Beers and Jeers #39 (Feb 28/09 vs. Minnesota Wild)

Well it looks like Bobby Nilsson is going to sit out this game and Pouliot is getting the nod. Is this really the best plan? Pouliot? on the 2nd line? Really? I wonder what Towel Boy has to say about that?

I hope the crowd can get into this one. They really need to get chanting. Come on folks. The team needs the help.

No Bogeyman... no Big Mac. Too bad. I wanted to see a gooder tonight. Maybe next time. I guess we can always count on Gagner to fight someone.

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1st Period

To start the game the Oilers had a contest (not tonight) and the winner was given a chance to sing the anthem before the game starts. The kid (Justin Wack) came out and did a heck of a job. He seemed pretty thrilled by the experience. Good flow in the game until Pisani takes a tripping penalty at 5:19. As the Oilers are killing the penalty off, Mark and Marc (M&M) start talking about how great the Oilers have been lately on the PK. Why talk about it guys? Seconds later the Wild score at 6:14. Thanks M&M. 1-0 Wild. Let's go Oilers! At the 10:00 minute mark this game is way better than the last one by a long shot. A little while later, Grebeshkov nails Brunette and he gets hurt. The whistle should have been blown but it wasn't. Gilbert takes it and passes to Horcoff who finds Hemsky. Scoooorrreeeessss! 1-1 Tie Game. (Hemsky from Horcoff from Gilbert at 12:47) That was a lucky break for the Oilers. Finally at the 14:00 minute mark the crowd starts to chant. Bout time folks. At 15:42 Smid hits the puck into the netting and sits for 2:00 for delay of game. A short while later at 17:46, Staios takes a penalty and the Wild score on the man advantage at 19:25. 2-1 Wild. Crap. Not the best way to end a period. But it isn't like last game. We actually look good tonight.

2nd Period

The period starts off once again with good flow. But the Wild get careless and take a penalty. Good time for the Oil to score a PP goal. But... they don't. Good passing but they can't capitalize. But the 4th line comes out and puts on some great pressure. Stortini scores!!! 2-2 Tie Game. (Stortini from Reddox at 5:03) Yeah!!! The 4th line does it again. And that's #5 for Storts. **knock, knock. Hello? Storts is catching Gagner** This game really is not bad considering we are playing the Wild (a trap team). With 6:00 minutes left, MacT is rolling a Hemsky/Horcoff/Reddox line. It's tied MacT. No need to panic yet. So with the Oilers buzzing, the Oilers have some slick passing going on. Gilbert scores! Yeah! 3-2 Oilers. (Gilbert from Reddox and Grebeshkov at 15:22) Now we are looking like we want to see some ice in the spring. With Reddox on the 1st line now, Penner is rolling with Brodziak and Stortini on the 4th. As the period winds down, it's great to see some real life in this Oilers squad. The Wild take a penalty with only 32 seconds left and that will give even more life to the Oilers when they start the 3rd with a PP. The shots are tied at the end of two periods with 27 each.

3rd Period

The 3rd sure started with some jump. Minny had some chances. Oilers had some chances. Roli has had to be sharp tonight. Twice in the first 7:00 minutes, Roli has had to make some HUGE saves. The crowd gets fired up and the Roli, Roli, Roli chants break out. Roli really has been the MVP of this team this year. Hemmer is close... but Roli is king. Wow the action is all out now. It seems weird that the Wild are playing this way, but they are. Real back and forth action. The crowd is really into this one now. Chants keep popping up. Horcoff has a real bad stinker of a giveaway and the Wild ring it of the post. Your lucky Horcoff. Lucky. The play continues to be fast paced and exciting. Hemsky takes a tripping penalty and Zidlicky goes for diving. 4 on 4 for two minutes. With 20 seconds left, Miettinen sticks Moreau in the eye *ouch!* and takes a double minor. (That didn't look good for Chopper) So much for the Wild comeback. That's the game folks. Oilers win!!!

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Tonight's Starting Lines

Penner Horcoff Hemsky (The 1st line was average in the first half. Reddox replaced Penner and they seemed to play a little better. Did you really need to eat that extra chicken breast at lunch Penner?)

Pouliot Gagner Cole (The 2nd line was a real solid unit tonight. Lots of grade A chances. They seemed like they were trying hard, but faded near the end of the 3rd.)

Moreau Cogliano Pisani (Moreau and Pisani played well. Cogliano just wasn't quite the same as he has been playing as of late. This line needs all three to be rolling or it just isn't going to be a shutdown type line. But still, all in all they were good.)

Reddox Brodziak Stortini (This line was smokin' when it was still this line before Penner was switched. Stortini seems to be on a streak lately. Good for him.)

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FINAL SCORE

Minnesota Wild - 2

Edmonton Oilers - 3

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BEERS

Dwayne Roloson - Gramps was stellar once again. The Oilers MVP was doing it all tonight. (other than score) He was making those acrobat style saves all while being that silent leader for the team. Again. You deserve a nice cold one Roli. Cheers!

Tom Gilbert - The guy that has been making mistakes the last few games, was really good tonight. He seemed to do a lot while looking like he wasn't. He had 1 goal and 1 assist with a +2 rating. A pretty solid night for Gibby. Have a beer? Cheers!

Denis Grebeshkov - For not playing in a while he sure was good. He had a huge hit, an assist and was +2. His only real knock was his giveaway's. But his effort was good enough to deserve a beer. Frosty beer? Cheers!

Honorable Mention - Liam Reddox (He played a good game tonight. He even managed to sneak back up to the 1st line. A 2 assist night for Liam.), Ales Hemsky (He scored and was ok. Still not back to normal), Zack Stortini (His momentum changing goal was huge for the team to get going. He's been very good for the past few weeks.)

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JEERS

A win is a win and I don't have much of a reason to jeer tonight. Penner was questionable but I still think that MacT just needed to bench someone. The Hamburglar was the one today.

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Well that was a good action packed game. Not like the boring crap of a game we had to watch last game. The Oilers pick up the almighty 2 points and move up to seventh tied with the Ducks. Who's next? The Predators of Nashville. We need two wins on this 4 game roadie. If we can come home with 4 points the team will still be in it. If we don't than it's only going to get harder from here on out.

See you all next time... Until then. GO OILERS!!!

Beers and Jeers #38 (Feb 26/09 vs. Columbus Blue Jackets)

Hello everyone. Today is a good day for hockey. ***There was something in the air that night. The stars were bright, fernando*** Pisani is back. I took a while but he's playing tonight. Grebeshkov will be back most likely next game. Erik Cole is still an Oiler. And the Oilers are sitting in 9th. Life is looking better.

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Ryan Whitney was traded to the Ducks today for Ryan Kunitz and a prospect. So that officially takes Whitney off the market. I thought that he was going to be an Oiler Eklund? So much for him being right. :)

And another trade was made today. Montreal acquires Doug Janik and Dallas receives Steve Begin. Ahh... who cares right?

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A lot of people sure think that the sky is falling... But is it really? I don't think so. I think that this team is in good shape. The Oilers are sitting in 9th. Tied with 3 other teams. A win here moves us up. A loss won't help the cause. I know. Pretty obvious observation. But the sky is not falling. I hear, "Gagner is not an NHLer and never will be", "Cole sucks", Hemsky doesn't lace his skates right", "Penner eats too many cheeseburgers", "Schremp for Mayor of E-Town". it is starting to drive people mental. If Tambo could just make a deal, it may quiet some people for awhile. Or not. I think mostly people like to hear themselves bitch and complain and see if they can get a rise out of someone. Most of the time it's laughable.

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1st Period

In the 1st minute and a half, Boll runs into Roli. (unbelievably Gilbert sees it, watches it, and forgets about it. Boooooooo!) Hopefully Roli plays mad for the rest of the game. And hopefully someone beats the crap out of Boll tonight or he's going to be a pest all game. Penalty for Stortini at 2:34. *sigh* But Rick Nash takes a penalty at 3:33 to make it 4 on 4 for a bit. Neither team does much other than one post hit by the BJ's. (don't be gross people, it means Blue Jackets) Seven minutes into this game, and it's kinda slow to get started. No real good opportunities for either team yet. (BJ's just took their first shot) Nothing worth screaming at anyways. However at 10:50, Torres and Strudwick drop the gloves. Torres starts swinging but Struds isn't ready yet. Boom, Boom, Boom. Strudwick fires some rabbit punches and takes down Torres. Quick but good fight. At 13:49, Boll takes an intentional shot at Roli after the whistle and infuriates Roli. Souray gives him a good chop and Roli is on his way out to kick his ass. But only Boll gets the penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct. And rightfully so. So with the PP the Oilers can't do anything and the crowd let's then know that that is not cool and they get a nice boooooo! The 1st line seems to be the most productive out of all the Oiler lines so far. Just as the seconds were dying, Rick Nash almost scores but Roli comes up HUGE. Yeah... he's pissed off. Thanks Boll. 0-0 Tie Game.

2nd Period

Let's hope the fun factor of this game increases. The 1st was kind of lame. This period doesn't really start out any better. Peckham takes a penalty at 4:22. But the Jackets can't score on Roli. The BJ's are looking like they want to win this game. They have some drive. The Oilers don't. Not much happens until Horcoff takes a penalty at 11:20. Again the BJ's can't score on Roli. I can't believe that here I am, watching the team I love, and I'm bored. Good lord! Just as the period is winding down, Ethan Moreau takes the Oilers 3rd Hooking penalty of the game. But he's lucky as Commodore goes to the box for holding his stick. This was a bad period by the Oilers. They were out played, out shot, out everything. Brutal. Booooooooooo! The highlight other than Roli was Souray as the Oiler shot leader with 4 after two periods. 0-0 Tie Game.

3rd Period

Let's hope the 3rd is somewhat better. Well Souray nails one of the BJ's early in the period. Shortly after that, Nash nails the post and almost makes it a 1-0 game. Thanks Mr. Post. Steve Staios tries to rally the troops with a scuffle after the whistle with Peckham in there as well. Come on Oilers! The momentum is swinging our way now. Ahhhh. Torres scores at 7:45. 1-0 Blue Jackets. Well wouldn't you know it. The Boo Birds are out in full force now (and at my house). They were lingering all game. But damn rights. Those people at that arena deserve to boo them players. They are playing like crap. For the love of god! Moreau takes yet another hooking penalty. Another bad timing penalty. How many more does this guy need to take before something changes? Take that C off of him and give to someone who would represent it better. Like Souray. "LEADERSHIP IS ACTION... NOT POSITION" I live by that rule. If you can't be like that then you have no business being the captain. Back to the game. Cole makes a fancy drop pass to Staios. But Staios isn't there. Huge giveaway. Nash gets a breakaway, but once again Roli is there to save the Oilers ass. That by the way was Roli's 30th save of the game. So there is now 3:00 minutes left and I'm looking for a goal scoring hero. The fans are looking for a hero. Do we have one? Anyone? lol. MacT puts out Reddox. What is he doing out there? Just as time is winding down, MacT pulls the goalie and has (89, 12, 34, 18, 44, 77) out for the final minute. Really? Moreau? Pisani? But Pisani fires off one last blast but can't score. The Blue Jackets win! *shakes head* What a joke.

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Tonight's Starting Lines

Penner Horcoff Hemsky (Terrible. Started good. Ended bad.)

Nilsson Gagner Cole (Terrible. They were on for the BJ goal.)

Moreau Cogliano Pisani (Terrible and slow. Pisani was winded after the 1st.)

Reddox Brodziak Stortini (Didn't get much chance to be terrible)

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FINAL SCORE

Columbus Blue Jackets - 1

Edmonton Oilers - 0

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BEERS

Dwayne Roloson - Gramps was a rock tonight. He did everything he could to give the Oilers a fighting chance to win this game. He knew that this was important. He knew he had to show up and lead this team. (maybe Roli needs the C?) Thank god for Boll pissing him off because we all know when Roli is mad... He's at his best. For another excellent game and for being left to hang out and dry again. Have a few frosty beers. You deserve it! Cheers!

Ladislav Smid - He has really impressed me since the injuries. He has an edge that he plays with. He seems to really play a solid game. He's not the same guy from last year. He played 20:22 and had 4 hits. He also managed to block 3 shots. For a pretty fantastic game, enjoy a brewski Smid. Cheers!

For The Fans in the Oiler Nation - God knows we all need a beer after that. (maybe even two) That was terrible. Cold one anyone? Ok. *holds up beer* "To something better." Cheers!

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JEERS

The Amount of Giveaways - How can we expect to win games with 26 giveaway's? I don't think to many. Tom Gilbert and Ethan Moreau were the worst of the bunch. Although Cole's were bad timming ones. Bottom line... that is BS! 26 *shakes head* Boooooooooo!

Lack of Shots - 32 (CLB) to 19 (EDM) was the final shot total. Out of those 19 shots, how many were actual chances? Not many I would suspect. No shots and a ton of giveaway's. If you guys are going to play like that... do it on the road so you don't waste the ticket holders money. Booooooooo!

Ethan Moreau - I don't really know what else I can say about him. I can't stand him anymore. His bad plays keep hurting this team over and over again. He really has no positives. The fans may be sick of Craig MacTavish... But I'm sick of Ethan Moreau. You need to go. Booooooooo! (In fact I am starting my own FMNF campaign. The NNC campaign. What does it mean? Need New Captain.)

The Entire Team - For one, Roli gets hit again and no one does a thing. Gilbert looked at it and then turns his head and skates away. Wow! Freaking pansy. For two, MacT says you play if you can give more than you give up. We gave up way more this game. No wonder Reddox was out there and NOT Hemsky in the final minutes. What a craptacular game. Thanks for the memories... Boooooooooo!

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That was a sad and pathentic game. I sure hope that the other Oiler squad shows up on Saturday. If not then... then... well I don't know. I don't really want to find out. Oh. And it's against the Wild. I will expect Big Mac to draw back in. See you all then.

Beers and Jeers #36 (Feb 21/09 vs. Calgary Flames)

Well folks... As we sit around our TVs and celebrate Hockey Day in Canada, we are fortunate enough to have that team from the south (the Calgary fLames) playing against us instead of some other Canadian team. Why you ask? Because I love a good Battle of Alberta. Nothing can compare to a game like this. (I hope) I predict a 4-2 Oilers win. Gagner, Cole, Hemsky, Stortini scoring the goals. MacIntyre, Stortini and Peckham all fight tonight. Maybe even Gagner. (Maybe Andre Roy? jk) Let's go out there Oilers and kick some Calgary fLame ass.

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Due to me having company over, I won't be going as hardcore with the period summaries. Sorry, but I need to drink with my friends tonight.

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On a side note: we need to win tonight because the Nucks won in a shoot out (Damn you Sundin!) against the Leafs. The Leafs can't do anything right. :(

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1st Period

Boy the Oilers looked fired up tonight. Sporting the retro jersey's once again. MacT started the game with some line changes. Cole with Horc and Pens. And Hemmer with Gags and Nilsson. They really do look sharp so far here. All 4 lines look good. Smid nails Iginla and gets the crowd roaring. Yay Smid! The 4th Line gets a good chance with Big Mac crashing the net. But... the Oilers take a penalty. Guess who? Moreau for cross checking. But lucky for him the Oil kill it off. At 10:19, Smid drives to the net and draws a penalty. PP time for the Oil. But they can't convert. But shortly after the penalty expires, Erik Cole scores!!! Yeah! 1-0 Oilers. (Cole from Souray and Horcoff at 12:26) This is turning into a great idea by MacT. (about time) The Oilers do get another chance on the PP at 15:29 but once again they can not convert. 0 for 2 on the PP. Roli has made some great saves already in this game. But at 19:02 Gilbert takes a holding penalty. All in all, it was a good period by the Oilers. Let's see how the 2nd transpires.

2nd Period

Oilers get out of the gate quick. Brodziak gets a nice chance in the first few seconds. (We are on the PK still.) Through the first 8:00 minutes of the game there has been good flow with both goalies making some good saves. At 8:14, Hemsky takes a lazy penalty and puts the Oil down by a man. But the Oilers manage to kill it off (fLames are 0 for 3 so far) and next thing you know the fLames get nailed with a Too Many Men penalty. They manage to kill that off but the 4th line comes out again and again causes havoc in the crease. (Why not play them more MacT?) But wouldn't you know it... Iginla scores at to tie it up. Damn! 1-1 Tie Game. MacT now has Cole with Horc and Hemmer and Penner with Gags and Nilsson. For the record... Smid is AWESOME tonight. He is doing everything right. With some exciting play the period ends. Let's Go Oilers!

3rd Period

The Oilers have the peanut butter and jam tonight. The 3rd starts off much like the 2nd ended. Fast and furious. Holy crap! Hemsky scores! 2-1 Oilers. (Hemsky from Horcoff and Strudwick at 1:46) Well this gets everyone fired up. Cole gets a breakaway and Iginla takes a penalty. Not sure how that's not a penalty shot? But whatever... the Oilers are on the PP once again. I'll tell ya! The MacBlender is rolling tonight. Every shift is a little different than the last. Oh MacT... you and your crazy mind. Shortly after the Iggy penalty, Phaneuf takes a penalty. 5 on 3 for the Oil for the next 50 some odd seconds. They manage only one good shot from Souray. Boooooo! Cole sure has been great tonight. (I'm trying to enjoy his last few games with us. I am hoping he doesn't get moved.) With very little time left in the period, Calgary's Boyd and Moss collide in their own zone. The crowd goes wild. So with one minute left, the crowd chanting for the Oil, Mark and Marc mention that the crowd is anticipating an Oiler win tonight. A second later, Lombardi scores to tie it up. 2-2 Tie Game. Why in the hell can't people keep their mouths shut until the game is over? But Lombardi takes a penalty at 19:09. Overtime now with a little bit of a PP. Go Oilers!

Overtime

The fLames kill of the penalty and it's back to 4 on 4. With 2:30 left, Souray nails Adam Pardy and sends him and his helmet flying. Why do these guys have their straps so friggin' low? Are you guys retarded? Are you? So with the time winding down, Cammalleri busts in on a breakaway and Roli makes a HUGE save to keep the game tied. Shootout time.

Shootout

Gagner - loses the puck in the slot area. No goal.

Nilsson - gets poke checked by Kipper

Hemsky - also gets poked checked by Kipper

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Tonight's Starting Lines

Penner Horcoff Cole (Penner was pretty good tonight. Horcoff was great tonight. Cole was great tonight.)

Nilsson Gagner Hemsky (Nilsson was above average. Gagner was pretty good. Hemsky was good.)

Moreau Cogliano Stortini (Moreau was below average. In fact rather stinky. Cogliano was average but fast. Stortini was below average.)

MacIntyre Brodziak Reddox (MacIntyre was limited to 3:25. Brodziak had some good shifts. Reddox was good tonight as he ended up taking Stortini's spot on the 3rd line.)

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FINAL SCORE

Calgary Flames - 3

Edmonton Oilers - 2

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BEERS

Shawn Horcoff - The guy was fantastic tonight. He played 26:07, had 2 assists, 4 shots and 2 hits. He seemed to do everything right. He was 23 wins, 9 loses for 72% on the face off dot. He was on fire. So to put out the fire, have a cold frosty Horc. Great game... Cheers!

Ladislav Smid - The Spaz was good again. He made smart and reliable plays. He was laying the body whenever he could. And he managed to log 19:26 of ice time. He even found time to block 4 shots. Good job Smid. Have a beer with me. Cheers!

Erik Cole - I am missing him already and he hasn't even left yet. He was good tonight. Scored a nice goal to get the game going. He made some good body checks. Heck, he even warranted 22:50 of ice time for all the hard work. Erik Cole... you have been a great Oiler. Enjoy another beer with me. Cheers!

Honerable Mentions

Liam Reddox (He was good tonight. He did what he could to help this team. I know. I feel wierd even saying it.), Dwayne Roloson (Gramps was a force tonight. Even I was chanting Roli, Roli, Roli from home.), Strudwick/Peckham (this was a pretty solid defence group. I liked them a lot tonight.)

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JEERS

To be honest, I don't want to boo anything tonight. We did good. We just had a bad relapse with the time running out in the 3rd. Ok. Just a little one for that. Booooooooo!

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Well what a great game that was. Tons of action and lots of speed. A true Battle of Alberta. It's just to bad that we ended up on the losing side. Damn fLames!

Next game is Tuesday vs. Tampa Bay. Is this Vinny's last game with the Lightning and his first as an Oiler? Stay tuned...

Beers and Jeers #35 (Feb 19/09 vs. Dallas Stars)

Well JF Jacques has been called up and will also play tonight. Pouliot is watching from above tonight. He was the right choice as he hasn't played well as of late. (well... all year actually.) And to top it off, Zack Stortini will be on the 3rd line tonight.

New lines for the Oilers. Hope the changes work.

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1st Period

The Dallas Stars have been great lately. But it's the Oilers that start off quickly. Cole gets a nice chance, as well as Cogliano. At 2:07 the Oilers take a too many men penalty and just like that, Dallas goes to the PP. The Oilers were able to kill off that penalty and hopefully can gain some confidence for it. So 6:00 minutes in to this game, and the Oilers are looking good. The 1st line gets some good chances at the 10:00 minute mark. Staios has been laying the body a lot this period. Awwww... Dallas scores against the 2nd line at 10:41. 1-0 Stars. Well come on now Oil! Time to answer back. All right now... Dallas takes a penalty at 11:59. PP time Oilers! OMG. What a bad time to actually look bad. The Oilers are really having a tough time now, getting the puck out of their own zone. They better smarten up before this game gets out off hand. Well I spoke to soon. Dallas scores again. A softy through the 5 hole on Roli at 16:36. 2-0 Stars. The only cool thing about that goal, it was Ray Sawada's 1st ever NHL goal. And... In his 1st ever game and it's his birthday. How cool is that? But it sucks for us. Well not for long as the Oilers score. Yeah! Guess who? come on guess. Liam Reddox 17:00. That's right. Good for him. (Reddox from Jacques and Smid) 2-1 Stars. But as the period winds down, Ales Hemsky takes a slashing penalty. And a brouhaha breaks out. Peckham and Strudwick we in the middle of it and Peckham takes a 10:00 minute game misconduct. So that means the Oil will be a man short for 10 to start the 2nd period.

2nd Period

Well the period starts off great. Horcoff scores! Yeah! 2-2 Tie Game. (Horcoff from Souray and Staios at 0:47.) So just when I'm still celebrating, Moreau takes another bad timing penalty. In fact it's a 4 minute penalty (2 for tripping and 2 for roughing after the whistle). Nice Ethan. *shakes head* So now the Oilers have to kill this off. Well they don't. Dallas scores at 3:07 during the 1st part of the penalty. So that means that they still have a 2:00 minute PP. 3-2 Stars. The Stars have some good chances, but the Oilers kill off that penalty. Back to 5 on 5. Horcoff has played a ton already. Yet, he only has one shot/one goal and one takeaway. Dallas takes a penalty at 10:22. Oilers PP time. Gagner replaces Penner on the 1st line PP unit. Good passing but no real chances. Then just after the penalty expires, Nilsson gives it away to the Stars and they get a solid chance, but Roli makes a great save. Thanks Roli. However... a few minutes later Cole takes a penalty that really wasn't intentional but too aggressive. During the penalty kill the Stars crash the net and Moreau and Staios get involved. The next thing you know, Staios and Ott are having a "chat". (I really dislike Ott. I think he's a chicken shit. But, my opinion only.) We shall she what transpires from that. During the maylay, Dallas takes a penalty and the Oilers will get one minute and change on the PP. They do not convert on it. As the period ends, Hemsky gets nailed by Steve Ott and that leaves the period on a high note. I'm excited for the 3rd period.

3rd Period

Dallas gets the 1st good chance of the period. Roli and the post made a nice save, in the first 2:00 minutes. There has been 8:00 minutes played and the Oilers seem lifeless. MacT is trying to find a line that can do something. So far nothing has worked. Crap. Dallas scores at 8:17(against the 3rd line). 4-2 Stars. How does a team not be fired up when you are down by one when the 3rd starts? Terrible. Just terrible. Can anyone provide something? With 7:30 left there has been nothing. Although Stortini is out with Gagner and Nilsson and they did pretty good. A little while later Ott makes a hit on Gilbert. Roli gets upset and body checks Ott to the ground. Smid, Cole and Moreau all take exception and freak out. Penalties all around. That was the spark that was needed to wake up this Oiler squad. But just a little too late I think. It ends up being 4 on 4 for a while then the Oilers had a short PP. Then it was 4 on 4 again for a bit. Then it went to a Dallas PP. I was so confused. So much going on. But take a look at the scoresheet and you can see why. CLICK HERE. There was a lot of penalties. But the Oilers give the Stars some good pressure to finish off the period. It was nice to see them not shy away after rough stuff happens. I don't think we have much of a team toughness problem anymore. Well... game over. Dallas wins.

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Tonight's Starting Lines

Penner Horcoff Hemsky (These guys played a lot tonight. Penner wasn't an impact player at all. He did manage to be +1 but, only 1 shot and 1 hit. Horcoff was good at times and tired at times. Maybe he is playing to much? Hemsky wasn't razzle or dazzle tonight.)

Nilsson Gagner Cole (I thought this line was good at times and bad at times. Nilsson opened his own bakery tonight. He had 3 turnovers. Gagner was good later in the game, but was no where in the 1st half. Cole was hardly effective other than his 5 hits.)

Moreau Cogliano Stortini (I thought that this line was going to be better. But it helps if the Oilers weren't killing penalties all game. Moreau took to many penalties to be effective. Cogliano had 5 hit but wasn't really an offensive threat. Stortini played well. He did what was asked.)

Reddox Brodziak Jacques (This line was effective once. Reddox scores a goal right in the crease. Brodziak didn't really do anything all game. Jacques didn't play much but that's expected. He finally got his 1st NHL point.)

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FINAL SCORE

Edmonton Oilers - 2

Dallas Stars - 4

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BEERS

Ladislav Smid - The Spaz was good at laying the body tonight (7 hits). He made some big ones that made people notice him. He really seems to be stepping up with the the eother guys being out. His actual playing was good as well. No real mistakes and he seems comfortable playing more minutes. Have a cald beer Smid. Cheers!

Steve Staios - Steady Steve was great tonight (22:21 of ice time). He played a simple yet aggresive checking game. He made very little mistakes and was smart enough not to take any penalties. Staios is another defenceman that has surprised me since 37 and 71 have been out. Nice going Steve. Have a frosty beer. Cheers!

Dwayne Roloson - I know... he let in some soft ones. But sticking up for Gilbert was great. That alone deserves a beer. Cheers!

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JEERS

The 1st Line - You guys had plenty of chances but couldn't save the team from losing. Waiting for the 3rd line to provide a spark can't work every game. This line needs to be better. Boooooooo!

The 2nd Line - Why can't you guys score anymore? What has changed? You are good defensivly for the most part but you need to score. Plain and simple. And you don't. Booooooooo!

The Entire Team - Why do you guys (everyone) wait for someone else to do something? Step up and make a statement. A bold statement. We need every point that we can get. Yet we let 2 points slip away again. Boooooooooo!

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The next time we play is Saturady. Hockey Day in Canada. Yay! I love this day. Oilers vs. Flames. The war begins...

See you next time.

Beers and Jeers #33 (Feb 16/09 vs Phoenix Coyotes)

Well not much has changed since the last game. Everyone is healthy and ready to play so that means the lines will not change. It looks like Roli is going to get the start tonight. I wonder if he is going to play in both games? Hardcore if he is. Before this game starts, the Oilers are sitting in 9th with 60 pts. Vancouver is in 5th with 62 pts. So this game is important that we pick up these 2 pts.

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1st Period

The Oilers start the game off well. Good jump to their step. The 1st 5:00 minutes flew by like nothing. No real chances for either side other than the first few quick shots by the Oil. But good flow. At 5:58, Souray takes a penalty and the Coyotes are on the PP. Good thing the Oilers kill that off with no real good chances by the Coyotes. This is one of those periods that the time is going quick and the action is plenty, but no real big chances yet which makes it kind of boring and there is 8:15 left. It gets hard to describe a period when the play is like this. I mean come on... I want to boo something. Or cheer. Shots are 11 for Phx, and 7 for Edm. Ok... speaking of action. The Oilers get some PP time. Let's hope for a quick goal here. Well, Bobby Nilsson gets a nice breakaway chance. But can't score. Nice try though, very exciting. If someone can throw a big hit, the momentum will swing in their favour. The 4th line comes out and lays out some hits but not quite the "big one". So far this period all the lines have been good. All steady and stable. Then near the end of the period Jokinen throws a puck to the net and it bounces off of Souray towards the net. Roli had to be sharp and stick out the big toe to make a fantastic save. Yay Roli! So that is the end of the 1st period and the score is 0-0. The shots are also tied at 13 a piece. Let's hope the Oilers get fired up during the intermission. End of period score: 0-0 Tie Game

2nd Period

Well the Oilers look like they want to have a better period. The #1 and #2 lines came out with some quick chances. Even Penner tried to "stick handle in a phone booth". Well that's what Kevin Quinn said anyways. There has been good flow to this game. No one has stood out as 1st star yet (other than Roli), and I think something is going to have to give. Over at OilersNation I predicted 6-1 Oilers. And so far that is not happening. At the halfway mark the shots are 2 for the Oilers and 1 for the Coyotes. I am not sure why everyone looks for the pass and not the shot? Well Nilsson gets another breakaway chance. No goal again. But right after that Peckham has words with Goertzen because he ran into Roli. Next thing you know, Peckham is putting up the dukes. Good fight. Kind of a draw. But Goertzen ends up getting a penalty for the Roli run and sits for another 5 for fighting Peckham. PP Oilers. Good momentum changer. The Kid line has a great shift together but Phx kills it off. A little while later Phx takes another penalty. Another chance for the Oilers. Penner picks up the puck in the right corner and he brings it out to the front of the net. He shoots... rebound. Hemsky scores! (Hemsky from Penner and Horcoff) 1-0 Oilers. But at 16:48, Nilsson gets another chance to score but decides to grab a stick in the corner and takes a penalty. Damn! That's not all... at 17:23, Moreau takes another bad timing penalty and puts the Oilers down to 5 on 3. But the Oilers kill both penalties off and that is nothing short of amazing. But Ethan Moreau takes another penalty at 19:48 and gives more chances for Phoenix to score. And they do with 2.6 seconds left in the period. 1-1 Tie. All that hard work for nothing. But as the whistle blows, Stortini gets into it (14th of the year) with Fedoruk. Nothing really happens but a few punches are thrown. Fedoruk falls and Storts wants to crank him but doesn't. End of period score: 1-1 Tie Game

3rd Period

So here we are tied and ready for some action. Souray takes the 1st shot of the period right off the hop. Hey, that's a good way to start. Chopper tries a wrap around and almost scores. A few shifts later MacT sends out 18, 51, and 85. This line gives Phx some serious pressure. A couple of chances but they don't come out with a goal. Oh! Coyotes take a penalty. Oilers have a bit of momentum and a good chance here to get up by one with the man advantage. Yes! Souray with the bomb from the blue line. Oh yeah... 2-1 Oilers. (at 5:33, Souray from Hemsky from Gilbert) Well now we will have to see how the Oilers respond to the lead change. Phoenix battles hard with the Oil for the next while until Penner takes a penalty at 12:06. Phx should have been called just before that as Hemsky was high sticked, but it was missed by the refs. During the PP the Coyotes crash the net and Souray flips and starts swinging. Amazingly, he doesn't get a penalty. Roli makes some great saves and seems to be one of the best Oilers once again. The excitement level is rising in this game now that there is only 5:00 left. The 2nd line comes out firing on all 8 cylinders. Then Smid with his head down gets hammered by Goertzen in front of the Oilers net. Ouch! Now here is Phx with a little momentum. Roli has to come up with a huge save to save the score from being tied again. Then some smack talk happens and a kerfuffle happens. Souray wants to kill. Hemsky is swearing at people. Penner is grabbing people. But nothing happens. So now that the intensity level is flying high (quite the change from the 1st) Gilbert tries to chip the puck out and does just that. Out and over the glass. PP for Phx. Damn! During the PK, Souray fires three times at the empty net but misses. That's ok. As long as it's not in our net. With Gilbert coming out of the box, Horcoff picks up the loose puck and shoots it in the empty net at 19:36. 3-1 Oilers. Awesome! (Horcoff from Gilbert) That will be the game folks and now we are sitting in 6th place with 62 pts. Wooooooo! 4 out of 4 points so far on this roadie. Nice job Oilers! MacT for Mayor? Just sayin'...

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Tonight's Starting Lines

Penner Horcoff Hemsky (This line was good tonight. Penner didn't look lazy. Horcoff was earning his money. Hemsky was Hemsky but without the flashy moves)

Nilsson Gagner Cole (This line was also good tonight. Nilsson was fast and on his game. Gagner is becoming the next Hemsky... but better. Cole was pretty effective in all situations.)

Moreau Cogliano Pouliot (This line was kind of not noticeable. That's a good thing if you are a defenseman but this is the 3rd line and that's not good. Moreau took a couple of penalties that killed momentum. Cogliano only looked great when he was with the Kid Line on the PP. Poliuot is the week link here. Reddox would fit better.)

Stortini Brodziak Reddox (The 4th line was trying to be destructive tonight. But this line isn't really a game changing line. Unless of course it's with a big hit or a big fight, and that didn't really happen)

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FINAL SCORE

Edmonton Oilers - 3

Phoenix Coyotes - 1

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BEERS

Dwayne Roloson - He was solid tonight. He looks to be in top form which is great if your an Oiler fan. He sure has put the naysayers to rest since the Garon trade. Good for him. I couldn't imagine being told that you suck every other day and still show up for work. But he is a gamer and he wants to play. So for another stand up game... have a frosty one Roli. Cheers!

Sheldon Souray - This guy was a workhorse toonight. 26:35 of ice time is a lot for a guy that didn't have to play that much a week ago. But he is showing us why we paid him so much to come here. He did everything right tonight. He kicked the crap out of net crashers and jerks. He scored with his big bomb (6 shots). He combed his hair in between periods to look good for the ladies. He is awesome! Have a nice cold one Souray. You're probably thirsty. Cheers!

Ales Hemsky - He was pretty good today. Not the flashy Hemsky that we are use to. But the useful Hemsky that gets things done even when it looks like he's not trying. He had a goal and an assist tonight, and that's about it (according to the stat sheet). But he had good vision and controlled the puck very well. I think that Hemmer deserves a beer. Cheers!

Honerable Mention - Steve Staios (he did well considering he played 25:57. That's a ton of ice for guy that was lucky to break a sweat most games), Shawn Horcoff (he sure earned his $$$ today. He was stellar all game. 2 Points), Sam Gagner (the little dude was good.), Robert Nilsson (had some great chances but couldn't convert), Tom Gilbert (he had 2 assists but was shakey at times.)

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JEERS

I really don't have any. Well other than the usual shoddy reffing. But what good is that to complain about? They don't care.

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Well that game started out good, but boring. Then the second period was the same, but a little better. It wasn't untill the 3rd, when the intensity and the action went up a few notches. The next game is tomorow at 8 pm. PPV game. And it's against the San Jose Sharks. This is going to be a tough game. Hopefully we ride the Rolitrain to another win. See you all next time...

Beers and Jeers #32 (Feb 14/09 vs. Los Angeles Kings)

Well what a nice day for a hockey game. Beautiful skies and love is in the air. Cuddling with your loved ones sitting on the couch. Awwww.... how nice.

However the Oilers need to not worry about love. They need to hate. Hate the Kings like they are the Flames. Hate them like it's game 7 of the SCF. Hate them like it's their abusive step daddy. Yes the team needs to get fired up for this one. The Kings seem to be hot lately and the Oilers need to get off to a good start on this 4 game roadie. Time to put a string of wins together. Time to get playoff ready.

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On a side note, Theo Peckham has been recalled and will play tonight. Denis Grebeshkov will be out for 4 to 6 weeks. That sucks. Expect Smid to excel now.

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1st Period

The game gets off to a good start. Fast pace. In the first minute and a half, Souray bombs one off the Kings post and nearly scores. Then L.A. has some real good opportunities on Roli. But Roli seems up for the task today. I just hope they can piss him off somehow. Then at 4:58, Hemsky tries to make a pass to Horcoff. He misses it and Penner bangs it in for the goal. Wicked! 1-0 Oilers. Off to a good start. Shortly after that the Kings #1 line puts tons of pressure on the Oilers. They get some really good chances but once again Roli comes up huge. The play continues to be fast and furious. At 13:11, the Oilers on the PP, Hemsky makes a nice pass to Penner in front of the net. Instead of shooting a backhand shot, he keeps passing it to Horcoff. He shoots and scores. 2-0 Oilers. Yeah. Then the rough stuff starts. After it's all over Horcoff goes to the box. What? A goal AND a penalty. Strange. But the action is just going to get better from here on out. Oh... and it does. At 15:08 more rough stuff begins and next thing Gagner and Jack Johnson are fighting. Yeah that's right. Gagner. He starts off not too bad but ends up getting worked over a little. But who freaking cares!!! That takes balls. Sam Gagner is moving up in my books. Maybe instead of a beer he gets an ice pack. So with that done you would have to expect a heavyweight fight soon. 17:20 Stortini and Ivanans. Good tilt. Stortini sure has improved his fighting skills. No more Huggy Bear. Thank god. At least now he is scary. Storts gets some high fives from the boys on the way to the dressing room. The game is getting intense now. Near the end of the period Souray tries to get Dustin Brown to go. Brown is a chicken turd and refuses. I mean really.... I wouldn't want to be one punched by Souray. Would you? Great period by the Oilers. The fans should be happy with that. I am. End of period score: 2-0 Oilers

2nd Period

This period should be as intense as the last. The Kings start out with some good pressure and the Oilers take a penalty. During the PK, the Oilers take another penalty. Oh crap! So with Peckham and Staios sitting in the box, Roli comes up huge, but L.A. eventually scores. Damn. 2-1 Oilers. But the Oilers kill off the last penalty and now it's time for retribution. The 27/10/83 are really dynamite so far this game. It's great to see. I was getting worried about Hemsky, but he is looking good now. I can see now why this L.A. squad is on such a roll. They are really good. Really fast. Very similar to the Oilers. Ok... At 10:59 the Kings take a penalty. Time to make a move Oil. Time to go. The 1st line gets some great chances but can't score. The kid line comes out and they can't score either. However, Smid shoots the puck over the glass and sits for 2. But Roli is still on a roll and they kill it off. 23 to 7 are the shots for L.A. at the 3:30 mark of the 2nd. Wow! I guess it would be safe to say that the Kings won this period. End of period score: 2-1 Oilers

3rd Period

Well I love it when the Oilers are riding the wave to a win. But this wave is rough. This period has started off hard hitting and spirited much like the other two periods. PP time for the Oilers. But no goals again. At 7:18 L.A. takes a penalty. Just as the Oilers are trying to get it out of the zone, Tom Gilbert gives away the puck at the blue line and sends the King player on a break away and Roli was blessed by the post gods. Thank you post gods. There sure have been some huge hits in this game. Dustin Brown levels Smid and a few seconds later (13:22) Moreau absolutely nails Brown. Helmet and gloves go flying and so does Dustin. Haha! Chopper manages a penalty for fighting Matt Greene, but oh well. Point taken huh Brown? The game play is really good this game. The pace hasn't slowed all game. All the lines are playing well and this is a good start to the 4 game roadie. More massive hits and a penalty by Cogs has been making this final few minutes really exciting. Can we hold them off? Can we score another? Let's go Oilers! L.A. net is empty... 6 on 4 PP for the Kings. What kind of Ref calls an intentional offside with 30 seconds left? I'll tell you. A MORON! Faceoff in the Oilers zone. L.A. scores. Geez... 2-2 tie game. I can't believe that. Why would Horcoff want to be offside. The net was empty. *shakes head*

Overtime

This game should be over, but it's not. But the Oilers do get a point this game so that's good. *plays the Jefferson's Theme Song. Movin' on up!* So here we go. Let's win this Oilers. The action continues to be the same as what we have already seen. Like I said earlier these Kings are a good team. But the overtime solves nothing with both teams trying hard in the OT period. Off to the Shootout.

Shootout

Sam Gagner - He goes to the right, cuts back in and shoots it glove high and scores.

Robert Nilsson - Goes wide as well and just as he cuts to the left he stops and sneaks it in on the right along the ice. Scores! Game over. Wooooooooo....

Ales Hemsky - did not shoot.

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Today's Starting Lineup

Penner Horcoff Hemsky (The best Oiler line. They all played well together)

Nilsson Gagner Cole (This line was pretty solid as well. Cole was still not quite himself)

Moreau Cogliano Pouliot (Pretty decent 3rd line. Had big hits and they were fast.)

Stortini Brodziak Reddox (Not really a line that stayed together much. But were effective when they were.)

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Final Score

Edmonton Oilers - 3

Los Angeles Kings - 2

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BEERS

Sam Gagner - I thought that Gags was really good today. He made a few mistakes but his fight was instrumental in getting the team fired up. He takes a beating all game and still comes back for more. Then he gets picked for the shootout. And scores the winner. Nice Sam. You deserve a beer. Cheers!

Ales Hemsky - I thought that the real Hemsky was here at this game today. He played pretty good offensively and a real decent defensive game. He was a huge factor for this team to win today. He deserves a nice cold one. Cheers!

Dwayne Roloson - Roli the goalie was stellar once again today. He has really taken this team on his shoulders and really ran with it since the Garon trade. He seems to be in the best mental and physical shape since the '06 run. Vintage Roli today. Enjoy a frosty Roli. Good game. Cheers!

Honorable Mention: Shawn Horcoff (my whipping boy was excellent today. His play was real solid.), Sheldon Souray (he was the mean tough guy that we have grown to love. He can shoot and kick you ass. Nice.), Ethan Moreau (absolutely killed Dustin Brown with that hit in the 3rd.), Dustin Penner (a solid game from Penner)

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JEERS

The Ref that called the Intentional Offside on Horcoff - MORON! Who wants an offside call when the goalie is pulled and you can score on an empty net? Boooooooooooo!

Tom Gilbert - His giveaway was almost a game killer. He seemed to fumble the puck at our blue line quite a bit today. He needs to be better with the two guys out. Booooooooooooo!

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Well that was a fun game to watch. On one hand I like afternoon games. But on the other I hate it because now I have to watch some other crap teams play on HNIC tonight and not the Oilers. Oh well. There is always alcohol. And it's Valentines day so I am sure some people are getting lucky tonight.

Next game is Monday @ 7:30 vs Pheonix. This should be a "W". See you then...

GO OILERS!

Beers and Jeers #31 (Feb 11/09 vs. Montreal Canadiens)

Welcome back everyone. Life has been interesting. Lubomir Visnovsky has a dislocated shoulder and is out for the remainder of the season. Ouch! Both literally and figuratively. It's a huge loss and I'm not sure how the Oilers plan on replacing him. A trade? Minors? What's the plan?

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The Oilers are sitting in 10th with 56 points. Not great, but really... not bad considering that Dallas is in 5th with 59 points. Still time left for a good push. I am still not hitting the panic button. Yet.

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Jaromir Jagr may just be an Edmonton Oiler after all. Not this year, but very much a possibility for next year. David Staples broke the story yesterday and I was also sucked into the excitement. But even though it won't be able to happen this year, I have no doubt that we should take a chance on him next year. What's it going to hurt? Just not Sundin/Hossa money please.

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1st Period

The game is starting and I still can not believe how many Habs fans there are. Montreal gets out to a great start by getting the 1st shot away. This game seems like it's going to be a good one. But soon after (4:30) Gagner draws a penalty. MacT sends out the Kid line. Gagner ends up whacking in a rebound and scores. 1-0 Oilers. Gagner (5:41) from Nilsson and Cogliano. I love being the 1st team to score. It feels nice. It seems like all the lines are working tonight. At the 11:00 minute mark Hemsky looks like Hemsky and pulls off a sweet toe drag move but..... didn't score. Nice move though. Holy crap! The 4th line does score... Stortini scores his 3rd of the year. (watch out Gagner!) They provided good pressure to the Montreal defence and managed a goal. Stortini (13:31)from Gilbert. 2-0 Oilers. 10 seconds later the Oilers score again. Cogliano scores the 3rd goal of this game assisted by Moreau and Pouliot. Crazy!!! 3-0 Oilers. Montreal is stressing out now. But I guess we all know how that feels, right Oiler fans. It feels nice to be on this side of the fence for once. Oh no. Hemsky scores now. Geez... 4-0 Oilers. Hemsky (19:34) from Penner and Horcoff. All 4 lines have scored a goal in this period.(well sort of. Gagner's goal was on the PP with 12 and 13). 10 seconds later the Habs do get on the board. Dandenault is the goal scorer. End of period score : 4-1 Oilers.

2nd Period

Well that was the best period the Oilers have played in.. in... a long long time. Let's hope the 2nd goes as well. No mercy boys. No mercy. The start of the period has good flow until Stortini takes a high sticking penalty at 2:35. But shortly after that, the Habs fall into penalty trouble. Twice. The Oilers have a 5 on 3 Power play for 1:32. And they blow it. On a side note: Quinn and Brown say that Grebs won't be retuning today. (I wonder if Reddox can take his spot. Jk.) With Smid in the box a little while later, Brodziak gets a short handed breakaway (11:40). Scoooorrrreeeesss! Holy cow. 5-1 Oilers. Brodziak from Strudwick and Gilbert. This is awesome. But do you know what isn't awesome? Taking a puck in the face. Ouch! Souray takes some rubber to the nose. No worries. It builds character. Then at 17:19 Penner hits one of the crossbar and in. The Oilers score again. Penner from Hemsky and Horcoff. Is this the Chicago team that has been here? 6-1 Oilers. Right at the tail end of the period Souray takes a penalty and one minute will be carried over to the 3rd. End of period score : 6-1 Oilers

3rd Period

The 3rd period started of pretty good for the Oilers. Killed off the rest of the Souray penalty. The flow from all 4 lines has been exciting to watch. The Habs started to get into penalty trouble again. At 5:53 Reddox scores to make it to seven. 7-1 Oilers. Reddox from Gilbert and Brodziak. This is crazy. However, 4 minutes later the Habs finally pop their 2nd goal. 7-2 Oilers. The part I hate the most is when there is a break in the game and Quinn and Brown carry on with some dribble of banter. Most of the time they make no sense. Or they state the obvious. Well... Montreal takes their 7th penalty of the game. And the Oilers smell blood. What's going to happen? A freaking huge save by Roli that's what. WOW! That was highlight reel stuff. Roli! Roli! Roli! 3:34 left in the game and I still can't believe that the score is 7-2 Oilers. Awesome stuff. It's about time that it's us and not the other team running up the score.

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Tonight's Starting Lines

Penner Horcoff Hemsky (This was a good line tonight. Hemsky was looking back to normal. Penner was full of energy. Horcoff was better than we have seen in awhile. Very Effective line.)

Nilsson Gagner Cole (This was also a pretty good line. Well Cole wasn't that good. But Gagner and Nilsson looked really energized tonight. Good speed. Effective Line.)

Moreau Cogliano Pouliot (This line was pretty decent tonight. They worked hard and it payed off with a goal for Cogs. All three were good. Effective Line.)

Reddox Brodziak Stortini (This line was WAY better than I could have ever expected. Stortini seems to be on a real tear right now. Brodziak has also been good since the dog house bit with MacT. Even Reddox scored. Pretty Effective Line.)

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Final Score

Montreal Canadiens - 2

Edmonton Oilers - 7

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BEERS

KEGGER!!!

All the boys really deserve a beer. I don't really want to single anyone out. But Hemmer and Roli were great. Sam Gagner was slick tonight. Gilbert had 3 assists. Stortini was a man on a mission. MacT didn't make any changes during the game. Life is all good now. So Cheers everyone! It's kegger time.

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JEERS

No one was really stinky tonight, so no Boo's from me. Although I wonder what is up with Erik Cole? He wasn't great tonight and didn't really play much but he did block 3 shots. So is he hurt or just crappy right now? Or maybe he wants out?

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The next game will be on Saturday at 2:oo vs the LA Kings. They are hot right now, so that will be a good test for the Oil. Hopefully this win tonight can instill a little more confidence on this team as they prepare for the stretch run. Go Oilers!

Beers and Jeers #30 (Feb 8/09 vs. Minnesota Wild)

As you can see, I have made some changes (header and font) to the site. I figured if i could change... why not the Oilers?

Ok Oilers. It's a new day. Time to get fired up and take on those trap style Wild team. I don't like their style. It's very boring to watch. But it works so who am I to judge? I have a much better feeling about this game than I did yesterday. I vented already today (click here) and I am feeling positive now. I am expecting another Big Mac vs. Bogeyman fight. It should be a gooder. That should help wake up a game in the afternoon.

I am wondering what MacT is up to for this game? Who plays with who? What is the plan of attack? Are we going to win? hmmmm.... questions.

It's 12:57 pm and I'm fired up. Let's Go Oilers!

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1st Period

And it's Roli that gets the start. Figures. I guess he will play every game for now on? I thought Deslauriers was pretty good yesterday. Not great, but good enough for a start today. Oh well, another MacT what?!? However, he does have the correct lines IMO. We will see how these work out.

Well we get a good pace right off the hop. Big Mac and Bogey managed to come together but nothing happened. Oilers were looking really good in the opening 5:00 minutes. Then the Wild take a penalty. This is a great time to get a goal. Let's go Oilers! Another penalty to the Wild. This is a gift guys. A quick 5 on 3 here. And MacT uses his timeout to try and plan something. Will it work? You bet it will. Smart move MacT. 1-0 Oilers. Souray with the bomb from Grebs and Hemmer. And there is still time on the 2nd penalty left. But Minny kills that off. Oh well... 1-0 lead anyways. A little while later Stortini lands a beauty of a hit on Clutterbuck. Good way to gain some momentum. But Boogaard tries some dirty tactics on Storts and he lands himself a slashing penalty. Haha! Seconds later Souray gets himself in penalty trouble so things went to 4 0n 4. Damn! The game has good flow for the rest of the period. Oilers look like a different team today. With 1:41 left Minny (Belanger) scores to make it 1-1. Damn Roli. That was soft. But the line that was out there wasn't exactly our #1 line (5, 43, 51, 85, 78). Ouch. End of period score. 1-1 tie game.

2nd Period

The Oilers come out flying. Even the 4th line gets a shift. But the Oilers take a penalty at 3:43. Souray again. Oilers respond well. Good kill. So here we are at 12:37 remaining in the period. Where is Hemsky? Why is he invisible? Is he coming back? At 8:59 left Boogaard puts the puck in the net after the whistle. Stortini takes exception and the anticipation of a Bogey vs. Big Mac/Storts builds. The period ends up being a being more of a Wild period then an Oiler one. Right in the last few seconds Gagner breaks to the net and crashes into the goalie. That results in a penalty. Good on Gagner for going hard and taking a hard shot for his troubles. I don't get all the hoopla over Gagner not producing offensively when he is such a good player without the puck. He plays way older than he is. (He is only 19). Anyways the Oilers have to come out with some of that JAM that MacT speaks about. 1-1 tie game still. Take no prisoners now!

3rd Period

Well, still no fight in this game. (When I expect it, I get impatient) But the Oilers have to kill off Gagner's penalty. And they do. Then the 2nd line (12/89/26) come out and provide great pressure. Cole draws a penalty and the Oilers go on the PP. Not much later the Wild come flying down into the Oiler zone an Miettinen nails a one timer past Roli to score short handed. Damn it I say. So much for a good start to the period. But Minny kills off that penalty and continue the momentum that they earned. 2-1 Wild. The 2 guys trying to do something are Gagner and Cogliano. I am looking for some veteran presence but I can't see any. Just these young guys trying to get something going. I can respect that. So we are now at the 1/2 way mark and here is the Jayman Homes Hit Counter. 7 hits. 7. Well that is just sad. (Oilers-7, Wild-29) The only good part is Jayman is saving themselves some $$$ today. How many Stanley Cups were won with only 7 hits delivered? WAIT: HOLD THE PRESSES! Holy crap! Gagner scores a beauty from Smid and Nilsson. Just in time. 6:00 left and it's all tied up at 2-2. Let's go Oilers! With 32 seconds left in the 3rd, Bouchard takes a penalty. This is it Oilers. Gut check time. Well the Oilers get some good chances (Gagner) but can't end this game yet.

Overtime

Overtime starts and the pace is fast. Souray gets a few shots off but they are swallowed up quick. The Wild kill off the penalty and overtime continues. This was a pretty exciting OT but I am puzzled as to why Moreau and Pouliot are out out there together. There was a couple of Oiler giveaway's and Roli came up HUGE. Real game breakers. This is off to the Shoot Out.

Shoot Out

Gagner - Makes his usual move and it's stopped. Nice try little dude.

Nilsson - Goes wide like last game and also doesn't score.

Hemsky - His usual slow skating, fast stickhandling move with a shot at the end. Stopped.

Gilbert - Tries a forehand shot. Misses.

Wild score. Game over.

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Tonight's Starting Lines

Moreau Cogliano Hemsky (This line really didn't do much. They lacked the punch that I had thought that they were going to have. Moreau was average. Cogs was a little above average. Hemmer was invisible again. 4th game in a row.)

Nilsson Gagner Cole (The best Oiler line. The 3 played well together. Nilsson was not bad. Cole was struggling a bit. Gagner was a man playing possessed.)

Penner Brodziak Stortini (The Big Guy line was good today. I liked this line (2nd best). Penner was trying. Brodziak looked comfortable. Stortini was making the best of the extra ice time.)

MacIntyre Pouliot Reddox (Not a line that did much. I think I only seen them out as a unit 4 times. Big Mac didn't fight. Pouliot was ok. Reddox was a non-factor.)

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Final Score

Edmonton Oilers - 2

Minnesota Wild - 3

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BEERS

Sam Gagner

- He was real solid today. During the 1st half I thought he was really good defensively. But in the 3rd he scores his 5th of the year. He deserved that goal. Way to go Sam. Have a frosty cold one on me. Cheers!

Dwayne Roloson

- As always a rock. I wasn't sure what he was going to be like after getting shelled by Detroit. But like every other time he bounces back with a real solid effort. He was our leader today. Beer Roli? Cheers!

Sheldon Souray

- Had 7 shots on net today. He scored on one. He had a good game except for the 2 penalties. I wish he was on a roll again. But for today you deserve a beer. Cheers!

Honorable Mention

- Zack Stortini (he played well. Not much stats but a couple of hits.), Dustin Penner (the guy takes faceoffs now? And he's good at it so far. 7-2 for 78%. He played pretty good as well), Kyle Brodziak (seemed more comfortable playing with 27 and 46.)

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JEERS

Tom Gilbert

- He sure isn't worth the money that KLowe was sure quick to give away. What does that say for Grebeshkov who is going to get a raise since he has been better than Gilbert? For a not good effort tonight. Boooooooooooo!

Ales Hemsky

- Same with Hemmer. Where was he? Where is the magical man we call Hemmer? 4 games in a row with a no show. If he wasn't so damn good I would put him on the 4th line next game. But that won't jhappen. Bad game today Hemsky. Boooooooooooo!

Ethan Moreau

- Our captain was also not good today. He had a great chance to get some points playing with #83. But having only 1 shot and 1 hit means you were not playing your style (crash and bang). If you can't do that then you get booed. Booooooooooo!

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Well that game was exciting yet frustrating. No big fight with the Bogeyman. Maybe next time. A point is a point but we needed a win. Next up... Wedsnday vs. Montreal Canadiens.

See you next time...

Beers and Jeers #28 (Feb 5/09 vs. St. Louis Blues)

Before the game starts I hear Penner is back on the 1st line. My 1st thought, "Why?". He was brilliantly average last game. He drives MacT/fans crazy yet when ever MacT panics he reverts to the 27/10/83 line. But whatever makes MacT happy I guess. I don't get to choose.

I was hoping that the game was going to be a gooder. I think that the fans really need a pick me up. We need something. Anything.

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1st Period

The game started with a good pace. St. Louis looked ready to play tonight. This looks like it going to be a tough/skating type of a game. The first 10:00 minutes of play were solid back and forth chances. With St. Louis gaining the edge. We killed a penalty, they killed a penalty. Then at the 13:00 minute mark Cam Janssen and Zack Stortini decided to drop the gloves. This was actually a really good fight. Storts was giving Janssen some nice rights. And some really nice jersey hold chin rabbit type of punches. No hugging. After the bombardment of shots the fighters went of to the box. Their knuckles looked broken, beat and scarred. (yeah... Metallica reference) A little while later St. Louis started crashing into Roli. By the 4th time that was it. Everyone snapped. Including Roli. Thank you St. Louis. You made him mad. We win. Haha. The period finished up and for the first time in a long time, I felt good about the period that this team just played. A full 20 minutes. End of 1st period: 0-0 tie.

2nd Period

The first 10 minutes in the 2nd were exciting back and forth hockey much like the 1st. Then at the around the 1/2 way mark, Nilsson gives it away and luckily enough the Blues don't score. Scary moment. But Roli is playing solid in the 2nd as well. He really is surprising me on how awesome he can be. Where was this last year? Not really sure why MacT decided to put Nilsson back on the 2nd line. I really thought that he was staying on the 1st line. Maybe Horcoff is the stinky one on this line? :) So with 3 minutes to go, Souray takes a nice drop pass from Nilsson and snaps it in the net. Oilers lead 1-0. Sweet. I always like to be the team that scores 1st. Always. Great period by the Oilers. Nothing like going to the 3rd with a lead. End of 2nd period: 1-0 Oilers

3rd Period

Ok, so the 3rd is getting under way and they announce that Horcoff and Gilbert are injured and will not return. (Shades of 2 years yonder...) Oh boy. Prepare for a rough 20 minutes. MacT moves Brodziak up to take Horcoffs place. The saddest part is... He looked no different than Horcoff. They play very similar and yet he's cheaper. It was weird watching him there. Although in a strange way, Penner looked more comfortable with 51, rather than 10. The MacBlender did come out a little. More out of nessesity than anything. The Oilers seem to really band together and finish the "job" as a team. Then the Blues score to make it interesting. It was 5:29 and they made it a 1-1 game. Damn! Gut check time. The tempo seemed to pick up a little after that goal. (BTW, it was a nice goal by McClemment) But both goalies continued their hotness all through the game, right up to the end of the period. The 3rd period ends in a tie. 1-1

Overtime

Overtime was also exciting. Lots of action but no real good shots by the Oilers. Well one. Souray nails the post with a hard shot. But that's it. I had that feeling that it was a shoot out night.

Shoot Out

Nilsson - Goes wide to the right and cuts in front and shoots it top left corner. Nice shot.

Gagner - Comes in fast and starts his magic hands. I think Mason thought he was going to do his full move but he didn't. He stopped at the second juke and finished with the backhand deke. Scores. Oilers win an over time shootout. Yeah!

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Tonight's Starting Lines

Penner Horcoff Hemsky - I thought that this line was going to do better than it did. Hemsky wasn't that great tonight. (I believe in Karma and superstitions and all that jazz, and I believe that MacT shouldn't make claims that are a little wacky. It may haunt a person. I mean look at him since this was printed. Hemsky hasn't been very good.) All in all, this wasn't the best line nor the worst.

Nilsson Gagner Cole - I thought this line was good at points and below average at points. Mostly good though. This was the line that really didn't change much. Gagner was playing better this game. Cole was a shooting and a hitting machine tonight. He played well.

Moreau Cogliano Reddox - A strange line choice. I may have put Penner here instead of Reddox. This was a not bad line, but not real great either. No real mistakes for these guys.

Potulny Brodziak Stortini - Hard to grade a line that isn't really a line. Storts did his job. Brodziak was moved around elsewhere. Potulny was sat for some reason? (Reddox probably scraped MacT's driveway before the trip. He now gets his reward. Ice time.) **probably not true. But you never know? Right?**

All the lines pulled their weight tonight. We pulled out an old fashioned team win. No hero's. Just some hard work and a little effort.

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BEERS

Dwayne Roloson

- This man is turning into one of my favorite drinking partners. He played a solid game. Made big saves when needed. Got physical when needed. Became a game breaker when needed. Let's drink a Molson Canadian Roli. Cheers!

Sheldon Souray

- When Visnovsky went down we as fans thought oh crap. But lucky for the Oilers we still have the other "big" guy. Mr. Boom. He scored a real nice one tonight. He played hardcore all over the ice. He was a leader for the team. He can have a big beer. Cheers!

Denis Grebeshkov

- I think that this maybe a first for Grebs. Finally on the beer list. Well I thought that he was really good. He looked really comfortable out there with Souray on the PP. He was a good defenseman, for the entire game. Amazing. So have a beer on me. Cheers!

Honorable Mention

Ladislav Smid (he played really good too. He didn't make to many mistakes.), Robert Nilsson (I thought that he was good except for that brutal giveaway. Scores the winning shoot out goal), Erik Cole (he may not get ponts but he shoots a lot and he hits a lot. I really hope he resigns with the Oilers before the trade deadline)

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JEERS

Ales Hemsky

- My wife wants me to boo you. It's hard to disagree. He hasn't been the same since MacT compared him to #99. Well horcoff has been a stink pot for awhile so it's hard to blame just Hemmer. But you know you are not really the "man" in a game when MacT chooses Reddox over Hemsky in a shoot out. Sorry dude. From the Burnt household. Booooooo!

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Not much else to say here. Good game by the Oilers. We were due. Next up... Detroit Red Wings, Saturday @ 1:00 in the afternoon. See ya then.