Thursday, December 31, 2009

Edmonton Oilers vs Calgary Flames LIVE TweetCast (12/31/09)

Welcome everyone to another fine TweetCast by Oilers Jambalaya.

Feel free to comment by typing in the box below. It`s easy and no signup required.

We hope you enjoy the TweetCast and GOILERS!


Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Players Grades - Cult of Hockey - Oilers vs Leafs (12/30/09)


The Oilers get killed in the giveaway department.  30 for the Oilers and 13 for the Leafs.  That's a shocking stat if you ask me.  But other than that this was a grat game for the Oilers.  A win after that long feel nice.

The Cult of Hockey Grading System: 10-perfect game, 9 extraordinary, 8 great, 7 good, 6 above average, 5 average, 4 below average, 3 poor, 2 terrible, 1 deserves to be in minors.

#5 Ladislav Smid (6) - He had a hurt hand from the Iginla fight the other night so he played a more mellow, low key type of a game.  No face washes after the whistle.  He finished the night at a +1 and didn't look too bad out there.  Lucky for him he only had 1 giveaway. 

#10 Shawn Horcoff (6) - He had a real good faceoff game tonight.  He went 11W-7L-61%.  Not bad Horcoff.   He played a decent game and he didn't look like he was hurt tonight.  He picked up the assist on the first O'Sullivan goal and that should help his confidence out. He had 17:02 in ice time.

#12 Robert Nilsson (6) - At times he looks like a million bucks and at times he looks like an amateur.  Tonight he was floating in the middle somewhere.  I liked his game tonight but was still foolish with the puck at times.  I liked that he was hitting guys and he really tried to get involved in this game.  He only had two giveaways.

#13 Andrew Cogliano (5) - He started the game off like a hot potato, flying all over the place.  By the mid point he was getting cold.  He still played well, but he had more jump at the start.  On one hand he had 2 giveaways, and on the other he had 3 takeaways.  Does the good outweigh the bad?

#16 Ryan Potulny (4) - It looked like he played OK.  But did he really?  It's hard to judge him because while he didn't make any glaring mistakes (not including the tripping penalty), he really didn't do anything.  No shots, no hits, no nothing.  All he had was a blocked shot. I've seen him play better.

#18 Ethan Moreau (5) - I can't believe he made it through a game without screwing things up. *clap, clap* Mind you Quinn kept his minutes down by only playing him for 10:28.  He had two shots and one giveaway.  Not a bad night for him.  My wife was sad though... watching him play usually builds up our swear fund. EDIT: Why was he put out there in the last two minutes of the game? Is Quinn just trying to temp fate?

#19 Patrick O'Sullivan (8) - Well this was his best game in a loooooong time.  Good for him.  After his first (couldn't get more fluky) goal, he started to play with conviction and really came out strong for the last half of the game.  He handled the puck like it was meant to be on his stick.  He fired 5 shots and had two hits.  Guess what? No giveaways for this guy.  His second was a beauty and was a marvel to watch.  So maybe, just maybe, we have the "good" O'Sullivan around here now.

#22 JF Jacques (8) - His job is to hit people.  He did his job.  He flattened Komisarek twice and then fought him in a quick but decent scrap.  He had 5 hits but I swear it was way more than that.  Not only did he demolish the Leafs with his shoulder, he picked up an assist on Brule's goal in the 1st period.   He did have a giveaway but he also pulled off a takeaway. Even stevens there.  JF Jacques???  Not tonight. Tonight he was JF Great.

#24 Steve Staios (5) - He played OK but didn't deserve anything more than a 5.  On the night he had 3 giveaways.  That's not a great night. Especially for a defenseman.  But... he did show some testicular fortitude by blocking 5 shots.  He's fearless that way and I respect that aspect of his game.  But he was caught on the Kessel goal watching a Leaf go by him while Kessel was going to the net behind him.  Kessel scores and Staios looks around like he's going to sit in the timeout corner.  However, Staios did well and didn't take a penalty all game.  So I'm torn on his grade, so he gets a 5.

#27 Dustin Penner (6) - He had moments where you could see the dominant big guy in him.  You could also see the quiet, sit in the corner guy too.  He had 1 shot, 1 hit, 2 takeaways and 2 blocked shots.  Not really a banner night for Penner yet, he did take over shifts and look like an all-star while the rest looked like Pee Wee players.  I hope even without getting selected for Team Canada, he continues his great play.  His Dad was at the game and it got me thinking. Was he there on holidays or was he there to celebrate Dustin's Team Canada selection (which didn't happen)?

#32 Ryan Stone (7) - He's a strange guy to grade. When you think he's not really doing much, he pulls out a nice hit or makes a good pass that spurs on a chain reaction of goodness.  He's a good guy to have on this team even though I thought that we didn't need him.  I guess I was wrong.  He had 4 good hits and a couple led to good chances.  Including all that he had 3 takeaways.  So what does all this mean?  He plays a simple yet effective game. 

#37 Denis Grebeshkov (6) - He sure did look better than having Strudwick back out there.  Sure Grebs makes mistakes, but he can skate, and actually skate with the puck.  So having that aspect back in the lineup was nice.  He picked up an assist on the fluky O'Sullivan goal and really was not bad, except for the 2 giveaways.  He also managed two hits.

#38 Jeff Deslauriers (8) - The guy was a monster (you don't own this word McGuire) tonight. I was so rooting for him to get the shutout but it wasn't meant to be.  Who cares really, we won.  It was funny because a couple of the stand up saves he made tonight really reminded me of Bill Ranford.  Kicks the leg out and flops back on the net for support. Classic stuff, and in the orange and blue too.  Loved it.  He made no mistakes and played a heck of a game. If he managed to get the shutout, I seriously was going to give him a 10.  Maybe I shouldn't have thought about it? Maybe I was the jinx?

#44 Sheldon Souray (7) - He was a hard one to grade.  He played the most out of all the Oilers at 24:22.  He played not bad but had 3 giveaways.  All the defence were bad at giving the puck to the Leafs.  But Souray did shoot a lot more this game.  He had 4 shots and 4 were blocked (crazy fools).  He definitely wasn't a gong show out there. 

#46 Zack Stortini (6) - With limited time on the ice it's hard to get going.  He did a good job when he was called upon on.  He had 3 hits and 2 shots.  Not a bad night for Storts.  I'm a little surprised he didn't want to go with anyone.

#67 Gilbert Brule (7) - I liked his style tonight.  He was buzzing around right from the start.  He scores the opening goal and that got the Oilers going.  That was his 10th of the season and is the 2nd Oiler do reach double digits in the goal department.  To go along with the goal he had 3 hits and 2 blocked shots.  I don't know how, but the Jacques/Horcoff/Brule line worked tonight.  I think it was because they tried to play more physical rather than trying to be a finesse line.  Good on Brule for bringing it tonight.

#71 Lubomir Visnovsky (6) - He picked up an assist on the Brule goal and looked not bad throughout the game.  His penalty was the one that the Oilers were killing when Kessel scored his goal.  So in any other game lately, that would have caused a bad rash of consequences, but tonight it only made it 3-1.  He may have had 5 blocked shots (that's brave stuff), but he also had a team worst, 4 giveaways. Ouch. 

#77 Tom Gilbert (6.5) - Yeah that's right, a 6.5.  I can't decide between a 6 and a 7 so he gets that.  He was solid tonight.  Well, minus the 3 giveaways, but hey, who wasn't giving pucks away?  He only managed 1 shot in the Leafs zone but found time to block 3 shots in the Oilers end.  That Gilbert is a nice guy.  He also managed to pick up an assist on the last O'Sullivan PP goal.  Quinn sure has been giving lots of ice time and he's making the best out of it.  Is this a new and improved Gilbert?

#89 Sam Gagner (5) - He did his thing and it didn't wow me.  In fact, it's been awhile since he's made me go wow.  While he did have an decent night at faceoffs, he also had 3 giveaways.  He seems to do a stupid pass or two every game.  It's not that they are stupid passes, just weak wristed ones and they usually don't turn out good.  He didn't get a shot on net and other than the OK faceoffs, he had nothing else to show.  Could something be ailing him? EDIT: He did get rocked hard in the game but seemed to shake it off. But it hurt.

LIVE *TweetCast* Edmonton Oilers vs. Toronto Maple Leafs (12-30-09)

Welcome everyone to another fine TweetCast by Oilers Jambalaya.

Tonight Smokin` Ray is doing the player grades for the Cult of Hockey - Edmonton Journal. Feel free to tell us what grades you would give. He may just use them.

Feel free to comment by typing in the box below. It`s easy and no signup required.

We hope you enjoy the TweetCast and GOILERS!


You Picked Who? - Team Canada Olympic Roster


Listening to this team being picked... this is what my face looked like in the picture above.

Holy crap I am dissapointed in the Team Canada selections. 

Patrice Bergeron is on this team?  And (possibly) on the 1st line with Crosby? What the hell?  Drew Doughty and Brent Seabrook also made the team over Jay Bouwmeester and Mike Green? How is this possible?

No Ryan Smyth? I don't get it.  No Vinny Lecavalier or Marty St. Louis? *scratches head*

No Shane Doan either? Shocking.

Now the grand daddy of shockers for me... no Dustin Penner. Most of you don't care but I do.  He is awesome this year and he's doing it with slugs.  Imagine if he was reunited with Perry and Getzlaf?  But I don't understand why you would tell Penner he has a chance when it's clear they weren't going to pick him? I don't get it.  But then again, I'm an emotional guy and I had a different team than what Steve Yzerman picked.

So who did make it?

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Goalies

Marty Broduer
Roberto Luongo
Marc-Andre Fleury

DEFENCE

Dan Boyle
Drew Doughty
Duncan Keith
Scott Niedermayer (Team Captain)
Chris Pronger (Alternate Captain)
Brent Seabrook
Shea Weber

FORWARDS

Patrice Bergeron
Sidney Crosby (Alternate Captain)
Ryan Getzlaf
Dany Heatley
Jarome Iginla (Alternate Captain)
Patrick Marleau
Brendan Morrow
Rick Nash
Corey Perry
Mike Richards
Eric Staal
Joe Thornton
Jonathan Toews

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I like the Niedermayer pick for Captain.  I've known him for a long time and he's won everything there is.  He is by far the best choice for team Captain.

I don't mind the assistants either. Also good picks. 

They guys I didn't think should be on the team are: Bergeron, Staal, Morrow, Seabrook and Doughty.  But I don't pick the team so who cares what I wanted. Right?

Either way, it's a good team so let's just hope this team wins gold or the country will riot.  GO CANADA!!!


-Smokin' Ray-

Monday, December 28, 2009

WAKE UP PAT QUINN!


I'm sorry but the Beers & Jeers Recap is going to have to wait. It will be done but I can't stand this anymore. - The Oilers lost 4-1 in a game where they crapped themselves and lost again for the seventh time. Oh... and Kipper was pretty darn good. -

So what in the hell is Quinn thinking? It's funny that nobody is having an old fashioned freak out over the way Quinn changes the lines and still has no chemistry.  Well I'm going to. 

It's getting absolutely stupid.  At the beginning of the year he claimed that he liked to have pairs and the 3rd guy is interchangeable. OK. Fair enough. WHERE ARE THE PAIRS? What happened to Brule and Penner? What? Forgot that they are good together?  I suppose you like to score only 1 goal a game. WAKE UP PAT QUINN!

This coaching staff is starting to make themselves look stupid.  You keep throwing out these odd ball lines and "at the end of the day" they don't work.  You need to listen to yourselves.  Re watch your own damn videos.  Look at the stats and you see what? This is a team that only scores one goal a game now.  WAKE UP PAT QUINN!

Then you have a game like tonight where Cogliano drops the gloves and wants to go with Dustin Boyd. He does a good job and seems fired up. Then he starts flying around and gets some chances. But guess what Quinn does? He keeps him on the line with Stortini and Moreau. What the hell man? Two slugs and a speedster that's revved up? This does not make sense at all. Isn't this the kind of player that SHOULD be promoted DURING a game? Shouldn't Cogliano at least taken O'Sullivan's spot? WAKE UP PAT QUINN!

Game after game, time after time, Staios and Moreau take a Bad Timing Penalty late in a game. DO NOT PLAY THESE CLOWNS IN THE 3RD PERIOD. Should I say that again or did you u-n-d-e-r-s-t-a-n-d that? Moreau is the shittiest Captain that I have ever seen.  Remove his letter on his jersey immediately. Can you look at us right in the face and tell us that he really does deserve it? He's dragging this team down. Either the letter goes or he goes completely. WAKE UP PAT QUINN!

You pull Grebeshkov in favour of Strudwick? Is Strudwick going to even make the 6th squad for Team Canada? Yeah... didn't think so. If you want him in that bad, pull O'Sullivan or Moreau or Staios, they all suck balls. WAKE UP PAT QUINN!

Maybe I'm just over reacting, but I doubt it.  Why don't you re-read this and tell me if things have changed. I don't think they have.

WAKE UP PAT QUINN!  I/we are getting sick of this.  Pfft.  Saviour my ass.

-Smokin' Ray-

LIVE *TweetCast* of Edmonton Oilers vs Calgary Flames

Welcome to another fine instalment of a LIVE interactive *TweetCast* by Oilers Jambalaya.  Paq Twinn is back and he will be tweeting this game.  We hope you enjoy what we have here and come back again next time.

Remember, you don't have to sign up for anything.  Just type in the box at the bottom of the Cover It Live box and it will be posted. GOILERS!






Sunday, December 27, 2009

#101 B&J Edmonton Oilers Recap vs Canucks (12/26/09)


Welcome to Oilers Jambalaya - An Edmonton Oilers Hockey Blog. Beers & Jeers is a dual collaboration between Smokin' Ray and Paq Twinn. We hope you enjoy our Edmonton Oilers full game recap.

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- Who's Out? Who's in? The lineup stays the same.  No changes. But once again, the coaches change the lines. Again.

- Paq Twinn is on holidays and I'm going solo on this one. Ahhh... just like the old days.

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Pre-Game Records

Edmonton Oilers (15-18-4) at Vancouver Canucks (21-16-0)

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TONIGHT'S STARTING LINES

Edmonton Oilers

Penner-Gagner-Nilsson
Stone-Horcoff-Brule
Jacques-Potulny-O'Sullivan
Moreau-Stortini-Cogliano

Smid-Visnovsky
Souray-Gilbert
Grebeshkov-Staios

Deslauriers
Dubnyk

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**These are Re-Tweets of Paq Twinn featuring Smokin' Ray, during the LIVE *TweetCast* at http://twitter.com/OilersJambalaya/edmontonoilerstweetcast  You can also follow/join along at our LIVE interactive *TweetCast* right here at Oilers Jambalaya during every Edmonton Oiler game.**



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FINAL SCORE

Edmonton Oilers - 1

Vancouver Canucks - 4

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GAME VIDEO REPLAY



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GAME SUMMARY SHEETS

(click to enlarge)

(click to enlarge)

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BAD TIMING PENALTY

Ethan Moreau - The awesome Captain took a stupid penalty in the 2nd (which was later followed by a Potulny delay of game, but was an accident).  He interfered with Luongo and had to go sit for two.  Yes folks... another offensive zone penalty.  The Canucks scored on the 5 on 3 and then again on the 5 on 4.  Thanks Captain. Great Leading.

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GAME STAT SHEET

(click to enlarge)

(click to enlarge)


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BEERS

None - None deserving of a beer.

HONORABLE MENTION(S): Jeff Deslauriers (He had a good game other than the PP goals scored on him. The team could have scored to help him out.), Gilbert Brule (I thought he was pretty good. While other Oilers were dragging along, he was busting his ass.), Ryan Potulny (He scored the Oilers only goal with a nice/lucky shot.  Mind you that's all he did.), Gilbert/Souray Combo (They have been pretty good together lately and tonights game was no different. I liked them.), Zack Stortini (He had a pretty good tilt with Rick Rypien.  Probably a draw.)

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JEERS

The EntireTeam - You guys sucked.  You are now on a six game losing streak.  You guys left your goalie hung out to dry.  In two games you have two goals. WTF? Boooooo!

HONORABLE MENTION(S): The Coaching Staff (Why do you guys insist on changing the lines all the time?  Leave Brule with Penner.  Leave Stone and Nilsson together.  And for god sakes... quit putting out Moreau and Staios in the 3rd period. They keep blowing games with stupid penalties.)

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OUR GAME SUMMARIES

Smokin' Ray - 6th loss in a row. *sigh*
Paq Twinn - He missed the game.

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POST GAME VIDEO REACTIONS



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GAME STATS

- Scoring Chances (MC79) *COMING SOON*

- Smokin' Ray/Player Grades (Cult of Hockey)

- Game Summary

- Event Summary

- Full NHL Play By Play

- Oilers Time On The Ice

- Opponents Time On The Ice

- Faceoff Report

- Shot Report

- Roster Report

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NEXT GAME

Edmonton Oilers vs. Calgary fLames
Mon, Dec 28/09
7:00 pm MT
Sportsnet West

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Thanks for stopping by and reading the Edmonton Oilers Full Game Recap. Don't forget that you can agree or disagree with us on Facebook and Twitter. Just look for Smokin' Ray Burnt and Paq Twinn. We will see you all next game. GOILERS!

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You can comment below without signing up! Pick Name/Url or Anonymous

Saturday, December 26, 2009

Cult of Hockey - Edmonton Journal Player Grades - Oilers vs Canucks (12/26/09)



This game would have been different if the Oilers could have killed off the penalties.  The 5 on 3 was the main game killer. Is this team on a downhill slide for the rest of the season?  Or do they turn it around and save face?

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The Cult of Hockey Grading System: 10-perfect game, 9 extraordinary, 8 great, 7 good, 6 above average, 5 average, 4 below average, 3 poor, 2 terrible, 1 deserves to be in minors.

#27 Dustin Penner (5) - Once again I liked what Penner brought to the table.  It's just too bad his line mates are weak.  The big guy drove to the net, blocked a Souray shot (by accident) and played well enough to look good. 

#89 Sam Gagner (4) - He played ok but was still over matched by the bigger players. You can tell by how many faceoffs he loses.  If it's a lot, then he's get out muscled throughout the game.  He didn't impress me much tonight.

#10 Shawn Horcoff (4) - I didn't notice him a whole lot. He was so-so and didn't really contribute a whole bunch.

#13 Andrew Cogliano (5) - Cogliano had some good moments in this game. I thought he drove to the net pretty good but he needed to shoot the puck when he had good opportunities. 

#19 Patrick O'Sullivan (5) - He didn't really stand out but did pick up the assist on the Potulny goal.  The fans really want this guy gone/traded and you would think that would be motivation for him to do better. But it really doesn't seem so, does it?
#67 Gilbert Brule (6) - He played a great positional game and made no mistakes.  I really liked him tonight.  He had 3 hits and had 2 shots and really buzzed around.  One of the better Oilers tonight.

#18 Ethan Moreau (4) - He had two great chances tonight.  But other than that, he did nothing. He had 3 shots and 1 hit.  Isn't hitting people supposed to be part of his repertoire?

#22 JF Jacques (4) - Another "JFWho?" game.  He also only had 1 hit.  He seems to have the same problem as Moreau.  Isn't hitting supposed to be your thing?  1 hit really?

#16 Ryan Potulny (5) - He scores a nice/lucky goal and gets the Oilers on the board. He hustled a lot tonight.  I like the way he plays but he suits a more 3rd or 4th line type role rather than a 1st line guy and it reflected that better tonight. He would have had a 6, but he was that culprit who shot the puck over the glass.

#46 Zack Stortini (5) - He threw some good hits and had a good tilt with Rick Rypien.  At the start of the fight he was slugging him with a forearm drag punch to soften him up.  After that it was all meat clubs that he hit him with.  I was a little stunned that Rypien pulled his helmet down during the fight for protection.  How weak is that?  Quinn needs to play him more.

#32 Ryan Stone (5) - He was ok.  I didn't yell at him so that must be a good thing.  I liked his big hits and had 4 on the night.  But that's all he contributed to.  He didn't do much else.

#12 Robert Nilsson (5) - I don't think he's a fit on the 1st line with Penner and Gagner.  Brule is a better choice.  He took 2 shots and blocked 2 shots.  Not really 1st line stats.

#44 Sheldon Souray (6) - He played a pretty good game. I liked how he played.  He led the team in ice time but needed to hit the net more.

#71 Lubomir Visnovsky (5) - He was the third star of the game.  I don't know why.  He had 2 shots and 2 hits.  Other than that he was just ok.  Nothing special here.

#77 Tom Gilbert (6) - He's starting to figure out Souray and they are playing pretty good hockey together.  He played another decent game and quietly logged a ton of minutes again. He made all the right decisions and earned the trust of Quinn.  Is he morphing in front of our eyes?

#24 Steve Staios (5) - He played alright.  He blocked a few shots and didn't make any glaring mistakes.  I've been liking him more lately.  I've been respecting his playing style more and more.

#5 Ladislav Smid (5) - He played ok.  He didn't stand out as being good, but he didn't suck either.  He only had 2 hits and could have done more in that area.

#37 Denis Grebeshkov (4) - The worst of the defence.  He had 2 giveaways and looked kind of bad all game.  Is this still rust from the injury, or does the "bad Grebeshkov" make an appearance once in a while still?

#38 Jeff Drouin-Deslauriers (6) - He kept this team in the game, but was burned on two power play goals that sunk it for the Oilers.  He did what he could, but the team couldn't score.  It's too bad, he deserved a win.

#40 Devan Dubnyk (N/A) - He did not play

LIVE *TweetCast* (Journal Player Grades) at Oilers Jambalaya - Oilers vs Canucks (12/26/09)

Welcome everyone to another fine TweetCast by Oilers Jambalaya.  Paq Twinn is on holidays so you are going to be reading a Smokin' Ray TweetCast.  I can only hope I do as well as Paq does.

Tonight I am doing the player grades for the Cult of Hockey - Edmonton Journal.  Feel free to tell me what grades you would give.  I may just use them.

GOILERS!


Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Happy Holidays from Oilers Jambalaya



Happy Holidays everyone! 

Here at Oilers Jambalaya we want to wish everyone a safe and fun filled holiday.  Forget for a moment that we cheer for a lackluster, sub par hockey club and embrace your loved ones on this holiday season.  We have boxing day to be pissed off at the tv. *wink*

Oilers vs. Canucks / 8:00pm start Saturday night on CBC.

Happy Holidays everyone... and be safe.

-Smokin' Ray Burnt & Paq Twinn-

The Big 100 - Beers & Jeers Oilers Recap vs Wild (12/23/09)



Welcome to Oilers Jambalaya - An Edmonton Oilers Hockey Blog. Beers & Jeers is a dual collaboration between Smokin' Ray and Paq Twinn. We hope you enjoy our Edmonton Oilers full game recap.

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- Who's Out? Who's in? No player changes as the roster stays the same as last game. The lines change but not the roster.  Strudwick is the only healthy scratch.

- This is the 100th Beers & Jeers that I have written.  I'm happy to make it to 100.  It's a huge accomplishment for Oilers Jambalaya. YAY! *balloons fall*

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Pre-Game Records

Edmonton Oilers (15-17-4) vs. Minnesota Wild (17-16-3)

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TONIGHT'S STARTING LINES

Edmonton Oilers

Penner-Potulny-Brule
Jacques-Horcoff-O'Sullivan
Moreau-Gagner-Cogliano
Stone-Stortini-Nilsson

Smid-Visnovsky
Souray-Gilbert
Strudwick-Staios

Deslauriers
Dubnyk

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**These are Re-Tweets of Paq Twinn featuring Smokin' Ray, during the LIVE *TweetCast* at http://twitter.com/OilersJambalaya/edmontonoilerstweetcast  You can also follow/join along at our LIVE interactive *TweetCast* right here at Oilers Jambalaya during every Edmonton Oiler game.**



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FINAL SCORE

Edmonton Oilers - 1

Minnesota Wild - 3

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GAME VIDEO REPLAY



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GAME SUMMARY SHEETS

(click to enlarge)

(click to enlarge)

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BAD TIMING PENALTY

Shawn Horcoff - The dumbass took a lazy hooking penalty and cost the Oilers some momentum. In fact all it did was give the Wild momentum.  Terrible leadership on his part.  How come the younger players never take any BTP?

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GAME STAT SHEET

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BEERS

Robert Nilsson - All in all Bobby played pretty solid.  I liked his goal and he didn't really make many mistakes.  He played limited minutes but managed to make an impact. Good for him. He's been good since returning from injury.  Good game Bobby. How about a cold beer? Cheers!

Jeff Deslauriers - Jeff came in and played a heck of a game.  He was the Oilers best player and kept them in it right up to the end.  It's just too bad that the Oilers just couldn't score tonight or this could have been a win.  Stand up job Jeff.  It's Miller time... Cheers!

Sheldon Souray - I liked how he played.  He was a lot better this game rather than the last one.  He ended up +1 and played 20:06 despite sitting for 5 for fighting.  I liked that fight as well.  It was a couple of old balls slinging the knuckles.  I always love it when Shelly shows his emotion.  I like the way he leads. How about a frosty mug of Stella? Thought so... *high five* Cheers!

Tom Gilbert - Gilbert has been pretty good for the last while and he hasn't got much credit.  I liked they was he's been playing and I guess so has Quinn.  I was a little surprised that he led the team with 25:15 of ice time.  Wow! That says a lot from a guy like Quinn.  He picks up an assist and blocks 3 shots. The guy even had 2 decent hits.  Who the hell is this guy? Care for a Budweiser and a new pair of shoes Gibby? Cheers!

HONORABLE MENTION(S): Sam Gagner (He was pretty good.  He had 4 shots and went 7W-4L=64% on faceoffs.), Ryan Stone (Had a good fight and ended +1),

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JEERS

Patrick O'Sullivan - Were you expecting two other guys to be here?  Yeah your right O'Sullivan... it's not your fault. Booooooo!

Shawn Horcoff - No shots? A -2? No hits?  Umm... I think you need to do more than that in order to not get booed.  Brutal bad game by Horcoff.  He topped it off by taking a stupid hooking penalty with 5:00 minutes to go.  How is the team supposed to build momentum when they have to kill off you penalty? Boooooo!

HONORABLE MENTION(S): None

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OUR GAME SUMMARIES

Smokin' Ray - What a crappy way to start Christmas.  Thanks for the loss guys.  And here I thought that this game would be a good one... you know... it's the 100th Beers & Jeers.  The Oilers played well enough to win but couldn't score.  It's too bad because I really thought that they could do it.  But they didn't and now it's time to focus on our own families.  Let's just try and not be depressed.  so let's all get drunk and have a great Christmas.  Happy Holidays everyone.  See you all on Boxing Day.

Paq Twinn - Hmm....uuuhhhh.....well......ummm, how do put this delicately?. For the 2nd game in a row, the Oilers were out played by (no disrespect) a team that should be below us. When I say should be, I mean ideally. This team just proved that everyone, that has said how inconsistently brutal this team is, was RIGHT. Like really, how do you win 5 in a row on the road then come home and absolutely shit the bed and wind up losing the next 5 games. Only in Edmonton could you possibly say that you weren't surprised. It really is unfortunate that Mr. Tambellini has some SERIOUS thinking to do, during the holidays. But its time to fish or cut bait, sir. Game Grade: D

Merry Christmas everyone.
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POST GAME VIDEO REACTIONS



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GAME STATS

- Scoring Chances (MC79)

- David Staples/Player Grades (Cult of Hockey)

- Game Summary

- Event Summary

- Full NHL Play By Play

- Oilers Time On The Ice

- Opponents Time On The Ice

- Faceoff Report

- Shot Report

- Roster Report

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

NEXT GAME

Edmonton Oilers (15-18-4) vs. Vancouver Canucks (21-16-0)


Sat, Dec 26/09
8:00 pm MT
CBC

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

Thanks for stopping by and reading the Edmonton Oilers Full Game Recap. Don't forget that you can agree or disagree with us on Facebook and Twitter. Just look for Smokin' Ray Burnt and Paq Twinn. We will see you all next game. GOILERS!

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

You can comment below without signing up! Pick Name/Url or Anonymous

Oilers vs Wild / LIVE TweetCast with Paq Twinn (join the fun)


Once again, Oilers Jambalaya presents another LIVE interactive TweetCast (#5). It's as easy as typing what you want to say and hitting send. It's that easy. (NO SIGNUP REQUIRED)

So sit back and enjoy the TweetCast by Paq Twinn featuring Smokin' Ray. Feel free to participate or just follow along.





Another Adventure with Smokin' Ray Burnt - Oilers vs Blues


Well I woke up in the morning (December 21/09) excited about what is going to transpire throughout the day.  Finally we (Paq Twinn and myself) get to go to an Oiler game this year.  David Staples was kind enough to ask me if I wanted to go.  I'm not an idiot, so I said yes.  He had me at free tickets to the Edmonton Journal luxury box.  Free? SOLD!

So as I prepare myself for the day/trip ahead of me - I live in Stettler - I was trying to plan things out.  Oiler jersey? check.  Oiler hat? check.  Oilers watch? check.  All my usual nerdy Oiler paraphernalia? check. Ok, set to go. 




Normally I would take our van as it's a pretty decent vehicle.  But the wife needed it to pick up the daughter at day care.  So I'm going to drive my 1991 Crown Victoria.  It's usually my "go to work car", but for that moment, it was my "get me to the Rexall car", Oilers license plate and all.  Edmonton Oilers, here I come.




So once I fuel up and get out of town it's 1:45pm.  Forty five minutes behind schedule, but that's ok, I have lots of time. It's only just over two hours to drive to Edmonton from Stettler.  So up highway 21 I go.  Roads were pretty decent.  As I'm driving along I'm listening to the OilersLunch.  The whole time I'm listening to Bob I was getting grossed out.  How much spit does he have in his mouth?  Imagine using the microphone after him? Eww.

The whole way up I'm cruising at 100 kph.  Like I said, the roads were decent.  But as soon as I turn off 21 and make my way to the Anthony Henday, I can see the traffic slowing down.  The roads were way worse here.  What the hell is going on I'm thinking. Why does everything look so different?  Ahhh... maybe it's because it's getting dark.  It's 4:20 and Paq sends me a text. "Where are you?", he asks.  "Not far away", I replied.  "Be there soon".

Before I know it, the whole jam is at a stand still.  I start to panic a little but manage to calm myself down.  I'm going to the Oilers game man.  Chill out.  Well...




I was in that line for what seemed like forever.  It was 5:49 before we started moving faster.  Figures... I get up to the crash site and the cops shut their lights off and drive away.  Just my luck.

At 6:00 pm I realise that I screwed up somewhere.  Where am I?  Why is the Anthony Henday so screwed up?  EVERYTHING IS SCREWED UP!

So I figure out where I am - almost in Spruce Grove! - and start heading back to the west - where I came from *sigh* - and it's off to Paq's house.  On the way to his place I almost spin out from black ice under an overpass by the Yellowhead casino but I managed to pull out of it.  Underwear check after that.  Minutes later some jackass in a 4x4 tries to pass everyone and almost spins out as well.  He's lucky he saved himself because there was cars all around him, including me.

So now it's 6:30pm and I finally reach Paq's house.  He jumps in and off we go to the Journal office.  Traffic is still all stupid and we manage to work our way down to downtown.  We run in and get the tickets. SWEET!




 HOLY CRAP!  Look at the time.  We have 15 minutes till the puck drops.  Better hurry.  So we snake our way around the traffic and get on 118 th ave.  I ask Paq if we should just park on the west side of the tracks.  Just as I do that I decide on my own that I don't like that side of Rexall.  Ok.  I'm going to park by Axe Music (I love that place) and I feel like it's safer as it's a little better of a neighbourhood.  Did you know it costs $12 to park around there?  I was stunned.  The last time I had to park it was $8-10 to park.  So this guy waves at us and I thought, "FINALLY there is some good luck."  The spot is in front of Kid Sport.  I also like that place so if you have anything to donate to them please do so.  It's a good charity.

Anyways, so we park there and I ask him how much to park here. You know.. thinking it's $12 like the rest.  Nope.  He says it's $14.  I'm sure my eyes bugged out a little.  Then he busts into it's for charity speech.  I tell him it's ok and that I know the Kid Sport program.  Ahh, it's Christmas, I would have given him $20.

So off to the game we go.  Cross the road, past the scalpers, and up to the main doors.  By this time we are excited and can't wait to get in.  Tickets please.  No problem. Scanned and we are in. SWEET!

Random coat check.  He goes straight for Paq.  Again... no problem.  After a pretty thorough check he asks to see in his smoke pack.  Just then he looks at me and I look at him. *heart sinks* He completely forgets what was in there.  He just grabbed a pack off his counter and boogied out the door when I picked him up.  Wrong pack of smokes.  Sh*t!

As I try and throw my pack out for him to see and rip open my jacket to try and grab his attention, he shrugs me off and is only concerned with Paq.  "Come with me", he says.  *heart sinks again* They never did search me.

Just then, Gagner scores and we hear everything.  Damn it!  Gagner's my guy and I just missed his goal.  Whatever right?  We will be on our way soon. 

Nope.  20 minutes later I'm told that he is banned from Rexall property for 24 hours.  "Seriously?", I ask. For one little left handed cigarette? You have got to be kidding?  You should have seen those security guards eyeing that "smoke" up.  It was like he was thinking of a way to keep it and not turn it in.  Bunch of jackasses.  Although... at this moment, we were the jackasses.  It was an honest mistake and no bad intentions were thought of.  But sh*t happens and tonight was the night.

So when a friend is in need of help, I do that.  What can I say, I'm a good friend.  Not once did I consider ditching him and going to watch the game.  Not once.  I could have, it would have been easy to do but didn't.




So I get my ticket scanned so I can get back in and out the door we go.  All the way off the property and back across the street and back to the Crown Victoria and my $14 parking spot. *palm in face* My poor $14 parking spot.  The best spot ever.

In the car we go and I tell Paq I'll drive him home.  I take the poor guy home, and at this time he feels like a pile of Calgary fLame sh*t.  On one hand I feel so bad for the guy.  On the other... I started to laugh at "our" luck.  Why does screwed up stuff always happen to us? This isn't the first time that plans have gone array.  So I drop Paq off at home - the 1st period just ended - and I'm heading back to Rexall.  All I could think about was my $14 parking spot.  Is it there?  Will the guy remember me?

Somehow no one is in my spot and I take it back like I never left.  Ok.  Time to get inside Rexall... for real this time.  I run in and as luck would have it, I found the suite as it is close to the main doors.  I walk in and finally get to meet David Staples.  What a super nice guy he is.  Very personable.  I need a beer after all that so I go and get one. Mmmmm... tastes good.




The 2nd period is just getting under way and that's ok by me.  All that driving, I'm at least going to get to watch two periods.  Yay me!  As I sit (I was actually standing because my ass was sore from driving), I couldn't help but feel bad for Paq.  He waited just as long as I had to see a game.  Here I am sitting in a luxury box, drinking a beer and he's at home, most likely not very impressed.  I text him my sympathies.

So the game kind of sucked anyways but dammit, I'm trying to have fun.  Damn! The Blues score.  Again and again. Ugh!




At least I did see Penner's goal.  I was thankful for that.  So the 2nd period is over and I better go outside to calm down a little and have a smoke.  What?  Smokin' Ray smokes?  Shocking isn't it?  So out I go.  On my way, because the doors are right there, I beat the flow of people.  Who's that over there?  There is two people in line and I thought I should check it out. 




It was goaltender Sami Jo Small from the Women's Olympic Hockey team.  Sweet!  So I barely wait and it's now my turn.  I didn't know what to do so I pulled out my ticket to have her sign it (no way in hell I'm letting her write on my 1990 Bill Ranford jersey. I traded a pizza for it in the summer of 1990 with this dumbass that rented the suite at my parents house. I guess he was hungry?).  So I hand her the ticket and she signs it. 




We chit chat a little and I wish her/them luck on winning gold in Vancouver.  She says thanks and I go to move on.  She then asks me if I want to see the 2002 Salt Lake City Gold medal.  What a cool looking medal.  It gave me that feeling of greatness (much like the Stanley Cup does but it's not quite the same) and right then and there I imagined both of my girls winning one together someday. Oh how sweet would that be? 




Then she asks me if I want to hold it - usually it's the guy asking that question *wink* - and I say sure.  That medal was heavy. I bet around 2 pounds.  It was incredible to touch/hold it.  Very empowering.  I then say thanks again and move on so other people don't waste the whole intermission waiting for me. (Later when I get home I wonder If by touching it, did I screw my girls over at winning it down the road?  Is it the same as the Stanley Cup? Like a fool, I've touched that also in the past.)

So out to the Gretzky statue I go.  as I stand there and smoke this young couple asks me if I could take their picture with their camera.  Hey, I've been here before and I know how special that statue is to people.  So no problem, I can do that. I take two pictures of them and they thank me and off they go (they were having their own adventure.)  As I am getting ready to go back inside these two guys were just finishing smoking a joint right there in front of the building.  What?!?

They reeked like the stuff and I decide to follow them into the arena.  I chuckle to myself that these two are going to get the shake down at the door.  Nope.  Turns out they know the guy (same guy that busted Paq) at the door and high five him and continue on with whatever it is that they were going to do.  WTF is that all about?  They were just smoking the sh*t and they don't get tossed out?  Paq was doing nothing wrong and he gets punted?  Again... WHAT THE FU*K?





Whatever... I head over and get a beer and go back to the luxury box.  David Staples, Jonathan Willis, Bruce McCurdy and Lisa McRitchie are all talking hockey so I join in.  I'm sure I chimed in with some crazy Smokin' Ray thought and was given a strange look.  We then all sat down to enjoy the 3rd period.  GOILERS!




As I looked around I wondered where Katz sits.  I ask David and he laughed.  Katz rarely goes to games.  What?  The self appointed super fan doesn't attend games to a team he owns?  How is that possible? Super fan my ass.  What is it with the Oilers and their penchant for claiming stuff that isn't possible?  Super fan claims... Win the division claims... A team that competes claim... why waste your breath?  Oiler fans are not stupid.




So the Oilers gets kicked in the balls and lose 7-2 and the crowd is clearly upset.  Boo's are tossed out - including myself - and the Oilers leave the ice.  I can't believe the game is over. *sigh* We all chat it up for a bit longer and people start to disperse.  I make a joke that I don't want to leave, but I really wasn't joking.  I was sad that it was over.  What a night so far...




I thank David once again and wish him a merry Christmas and I head out the doors back to my $14 parking stall.  Well Edmonton... it's been a slice.  I call the wife and tell her I am on my way home. Off I go. 

Now I'm heading east on the Yellowhead and I turn at my usual ramp to head by Sherwood Park and then down to Camrose.  The traffic is flowing and the place looks different but no matter... I keep driving.  I'm going home.

The next thing I know... I'm at the West Edmonton Mall. What? I HATE THE ANTHONY HENDAY!!! I lived in Edmonton for 5 years and never once got lost.  Never.  Now I'm lost twice in one day? *sigh*

So now that I am at WEM I turn around and screw it, I'm just going to take Highway 2 south.  The roads were not bad but every time a semi truck goes by you you go blind for 10 seconds.  Is there a corner coming up? Don't know.  Is there a car in front of me? Don't know.  That was the scariest part of the whole trip.  Twice I tried to turn off on a secondary road and get back to highway 21.  Every time the roads were the sh*ts so I would turn around and go back to #2.  I finally make it to Lacombe and slowly drive back to Stettler. 

It's 2:00am and I'm tired and at home.  What a day. 

It's funny because I just said to my wife that since we have had our first daughter we don't have any crazy adventures anymore. This sort of thing used to happen a lot to me.  I even told her I miss that kind of fun... well until this trip.

All in all I did have fun.  I met some great bloggers and held a gold medal.  At one point I swear I seen Hillary Duff and Paul Comrie while I was waiting for Paq at the holding area, but most likely not.  Why watch the Oilers if Mike isn't playing?

I thank David Staples once again for the opportunity to see a game in a great luxury box like that.  I appreciate it.  And I should apologise to the readers of this story if you think it's a gay story.  It was interesting while it happened.  What's the next adventure bring?

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

B&J #99 - Edmonton Oilers vs St. Louis Blues Recap (12/21/09)



Welcome to Oilers Jambalaya - An Edmonton Oilers Hockey Blog. Beers & Jeers is a dual collaboration between Smokin' Ray and Paq Twinn. We hope you enjoy our Edmonton Oilers full game recap.

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- Who's Out? Who's in? Grebeshkov draws back in and Strudwick sits out.

- What we have tonight is a battle of the crappy teams.  Both the Oilers and the Blues are at the bottom of the Western Conference barrel.  The loser of this game will be last in the West, nevermind the fact that St. Louis has one game in hand.  Oh the good times in Oilerville.  If you asked me if this is how I thought "our" Christmas would turn out, I would have laughed.  Who's laughing now?  Not me.  Happy Holidays. *sigh*

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Pre-Game Records

Edmonton Oilers (15-16-4) vs. St. Louis Blues (14-14-5)

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TONIGHT'S STARTING LINES

Edmonton Oilers

Penner-Gagner-Brule
Stone-Horcoff-O'Sullivan
Moreau-Potulny-Cogliano
Jacques-Stortini-Nilsson

Smid-Visnovsky
Souray-Gilbert
Strudwick-Staios

Deslauriers
Dubnyk

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**These are Re-Tweets of Paq Twinn featuring Smokin' Ray, during the LIVE *TweetCast* at http://twitter.com/OilersJambalaya/edmontonoilerstweetcast You can also follow along at our LIVE interactive *TweetCast* right here at Oilers Jambalaya during every Edmonton Oiler game.**



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FINAL SCORE

St. Louis Blues - 7

Edmonton Oilers - 2

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GAME VIDEO REPLAY



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GAME SUMMARY SHEETS

(click to enlarge)


(click to enlarge)


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BAD TIMING PENALTY

Ethan Moreau - His end of the game lapse of good judgement was a huge dissapointment.  Even though it didn't really affect the outcome of the game, Ethan Moreau pulled a boner. He was knocked down by a clean hit by T.J. Oshie and responded with a trip.  Then like that wasn't stupid enough, he has to crosscheck him in the back.  And just when you think that was it, he tries to start stuff with the goalie Mason.  This guy is classy.  And he's the captain?

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GAME STATS
(click to enlarge)


(click to enlarge)



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BEERS

None -

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JEERS

The Entire Team - That was the most brutal game this year.  BOOOOOOO!

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OUR GAME SUMMARIES

Smokin' Ray - I drove a lot of hours and the roads sucked. There is a good story to this and I'll be posting it soon.  That was the worst game of the year and the Oilers are looking very bad right now.  The fans are pissed and so they should be.  But where do we go from here?

Paq Twinn - *coming soon*

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POST GAME VIDEO REACTIONS



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

GAME STAT LINKS

- Scoring Chances (MC79)

- David Staples/Player Grades (Cult of Hockey)

- Game Summary

- Event Summary

- Full NHL Play By Play

- Oilers Time On The Ice

- Opponents Time On The Ice

- Faceoff Report

- Shot Report

- Roster Report

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

NEXT GAME

Edmonton Oilers (15-16-4) vs. Minnesota Wild (17-15-3)


Wed, Dec 23/09
5:00 pm MT
Sportsnet West

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Thanks for stopping by and reading the Edmonton Oilers Full Game Recap. Don't forget that you can agree or disagree with us on Facebook and Twitter. Just look for Smokin' Ray Burnt and Paq Twinn. We will see you all next game. GOILERS!

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

You can comment below without signing up! Pick Name/Url or Anonymous

Monday, December 21, 2009

*LIVE TweetCast #4* - The LIVE Game Day Experience (12/21/09)

Welcome to Oilers Jambalaya.  Today is a special day.  Today, both Smokin' Ray and Paq Twinn will be at the game tonight.  So what you say?  Well no one is here to moderate the comments.  But go ahead and say what you want and when we get home we will un-moderate all the comments and they will get published. 

During the day you can check in and see what is going on.  Smokin' Ray is travelling to Edmonton from Stettler starting at 1:30pm and he will be tweeting the entire trip.  Maybe something interesting happens? It will be Tweeted.  What is Paq Twinn doing before the game starts?  It will be Tweeted.  Stay tuned for all the updates.

So follow along and see what kind of crazy fun we can come up with.  If you are at the game and want to, we smoke at the Gretzky statue at the intermissions.  Come find us if you want to talk.  Just drop the code word: Jambalaya Soup

A special thanks to David Staples from the Cult of Hockey and the Edmonton Journal for providing us with tickets to the Edmonton Journal luxury box for this game.  What a night it will be. So look for us.  We will be cheering.  And cheering loudly.  GOILERS!


Sunday, December 20, 2009

#98 Beers and Jeers Edmonton Oilers game Recap (12/19/09)



Welcome to Oilers Jambalaya - An Edmonton Oilers Hockey Blog. Beers & Jeers is a dual collaboration between Smokin' Ray and Paq Twinn. We hope you enjoy our Edmonton Oilers full game recap.

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- Who's Out? Who's in? Grebeshkov doesn't play tonight, so Strudwick draws back in.  Nilsson and O'Sullivan also change spots on their lines. Other than that, it all stays the same.

- CBC has a great new application that they are using for the HNIC brodcasts.  Go here to check it out. It's pretty cool.  I had the camera fixed on Quinn for the game.  He sure chews that gum.

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Pre-Game Records

Washington Capitals (21-8-6) at Edmonton Oilers (15-15-4)

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TONIGHT'S STARTING LINES

Penner-Gagner-Brule
Stone-Horcoff-O'Sullivan
Moreau-Potulny-Cogliano
Jacques-Stortini-Nilsson

Smid-Visnovsky
Souray-Gilbert
Strudwick-Staios

Deslauriers
Dubnyk

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

**These are Re-Tweets of Paq Twinn's LIVE TweetCast© at www.Twitter.com/PaqTwinn or you can follow along at our interactive LIVE TweetCast right here at Oilers Jambalaya**



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GAME HIGHLIGHTS



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FINAL SCORE

Washington Capitals - 4

Edmonton Oilers - 2

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BAD TIMING PENALTY

None - Gilbert shooting the puck out of play right after the Gagner penalty should have been the BTP.  But watching the replay, it was a deflection.  The referee's were terrible again tonight.  I seen calls for both team that should have been calls. 

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GAME STATS


(click to enlarge)

(click to enlarge)

(click to enlarge)


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BEERS

None - Not one Oiler deserved a beer after that game.

HONORABLE MENTION(S): Zack Stortini (He played pretty good.), Robert Nilsson (He also was pretty decent.  The guy sure has changed.)

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JEERS

The Entire Team - You guys are really getting on people's nerves.  Seriously.  You blow another game that was yours in the bag after two periods.  WTF is going on?  WE NEED BETTER RESULTS! BOOOOOO!

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OUR GAME SUMMARIES

Smokin' Ray - There isn't much to say.  The Oilers were winning up until the 3rd period.  Then the fell apart.  Again.  Deslauriers was looking hot to trot.  In the 3rd, he looked like a ECHL goalie.  It just gets a little old when you watch game after game, loss after loss.  The end is coming near.  It's just a matter of how soon.

Paq Twinn - The Oilers came out and did what they had to in order to survive the 1st period, against a very dangerous Capitals team. In the 2nd the Oilers scored twice to take a 2-0 lead into the second intermission. My computer crapped out on me at the start of the 3rd, and just in time, cause the Oilers crapped the bed in the 3rd. The Capitals, lead by Ovechkin, had tied up the game by the 7 minute mark of the 3rd. 10 minutes later they were up 4-2. I didn't see much of the 3rd but the Oilers must have had a brain crap like the last two games. When are these guys going to learn? For blowing yet another 2 goal lead and going down in a ball of flames, they get a D Game Grade.

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POST GAME REACTIONS

**Check Back Later**

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

GAME STATS

- Game Summary

- Event Summary

- Scoring Chances (MC79)

- David Staples/Player Grades (Cult of Hockey)

- Full NHL Play By Play

- Oilers Time On The Ice

- Opponents Time On The Ice

- Faceoff Report

- Shots Report

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

NEXT GAME

Edmonton Oilers (15-16-4) vs. St. Louis Blues (14-14-5)

Monday, Dec 21/09
7:00 pm MT
Sportsnet West

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

Thanks for stopping by and reading the Edmonton Oilers Full Game Recap. Don't forget that you can agree or disagree with us on Facebook and Twitter. Just look for Smokin' Ray Burnt and Paq Twinn. We will see you all next game. GOILERS!

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

You can comment below without signing up! Pick Name/Url or Anonymous

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Oilers Jambalaya is in no way, shape or form associated with the Edmonton Oilers or the Bakersfield Condors. This is a fans blog for fans. We happen to love those teams, so we write about them.