Mar 31, 2009

Ducks @ Oilers; Fan Support


What else is there to say here except that if the Oilers don't win tonight I don't expect to see them playing come the 15th of April?

Nothing.

It's strange. Hearing the Oilers come out and ask for fan support. Part of me agrees, Rexall has not been hospitable to the Oilers this season, and the crowd has been no better than a funeral gathering in the noise department for the most part. But the other part of me wants to bear my teeth and yell at the players: How dare you come to us for support? Where have you been all season? Playing your best hockey at some other Ho-City's rink, and you come crawling back to us?

I sound like a wife who's been cheated on.

I hope the Oil can pull it through tonight, because this could be the last time they play with any hope for a post-season.

And for a team that was toted as a team that would vie for the division lead this season this is beyond disappointing.

As Always: Go Oilers Go!

Mar 30, 2009

Looking For A Silver Lining

































































TeamGPWLOTPTSOpponents Remaining
Columbus763929886Predators (X2), Blackhawks (X2), Blues, Wild.
Nashville763830884Blue Jackets (X2), Blackhawks (X2), Red Wings, Wild.
St Louis763730983Blackhawks, Red Wings, Stars, Coyotes, Blue Jackets, Avalanche.
Anaheim763832682Oilers, Canucks, Sharks (X2), Stars, Coyotes.
Edmonton763631981Ducks, Sharks, Canucks, Kings, Flames (X2).
Minnesota763632880Canucks, Flames, Red Wings, Stars, Predators, Blue Jackets.


Looking at every one’s games remaining I am not convinced that the Oilers are completely out of it just yet. While our own schedule doesn’t look like something we would’ve designed if given the chance, the only team competing against us that does have an easier, and I stress the ‘er’ part because it’s still not easy, is the St Louis Blues, and I only say this because they play the Coyotes and the Avalanche; not that these teams should be taken lightly.

Everyone has a tough schedule coming into these last six games. Nashville should be a little worried: their team seems to be falling apart at the seams; there are two ways this could go:
-Realize that the team just couldn’t bear the burden of the injuries, and that next year will likely be very impressive.
-Find out that the team is a lot ‘deeper’ than first thought, and become very proud of the team for stepping up.
And let’s face it, while the first of the two is more likely, the team is actually on the track heading towards the latter.

I want the Oilers to step it up, but I’m not going to cry about it if they don’t. It will be interesting to see what the off season excuses are this go around if we don’t make the playoffs.

As Always: Go Oilers Go!

Mar 29, 2009

Wild @ Oilers : The Apocalypse




I was watching 'Independence Day' earlier and I was thinking, do we have a pilot that would go into an alien ship's tractor beam to save the world? In context of the Oilers the question is actually 'do we have a player who would sacrifice himself in order to save the team?'

I think the easy answer is yes, obviously the team blocks shots and we have a few guys that are willing to step in when our skill guys are getting pushed around. But then there have also been a few incidents this season that simply weren't taken care of, and I'm sure you can think of a few yourself.

It's no secret that the Oilers have lacked a certain motivation that up until this season had always been found in the Oilers game. Even at the tail-end of the 06/07 season I still watched all of the games, and I have been this season too, but I've been watching them for a different reason; in 06/07 we were playing with heart and the team showed up to every game. Now I'm watching because we may actually win, and the team is in the mix for the playoffs, and I'm noticing, as I'm sure most of you are, that the heart that has always been beating relentlessly on the Oilers' jersey sleaves has seemingly taken a vacation.

The team has shown flashes of their brilliance at multiple points throughout the season, but rarely has it been consistent. Most times it only lasts for a single period, let alone a whole game or a few games together.

The Oilers take on the Minnesota Wild tonight at Rexall Place, and that building has been terrible this season. I've attended six games within the last few months, and the only one that was enjoyable was fan appreciation night against the Thrashers. Yes, the team has to show us that they want to play and that they want to be in the playoffs, but we as fans have to show that we want them to play for us, and we want them to be in the playoffs, and that we support them. Quit with the 'boo'-ing at Rexall, unless it is at the referees or the opposing team. I'm tired of hearing Rexall punish the Oilers. Cheer and chant with wild abandon, because we're lucky we have a team. We are lucky we get to cheer on the Oilers every second or third night, and if we don't come to appreciate that then I don't think we deserve an NHL team.

Perhaps we can return that 'heart' that's been on missing for about 90% of the season thus far.

As Always: Go Oilers Go!

Mar 27, 2009

Sunshine and Rainbows! - Edmonton @ Anaheim



Okay, so rather than get all hot and bothered and complain ruthlessly about the Oilers' loss last night; I have decided to be positive. Because the game is more enjoyable this way, and because I don't want to be in a bad mood.

I found a couple positives last game and I thought I'd share them with you:

1. Dustin Penner. Penner, despite criticism that he receives on a daily basis, was doing a lot of things last night that we've wanted him to do for the entire season. He was backchecking, he was hitting, he was battling for the puck and winning, and most importantly he was using his size to his advantage. No one could get Penner off of the puck last night, and that's awesome.

2. Our PK was abnormally good. I don't want to hear about how the Coyotes' powerplay is already bad, because bad PP or not our PK looked good. And that is something that we'll need to have working going forward. Can you imagine where we'd be if our special teams were in the top quarter of the league? Top 5 teams in the West I guarantee you.

3. Hemsky had a good game. He had less turnovers, chipped in with a goal and an assist, and he was hitting people (he was tied for third in the team last night with 2, Laddy and Brodz also with 2). I am already sick and tired of people and their comments regarding Hemsky since the article that came out, and I've reserved to not posting on the OMB because I'd likely get banned for some of the things that I'd want to say in reaction to some of the posters. All I'm gonna say is that people need to learn a little empathy and step down from their high horse before they fall off and break their backs.

I could discuss negative things but, like I said, I'm deciding to focus on the positives. Sunshine and Rainbows all around!

I just hope there aren't any clouds in the forecast for, say, 7:30 PM tonight.

As Always: Go Oilers Go!

Mar 26, 2009

Oilers @ Coyotes



Long story short the Phoenix Coyotes are a team that the Oilers need to, and should, defeat this evening.

Hemsky's frustrated and I'm glad he spoke up, but now may be the time to show us what he means. The team hasn't been scoring in the last two games, and if we want to win the game tonight scoring is essential.

If I was ten I'd follow this up with, "DUH!"

I want to see Hemsky have a good game, and it's not because I think he needs to prove anything, but it is because I love seeing him happy and excited to play; and he hasn't shown either of these in the past 7 or 8 games, maybe more. MacTavish pretty much stated in the article that he wasn't going to change anything, so I think it may be up to Hemsky to take his enjoyment into his own hands. If the coach won't let you play the way you want to maybe you should just ignore him. When you were producing really well, after the concussion, you were focusing on offense, and I seem to remember us winning those games, so perhaps try pushing the envelope a little.

But that's just what I'd do.

Love ya either way Hemmer.

As Always: Go Oilers Go!

Mar 25, 2009

Hemsky Frustrated; Gets Berated By Fans For Being Vocal



First let me say this as a bit of a disclaimer: I love Hemsky. I think he's an excellent player, and I don't think that these comments reflect badly on him at all. I have read a lot of comments from people who think it does, and I'll be addressing some of those comments here, not by name of course, but they're all found on the OMB and other blog posts. I won't paraphrase, I'll take quotes directly.

If you haven't already read the article it's located here.

Let's get into it then shall we?

First: Posts from the thread "Hemsky Wants a Bigger Role" from the OMB.

"Another reaction I have here is to say to Hemsky, hey, let's see the brilliance that you're telling us about. I'm not as geeked-out on Hemsky as most on this board, and I don't think we see the brilliance as much as we should. Put a couple pucks in the net, set up a few great goals, and it seems like everything should work itself out. We all know the skill is there."

Here's the thing: Hemsky stated in the interview that he performs better and produces more when he feels like he's needed. This is completely understandable, and it also explains his lack of production lately, not to mention his burst of offensive genius coming back from injury. While Hemsky was out with a concussion everyone was pretty worried, for how would the team get by without its leading point scorer? The focus was on him to get back, because the team needed him. And they did need him, they came out at about .500 in that ten game span, but the team was not scoring goals. I would assume that during this time span people were looking for Hemsky, focusing on Hemsky; Everything was about Hemsky. Now; however, it isn't. And All Hemsky is trying to say here is that he needs the attention. Who doesn't perform better when they feel like the project/company/team needs them? Who doesn't do well when everyone is talking about how important they are? Right now Hemsky is not the focus, and yes he hasn't been producing but he has been making plays; his line just can't seem to put them in the net. But don't take that as me blaming his line, because there's enough of that blame going around already.

So he liked it better when he was the only guy putting the puck in the net and the team was losing...so now that the team is playing better with more balanced scoring and he's upset because he's not the man.

It appears that his real personality is starting to "shine".


Not what he said; come back and try again when you've learned to read.

Not what happened either when he was producing - talk to me when you've watched those games.

"no Hemsky, we don't want you to check, when you give away the puck we just want you to cruise around at the blueline and wait for your defencemen to bail you out

geez "


Again, not what Hemsky was saying. He doesn't have a problem with the defensive responsibility: it's the fact that the defensive responsibility comes in place of offensive production. That is his objection as I understand it.

"How does wanting someone to be reliable in their zone mean they should be checker. He's on the top line and the top powerplay. He's playing with Horcoff for a reason, and that is so that the can have the freedom to make mistakes and not have it backfire. If any other player on this team made as many turnovers as Hemmer they'd be benched in a second. To be honest I think this is only about 1 thing and that is the shootout. He is not in the shootout order anymore and I don't think he likes that very much."

See comments 2 and 3.

"Personally, what i think, i think Hemsky doesn't like winning when he didn't have a big part in it "

Can I kill you now? Because now you're just trying to be hateful. Nowhere in that article does Hemsky even allude to this, in fact he states the polar opposite at least twice by my count.

----------------------------

This all said and done I have not brought up the posts defending Hemsky, and they are there, but from what I can tell the majority of the posts/comments are against Hemsky, and against what he's complaining about. This is something I find completely ridiculous because for a lot of that article Hemsky is just confirming what we, as fans, already suspected:

"I'm just trying to do exactly what they want. I'm becoming a checker," he said with obvious displeasure after Monday's practice. "We're just doing what we have to do to win games. I'm not complaining. It's important to win the games. I just don't feel as important as I did before when they were riding me. I don't feel they use me as much as they did before. If they don't give me the confidence or trust me, I will never be playing the way I was before, the way they want.

We already blame MacT for turning scorers into checkers, and trying futilely to turn checkers into scorers; so Hemsky talks about it publicly, agreeing with what we say and we get angry about it.

"It was exciting to be back. They were riding me. Now I just don't feel it's the same. I want to do more. Ask me to do more. I have to feel good. I have to feel I am in the game and I am going.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't this exactly what we wanted Hemsky to say? Isn't the bolded part exactly what we want from him?

Here are a few other Blog posts and forum threads on the topic:

MotherPucker at MotherPucker.ca

OilFans MB

HFBoards

I get it, I'm a tad bit biased, but Hemsky doesn't deserve half of the SH-- he's been getting from our fan base.

Mar 24, 2009

Red Wings Fly In.





Everyone loves a good piggy-back ride.

The Oilers will be back in Rexall Place tonight, if only for a few hours, against a more-than-worthy opponent in the Detroit Red Wings. The Red Wings are coming off of a loss in Calgary last night, who has already begun the task of creating playoff jingles, 5-3, the Wings made it close in the third but in the end the Wings' goaltending was an issue.

And I think we all know what that's like, but not as of late because Roloson has been on fire lately and we need that to continue if we want to win games. Which of course we do--who doesn't?

We need our special teams to step it up, because they got nothing done last game, though they did look good in the previous two games. We also need some production from the top line, which I heard did not play all that badly, and actually had a really good first period. But when the Oilers don't score after a period of complete domination the Oilers usually don't win the game. They sometimes even get shut-out, like the Minny game.

This game will be a tough one for the boys, but I think they're capable of winning it. And if they do? Well, only good things can come of that.

As Always: Go Oilers GO!

Mar 22, 2009

Oilers @ Wild




This is an excellent picture. It looks like James Sheppard is trying to choke Ladislav Smid to death, but I'm pretty sure the fight was a pretty good draw.

You can see that fight again here.

The Oilers are currently in 7th place in the Western Conference, and the standings look like this.

  1. Detroit Red Wings - 105 pts 72 GP*
  2. San Jose Sharks - 104 pts 71 GP*
  3. Calgary Flames - 88 pts 71 GP
  4. Chicago Blackhawks - 85 pts 70 GP
  5. Vancouver Canucks - 85 pts 71 GP
  6. Columbus Blue Jackets - 82 pts 72 GP
  7. Edmonton Oilers - 79 pts 71 GP
  8. Nashville Predators - 77 pts 72 GP
  9. St Louis Blues - 75 pts 72 GP
  10. Anaheim Ducks - 74 pts 71 GP
  11. Minnesota Wild - 74 pts 71 GP
  12. Dallas Stars - 74 pts 72 GP
  13. Los Angeles Kings - 70 pts 71 GP
  14. Phoenix Coyotes - 67 pts 72 GP**
  15. Colorado Avalanche - 64 pts 72 GP**
* - Clinched Playoff Spot.
** - Likely Out of Playoff Picture.
Bolded - In Action Tonight.
Bolded and Italicized - In Action Tonight and Could Move Up in the Standings.

The Oilers will be in 7th place no matter what happens in the games tonight, but a win could cement us further into the playoff picture. If the team reverts back to its old snake-bitten self then there's no telling whether we make the playoffs or not. At this point we'd be matched up against San Jose, which could or couldn't be a good thing depending on which team of the Oilers shows up. If my memory of the Oilers in playoffs, which is not much, is the norm then I'd say the Oilers and this emotional city of ours would give them a run for their money.

Gagner continued his hot hand last game, which was a gooder I must say, netting his fourth goal in two games and his fifth in his last 6. He's also on a point scoring streak of 6 games with 9 pts in that span. The second line as a whole is showing up to games with fire in their pants, and this helps take the pressure off of the first line, which just isn't getting it done.

I'm cautious to put too much blame or emphasis on Hemsky's dry-spell here, because he has been making plays that should've been goals had the player on the receiving end been paying attention or been able to get a quick shot off. Horcoff seems to be off of his groove as far as quick shots go, he misses more than he hits, and the one's he hits miss more often than not. O'Sullivan and Hemsky look like they might be perfect for each other, or as perfect as we can hope for at this point, and I think once one of their plays nets one we won't need to worry about that first line any longer; we all saw Hemmer break out in that Philadelphia game, and then again after his concussion. Some bounces just need to go their way I think.

Any way, if we win tonight it means great celebrations in Edmonton, and a tie of our season-high win streak. If we lose we still remain in 7th place but it could rekindle doubts about this team's ability to be consistent.

As Always: Go Oilers Go!

Mar 20, 2009

The Oilers Are in The Windy City Tonight



Boy, was Sammy ever doing a lot of that last night. What a game by Sam Gagner and Ales Kotalik against the Colorado Avalanche; the chemistry between these two looks like it deserves another look, or maybe 12. The second line, these guys plus Nilsson, showed up sometime around the middle of the second period and took the game by storm. In fact, the three stars were comprised of: 3) Robert Nilsson (3 assists); 2) Ales Kotalik (1 goal, 3 assists); 1) Sam Gagner (3 goals, 1 assist). Gagner with his first career hat-trick, and perhaps his first four-point game as well, though I'm not sure about that.

I am still a little worried about Hemsky, he had a few plays that would've been highlight real goals had they been just that--goals. It sounded as if the first line was not very good 5 on 5, and they didn't get as much time as they usually do--in light of the game the second line had though it is not hard to see why that is. I still think that Hemsky and O'Sullivan have some pretty sweet chemistry, the play last night where Hemsky pinched along the right-side boards to keep the puck in and got it over to O'Sullivan who was all alone in the slot was beautiful, and there's no other way to describe it; had O'Sullivan's back-hand went in it would have been pure magic.

The Oilers come into Chicago hoping to continue the momentum from last game to tonight; a game against a team that the Oilers have been owned by all-season. I was at that 9-2 loss; it was not pretty; especially considering I had an English midterm the following morning at 9:00. I got an A- so all is forgiven in that regard. The Blackhawks have been struggling as of late, and are currently on a 4 game losing streak. This, of course is cause for concern, because the Oilers have had trouble beating teams when they're down.

Stop being so noble you guys! Kick them while they're down!

One thing is for sure: the Oilers will have to come with their A game tonight if they wish to come out with a W. Also, if JDD is going to get a start any time soon it will likely be tonight, so this is where we decide if we run with a single goaltender or a tandem on our drive for the playoffs. 2 is healthier, but 1 may be smarter.

Oh, and Sam? I don't blame you for celebrating your hat-trick goal. In any other circumstance that would have been inappropriate, but I don't think that this was.

As Always: Go Oilers Go!

Mar 19, 2009

Edmonton @ Colorado



Okay, so the Oilers are on the road in Colorado this evening for a game start at 7:00 PM MST. I am rather excited for tonight because on Tuesday night the first line of 19-10-83 was running around the ice like they'd played together since forever, and I think it will only get better tonight.

Hemsky has seemed a little 'head-in-the-clouds' of late, and I'm not sure if it's just me who notices it or if this is a legitimate concern. He's been passing to phantom players in our zone and turning the puck over more than usual; and I'm not sure if he's just in a bit of a funk that he needs to get out of or if there is something going on behind closed doors here, and I don't just mean in the dressing room; perhaps its in an exam room? That said though, Hemsky and Patrick O'Sullivan had some pretty sweet chemistry going on Tuesday, and perhaps O'Sullivan is just the player Hemsky needs to play with.

Gagner, Nilsson and Cogliano have continued their good play--three ecstatic cheers for that--and it looks like the team is running on all cylinders and rotating four lines comfortably and confidently, so this is good news.

It may be a little early to tell for sure, but I think the team is getting 'it'.

What's 'it'?

You know... 'IT'.

As Always: Go Oilers Go!


Games of Interest in the NHL tonight:

STL @ VAN - 8PM MST

ANA @ PHX - 8PM MST

NSH @ SJS - 8:30PM MST

I'll update these games on a regular basis on Twitter, the feed is on the right, the link to my Twitter page is also located in the right column.

Mar 16, 2009

St Louis @ Edmonton




The Oilers are playing St Louis tonight, which happens to be my birthday, and they desperately need a win. It seems like earlier in the season, or even about a week or two ago, they were winning games that they maybe shouldn't have, but now, when we should be winning games we're losing them. We're getting a point because most of them are in OT, but we're losing games we should win. Even playing wise, we should be winning these games, we outplay the opposition, have one or two big mistakes, and if we're in OT one of them occurs in OT or the SO, and we lose the game, because, unlike the Oilers, it seems like every other team in the bloody NHL can capitalize on the other team's mistakes. Or maybe it's just the Oilers' mistakes that teams capitalize on.

When is JDD going to get some playing time? Because I think it is pretty clear that Roloson, despite how good he's played for us this year, is getting a little tired. The rebound that resulted in the OT goal last game would not usually have happened; give him a rest. The question is when? The next five games for the Oilers are against the Blues, Avalanche, Blackhawks, Wild and Red Wings. Tonight is an important game, not that every game isn't important, but the fact is that we aren't going to catch Detroit or Chicago this season. The Blues and the Wild are teams that we are battling with for a playoff spot, so these are '4 point games'. The only odd one out is Colorado; do we play JDD then? If not then when can we afford to play him? I'm sure the coaching staff would like to wait and see some separation in the West, but I think it is pretty clear that that has not happened this season, and there is a good chance that it will be tight until the end.

Looks like Ladislav Smid wasn't at practice yesterday, and I'm wondering if his head is a little less 'okay' than we thought it was? I know he's had concussions in the past, are we taking a precaution here or is this something to worry about? Smid has played really well this season, and I personally would like to see him play some more. Like, a lot more.

I look forward to seeing Patrick O'Sullivan on the first line tonight, it'll be interesting to see him play with Hemsky.

As Always: Go Oilers Go!

Mar 14, 2009

Colorado @ Edmonton



Dear Mr. Penner,

I watched the game on Thursday, in fact I was at the game, and I wanted to say thank you for standing up for Ales Hemsky following the late hit that Exelby threw. I realize that you ended up getting 17 minutes in penalties, which was more like 20-25 by the time they let you out of the box, but this was what we wanted from you and we'll take the penalties. That said, it was an absolutely brutal call on the play in a game that I personally thought was not well officiated; but no one listens to fans of the accosted team because they just assume that we're all baised. Sorry for the rant. Like I said, thank you for sticking up for Hemsky, you were having a great game before the refs decided to make an example of you.

I like 'Angry Dustin'. That is all.

Becca Jane.

The Oilers are back in action tonight versus the Colorado Avalanche, a team that has not met expectations this season, but is still incredibly dangerous. Last game I thought the Oilers played pretty well, closest to a full 60 minutes they've had all season I think; but maybe the crowd atmosphere was brianwashing me. If the Oilers can build on the play of last game then they should come away with a win tonight. Should.

Ladislav Smid may be sitting this one out, he has had concussion problems before and I think they want to let him rest because he's taken a few jarring hits in the past week. In any case, if he does it will be Peckham suiting up in his place.

It seems to me that Gagner, Nilsson, and Cogliano are playing really well right now, perhaps we could try them together again for a period or so? Just a suggestion, to see if they can rekindle some of the magic of last season - high hopes, I know.

Apparently Kotalik will be getting a few shots on the RW tonight, which is his natural position, and I think this is probably a good idea. Which line do you want to see him on?

I think maybe run a 13-89-21 line, or a 19-89-21 line. Yes, as you can see I think Gagner fits in a lot of places.

And I'd just like to point out that I did see a couple of combinations that I wanted to see on Thursday, I can't remember them for the life of me though. But I think the 21-89-83 line got a few shots at it as well as the 19-10-83, but that one might have been in the midst of a change.

As Always: Go Oilers Go!

Mar 13, 2009

Mistakes Were Made.

If there is one thing my first-year English prof taught me, it was to never use the passive voice unless I was trying to avoid responsibility for something.

In other words: passive voice was for politicians.

Now, while I don't remember specific instances of Oiler management using the passive voice, I'm positive that they have used it at some point in time. Probably the after the Smyth trade, but I'm not positive.

Something along the lines of, "in the end there were different perspectives and a decision was made."

Translation: "We didn't want to pay him, so we aren't going to."

While I realize that there are some things that Management of any NHL team cannot possibly know will happen, I do believe that there are some cases, particularly cases pertaining to players that are let go, that it seems Management just wasn't thinking straight. I don't know a whole lot about the rest of the league and players that they've let go, but I do know a fair bit about the past 3 or 4 years of the Oilers, and players that they've let go. Some moves, like I stated earlier, were impossible to know whether it was a good idea or not; others, in my opinion, were glaring errors made on the part of management, and most of them come back to haunt us.

Part I: Mistakes that Were Impossible to Predict.

Jan Hejda:
This man didn't perform particularly well under the Oilers' system, in fact he was a minus six come the end of 06/07, and seeing as he is now known as a tower of defense on the back-end it is clear that management is not at fault there. Who would have predicted that in two seasons he's be sitting at an impressive +19, he's also making 2.00 M a year. Yeah, I'd take that contract.

Ty Conklin:
This one, in my opinion, is a bit of a question mark. Yes, he has done well after a few years away from the NHL, but he has been on powerhouse teams (Pittsburgh and Detroit). Detroit in particular is a huge factor when looking at his .911 %SV and 2.45 GAA. He's only making 750K and he's tied for second in the league in shut-outs with 6. But Detroit is a team with a defensive prowess all teams drool at, so that is something that should be mentioned.

Joffrey Lupul:
Another instance that management just can't shoulder any blame for. When he played here in 06/07 he had 28 points, 16 of those being goals. Not terrible, but not great. Yeah, but here's the kicker: the guy was a -29. I remember watching him play, and wanting him to do well, but if there was such a thing as a 'defensive-gaff-tree' then Lupul was the orchard owner. This season he has 42 points, with 20 goals, and he's even in the +/-, I'm sure that Philly's fans could still come up with some complaints but name me a city that doesn't do that. Did I mention that he's making 2.9 this season? That said: his extension is for 4.25 a year; the same amount Penner makes for another three years.

Part II: Mistakes That Were Glaring:

Petr Sykora:
I shake my head every time I think about the fact that we let this guy go. I will write the disclaimer now: I don't know exactly what happened during contract negotiations for any of these players, all I know is that I think it was stupid of management to let them go, but hind-sight is 20/20. Petr Sykora is making 2.5 M for this season and he's a UFA next season; he has 44 Pts, 23 of those are goals, and eight of those goals are game winners. Perhaps the worst part for me, as a fan, is that it seemed to me that Petr Sykora liked it in Edmonton; he also had some pretty sweet chemistry with Hemsky if I recall correctly, and we all know how we've been looking for a trigger-man for Hemsky. I still keep tabs on Sykora, I am particularly fond of his personality and he seems like a stand-up guy; I'd love for him to play in Edmonton again.

Marty Reasoner:
I'm not going to pretend that I was ignorant to the irony of Reasoner winning the game in OT for Atlanta last night. The girl sitting behind me was practically in orgasmic convulsions following the goal, despite the fact that she was wearing an Oiler jersey. Personally, while I have favourite players on other teams, I don't cheer them on when they are playing against the Oilers. But maybe that's just me. Back to the matter at hand. Here are the facts: The Oilers are not good PKers this season and the Oilers are not good in the face off dot this season either. Long story short: Marty Reasoner goes a long way towards solving those problems. Oh yeah, and did I mention he's only making 1 M this season?

Ryan Smyth:
First let me say that I am not dwelling on the Smyth trade, I'd just like to mention that this was perhaps a bad decision; especially if the rumored issues with the contract were true. A 100-300K difference is not something that we should be worrying about when we're willing to sign Shawn Horcoff to a 4 year extension with a cap hit of 6.5 M. The contract that Colorado signed Ryan Smyth to has a cap hit of 6.25 M; he has 56 points, 24 goals and 32 assists (for comparison Horcoff has 45 points, 30 assists and 15 goals).

Curtis Glencross:
I'm not going to say that Curtis Glencross would've been the solution to all of our problems this season, because he wouldn't be. That said, it was sure useful at the end of last season to have a fourth line that was scoring at the rate of a second or third line. He was signed as a UFA by Calgary for 1.2 M a year for three years, he has 36 pts, 11 of those goals; plus he and Brodziak along with Zach Stortini had some awesome chemistry going on.

Part III: Good Moves:

Bergeron for Grebeshkov:
We traded Bergeron for a player that had the same upside but next to none of the defensive liability. Good job on this one, especially if we can resign him for good value.

Stoll and Greene for Visnovsky:
We traded a stay-at-home d-man and a struggling two-way centerman who won alot of draws for an offensive defensmen who skates like a dream and plays point on the powerplay, he is also the guy I would chose to put out to defend a break-away or a two-on-one. We struggle in the face-off dot, but Visnovsky makes our defense one of the top offensive units in the league.

Part IV: Neutral Moves:

Pitkanen for Cole:
Pitkanen didn't fit really well in Edmonton, and it was rumored that he stayed in a hotel for the entirety of the season when he was here. He seemed a bit lazy defensively and was incredibly soft. We traded him for Erik Cole, a hard-working gritty RW with size, but again he didn't really fit well either. Out of this we end up getting O'Sullivan and Kotalik. Too early for judgment here.

Torres for Brule:
Again, too early to decide whether this was a good idea or not. That said, from what I heard Torres was a bit of a problem in the dressing-room; and trading him for a young kid with some grit and a scoring touch that can't seem to be translated to the big show seems like a good plan; but we'll see.

These are just my opinions, and I'm sure you have some of your own. I don't mean to dwell in the past like this, but I suppose this probably comes off like that...

I still love the team.

Go Oilers Go! ;)

Mar 12, 2009

Thrashers in Town.



The Oilers will lace up their skates tonight against the Atlanta Thrashers at Rexall Place. I'll be at the game tonight for Fan Appreciation Night, so I'm really excited about that. Word is that Moreau will be playing in the game tonight, so that's good news; Penner is also back in the line-up and will play on a line with Moreau. Souray, according to Twitter is a game-time decision.

I hope that we can pull out a win tonight, I also hope that Souray ends up playing; I'd also like O'Sullivan and Kotalik to have good games, perhaps even score some goals or assist in the scoring of some goals. I also know that these are kind of high expectations.

Last game we lost while leading going into the third period, I think that puts us at something like 19-0-2 when leading after 2, and that is pretty impressive.

MacT announced that we should expect varying lines over the next few games, apparently we have a number of 'inter-changeable' parts.

Here are some lines that I'd like to see tried:
Some of these lines include the same players, that is because these are not lines for a game, just single line's I'd like to see tried for an entire game.

21-89-83

13-89-83

19-10-83

19-89-83

19-13-12

27-89-13

I think those are the only ones I've thought of.

Perhaps you have some you'd like to see?

As Always: Go Oilers Go!

Mar 10, 2009

Edmonton @ Montreal

The Edmonton Oilers are in Montreal to face a Canadiens team that is newly Carbonneau-less.  Personally, I liked Carbonneau, but perhaps he just wasn’t the right fit for Montreal.  That said, I’m not going to make inferences as to which team (s) would perhaps be interested in Carbo come off-season or perhaps an early playoff exit.

Not that others haven’t done that already.

Smid is in tonight, despite taking an in-advertant elbow to the face in the Toronto game that gave him a mild concussion.  Nilsson draws into the line-up tonight with Penner taking a seat on the bench.  Personally, I like Penner, and I know that there are a lot of people who don’t, but he has been one of our best defensive players on the team, his Corsi number leads the team and his boxcar numbers aren’t bad either.  All of this points to some sort of personal vendetta between MacT and Penner; and it looks as if most of Oil Country is buying into that.

Some of us still like you Dustin.



The lines in practice on Monday were as follows:
21-10-83
12-89-78
19-13-34
85-51-46
24-44
77-37
5-43

Personally I'd like to see Ladislav move up and Staios move down, but alas, the coach I am not.

Gainey has taken over as an interim coach in Montreal, and EclecticBlogs suggested to me yesterday on Twitter that perhaps this may be the last desperate move by Gainey; and if the Habs don’t win now then he’s likely out come the end of the season.

It’ll be interesting to see how this all pans out.

As Always: Go Oilers Go!

Mar 7, 2009

Oilers @ Leafs



I did not watch the last game on Thursday; instead I listened to it on CHED, and Rod and I were not impressed.

One thing that I did hear him criticize that I think was a bit unwarranted was the fact that Sam Gagner pumped his arm when he scored the second time, after he had already had a goal disallowed. Here's how I see it: Sam Gagner has not had a good year, and he is starting to come into his stride - so I think his excitement was more at his turn of fortune than the fact that the game was now 4-2 with about a minute and half to go. I see no fault in getting excited about the fact that your game is now coming around.

The Oilers are in Toronto tonight, game is at 5:00 PM Mountain time, a team that, like the Senators, should be a game that we win. Unfortunately we are all too aware of how Thursday's game (and the one in December) ended.

Unlike Thursday's game I will be able to watch this one, which is a plus for me, although I'll likely miss the first period driving home from work and have to listen to that much on the radio.

I look forward to getting my first look at the new guys.

As Always: Go Oilers Go!

Mar 5, 2009

Oilers @ Senators

I'm really quite excited to see what O'Sullivan and Kotalik can do. More excited than I probably should be, but this kind of feels like at the beginning of the season when you want to see the newly signed UFAs play their first game with your team.

Yes, it feels just like that.

I'm a little sad that I have to work tonight, I'll try to find some way to watch the game, otherwise I'll have to be happy with Rod Philips' embellishments and maybe some decent post-game from Tencer.

We shall see.

No Vermette for Ottawa as he moves to Columbus, and no Gerber either, because Toronto picked him up on waivers; and as much as people are criticizing them for it, I think it is a decent move. It will be interesting to see how all of the moves yesterday play out, and who benefits the most in practice by the moves rather than on paper; because as Oiler fans I think we've all learned to stop thinking a good team on paper will always translate to a good team on ice.

As Always: Go Oilers Go!

Mar 4, 2009

Welcome To Edmonton Boys



I look forward to seeing both of these guys in Oiler silks, I haven't kept up with either of them, but I do know that when I saw O'Sullivan as the first shooter in the shootout we had against the L.A. Kings this season I cursed his name a few times.

Sorry Patrick.

I'm sure a lot of people who don't usually watch Oiler games will likely be tuning in to check out what the both of you can do, and I hope that it goes well. For both Management's sake and the fans' sanity, I suppose for your sake as well ;) (I don't want to have the locals scaring you out of town before you've played a few games).

I am sad to see Cole go, and when I was listening to him on TSN (the short phone call that was cut off by almost an hour of Brian Burke) he sounded surprised at the trade, and perhaps even a little upset/disappointed. I thought he was really beginning to fit in here, the only consolation I suppose is that it shouldn't take him too long to fit in with Carolina - again.

All-in-all however, I think that Tambellini/Lowe did a pretty good job today. I'm assuming that there were some contract issues or fears of contract issues with Cole, and that may be the reason that he was sent to Carolina. In any event, I look forward to tomorrow's game, and I hope Patrick O'Sullivan and Ales Kotalik fit in well. The line combos should be interesting.

Mar 3, 2009

The West: On The Eve Of The Deadline

And so the Oilers go into Trade Deadline Day still holding strong, or not-so-strong, at 7th place in the West. I didn't think the Oil looked that bad tonight, I did think that our defense clearly did not know how to cover all of Nashville's men on the rush, and that led to a few more goals than we'd like. Goaltending wasn't particularly spectacular for either team, but there were a few positives for Edmonton: Ladislav Smid played one of the best games he has ever played at the NHL level, and of course I love it when he plays well; Sam Gagner had an excellent game, simply put if he wasn't playing last night we wouldn't have even managed a single point; and last, Erik Cole continues on his recent tirade of goal-scoring and making good plays.

But this post is a look at the Western Conference so let's get on with it.

As I write this there are still two games yet to finish that effect the Western standings, so the standings are not final at this point, but they will be in a couple of hours.

Right now the standings look like this:

San Jose
Detroit
Calgary
Chicago
Vancouver
Columbus
Edmonton
Nashville
---------
Anaheim
Minnesota**
Dallas**
St Louis
Los Angeles
Phoenix
Colorado

** Position could change.
-- Playoff Cut-off

Colorado is now 10 points out of the playoffs and may be looking to sell some assets, free agents include: Joe Sakic, Tyler Arnason, Ian Laperriere, Ben Guite, Brian Willsie, Jordan Leopold, and Daniel Tjarnqvist.

Phoenix is also a team that is almost 10 points out of the race and may also be looking to free up some cap space for the off-season and maybe get some picks and prospects for their future. Free agents include: Steve Reinprecht, Derek Morris, Ken Klee and Mikael Tellqvist.

Every one else is still in the hunt and will be looking for additions, preferably without subtractions, to help push them into the playoffs. There is a rather large log-jam happening around the final three or four playoff spots that involves Dallas, Minnesota, Anaheim, Nashville, Edmonton, Columbus and Vancouver and that is what is going to limit most of the movement of players around the West, because there are so many teams that are still in the race.

There are some teams in the East that are likely looking to drop some players and salary as well.

Ottawa: Free agents: Mike Comrie, Chris Neil, Filip Kuba, and Martin Gerber.

Tampa: Free agents: Gary Roberts, Mark Recchi, Matt Pettinger, David Koci, Marek Malik, Josef Melichar, Cory Murphy and Olaf Kolzig.

Atlanta: Free agents: Marty Reasoner and Eric Perrin.

NYI: Bill Guerin, Doug Weight, Mike Sillinger, Andy Hilbert, Tim Jackman, Dean McAmmond, Thomas Pock, Joey MacDonald and Yann Danis.

Toronto: Free agents: Nik Antropov, Domonic Moore, Brad May, Boyd Devereaux and Curtis Joseph.

In terms of names being thrown around that aren't necessarily on the FA listings here are a few of the big names being discussed around the league: Ilya Kovalchuk, Colby Armstrong, Chris Pronger, Olli Jokinen, Robert Nilsson, Jay Bouwmeester, Alexander Frolov. I am sure there are more, but I can't think of them.

There are a lot of options for Edmonton, and other teams in a similar position, to look into, and some will be more open and helpful than others. I don't want the team to sell future for current production, so I think I'll be okay if it turns out that we couldn't find anything that really suited our team and its future.

Tomorrow will be most interesting.

Hoorah for TSN instant alerts.

Edmonton @ Nashville



On the eve of trade deadline day the Oilers are on the ice in Nashville tonight. A win could possibly put the Oilers in 6th spot if Columbus loses tonight, a loss by the Oil and they could possibly be on the outside looking in.

Hasn't that been the story of our season post-08.

I don't have much to say about this, I am really quite nervous for the deadline, I think I'll be disappointed with the Oilers if they don't do anything, and I'll likely participate in discussions of what they did do if anything does happen. It will be a stressful day tomorrow, having a near heart-attack every time my phone vibrates.

Every time.

As Always: Go Oilers Go!

Mar 2, 2009

A Coaching Comparison I'm Tired Of: Nilsson vs. Gagner



Dan Barnes at the Edmonton Journal wrote this article earlier today, and I have to say that I'm sick and tired of hearing people gripe about the difference between the treatment of Gagner and Nilsson. But before I get all riled up-because I will, just wait-I want to make mention of the fact that the Journal's article provides a decently fair look at the situation, and is a good read if anyone wants to find out just what the issue is; of course, this would mean that you are either not an Oiler fan, you don't watch a lot of games or you don't watch many sports shows (A.K.A.: Sportcenter, Sportsnet, Afterhours etc.).

Dan Barnes is not the only one to bring this to discussion, not by any stretch, in fact there have probably been at least three stand-alone threads over at the OMB on the topic and three or four more that were transformed into these threads by off-topic posters. Regardless of how many times it has been discussed I have yet to weigh in on the issue, so here it goes.

See, the way I see it is that Nilsson is 24, Gagner is 19; this is Gagner's first club, this is Nilsson's second (and he didn't really break the Isles while he was there); Gagner works hard, Nilsson comes off as lazy (whether that is actually the case or not is not for me to say, but watching him play this is how it seems); Sam back-checks, Nilsson stands at the Canucks' blue line waiting for a hopeful break-away pass.

Please, do not make this out to be a fair look at the issue, this is not that kind of post. The fact is that I like Gagner, have since I watched the super-series, and so I will give him the benefit of the doubt (much like I do with Hemsky and Smid). And the fact that Nilsson is a player that I have a slight dislike for doesn't help.

I find that there are a lot of reasons that I can come up with for why Gagner is the golden-child and Nilsson is the red-headed step-son, but not a lot of reasons for why it shouldn't be that way.

But perhaps that's because I'm biased.