Showing posts with label Ales Kotalik. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ales Kotalik. Show all posts

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Daily news & rumors + Oilers talk

First off, I would like to congratulate the Oilers for finally picking up a win, now lets see if you can win 2 in a row.

TRADE

To the Flames:

F Ales Kotalik
F Chris Higgins

To the Rangers:

F Olli Jokinen
F Brandon Prust

Slava done in Atlanta?

Thrashers Forward Slava Kozlov has been a healthy scratch the last 2 games and will be a healthy scratch again tonight. Slava is obviously not happy about it and is being shopped by the Thrashers.

Nick Boynton

Nick Boynton clears waivers today at 12:00 ET, I would be surprised if he does not get claimed by someone.

**UPDATE** Nick Boynton has cleared waivers.

Caps call-up Alzner

The Washington Capitals have called-up Defenseman Karl Alzner.

Souray update

It looks like Sheldon Souray is done for the season with a broken hand.

Monday, February 1, 2010

Daily Rumors and Oilers talk

First off, I would like to wish the Oilers luck tonight against the Hurricanes, it should be a good game. As Oilers fans, do you want to win or lose tonight?

 
Kotalik 

According to CBC's Elliotte Friedman there was a trade in place (Prust and Jokinen for Kotalik and Higgins) but it caved in...more to come.  

*Update* - It may still happen but likely after Calgary's game tonight. Via Bob McKenzie

Bruins looking for depth

Also Jimmy Murphy of NESN.com suggests the Bruins are taking a good look at Matt Cullen and former Oiler Ray Whitney. 

Kovy to the Kings

Mark Everson of the NY Post is reporting that Atlanta Thrashers GM Don Waddell was at the Kings/Devils game yesterday and suggests Don was scouting players that he would want in return for Ilya Kovalchuk.

Fantasy team of the week 

W - Alex Ovechkin (2G, 4A, 6P, 25 shots)
C  - Anze Kopitar (3G, 3A, 6P, 12 shots)
W - Jarome Iginla (3G, 4A, 7P, 13 shots)
D  - Nicklas Lidstrom (3G, 3A, 6P, 8 shots)
D  - Drew Doughty (2G, 2A, 4P, 4 shots)
G  - Jon Quick (4W, 8GA, 111SV, 0 SO)

Habs suffer big blow

According to Bob McKenzie of TSN Canadiens Forward Mike Cammalleri will be out 6 to 8 weeks with a knee injury.

Ducks place Boynton on waivers

The Anaheim Ducks have placed D Nick Boynton on waivers.


You can Follow Todd LIVE at http://twitter.com/toddnhltalk2

Saturday, April 11, 2009

Beers and Jeers #57 (Apr 10/09 vs. Calgary Flames)


I am going to skip most parts of the Beers and Jeers. Mainly because no one cares anymore. (well, I do.) The Oilers played well last night despite the fLames only dressing 15 players. The game had no life and it was strange to watch. The crowd was given a good show though.
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Tonight's Starting Lines

Kotalik Horcoff Hemsky
Nilsson Gagner O'Sullivan
Moreau Cogliano Pisani
MacIntyre Brodziak Penner

Souray Staios
Grebeshkov Gilbert
Chorney Peckham

Deslauriers

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FINAL SCORE

Calgary fLames - 1
Edmonton Oilers - 5
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BEERS

Steve MacIntyre - He was great. He scores the GWG and does it in fashion by crashing the net to score. He had a hit and played what seemed like a lot to me. (11:04 of ice time) He even had some PP time. And the funny part is he really didn't look out of place 5 on 5. Will he be back next year? For playing a hell of a game, have a cold frosty with me. Cheers!

Jeff Drouin-Deslauriers - He was solid. I am not sure why he hasn't played more? I look forward to the future of the Oilers. JDD will be one of our leaders in years to come. Great game JDD. Care for a mug o' beer? Cheers!

Theo Peckham - I like this guy. He seems to be coming along quite nicely. He seems to have a good hockey sense and that will only get better. He helped to carry Chorney for most of the game and only had a few mistakes. But who cares? He did well (4 blocked shots). How about a cold can of Molson? Cheers!

Patrick O'Sullivan - I thought that Sully played a great game. He had a ton of shots and finally scored his 2nd goal with the Oilers. 8 shots. Wow! Great game Sully, I look forward to next year. Have a cold one. Cheers!

Sheldon Souray - Souray also had a great game. He didn't have to play with that edge that he has and his game still worked well. His goal was a bomb and it was nice to see one last one before the season is over. Good game Souray. Beer? Cheers!

Honorable Mentions: Shawn Horcoff (Played well. Three point night and played a good all around game.), Ales Kotalik (scored a nice one timer. The better Ales tonight), Taylor Chorney (Although not an outstanding game, he will be good for the Oil someday soon. Good 1st game ever.)

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JEERS

There are none. Yay!

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Battle of Alberta #2 tonight. Let's Go Oilers!

Saturday, April 4, 2009

Beers and Jeers # 55 (Apr 4/09 vs. Vancouver Canucks)


*EDIT*

Roli is the oldest goalie to play more than 60 games in a season. Sweet. A record is a record.

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1st Period

Right off the hop Kotalik scores. Yeah! 1-0 Oilers. (Kotalik from Horcoff and Souray at 0:27) Nice start. At 2:03 Peckham has to go sit for 2:00. Oilers kill it off and start to get into the game more. The flow is great, barely any whistles in the first 7 minutes. Roli sure is looking sharp. Somehow Hemsky is the 1st man back and he trips up Burrows and he gets a penalty. WTF?!? First man back? Wow. Lucky for Hemmer the Oilers kill that one off. A short while later Hemsky tries to redeem himself by busting in and stick handling through a crowd and gets hooked by Edler. Oilers PP. They looked crappy. Terrible PP. But the Oilers get another PP at 15:28 and this unit looks a little better. They can't score on this one either, but like I said, they looked better. Just as the period is winding down, Rypien and Stortini want to go. Rypien pops Storts in the face on the first punch. Ouch! They have a good tilt but Storts gets beat pretty good. Oilers come out of the 1st with a goal and a decent start in front of the home crowd.

2nd Period

52 seconds in, Grebeshkov takes a hooking penalty. Not the best way to start a period. Never mind that it's the 2nd and we all know how crap ass the Oilers are in the 2nd. Good thing the Oilers kill that off. The first 7 minutes is good hockey. Great action. Gooooaaaaallll Oilers! Yeah! 2-0 Oilers. (Grebeshkov from Gagner and O'Sullivan at 8:14.) Oh Yeah! Grebs pinched down low and stuck it past Bobby Lou. The Oiler crowd is going crazy and so am I. The Canucks keep pressing with shots on the Oil, but Roli has been great so far stopping everything. At 19:10, Staios takes a borderline BTP late in the 2nd. He was just being over aggressive. Oilers kill off a bit of that penalty and will have to finish it off in the 3rd. Canucks shots so far are 32. Oilers have 16. At least the Oilers didn't get destroyed in this period. That was a first.

3rd Period

With a minute something left on the Staios penalty, the Oilers kill it off. At 1:27, Kesler trips up Grebs and will have to sit in the box. The Oilers can't score but they do have some good chances. Kotalik hits the post. Sundin out powers Staios and for some reason, Staios stops playing just a 1/2 second to adjust his helmet. Just then, Sundin fires it past him and finds Raymond and he scores at 6:51. 2-1 Oilers. WTF Staios?!? Canuck fans at the game are sure loving that. I can't believe how many there are. Gagner grabs the puck in the Oilers zone. He gets to Vancouver's blue line and burns Mitchell with a nice move. He jukes and jives all the way in and slides it past Luongo. Yeah! 3-1 Oilers. (Gagner unassisted at 10:28) How sweet was that move? That was classic al' a Hemsky. Gagner is going to be a really good player in the near future. Wow! Well Souray and Staios were too busy looking at the play in front of them that they forgot to look back. Burrows gets a long pass and breaks in on Roli. Scores. Damn! 3-2 Oilers. Getting scary now. Shortly after that goal, Burrows runs over Roli and takes a penalty. What a moron. If that isn't a BTP for Vancouver then nothing is. Wow! Idiot! Boom!!! Souray fires one into the net. 4-2 Oilers. (Souray from Hemsky and Gagner at 14:49 on the PP) Crazy folks. This game is getting intense. Moreau takes a BTP late in the 3rd. He goes off for slashing at 16:32. Surprised? Not really. Awwww... The Canucks pile into Roli's crease and jam a PP goal home. Dammit Moreau! 4-3 Oilers. Way to go Captain. So the Canucks pull Luongo and somehow the puck pops out of the neutral zone and Hemsky is free and scores on the empty net. Yay! 5-3 Oilers. (Hemsky unassisted at 18:58) That is the game folks. And it was a good one too.




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Tonight's Starting Lines

Kotalik Horcoff Hemsky
Nilsson Gagner O'Sullivan
Moreau Cogliano Pisani
Penner Brodziak Stortini

Souray Staios
Grebeshkov Gilbert
Strudwick Peckham

Roloson

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FINAL SCORE

Vancouver Canucks - 3
Edmonton Oilers - 5
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BEERS

Sam Gagner - Gags was great. He was doing everything out there. It did take him a while to get going but once that hapened he was a force. He scores a goal and picks up 2 assists. Good for him. He seems to be fitting with O'Sullivan nicely. His defensive play is good but he still needs to work on his faceoffs (27% tonight). For playing such a great game, enjoy a frosty beer. Cheers!

Dwayne Roloson - Roli the goalie broke a record tonight for being the oldest goalie to play in 60 or more games in a season. He also broke his own personal best for wins in a season. Roli faced a ton of shots (46) and played to the best of his ability tonight. He deserves a nice cold Budweiser. Cheers!

Ales Hemsky - Hemmer had a great game as well. His passing was pretty spot on. He found Kotalik a few times that made me need to see the replay becuase I couldn't figure out how he did it. He scores the empty netter and picks up an assist on the Souray goal. I thought that his gamesmenship was way better tonight. For a fantabulas game... Have a drink on me. Cheers!

Honorable Mentions - Craig MacTavish (He gets win #300 with this win. That's a great milestone to achieve.), Denis Grebeshkov (Had a solid outing and managed a nice goal.), Ales Kotalik (He had a solid game and a nice quick goal. I liked that Hemsky is starting to work with him.), Patrick O'Sullivan (I thought that he did good. Picked up an assist and had 4 shots.) Kyle Brodziak (He played a nice all around game. Did well on the PK.), Shawn Horcoff (He also played fairly well. At least he was shooting this game.)

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JEERS

There is none rally, other than Ethan Moreau's late BTP in the 3rd. Good god man. Boooooo!

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2 games in a row we take a good/hot team to the limits. Where the hell was that all year?

Sunday, March 29, 2009

Beers and Jeers #52 (Mar 29/09 vs. Minnesota Wild)


Well folks. This game is just like the rest of them. It's another must win. I mean come on. At this time of year, every game is a must win. Even for the top teams. Detroit and San Jose are 2 points away from each other. The have must wins too. The Oilers should have treated all the games this year as must wins. Maybe then we would be fighting it out with the Wings and Sharks instead of the Ducks and Blues.

Roli starts again...

This is the 1st of six consecutive home games for the Oilers until the end of the season. The Oilers play their last game on the road. They better play well or the fans are going to be quite vocal. Go Oilers!

The Oilers were 8th this morning but are now in 9th thanks to a win by the St. Louis Blues. Hope we move back into a playoff spot after this game is over.

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1st Period

The game has a good pace to it. Penner fires the 1st shot at 3:51 and it was a good one. O'Sullivan to Penner. They end up playing for 4:14 with out a whistle to start the period off. But wouldn't you know it... Moreau takes a tripping penalty by sticking out his leg and trips up Belanger. PP for the Wild. The Oilers do kill it off but the Wild score after it expires. Gaborik whiffs on a shot and Brunette picks it up and puts it by Roli. That was Souray's guy and he was just standing there. WTF?!? *shakes head* 1-0 Wild at 7:01. Not cool guys. The 1st line comes out and has a great shift. The 2nd line comes roaring out and gets hemmed in in their own zone. O'Sullivan gets nailed from behind and there is no call. Gagner takes exception and tries to fight Miettinen and he pusses out. At that second the Wild fire a point shot and score. Damn! 2-0 Wild at 8:52. What is going on here? The defense corps are not looking all that hot right now. At 11:34, John Scott (6'8" 250 lbs) drops the gloves with Stortini. Good fight. Scott lands some hard punches but Storts takes him down. Pretty even. Weller takes down Hemsky and the Oilers go on the PP at 14:06. The Wild kill it off although Gagner had some great chances. He sure is buzzing in the 1st. Smid is also playing good so far. 8-8 are the shots.

2nd period

19 seconds into the 2nd the Oilers get a PP opportunity. O'Sullivan has a great chance. There was a scrum after the whistle and somehow Cogliano gets a roughing penalty at 2:05. The Oilers do a good job and kill it off. Around the 5:30 mark, Smid goes into the boards awkwardly and hurts his left hand. He goes off and into the dressing room for further examination. Hope it isn't to bad. MacT has changed the centers. 21, 89, 83 and 27, 10, 19. The other two lines don't change. There was another non-call as Scott hits Grebeshkov from behind. There sure is some nice hits being thrown around. With 7:45 left the score is still 2-0 Wild. The game play is still flowing well. At 17:26 Hemsky gets a partial break and can't quite stop and runs into Backstrom. Penalty for Hemmer. Come on refs. So the Wild get another PP and the Oilers kill it off again. With the period over the shots are still tied at 17-17.

3rd Period

My wife is predicting Stortini to score here in the 3rd. Yeah! Pisani scores. 2-1 Wild. (Pisani from Moreau and Grebeshkov at 1:04) Moreau takes the puck and goes coast to coast and as he is skating behind the net he throws it out front. Pisani whacks at it and it goes in. The crowd is fired up now. It was announced 3 minutes into the 3rd the Smid broke his left hand. Ouch! Poor guy. *edit: He may require surgery on his wrist* Souray takes a Wild player down and the ref puts up his arm. Damn it Souray. We were gaining momentum. But with the refs arm still up, the Wild have 6 guys out and they (Gaborik) score at 4:13. Damn!!! 3-1 Wild. Booooooo! The 4th line comes out and rocks a good shift and they draw a penalty. PP time for the Oilers. During the PP Hemsky gets into a punching in the face match with Zidlicky and open a cut on his nose at 6:23. He looks pissed about it. But it was nice to see him actually stick up for himself for once. Maybe it will fire him up now? MacT seems to be rolling Horcoff back on the #1 unit as Gagner is getting pushed around a bit and they don't need him and Hemmer as softies on the same line. All 4 lines seem to be getting shifts in the 3rd. Kotalik rips one in. Yeah! 3-2 Wild. (Kotalik from Hemsky and Horcoff at 15:08.) Let's Go Oilers!!! They are really pressing now. The 1st line gets another good chance and crash the net. What an exciting period. With 2 minutes left the 3rd line has great chances but can't score. 1:00 minute left and the Oilers pull Roli. 21, 10, 83, 89, 44, 37 are all out there. The Oilers have 3.1 seconds left to try and it win it after an icing call. Timeout Oilers. The Oilers win the faceoff but it hops out of the zone and the game is over. Boooooooo!

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Tonight's Starting Lines

Kotalik Horcoff Hemsky
Penner Gagner O'Sullivan
Moreau Cogliano Pisani
Jacques Brodziak Stortini

Souray Staios
Grebeshkov Gilbert
Smid Strudwick
Roloson

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FINAL SCORE

Minnesota Wild - 3
Edmonton Oilers - 2

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BEERS

Ales Kotalik - He took 7 shots and did score a nice bomb of a goal. He played a pretty good game but kind of disappeared in the 2nd. But he was back in the 3rd and helped the Oilers charge for a win. For having a great game... Have a frosty. Cheers!

Ales Hemsky - Hemmer had a fine game. He was in a scuffle, he was crashing the net, he was making nice passes (Kotalik goal) and he was trying to make a difference. And he stuck up for himself. That made smile. About time. For a great game and a fantastic effort... It's Miller Time. Cheers!

Zack Stortini - I thought that Storts was great. Sure he didn't score like the wife had wanted him to but he did his job well. He agitated the Wild. He fought. He hit guys. What else can we ask of him? A Budweiser for Storts? Cheers!

Honorable Mentions - Sam Gagner (Sure he was out muscled a few times but he played good. Smart plays but needs to shoot more. I liked how he tried to fight and stick up for O'Sullivan.), Patrick O'Sullivan (He had some great chances and had 5 shots.), Shawn Horcoff (Played well earning an assist and also took a few of shots with 5. He had a good night on the dot as he was 68% on the faceoffs), Kyle Brodziak (Had a great night on the faceoff dot. 6 and 1 for 86%.), Ladislav Smid (He was one of the best guys on defense untill he was hurt. We will miss the Spaz.), Ethan Moreau (He led the team with 4 hits. He played pretty good tonight.)

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JEERS

Sheldon Souray - BTP. Bad Timing Penalties. Him aand Moreau are getting really bad for this. We score and get it to 2-1 and you take a lazy crap penalty. The Wild score before you even get to the box. WTF?!? That was a bad meltdown for Souray. That happens in the playoffs and the game/season will be over. Shape up man. Booooooooo!

The Entire Team - Where is that 3rd period game during the whole game? The playoffs must be over rated huh? Don't really want to get there? Time is running out and there is no "off periods". Chalk up another "must win" in the loss coloum. Booooooooooo!

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We started in 8th and now we are 10th. Great going guys. I guess you all would rather be golfing? Next game is Tuesday against the Ducks. See you all then.

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Beers and Jeers #50 (Mar 26/09 vs. Phoenix Coyotes)


This game has must win all over it. The Oilers can not afford to lose. It's anyone's guess what squad comes out on the ice. I hope it's the contenders, not the pretenders. Let's Go Oilers!

Roli will be starting his 30th consecutive game tonight. Surprise!

Reddox is drawing back into the lineup since getting knocked in the noggin'. Pouliot will be back in the press box. What did Stortini do to piss off MacT? Sleep with his wife once to often? What? I just don't get it. I just think that Reddox should have a few more days off before playing.

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1st Period

1-0 Coyotes at 3:42 by Lombardi

2nd Period

2-0 Coyotes at 11:38 by Klee

3-0 Coyotes at 14:46 by Hanzal


3rd Period

3-1 Coyotes. (Kotalik from Hemsky and Horcoff at 10:01 on the PP)

3-2 Coyotes. (Hemsky from Staios at 10:44)
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Tonight's Starting Lines

O'Sullivan Horcoff Hemsky (This line was a little better than average. Horcoff did what he had to do tonight. And he did it well with one assist and 2 shots. O'Sullivan had a takeaway, a hit and two shots. Hemsky was the best of the line. He scores... He gets an assist... And 4 shots and 2 hits. Not a bad game for Hemmer.)

Nilsson Gagner Kotalik (The line was pretty decent. Not their best game that's for sure. I liked Gagner. He tries to be bigger than he is. He just really needs to shoot more. Nilsson disappeared at the middle of the 3rd. MacT must not have been liking his jib. Kotalik scores the first Oiler goal of the night with a little luck from the puck fairy. He had 7 shots on goal and won both faceoffs he took. MacT might make him a center.)

Reddox Cogliano Pisani (I thought that in the 1st half that this line looked good. But then they would get scored on. Reddox tried hard but did nothing. Cogliano looked good but also did not much. Pisani was probably the best on this line. He had 1 shot.)

Moreau Brodziak Penner (This line was also a non factor tonight. Moreau didn't lead this team like a captain should. (Need New Captain) Brodziak was ok. He had 1 shot and was *team best* 58% on the faceoffs. Penner was decent tonight. He maybe should have had a shot with the 1st line for a bit on the PP. Just for shits and giggles.)

Souray Staios (They played good. Staios finished the game +1 and had 2 shots and 3 hits. Souray was a hitting machine tonight as he had 5 hits and played 29:20.)

Gilbert Grebeshkov (They were ok. Not great like they have been but not bad. Gilbert did block 3 shots tonight. One of them was off the ass. Grebs only really had 2 shots but otherwise made no real big mistakes.)

Strudwick Smid (Oh boy. They stunk it up today. Strudwick was beat on the 1st goal by the quick speed of Lombardi. And he just looked lost for the entire game. Same with Smid. 2 hits. That's it. Where was the spaz?)

Roloson (Definitely not his best game. He sure didn't look sharp at all. Maybe all the playing time is finally getting to him? Does JDD play tomorrow? Doubt it...)

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FINAL SCORE

Edmonton Oilers -2
Phoenix Coyotes - 3

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BEERS

Ales Hemsky - Hemmer was good tonight. When he tried that is. He really needs to put in a full game no matter how frustrated he gets with his linemates. He was mind blowing at times tonight. He scores a beauty of a goal and picks up an assist. He was the best forward for hitting and that says something about these Oilers. For a good game today, have a nice cold frosty Hemmer. Cheers!

Sheldon Souray - The man was great tonight. His hitting was hard and well timed. He played a pretty good defensive game and he played a ton. He did fire 5 shots but only 1 actually hit the net. Shelly was a leader tonight and he deserves a frosty. Cheers!

Ales Kotalik - The other Ales is looking more fit now that he has been here for awhile. He doesn't seem as winded anymore. He scores a huge goal to get the rally going and manages to get bumped back up to the #1 unit. Score every game and we can drink a lot together. Budweiser? Cheers!

Honorable Mentions - Steve Staios (Steady Steve played a solid game. Sometimes the pace gets out of his hands but tonight he did well.)

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JEERS

The Entire Team - Can you guys actually lose a bigger game? Good lord guys. That was the Coyotes. An easy win. Or so we thought I guess. I figure that the fans (and me) are maybe expecting to much out of you guys. I am one of the glass half full guys and even I am thinking it's half empty now. The Ducks are tomorrow. Will the real Oilers show up please? Boooooooooooo!

Ethan Moreau - A captain should be a guy that can take a team and help them go to the promise land. He should be able lead the team into battle. He should be able to provide a spark somehow. Ethan Moreau. You let the team down. Am I being too harsh? I don't think so. I think we need a new captain. For a where was Chopper type of game. Boooooooo!

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That was a BS game. It was boring for the 1st half. The Oilers waited way too long before trying to score. Now they are in 10th. Wow! Way to push for the playoffs. We are starting to act like the fLames. And that's pretty gay.

See you all tomorrow. Duck hunting season is open. The limit: 25 (get it?)

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Beers and Jeers #49 (Mar 24/09 vs. Detroit Red Wings)


Hemsky's statement sure caused some feathers to be ruffled. I just can't find a reason to say anything at this moment. Nevermind saying that you are being used as a checker. You don't kill penalties. You barely come into the defensive zone, so who are you kidding? A checker? Really? That's the best you can come up with? If you want more ice time then be good. Every shift. Every time you step out on that ice, score. Make something happen and MacT would have you out there all game. Instead, I have seen you give up in the 1st 5 minutes of the game and not give a crap for the rest of it. This is simply fixed. Play good = play lots.

Roli will be playing his 29th straight game for the Oilers this year. The man never ceases to amaze me. He truly is awesome.
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GAME VIDEO HIGHLITES


GAME SUMMARY


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Tonight's Starting Lines

O'Sullivan Horcoff Hemsky (Very good line. Lots of quality chances. But were on the ice for 2 goals against. Hemsky and O'Sullivan are ok together. Horcoff seems to be lost lately.)

Nilsson Gagner Kotalik (Had a good game. They were on the ice for a goal for and against. Nilsson didn't register a shot though. Gagner was sharp for most of the game and Kotalik scored a nice one.)

Pouliot Cogliano Pisani (Played pretty good. They didn't get worked over often. Pouliot was a non factor. Cogliano is starting to work well with Pisani. Pisani had 3 shots.)

Moreau Brodziak Penner (Another great game by this line. They are really gelling lately. Plus Penner has been good on the PP and Moreau is playing smart hockey. No penalties.)

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Souray Staios (Not the greatest night for this pair but not all that bad either. Staios was -3. While Souray took a ton of shots.)

Grebeshkov Gilbert (A pretty average game for this pairing. Gilbert had 4 blocked shots and Grebs had a goal and 3 shots. He did have 3 giveaways and that's not good.)

Strudwick Smid (They were good. Strudwick played somewhat smart hockey. Smid seemed to really play above average tonight.)

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Roloson (The MVP was stellar once again (except for a few seconds). The team would be a lot worse without Roli.)

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FINAL SCORE

Detroit Red Wings -3
Edmonton Oilers - 2

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BEERS

Dwayne Roloson - Roli was fantastic for 55 minutes. Then he had a strange goal beat him to tie the game. But regardless, Roli was good just like any other game in the last while. His lateral movement was working well. He was pelted with 44 shots and tried his ass off to win this game on his own. But the team came up short. So for another fine effort... Have a frosty Roli. Cheers!
-
Ales Hemsky - After the statement I was expecting a standout game from Hemmer. He kind of delivered. He did manage one assist and had 2 shots. But he was also -2 at the end of the night. He did display some razzle dazzle that we have not seen in weeks, maybe months. He showed a confidence with the puck that we haven't seen in some time. He hustled, he didn't give up. He had a fairly strong game. That was Hemsky trying to be somebody. That wasn't MacT doing anything different. That was just Hemmer being good. Like I have said before, "Leadership is action... Not position" What we seen tonight was action. Not position. Heineken? Cheers!

Patrick O'Sullivan - I really liked his game today. He played like he is adjusting to this team and his teammates. I love how he shoots from all over the place. He had 2 shots tonight and they were from good area's to shoot from. It's just too bad that he ended up -2. I personally thought that he had a good game. Have a cold one with me Sully. Cheers!

Honorable Mention - Dustin Penner (The Fridge had a good game. He created that 1st goal by drawing two guys to him then he passed it off to Hemsky who passed to Grebs.), Ales Kotalik (Scored a nice goal to bring it back to 3-2.), Andrew Cogliano (He played solid. Bad on faceoffs but played solid.), Ladislav Smid (The Spaz had 4 blocked shots and 2 shots. His defensive game was good too.)

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JEERS

Denis Grebeshkov - I'm on the fence with him tonight. On one hand he scored the Oilers 1st goal. He played pretty good with an average of 1:01of ice time, but he ended up with 3 giveaways on the night. That's just too many for me to ignore. For that alone, here's a little one... Booo!

Steve Staios - Staios has good games and bad one's. Well he was not so good with a bad -3 rating. That just can't happen when you are on the #1 pairing. Maybe all the ice time is wearing him down? Maybe Smid should get a chance with Souray? So for the -3 tonight and a so so game... Booooooooo!

The Entire Team - For losing a game that was attainable... Boooooooooooooooo!
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Well that was the one that got away. We had it in our palms and poof! Gone in 60 seconds.

Next game is Thursday against the Coyotes. A must, must win. See you all then.

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Beers and Jeers #46 (Mar 19/09 vs. Colorado Avalanche)


Well folks, I am very excited for this game. I am hoping for a 2 point night. Let's go Oilers!


As far as I have heard (lately) MacT is going with the same line's as last game. I really thought that Stortini would draw in for Reddox. It only makes sense. Right? Anyone? The Avs will play Laperriere so who do we have?


Why is it that MacT always rolls with the 4th line after an Oiler goal? The other team is pissed and want nothing more than to score on us and we send out the 4th line? Really? Oh well...


Let's Go Oilers!


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1st Period

The man that has been in my bad books scores the 1st goal of the game. Yeah! 1-0 Oilers. (Moreau from Brodziak and Penner at 4:02) Good start by Chopper. We needed that. But the Avs storm back and score one of their own against the Oilers 1st line. Damn! 1-1 Tie Game. Ryan Smyth takes a penalty and Horcoff pots one in the net. Yeah! 2-1 Oilers. (Horcoff from O'Sullivan and Gilbert at 9:38) Alright. A PP goal. I quite like that new 2nd PP unit of 10/19/12/21/77. Great period so far by the Oilers. The period ends with the Oilers out shooting the Avs 12-7. Yeah!!!

2nd Period

The 2nd started out looking good for the Oilers but they couldn't really muster much. Colorado was winning this period in the 1st half. But the Oilers started to maintain some momentum and started to really get going. All the lines look good tonight except for Strudwick/Smid. Struds may be tired. Maybe Peckham should have been given a chance. Out of nowhere Pisani pops one in the net. Yeah! 3-1 Oilers. (Pisani from Reddox and Gilbert at 14:35) Way to go boys. A minute later Gagner scores. YEAH!!! 4-1 Oilers. (Gagner from Nilsson and Kotalik at 15:39) *That was Ales Kotalik's 1st point as an Oiler* Holy crap. So this is what it feels like to be on the other side of the fence. Yeah! You can see the team relax after that goal. That period started out not looking good but ended up fantastic. 16-11 were the shots after the 2nd in favor of the Oilers.

3rd Period

All we have to do is hold them off and it's an easy 2 points. Well the Kotalik/Gagner show is in full swing in the 3rd as well. Kotalik scores. Yeah!!! 5-1 Oilers. (Kotalik from Gagner and Nilsson at 9:22) The flood gates are open now. With one of the Avs players in the box, the Oilers have another PP. Gagner scores now. Yeah!!! 6-1 Oilers. (Gagner from Kotalik and Souray at 12:31) This game is all Oilers now. I feel bad for the Avalanche fans because we have been there. Lots. With just under 5 minutes to go, Souray fires a bomb and scores. Yeah! 7-1 Oilers. (Souray from Staios and Penner at 16:43) He didn't even look like he was trying. But it went in anyways. Holy crap. Gagner scores a hat trick. Alright! Yeah! 8-1 Oilers. (Gagner from Nilsson and Kotalik at 17:20) Well that was fun to see all the goals. All the lines looked good. It was nice to be happy. :)



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Tonight's Starting Lines

O'Sullivan Horcoff Hemsky (This wasn't the Oilers best line. It wasn't the worst either. O'Sullivan wasn't quite as sharp as last game but still looked good with Hemsky. Horcoff was ok. 3 shots and 2 giveaways. Shots good. Giveaways bad. Hemsky wasn't all that flashy either. But he needs to be the #1 guy.)
Nilsson Gagner Kotalik (This line was on fire. They were our #1 line tonight. Kotalik and Gagner have really seemed to hit it off. Nilsson was ok. He really didn't have many mistakes and played a simple game. It worked for him as he earned 3 assists. Gagner scores a hat trick and gets an assist. It really seems to me that he is going to take Horcoff's spot sooner than later as the #1 center. Kotalik had a goal and 3 assists. Nice way to get your 1st points as an Oiler. He seemed to match the style that Gagner plays. I hope it works out for the both of them.)

Reddox Cogliano Pisani (They played an ok game. It appeared to me that MacT was using them more as a 4th line rather than a 3rd line. Reddox was ok. He gets one assist and registers nothing on the stat sheet. Is that even possible after playing 13:18? Cogliano was ok. He did what he could with only playing 10:49. He seemed to be the MacT whipping boy tonight. Not sure it was deserved. Pisani scores and takes 2 shots. Glad to see him score.)

Moreau Brodziak Penner (I actually like this line. I wish it was the 3rd line. Penner played very good. He seemed like he wanted to do something out there. He showed some will out there. That was nice to see. Brodziak played another Brodz type game. He was good at what he does. Moreau has been in my bad books for a whle. But he played a real good game tonight. He scores a huge goal to start the game off. He plays a whole game without doing something dumb. He played like we all expect him to play every game. Good.)

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FINAL SCORE

Edmonton Oilers - 8
Colorado Avalanche -1
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BEERS

Sam Gagner - The little dude had a 4 point night. He played like a 1st line center. He played like he wants to be in the playoffs. In my books that is worth a beer. Enjoy a frosty Gags. Cheers!

Ales Kotalik - Tonight he played like he belonged here. He showed some oomph. His vision for Gags was sick. Cole who??? JK Great game tonight Kotalik. Enjoy your 1st OJ Beer. Cheers!

Robert Nilsson - He rode the train we call Gagner and was able to play smart hockey. His passing was on the money and his plays were good. A Bud for Bobby? Cheers!

Honorable Mention - Dustin Penner (I liked his game. He played like a big guy. What? He is?), Ethan Moreau (Chopper was able to play a smart game as well. He scores a huge goal in the 1st.), Sheldon Souray (Our un-officail captain was solid. A goal and an assist and 3 takeaways.) Denis Grebeshkov (The man was good again. 24:41 of ice time to lead the Oilers.)

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JEERS

There are none. We won 8-1.

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That was a fun game to watch. I was surprised to see an outcome like that. Like I said, it is nice to be on the other side of the fence. 8-1 Yeah!!!

See you all tomorow when the Oilers take on the Chicago Blackhawks on Oilers PPV.

Let's Go Oilers!

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Beers and Jeers #41 (Mar 5/09 vs. Ottawa Senators)


Well hello once again folks. Lots has changed since the last Beers and Jeers. Erik Cole is gone now. He went home to Carolina. He will be missed in Oil Country. At least he still has his house there. And we welcome Ales Kotalik and Patrick O'Sullivan. I sure hope these guys work out. As fans, we need them to. I really liked Cole and what he brought to the table. I am shocked that he was the one to go. No Penner? Horcoff? Nilsson? Pouliot? Schremp? Roy? But whatever... I think that this is a good deal for the Oilers in the end. But hey, maybe Cole does resign in Edmonton this summer?


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Before this game starts the Oilers are sitting in 7th. Let get some more points boys...


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1st Period


Before the game is even going, Spezza scores in the first 12 seconds. 1-0 Ottawa. Good grief! Not the best way to start a game. The new guys sure look energized tonight. That's good because so does Hemsky. You know, Jarko Ruutu is a _____. (Go ahead and fill in your own word). I really hate that guy and all that he represents as a player. He taunts Stortini enough to make him drop the gloves. Then the chicken shit skates away. Unbelievable. Smid is really having a good period. Lots of spazzing and hitting. Nice. But the real jem of the period was when the Oiler fans started to boo Comrie when he would touch the puck. It was pretty loud. And the game is in Ottawa. *Stomach hurt type laugh* Kotalik had a pretty solid period as did O'Sullivan. But when Kotalik was getting interviewed by Mean Gene, he was dog tired. He is going to have to improve the cardio if he wants to stay on the #1 line.


2nd Period


The first part of the period, it's all Senators. They are out playing the Oilers at both ends of the rink. Horcoff takes a penalty. But before the Oilers can touch the puck the Senators score. Crap! 2-0 Ottawa. Not good boys. Not good. Shortly after at 4:41, Gagner takes a holding penalty. Ottawa attack again and what? They score. *shakes head* 3-0 Ottawa. Come on Oilers. With 11:39 left to play, the Senators are really working the Oilers over. It's almost embarrassing. But thankfully Comrie sits for 2:00. Gagner gets a nice pass from Grebs and goes in on a breakaway. Scores!!! 3-1 Ottawa. (Gagner from Grebeshkov from Gilbert at 10:45.) Ok Gagner. Nice shift in the momentum dept. Oilers are going now. But as the period winds down the Senators slowly take back the momentum.


3rd Period


This was one of those back and forth periods, yet it was boring. The first 10:00 minutes went by fairly quickly. Time is slipping for the Oilers. Awwww... Senators score again at 11:58. 4-1 Ottawa. Geez. But the Oilers do manage to get a man advantage. Gagner nails the post/crossbar and the puck appears to go in. But after the long review they call it a no goal. Damn. I personally thought that it went in. So they don't score. Too bad. But a little while later at 18:07, Gagner scores again for the Oil. This time it is in. Yeah! 4-2 Ottawa. (Gagner from Staios from Smid) That was all the Oilers could muster as they lose a game that should have been 2 points.


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Tonight's Starting Lines


Kotalik Horcoff Hemsky (This line looked ok. This might just work out. Kotalik is a big dude. He seems very solid and strong. He just needs better cardio. Horcoff was average tonight. Nothing great, nothing bad. Hemsky was finally trying to do something. Maybe this is his spark that he has needed.)


O'Sullivan Gagner Pouliot (This was a pretty good line. Gagner was on fire. He was saying Cole who? Jk. Pouliot was much like Horcoff. Nothing great, nothing bad. Which kind of makes him pretty good. O'Sullivan seems good. He's very fast and good with the puck. But he's just not comfortable yet. He is going to work with Gagner though. They just need a big fast body to play with. Not Penner please.)


Penner Cogliano Pisani (This line was average. They don't really seem to work all that well together. Penner had lots of hits which was good. But that's it. Where does Penner go when Moreau comes back? Cogliano was kind of Horcoff-ish as well. 50/50. Pisani still isn't Pisani yet. But he will.)


Jacques Brodziak Stortini (The 4th line was a hard hitting unit. *He he*. Unit. Jacques was not very good in my opinion. He was slow and not very aware. Brodziak seemed lifeless at times but was good on the face off dot. Stortini was duped into not fighting with Ruutu. But he played solid.)


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FINAL SCORE


Edmonton Oilers - 2

Ottawa Senators - 4


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BEERS


Sam Gagner - This was the guy I was worried the most about when we traded Cole. I guess he will survive huh? Sammy was great tonight. He seemed to be in the right places. Not to many guys deserve a beer tonight. But Sam earned every bottle with his effort. Two goals, almost three. Five shots for the little dude. Team high. Nice. So have a case a beer and help yourself Sam. Cheers!


Ladislav Smid - I don't care if anyone agrees with me. Smid was a force. He was hitting and smack talking. He was a freaking Spaz. I love that. He even managed an assist tonight. Have a big beer Smid. Cheers!


Andrew Cogliano - The man was a beast on faceoffs. Get this. 7 wins, 2 losses for 78%. Wow! For a guy that is around 37% for the season, this is huge. This is colossally massive. This is worth a beer. High five Andrew! But try scoring next time. Cheers!


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JEERS


The Entire Team - What the hell? That is the effort that we (fans) get after a interesting trade day? Totaly not good enough. *shakes head* No one in particular was really worthy off a full out boo. The team just sucked as a whole and Roli could save the day. I don't need to say anything else. We need the wins. Bad dog! *shakes finger* Boooooooo!


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That was a bad loss. The pieces have changed and yet the will to win has not. The Oilers really need to pick up some points on this roadie. It's like free points. Don't pass it up. The next game should be a gimme. Should be.


Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Hold the Press!!! **BREAKING NEWS** Cole traded


The Edmonton Oilers have dealt Erik Cole to the Carolina Hurricanes for (F) Patrick O'Sullivan (originally from the LA Kings) *Justin Williams was traded to LA Kings for O'Sullivan*
So Williams for O'Sullivan. Then O'Sullivan for Cole. Make sense?
More on the details later.

Good luck Erik. We will miss you here in Oil Country.
EDIT: I was late getting home to make the changes but here they go. The Oilers also was given a 2nd round pick from Carolina. The Oilers traded that to Buffalo for Ales Kotalik. Good deals today for the Oilers. I am however, still a little pissed that the Oilers trade another guy away that actually wants to be here. Go Figure?

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