



...And on to the 2nd half of the season. The Oilers finished the first half 16-22-3, a far cry from the 9-3-2 start they got off to. The Oilers have fumbled, stumbled and bumbled themselves into what right now would be the 4th overall pick in the 2012 NHL entry draft barring lottery. The Oilers recalled Magnus Paajarvi and Ryan O'Marra from OKC and recently demoted Teemu Hartikainen and Josh Green. Jordan Eberle looks to be on the shelf for 2-3 weeks after suffering a knee injury on Saturday against Dallas. The Oilers also did some housecleaning after putting Gilbert Brule on waivers and Phoenix claiming him. Brule was done here anyway. The lineup has a little more balance to it. I still think having Hall playing with Hemsky and Gagner is a waste, but it is what it is. Gagner and Hemsky are just placeholders until RNH and Eberle get back in the lineup. The forwards are starting to take shape of how I envisioned it. The defense is still a mess but what can you do with some crucial injuries on the backend. Just try and patch it up and make the best of it. The centers have to do a better job of helping the defense out. The Devils come into this game losers in Calgary last night 6-3. The Devils have been very Jekyll and Hyde this year, it will be interesting to see which Devils team shows up tonight.

Forwards Devils
- No RNH, no Eberle. Devils have Kovalchuk, even though he is hit and miss, the Oilers are the type of team he feasts on.
Defense Oilers
- Outside of Adam Larsson, the Devils don't have much. The Oilers at least have a good balance to their D corps, even if it is unproven and slumping.
Goaltending Devils
- Future HOFer Martin Brodeur was pulled in the loss against Calgary last night, will likely see him tonight. Oilers' G's are stonecold.
Special Teams Oilers
- The Devils have the best PK in the NHl but only the 26th PP. The Oilers are top 10 in both. (4th and 9th)
Coaching Devils
- Pete Deboer is getting the Devils to overachieve with a no name defense. Tom Renney can't get the Oilers to do the same.
Intangibles Oilers
- Back to back for the Devils while the Oilers haven't played since Saturday. Tom Renney should get a chance to macth lines in this one.

Oilers:
Hall-Gagner-Hemsky
Smyth-Horcoff-Jones
Paajarvi-Lander-Eager
Hordichuk-Belanger-O'Marra

Smid-Potter
Sutton-Petry
Peckham-Teubert

Khabibulin
Dubnyk

Devils:
Parise-Henrique-Kovalchuk
Sykora-Elias-Zubrus
Tedenby-Zalewski-Clarkson
Boulton-Carter-Palmieri'

Salvador-Larsson
Fayne-Tallinder
Foster-Taormina

Brodeur
Hedberg

Game Time - 7 PM MT @ Rexall Place on TSN.

Sunday, January 8, 2012

The Half Way Point 2011-2012 Season



The Oilers are 41 games into the season. Good time to see where the players are at on the team.

1. Taylor Hall. 14G-15A-29Pts -1. Prediction: Will lead the team in goals. Taylor Hall missed some time to a shoulder injury but is still in the mix for team leader in goals at 14. Eberle leads the team with 17. Should be a close race alll the way to the end of the year. Hall continues to be such a dynamic player.
2. Jordan Eberle. 17G-26A-43Pts +1. Prediction: Will score 25+ goals. He was behind the pace at the quarter pole, but now is way ahead of it. A knee injury may keep him out for some time, something should come out tomorrow on it. A superb 2nd quarter from him.
3. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. 13G-22A-35Pts Even. Prediction: Will not get more than 30 points on the Oilers. So much for that prediction. He's sitting at 35 pts in 38 games and has been an offensive catalyst all year. Out the last few games with a shoulder injury.
4. Ryan Smyth. 15G-17A-32Pts +1. Prediction: Will score 20+ goals. Continues to be ahead of pace and 5 goals away from my prediction. Will have to go stonecold or get hurt in order not to make it.
5. Sam Gagner. 5G-15A-20Pts -2. Prediction: Leads team in assists. After saying this prediction had no legs at the quarter pole, its still a long shot at best with Eberle leading the team in apples with 26, but he has had a servicable 2nd quarter. He's at least pulling his weight. I still think he is prime trade bait.
6. Shawn Horcoff. 8G-14A-22Pts -14. Prediction: Will be a plus player(+/-). He's had a dreadful 2nd quarter to the year going -14 in those games. Part of it is on him and part of it is in his linemates and how Tom Renney is using him. Everything has gone wrong here. It's a long trek to get back to even.
7. Magnus Paajarvi. 0G-3A-3Pts -2. Prediction: Will play 82 games. Welp, this prediction is cooked. He was a healthy scratch early in the year and now is playing in OKC. I still think he's more important than more than half the forwards on this team but with the riff raff of forwards on the team now, its likely best for him to be in OKC. It's up to Tambellini to clean up the mess.
8. Ales Hemsky. 3G-11A-14Pts -6. Prediction: Will be traded by the trade deadline. I feel this prediction is inevitable now. Hemsky's fly by night play, him being in a contract year, and the Oilers struggling mightily when he is in the lineup, all adds up to Hemsky moving along before the trade deadline.
9. Eric Belanger. 1G-9A-10Pts -8. Prediction: Will score more SH goals than PP goals. This prediction is a turtle race. With only one goal this year, at even strength, this prediction could end up anywhere. Belanger has not been very good this year, offensively or defensively.
10. Ryan Jones. 12G-8A-20Pts -1. Prediction: Will score 15+ goals. Jones really cranked up the pace in the 2nd quarter scoring 9 goals in that time. Only 3 off the target. Valuable piece to the Oilers team.
11. Ben Eager. 4G-2A-6Pts -3. Prediction: Will get suspended at least once. Hasn't happened yet, but it may still be coming. Eager has ramped up the physical play over the last few games. His teammate Andy Sutton has been suspended twice, should saved that prediction for him.
12. Darcy Hordichuk. 0G-1A-1Pts -3. Prediction: Plays in 50+ games. This prediction is likely a dud. He has only played in 17 of the first 41 meaning he will have to at least play in 33 of the last 41 in order to make it. He's been only a 2-3 minute a night player for the majority of the games. If Tom Renney doesn't trust him, why have him around?
13. Linus Omark. 0G-0A-0Pts -2. Prediction: Will have the worst plus/minus on the team. The Oilers beat me to this prediction by putting him in OKC early on this year. Omark didn't have enough time to do damage to his plus/minus. Shawn Horcoff is the clubhouse leader at -14.
14. Gilbert Brule. 0G-0A-0Pts Even. Prediction: Will not end the year with the Oilers. Brule's year never got off the ground with the Oilers as he didn't make the team out of training camp. I'd be surprised if he got a callup at any point this season.
15. Anton Lander. 1G-3A-4Pts -3. Prediction: Will be in the lineup opening night. Welp, got this one right, the question is, how long before he gets sent down? He has hit that wall that every rookie runs into. Its where effort meets statistics. He needs to find a way to contribute offensively while maintaining a high level of compete.
16. Teemu Hartikainen. 0G-0A-0Pts -4. Prediction: Plays in 40+ games for the Oilers. This prediction is likely a dud. Just got a 3 game look and was -4 in those games and was promptly set back to OKC. Plays hard, but was pretty ineffective in those 3 games.
17. Curtis Hamilton. 0G-0A-0Pts Even. Prediction: Plays at least one game for the Oilers this year. I think this one will only come true if the Oilers are out of the playoff race by March. There are many ahead in the pecking order for OKC for him to get a look.
18. Tyler Pitlick. 0G-0A-0Pts Even. Prediction: Plays at least one game for the Oilers this year. Same as Hamilton.
19. Ryan Whitney. 0G-3A-3Pts -6. Prediction: Has the highest plus/minus on the team. I think this is another prediction that is cooked. He's played in only played in 17 game so far this season, is -6 and now there is talk he may be shutdown for the year. Tough luck for Whitney.
20. Tom Gilbert. 3G-12A-12Pts -2. Prediction: Will be 2nd on the team in defenceman points. This prediction could go any which way. Gilbert is currently the Dman leader in points with 15, one up on Corey Potter. With Whitney out of the picture, its pretty much up on Potter to pass him. Gilbert is also currently out with a knee injury.
21. Ladislav Smid. 3G-4A-7Pts -3. Prediction: Will be a healthy scratch at least once this season. Smid has stabilized as an NHL Dman for the time being. He and Gilbert has formed the top Pairing that plays the tough competition. I don't think he will have to worry about being a healthy scratch. If he's healthy he'll play.
22. Cam Barker. 1G-0A-1Pts +3. Prediction: More than 50% of his goals will be on the PP. He has one goal and it was on the power play. Doesn't really mean a lot. He is out until March with his current injury.
23. Andy Sutton. 2G-4A-6Pts +3. Prediction: Will have more than 100 PIMS. He is a 50 PIMS right now and that includes being suspended for 13 games over two separate incidents. He is sitting exactly half way, could go either way.
24. Theo Peckham. 1G-2A-3Pts +3. Prediction: Will play more games than Ladislav Smid. Peckham has only played 37 games while Smid has played all 41 games. It will be tough for Peckham to catch up while he tries to survive staying out of the pressbox while Smid is playing at the top of the lineup. I think injury will only save me in this prediction.
25. Jeff Petry. 1G-6A-7Pts -8. Prediction: Will be in the lineup opening night. Petry made opening night, but then got a stint in OKC, but now is back up with the big club. Petry's game has been up and down this season, but as long the team is decimated with injury on the back end, he'll be with the big club.
26. Corey Potter. 3G-11A-14Pts -10. Prediction: Will play in 10+ games for the Oilers. Welp, that was easy. Who knew much of anything about Corey Potter, I knew the opportunity would be there, but he's taken the ball and ran with it. Playing heavy minutes is starting to catch up with as he start to play with minus double digits. Should be a bottom pairing Dman but is forced up the lineup. He's played in 27 games this season.
27. Taylor Chorney. 0G-0A-0Pts -2. Prediction: Doesn't play in any games for the Oilers. Welp, this prediction is done. Chorney played in 2 games this year, much to the chagrin of every Oilers fan.
28. Colten Teubert. 0G-1A-1Pts -1. Prediction: Plays in 5+ games for the Oilers. He's got in 14 games this year. has been the emergency recall guy when Dmen have gone down. He'll continue to be that guy.
29. Nikolai Khabibulin. 2.36GAA .920S%. Prediction: Plays at least one game for OKC. I doubt this is happening, although he has cooled off significantly after a piping hot start. Wonder if there is any trade value here.
30. Devan Dubnyk. 3.15GAA .900S%. Prediction: Will post under .900 Save Percentage. Dubnyk is teetering on the brink of getting kicked off the .900 ledge. Dubnyk's play has been spotty at best over the 2nd quarter. Still think he is a career backup at best.
31. Yann Danis. 0.00GAA .000S%. Prediction: Plays more games than Khabibulin or Dubnyk with the Oilers. This isn't happening although Yann Danis has had a real solid year for OKC, solid enough to get him an a trip to the AHL all star game.
32. Olivier Roy. 0.00GAA .000S%. Prediction: Doesn't play a game with the Oilers this season. Since he is playing in Stockton, I figure this one is pretty safe for the year. The Oilers would have to go through 4 goaltenders to get a look this year.

Saturday, January 7, 2012

Post Game: Game #41 Stars 4 Oilers 1

Scoring Summary
1st Period
EDM Taylor Hall 14 (Sam Gagner, Ladislav Smid) 17:19


2nd Period
DAL Jamie Benn 12 (Trevor Daley, Loui Eriksson) 14:39


3rd Period
DAL Jamie Benn 13 (Adam Burish, Tom Wandell) 7:03

DAL Mike Ribeiro 9 (Loui Eriksson) 13:39

DAL Mike Ribeiro 10 (EN) (Brenden Morrow, Loui Eriksson) 18:46


Penalty Summary
1st Period
13:04 Edmonton puck over glass - 2 min S. Gagner

2nd Period
6:10 Dallas fighting - 5 min S. Ott drawn by J. Green
6:10 Edmonton fighting - 5 min J. Green drawn by S. Ott
6:10 Dallas - 2 min S. Ott drawn by A. Lander served by T. Wandell
9:02 Edmonton holding - 2 min T. Hall drawn by J. Benn

3rd Period
1:45 Dallas too many men on ice - 2 min Bench served by J. Dowell

Shots On Goal - Oilers 26 Stars 34

Game Notes:
- A pretty dreary afternoon performance from the Oilers this afternoon. Fatigue really hit the team hard and they faded badly as the game went on. A decent first period turned into a lethargic 2nd period into an ugly 3rd period. To be honest, trying to find a POTG in this game is gonna be real tough. The Oilers limp home, going 1-6 on the road trip. That should put the kybosh on any playoff talk this year and the thoughts of playing any meaningful games come March is now non-existant. Jordan Eberle was the latest victim to fall to the injury bug in this game as he left the game early in the first period with an apparent leg injury. The Oilers lost Ryan Whitney, Tom Gilbert, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Jordan Eberle on the road. Like I said, really rough road trip. Dallas played like Dallas does, stingy defense and oppurtunstic on offense. Not much more to sat other than, "Oilers, go home!"

Player of the Game:
- Sam Gagner. Ugh, geez I don't know. I'll give it to Sam Gagner only because he was the only "plus" player on the day, added an assist on a gritty drive to the net. Gagner seems to be playing a lot tougher these days, even though he is a little miscast in the role he is playing. Still, kudos to him for playing hard during the road trip, even though Gagner's POTG is one of the weaker ones I will give out all year.

Goat of the Game:
- Ladislav Smid. Sloppy game from Smid today. Mismanging the puck, doing a lot of standing around and misreads. Smid was a big factor in the 2nd and 3rd goals against. Either he was shooting pucks into shin pads or whiffing on the puck altogether. Smid was like most of the team, flat out tired. The will to win is really low on this team.

Next Game - Wednesday January 11, 2012 vs. Devils @ Rexall Place on TSN 7 PM MT.

Pre-Game: Game #41 Oilers vs. Stars



Half way point in the year and the end of an ugly road trip that has likely sealed their fates for this year. The Oilers are a team that deosn't have a lot of margin for error, so if the lines get mismatched, or the D pairings are out of whack, or the goaltending has a headache, any of these causes could end up in losses. Tom Renney needs to do a better job of understanding what pieces he has available to him and playing to their strengths. Trying to get two lines that work instead of one. If they are playing out these games to try and get maximum value for players such as Ales Hemsky and Sam Gagner, then its gonna get ugly. The Oilers do have a lot of pieces to work here now, even with Nugent-Hopkins on the shelf. Hartikainen and Green add big body presence, Hall and Hemsky have outside speed. Eberle and Smyth provide some net presence and ability to collect pucks around the net. Horcoff, Belanger and Lander have two-way center ability. Its just a matter of getting the lines to mesh well. The defense is a little lacking in Ryan Whitney's and Tom Gilbert's absence. They really take away the transition and puck moving game of the Oilers. They just have to make due in battling harder in thr trenches. Dallas comes into this game winners in Nashville by a score of 4-2. The Stars have been in win one, lose one mode lately. The Oilers don't have a lot of luck in Dallas lately, or ever for that matter.

Forwards Oilers
- The pieces are there, its up to Tom Renney to make them fit.
Defense Stars
- The Oilers defense is really depleted.
Goaltending Stars
- Kari Lehtonen is a top 5 gaoltender in the NHL for my money.
Special Teams Oilers
- The Stars are 22nd and 23rd on the PP and PK. The Oilers are 2nd and 10th.
Coaching Oilers
- This is a tough one but I'll take Renney's experience over Guletzen.
Intangibles Stars
- End of a road trip for the Oilers + afternoon game = potantial disaster.

Oilers: (I really hope they change the lines)
Hall-Gagner-Hemsky
Smyth-Horcoff-Eberle
Eager-Belanger-Jones
Hartikainen-Lander-Green

Smid-Potter
Sutton-Petry
Peckham-Teubert

Khabibulin
Dubnyk

Stars:
Morrow-Ribeiro-Eriksson
Ott-Benn-Ryder
Nystrom-Fiddler-Dvorak
Wandell-Burish

Daley-Grossman
Goligoski-Robidas
Pardy-Fistric
JordieBenn

Lehtonen
Backman

Game Time - 12 PM MT @ Dallas on Sportsnet West.

Thursday, January 5, 2012

Post Game: Game #40 Blues 4 Oilers 3

Scoring Summary
1st Period
STL Chris Stewart 9 (Jamie Langenbrunner) 14:42


2nd Period
EDM Taylor Hall 13 (PP) (Ales Hemsky, Ryan Jones) 5:12

EDM Ben Eager 4 (Andy Sutton 4) 5:27

EDM Jordan Eberle 17 (PP) (Sam Gagner 14) 13:54


3rd Period
STL Alex Pietrangelo 6 (PP) (Carlo Colaiacovo, David Backes) 0:19

STL David Backes 12 (PP) (Alex Pietrangelo, Carlo Colaiacovo) 1:48

STL Matt D'Agostini 9 (T.J. Oshie, Carlo Colaiacovo) 8:59


Penalty Summary
1st Period
4:17 Edmonton high-sticking - 2 min A. Hemsky drawn by D. Backes
12:32 St. Louis roughing - 2 min D. Perron drawn by D. Dubnyk
16:39 Edmonton hooking - 2 min A. Lander drawn by V. Sobotka
19:18 St. Louis slashing - 2 min T. Oshie drawn by S. Horcoff
19:18 Edmonton roughing - 2 min S. Horcoff drawn by T. Oshie

2nd Period
2:01 Edmonton charging - 2 min B. Eager drawn by B. Jackman
3:18 St. Louis hooking - 2 min K. Shattenkirk drawn by S. Horcoff
5:52 Edmonton holding - 2 min T. Peckham drawn by D. Perron
8:48 St. Louis slashing - 5 min R. Polak drawn by T. Hall served by J. Langenbrunner
8:48 St. Louis game misconduct - 10 min R. Polak drawn by T. Hall
13:33 St. Louis too many men on ice - 2 min Bench served by C. Stewart
15:22 St. Louis high-sticking - 2 min D. Perron drawn by R. Smyth

3rd Period
0:17 Edmonton puck over glass - 2 min C. Potter
0:52 Edmonton roughing - 2 min T. Hall drawn by T. Oshie
2:35 St. Louis roughing - 2 min J. Langenbrunner drawn by L. Smid
2:35 Edmonton roughing - 2 min L. Smid drawn by J. Langenbrunner

Shots On Goal - Oilers 32 Blues 37

Game Notes:
- Tough loss to take, largely because the game was well within their grasp and they let it slip away. The Oilers are making a lot of hay on the power play these days, to the point where its keeping them in games, but 5 on 5 they aren't doing so well. A lot of that has to do with line combinations and line matchups. Just having an overall feeling for the game. The penalty kill stumbled tonight as well, giving two quick goals early in the 3rd period to let the Blues right back in the game. While the coaching staff has made great stride to the power play, they could stand making 5on5 play better. The best two chances in 3rd period belonged to Ben Eager and Andy Sutton. Doesn't bode well long term for a team trying to work out another goal and put together some wins. For once, the Oilers didn't get pushed out of this game, rather let in some long range squeakers that did them, which likely makes things more frusterating.

Player of the Game:
- Ben Eager. Likely his best game as an Oiler. Scored a goal, threw some hits, skated miles, and was a genuine pest. A threat to score when he was on the ice. He made things happen. On a night when the Oilers struggled to put chances together 5on5, the line of Eager-Belanger-Jones was their best option for a goal tonight. This tells me the top 2 lines, 5on5, are out of whack. I hoping for more of this Ben Eager for the rest of the season.

Goat of the Game:
- Devan Dubnyk. Dubnyk battled hard and made a lot of big saves. But watching all these long range sifters find ways into the net is unbelievably disheartening. The Oilers have given up 4,4,3,4,4,5 on this road trip, not all on Dubnyk, but it has been awhile where an Oilers' goaltender has stolen a game for them. The Oilers can't win right now with subpar goaltending. Lapses in games like tonight have proved costly on the road trip throughout.

Next Game - Saturday January 7, 2012 vs. Stars @ Dallas on Sportsnet West 12 PM MT.

Pre-Game: Game #40 Oilers vs. Blues



Almost to the end of the road trip and almost to the halfway point of the season. Game 6 of the roadtrip and the Oilers have gone 1-4 to this point. The Oilers have called up Teemu Hartikainen and Josh Green over the last few days. These are good moves as long as 1) they don't play together and 2) they both play LW. Whoever gave the intel of Josh Green being a capable center is mistaken. The play was too fast for him at center and his reads were too slow. He's an up and down winger, nothing more, nothing less. Hartikainen did not have a good game in Buffalo either, but deserves another shot at redemption with some different linemates. He could help out some of the other diminutive forwards on this team or play a 4th line role with Ben Eager and they can tag team Dmen all night. Either way, Tom Renney needs to figure out what these players are. I like the fact the Oilers are going with a bigger lineup, but jebus, use your players properly. Shawn Horcoff is playing with a bum shoulder which may have led to trying Josh Green at center. If thats the case, have a winger take the draws for him but have him cover down low at the center position. Horcoff is still the best defensive center on the team with Belanger still trying to "find himself" and Lander and Nugent-Hopkins still being rookies. St. Louis comes into this game losers of 3 out of their last 4, but winners aginst Phoenix, 4-1 on Monday night. The Blues have been playing very well since making a coaching change, with a 22-12-5 record overall.

Forwards Oilers
- The Blues have a lot of bigger bodies, but they don't have a Taylor Hall or a Jordan Eberle.
Defense Blues
- Shattenkirk and Piertrangelo are two of the best young defensemen in the NHL.
Goaltending Blues
- Brian Elliot, yes Brian Elliot, has some of the best numbers in the NHL. Khabibulin and Dubnyk have been too hit and miss lately.
Special Teams Oilers
- The Oilers own the 2nd best power play in the NHL, the Blues are 29th.
Coaching Blues
- Ken Hitchcock seems to own the Oilers no matter where he is coaching. Tom Renney has some issues with line combos and roles to work out.
Intangibles Blues
- The Oilers are staggering towards the end of the road trip.

Oilers: (my version)
Hall-Lander-Eberle
Green-Gagner-Hemsky
Smyth-Horcoff-Jones
Hartikainen-Belanger-Eager

Smid-Potter
Sutton-Petry
Peckham-Teubert

Dubnyk
Khabibulin

Blues:
Perron-Backes-Stewart
D-Agostini-Berglund-Oshie
Sobotka-Arnott-Langenbrunner
Grachev-Nichol-Crombeen

Colaiacovo-Pietrangelo
Jackman-Shattenkirk
Cole-Polak

Elliot
Halak

Game Time - 6 PM MT @ St.Louis on Sportsnet Edmonton.

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Post Game: Game #39 Sabres 4 Oilers 3

Scoring Summary
1st Period
EDM Taylor Hall 12 (Ales Hemsky, Sam Gagner) 10:33

BUF Jason Pominville 13 (Jochen Hecht, Brayden McNabb) 14:23


2nd Period
BUF Jordan Leopold 7 (Assists: Drew Stafford, Brayden McNabb) 5:10

EDM Sam Gagner 5 (PP) (Jeff Petry, Ales Hemsky) 9:24


3rd Period
BUF Drew Stafford 7 (Nathan Gerbe, Derek Roy) 14:34

BUF Nathan Gerbe 4 (Drew Stafford) 16:38

EDM Corey Potter 3 (Jordan Eberle) 18:10

Penalty Summary
1st Period
5:26 Buffalo tripping - 2 min M. Weber drawn by J. Eberle

2nd Period
5:34 Edmonton interference with goaltender - 2 min A. Hemsky drawn by R. Miller
8:04 Buffalo charging - 2 min P. Kaleta drawn by L. Smid
9:10 Buffalo too many men on ice - 2 min Bench served by N. Gerbe

3rd Period
10:54 Edmonton holding - 2 min T. Peckham drawn by N. Gerbe

Shots On Goal - Oilers 26 Sabres 33

Game Notes:
- Tough one for the Oilers to lose considering they have won a lot of games where they played a lot worse. The Oilers came out in this game with a lot of energy and puck battle but, as expected in a back to back, the energy was getting thin as the game wore on. Josh Green had a very inconspicuous start to his 2nd stint as an Oiler. He went -4 in a 4-3 loss. Not exactly contributing to the cause. He, along with Hartikainen and Horcoff playing on the wings, just couldn't get the job done in this game. Nikolai Khabibulin looked uncomfortable all night in net. Just wasn't sharp and had a hard time staying upright. Even though Dubnyk got the last two games, Khabibulin looked lethargic. Made some good saves but couldn't sustain some barrages thrown his way. Just some of these little things that add up to an Oiler. I must say I like the fact that the Oiler team is taking on a bigger look, but needs to find better matchups that can suit its players. Another winnable game lost.

Player of the Game:
- Sam Gagner. He, along with Hall and Hemsky were surprisingly dangerous tonight. As a line, they really skated well. Gagner chipped in with a nice goal on a one-timer on the power play and added an assist as well on Hall's opening goal. with Nugent-Hopkins out of the lineup, I expect Gagner to get an extended look at center. I'm not sure how effective he will be long term, but at least on this night, this line was more positive than negative. Even with the goal tonight, Gagner needs to shoot the puck more and recognize shooting lanes better.

Goat of the Game:
- Josh Green. Tough game for Josh Green. I blame Tom Renney and his intel more than Green himself. He was stuck playing over his head against tough matchups that he eventually drowned in. Green would be better served on the wing playing in a 3rd or 4th line role short term. He isn't much more than that. Very inauspicious start for Josh Green in his 2nd stint as an Oiler.

Next Game - Thursday January 5, 2012 vs. Blues @ St.Louis on Sportsnet Edmonton 6 PM MT.

Pre-Game: Game #39 Oilers vs. Sabres



The Oilers tour continues on into Buffalo tonight as this will be game 5 of a 7 game trip. The Oilers pulled out a big victory in Chicago, 4-3, playing a high energy, physical game. The Oilers incurred a couple of injuries in last night's game. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins hurt his shoulder while Tom Gilbert hurt his knee. Both are unlikely to play tonight. The Oilers have called up Josh Green and Colten Teubert to likely take their places and play tonight. Teemu Hartikainen was called up before last night's game, bringing a high energy game with him. Lennert Petrell was sent down to make room for him, which is the right move to make at this time. Where do the Oilers go from here? Hopefully they can continue to play hard, although tonight's game will be a tough one considering a quick turn around on back to back days. Buffalo comes into this game losers 6 of their last 7, coming off a 3-2 overtime loss to Ottawa. It will be interesting to see what the Oilers can accomplish in this game as well as what kind of lineup they ice tonight. This is another winnable game for the Oilers. Let's see if they continue the trend of losing the easy ones and playing hard in the tough ones.

Forwards Oilers
- Even without the Nuge, the Oilers have a deeper set of forwards than Buffalo.
Defense Oilers
- The Oilers have Tom Gilbert out but Buffalo's D is decimated from injuries. Ehrhoff, Sekera and Myers all out.
Goaltending Sabres
- Don't know what the Oilers' goaltending will bring game to game.
Special Teams Oilers
- The Oilers power play scored twice against the Hawks and are now 2nd in the NHL on the PP.
Coaching Sabres
- Lindy Ruff is the longest tenured coach in the NHL.
Intangibles Sabres
- Tough back to back for the Oilers as they lose an hour going back to the Eastern time zone.

Oilers: (my version)
Hall-Horcoff-Eberle
Green-Gagner-Hemsky
Smyth-Belanger-Jones
Hartikanen-Belanger-Eager

Smid-Potter
Sutton-Petry
Peckham-Teubert

Khabibulin
Dubnyk

Sabres:
Vanek-Hecht-Pominville
Gerbe-Roy-Stafford
Ellis-Gaustad-Kaleta
Boyes-Adam-McCormick

Regehr-Weber
McNabb-Leopold
Gragnani-Brennan

Enroth
Miller

Game Time - 5 PM MT @ Buffalo on Sportsnet Edmonton.

Monday, January 2, 2012

Post Game: Game #38 Oilers 4 Black Hawks 3

Scoring Summary
1st Period
CHI Jonathan Toews 22 (Dan Carcillo) 12:54


2nd Period
EDM Ryan Smyth 15 (PP) (Shawn Horcoff, Taylor Hall) 7:39

EDM Taylor Hall 11 (PP) (Jordan Eberle, Corey Potter) 11:00

CHI Andrew Brunette 9 (Niklas Hjalmarsson, Patrick Kane) 12:39

EDM Andy Sutton 2 (Jordan Eberle, Ryan Smyth) 16:23


3rd Period
EDM Ben Eager 3 (Jeff Petry 5) 8:17

CHI Jimmy Hayes 1 (Bryan Bickell, Jamal Mayers) 16:11

Penalty Summary
1st Period
3:54 Chicago hooking - 2 min D. Carcillo drawn by C. Potter
7:27 Edmonton holding - 2 min C. Potter drawn by P. Sharp

2nd Period
3:11 Edmonton hooking - 2 min A. Hemsky drawn by M. Hossa
7:23 Chicago boarding - 5 min D. Carcillo drawn by T. Gilbert served by A. Brunette
7:23 Chicago game misconduct - 10 min D. Carcillo drawn by T. Gilbert
18:47 Chicago cross checking - 2 min P. Sharp drawn by A. Sutton

3rd Period
11:14 Edmonton high-sticking - 4 min E. Belanger drawn by J. Toews
16:23 Edmonton interference with goaltender - 2 min R. Jones drawn by C. Crawford

Shots On Goal - Oilers 30 Black Hawks 42

Gmae Notes:
- That was a character, feel good win. It's been awhile since the Oilers and its fans have felt one of those. The Oilers went blow for blow with the best team in the NHL and got the victory. The game truly was a war of attrition. Nugent-Hopkins went down early with a shoulder injury and Tom Gilbert got run into the end boards by Dan Carcillo. Gilbert was foreced to leave the game with a knee injury. Neither player returned and callups are expected some time tonight as the Oilers face Buffalo tomorrow night in a quick turn around. Speaking of callups, it was good to see Teemu Hartikainen get the callup, as Lennert Petrell was sent down to OKC. Hartikainen brings some real grit with a little bit of skill to the 4th line. It was the best game an Oilers 4th line has had all year. Played with lots of energy and battle. Ben Eager also chipped in for the winner as an added bonus. Devan Dubnyk really battled hard in the pipes tonight. The first and third goals stunk like fromage, but stayed with it and helped the Oilers muster a win here. Good to see Dubnyk stick with it tonight, as the Oilers brought some offense. These are the types of wins the Oilers need to help them grow. Losing game after game while looking lethargic isn't going to help at all. Feel good moments are needed and this is one of them.

Player of the Game:
- Andy Sutton. The energy players really brought it tonight. Battle levels were high from players like Sutton, Eager, Hartikainen, Jones, Smid, Peckham. It was a game that was won in the trenches and Ansy Sutton had a big part in that. Tireless work on the PK at the end of the game. Had 3 shots, 4 hits, and 2 block shots. Also, chipped in the big 3-2 goal that gave the Oilers a lead that they wouldn't give up. Just a great read and perfectly timed pinch that allowed him to take a shot right from the slot. Ecstatic to see the Oilers lunchpail gang have a big impact on the game.

Goat of the Game:
- Ales Hemsky. Hemsky was a total non-factor tonight. Nothing is happening offensivel when he is on the ice and a great amount of lethargy is coming out of his game. End of the game and he was chasing the puck to negate an icing that would have sealed the game. Had body position, but got outhustled to the puck that gave Chicago one more kick at the cat to tie it up. Just a total, non-inspiring play from Hemsky that just leaves me shaking my head.

Next Game - Tuesday January 3, 2012 vs. Sabres @ Buffalo on Sportsnet Edmonton 5 PM MT.

Pre-Game: Game #38 Oilers vs. Black Hawks



I must say, watching these games lately is getting tougher and tougher to watch, knowing that some sort of Tom Foolery will happen in the game that will likely cost the Oilers a goal or two. I would think a lot of the Oilers fans are deeply frusterated with the team, otherwise I would say you aren't much of a fan. Whatever happens from here, happens, but I'm hoping there is some accountibility held for those in positions to make decisions as well as some on ice personnel. This team is has become the laughing stock of the league. There are some measures that could be taken so the Oilers won't be drafting first again (aka. finding some bigger forwards, perhaps a puck moving Dman), but I'm starting to think that being brutal is part of the mandate. Another game, another month, another season of starting to feel numb towards everything Oilers. I'm sure there will be some feel good games from now until the end of the year, but its time to see what the 2012 draft awaits our beloved Oilers. The Black Hawks come into this game the best team in the NHL with 52 points and 8-2 in their last 10. They beat Detroit 3-2 on Friday night. I shudder to think what the outcome of this game might be since the last game they played, the Oilers laid the beat down on them 9-2.

Fowards Black Hawks
- To think Patrick Kane is 4th on his team in points. Sharp, Toews and Hossa have more at the moment. That's depth.
Defense Black Hawks
- I'm sure Duncan Keith will be better than the last time the Hawks played the Oilers.
Goaltending Oilers
- Khabibulin is going to have to steal one in order to have any chance to win this game.
Special Teams Oilers
- Pk for the Hawks is 27th. Perhaps some inroads there?
Coaching Black Hawks
- I really hope Renney is getting orders from above because some of his decision making lately has been very questionable.
Intangibles Black Hawks
- The Hawks are finishing up a home stand while the Oilers are smack dab in the middle of a long road trip.

Oilers:
Hall-NugentHopkins-Eberle
Smyth-Horcoff-Hemsky
Jones-Belanger-Gagner
Hordichuk-Lander-Petrell

Smid-Gilbert
Sutton-Petry
Peckham-Potter

Khabibulin
Dubnyk

Black Hawks:
Carcillo-Toews-Hossa
Sharp-Kane-Stalberg
Bickell-Bolland-Frolik
Brunette-Mayers-Hayes

Keith-Seabrook
Leddy-Hjalmarsson
O'Donnell-Montador

Crawford
Emery

Game Time - 6:30 PM MT @ Chicago on Sportsnet West.