Beers and Jeers #54 (Apr 2/09 vs. San Jose Sharks)

Well, everyone has talked or heard about the text message so I won't talk about it. Everyone knows that I don't blame MacT 100% for this year. I blame the Captain and the Oilers leaders.

Roli started again for the 34th straight game.

Will MacT ever get his 300th win? This season?

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Tonight's Starting Lines

Kotalik Horcoff Hemsky (This line was good at times, bad at times and just average at times. Not really how a #1 line should be. But it is what it is at this point of the season. Kotalik had 3 shots and 3 hits. Not bad. Horcoff was given limited minutes. Other than faceoffs and passes, he really didn't do anything. We saw Hemsky in flashes. He didn't shoot or hit anyone so.... his passing is sick though.)

Nilsson Gagner O'Sullivan (These guys were going hard all game. Nilsson had a fairly good game. Picked up an assist but gave up the puck a little too much. Gagner had one of his best games. He was hitting people, taking shots from all over the place. He played great. O'Sullivan takes shots from the places that most guys don't. If he gets trapped, he spins away from the guy and takes a shot. He did good in this game.)

Moreau Cogliano Pisani (These guys sucked. They were awful. This line never should have seen ice in the 3rd. If you can't figure out why the PK sucks so bad, then look at this line. If they can't get it done 5 on 5, then how can you expect them to be good being a man short? I feel bad for Cogs. He deserves better linemates. BTW: This was the line that botched the line change on the 1st shift of the game that resulted in the 1st goal of the game. *shakes finger*)

Penner Brodziak Stortini (This 4th line played like a 3rd line. They not only took control of the puck and play, but they caused havoc all game. Penner had a fine game. He played like he wanted to win. Brodziak looks better when he plays with Storts. They compliment each other nicely.)

Souray Staios (They did their job. Souray does look tired but he still can shoot. Too bad he can't hit the net more. Staios was good. He did nothing fancy, just smart hockey.)

Grebeshkov Gilbert (I thought that these guys were also good. Gilbert seems to have up and down games. This one was kind of in the high middle. Grebs did fairly good but was given a BTP for taking that interference penalty that resulted in the PP goal. Bad call or not, it's still a BTP. He played the most out of the Oilers defense.)

Strudwick Peckham (These guys played as capable NHLers. Strudwick does what he does best and plays that plugger type role. Peckham seems to be adapting fairly well to the NHL. Good to see. A few guys may not be around next year so it's nice to know that there are guys that can come in and play.)

Roloson (He was burned on the 1st shift by a nice shot. After that, he looked good. He played his ass off and made huge saves. He was classic Roli.)

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FINAL SCORE

San Jose Sharks - 2

Edmonton Oilers - 1

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BEERS

Sam Gagner - He was the 2nd best Oiler. He may be small but he packs a big punch. He scored his 15th of the year and actually did not bad on the faceoff dot. I was a little surprised that MacT had him out for the last faceoff against big Joe Thorton. He did win it though?!?! Crazy huh? For a Samerific game have a cold chilly Mountain Crest beer. Cheers!

Dwayne Roloson - Roli the goalie was the best Oiler. He didn't start out great and took a BTP of his own when he flipped the puck to high and into the net. Tough luck. But Roli at this point of the season can do whatever he wants. He plays like a leader, he is our leader. When is the consecutive streak going to be over? Have a Bud Roli. Cheers!

The RX1 Crowd - The crowd was into this game right from the start. I forgot what it sounded like. I think that the team really responded to the crowd. Every person at that game deserves a frosty mug o' beer. Cheers everyone!

Honorable Mentions - Theo Peckham (Solid Game. I didn't see him waver badly once.), Denis Grebeshkov (Other than the BTP, he was good.) Robert Nilsson (I though he did his job. He managed an assist.), The 4th Line (I love this line!)

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JEERS

Andrew Cogliano/Ethan Moreau/Fernando Pisani - WTF?!? What kind of game was that? Not a very good one. Break this up MacT. Booooooooo!

The Entire Team - You guys really need to learn how to pass from stick to stick. I am not sure how many passes I seen get interrupted or missed by the guy completely. The elite teams don't do that 10 or 12 times a game. Boooooooooo!

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That was a good game. I loved that the Oilers took one of the best teams in the league to the limits and had a good old fashioned speed game. Lots of chances and excitement. Too bad the Oilers couldn't tie it up in the end.

Next game is Saturday against the Vancouver Canucks on CBC at 8:00 pm. See you all then.

Beers and Jeers #53 (Mar 31/09 vs. Anaheim Ducks)

I couldn't write anything last night as I was shocked, disgusted, saddened, sombre, angry, confused and shocked again. WTF?!? For two days the Oilers preached to the fans about being the 7th man. THEY pumped up the game to the fans. We will bring our best our Captain said. Well if that was your best then you guys suck more than I think. Don't promise what you can't back up. Blame MacT all you want. He didn't crap the bed for the first 55 minutes. The players did. Gilbert took a BTP (Bad Timing Penalty) right after the Ducks score to make it 2-1, which then made it 3-1 when CFP scores on the PP. That really took the wind out of the sails. For the fans and the players.

The part that made me feel strange was when the game was over, the kids looked crushed. Heart broken that they lost this game. I felt bad for Cogs and Gags. However... when the camera was tossed on Moreau, Horcoff, Hemsky and Souray leaving the ice they looked like, "oh well." "Who gives a crap". I do. The rest of the Oiler Nation gives a crap. As much as people are ready for MacT to be gone (and I do agree now BTW), I say the same for Moreau as Captain. NNC.

Here is the summary: The Oilers look good in the first 5 minutes. The suck for the rest off the game up until 16:33 of the 3rd period. Then they score 2 quick goals. Yay! But when the luck is starting to run out, MacT tries to pull a rabbit out if his hat. But the rabbit was already dead. Game over.

GAME SUMMARY
EVENT SUMMARY

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FINAL SCORE

Anaheim Ducks - 5

Edmonton Oilers - 3

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BEERS

Dustin Penner - I liked how he played last night. He was one of the few that really brought it. He had 6 shots and was a +1. I say you played well enough to deserve a beer. Cheers!

Zack Stortini - He was one of the best Oilers last night. He was hitting guys. He had a good fight with Parros in the 1st. When MacT sent him out near the end, I was going what the hell?!? Just then... Boom! He tips in the puck. GOOOOOOOAALLLL... Awesome. He was wicked cool. That's right. Wicked cool. Enjoy a frosty Storts. Cheers!

Shawn Horcoff - I thought that he was good despite his attitude after the final whistle blew. It's just to bad that that his linemates couldn't match his play. He does need to shoot more. The more you shoot the quicker the slump stops. But for a good game... Have a cold one. Cheers!

Honorable Mentions - Steve Staios (He seemed to be trying hard to help the team win last night. He jumped up in the play a few times and played a simple type game. He just looks really tired.) J.F. Jacques (He played ok. He did was he was supposed to. Good job.)

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JEERS

Ethan Moreau - The Captain made a statement and didn't follow through. We will bring our best. No you did not. NNC. Boooooooo!

Ales Hemsky - Same for you. Talk is cheap and you did sweet f*ck all. You want to be a leader of this team? You want to get rode like a Red Mile Hooker? Why? You don't show up when needed. Like last night. Boooooooo!

Sheldon Souray - All those hard shots aren't worth a crap if you don't hit the net. Wide open net. Missed. I was expecting a different Souray last night. He also looks tired. Booooooo!

Tom Gilbert - Your stats (3 assists and 5 shots which normaly deserves a frosty beer) may say one thing but taking a BTP is unforgivable. Tough luck... but it's your luck. That sucked Tom. *shakes head* Boooooooo!

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Is this the end?

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.

Beers and Jeers #51 (Mar 27/09 vs. Anaheim Ducks)

Well folks, last night's game was a gooder. I freaked out a little and cheered a little. And then I freaked out some more. The Ref's were terrible. Most of the calls were penalty worthy, but some were called for no reason. What happened to the good refs?

Roli started once again and it looks like he will until the Oilers secure a spot. In other words, he will play right up to the last game of the season.

Stortini finally draws back in to the lineup after missing eight games. About time MacT. And if anyone really cares... Jacques was also in the lineup.

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1st Period

The game gets going in a hurry. Penner scores right off the hop. Yeah! 1-0 Oilers. (Penner from Horcoff and O'Sullivan at 1:11) Nice start. Holy crap! Pisani scores. Yeah! 2-0 Oilers. (Pisani from Cogliano at 1:48) At this point Giguere gets pulled. For 2 seconds. Then he's back in again. WHAT?!?! Never seen that before (that I can remember anyways). Jacques and Parros decide to drop the gloves. Good quick tilt. Parros wins that one and gives Jacques a tap for a good fight. Damn! Getzlaf scores. 2-1 Oilers. The line of 21, 89 and 83 were on for that goal. Moreau takes a hi-sticking penalty at 8:04, but luckily the Ducks don't score. Marchant and Smid mix it up and they go sit for 2 minutes. With 6:36 left, Gagner coughs up the puck in the Oilers zone but nothing really comes of it. Bad Gagner... Bad. The Oilers as a whole are looking really sloppy with 5 minutes to go. Stortini and Parros decide to go now. Really good tilt as Storts out punches him. Storts with the win. Remind me again why 46 was sitting for 8 games and 85 was playing??? At 18:09, Horcoff takes an interference penalty has to think about it for 2 minutes. Aw man! Staios clears the puck out of the Oilers zone. Problem is, it's over the glass. 5 on 3 for the Ducks now for 1:20. MacT calls a timeout to go over the PK plan. The Oilers do a good job at killing the penalties but as the period winds down, Souray and Perry will start off the 2nd with a penalty each. 15 to 4 were the shots for the Ducks.

2nd Period

15 seconds into the 2nd, Getzlaf scores his 2nd and ties up the game. Damn! 2-2 Tie Game. But one of the Ducks takes a penalty at 1:07 and the Oil go on the PP. Big Dustin Penner scores on the PP. Yeah! Penner's on fire. 3-2 Oilers. (Penner from Gagner and Hemsky at 2:40) Momentum Oilers. Yeah!!! Brodziak scores for the Oilers. 4-2 Oilers. (Brodziak unassisted at 2:49) Stortini was key on that sequence. Well Giguere is pulled again. Poor guy. He was lit up tonight. At 5:17 the Oilers take a too many men penalty. They kill that off. And at 7:16, O'Sullivan sits for 2 minutes for tripping. Then at 8:06 the rough stuff and all the penalties start to happen. Staios, Moreau and Souray were involved. How come the vets never do that for the youngsters? Just asking. Roli gets a penalty and Staios gets one as well. Then a 10:43, Kotalik gets a penalty. But you can't fight this one as he shot it over the glass. Tough luck. He did save the puck from crossing the line though. Better a PK then a auto goal. At 17:48, Getzlaf takes the last penalty of the period. This was a good and intense period. It was nice to see some real emotion. Too many damn penalties though.

3rd Period

MacT sure has been messing with the lines. It is getting kind of hard to figure out what is what. It appears like he is swapping the centers around. 35 seconds into the 3rd the Oilers go on the PP. It would have been nice if they scored but they don't. At 3:25 the Ducks score on the line of 18, 10, and 34. Horcoff was standing there and Moreau was wondering around looking lost. Terrible guys. 4-3 Oilers. The Oilers are feeling the pressure now. At 5:31, Kotalik takes a turn in the sin bin. The call... cross checking. The Oilers do kill that off but the Ducks seem to want to get back in this game. Roli robs Pronger with a huge glove save on the PP. Roli, Roli, Roli!!! What a game. At 9:35, Jacques hi-sticks a guy and gets a double minor. The Ducks get 6 shots on Roli in the 1st two minutes of the PP. Shortly after, Gagner gets nailed and Roli does his patented baseball swing and bats the puck out of the zone. Nice. The game is rockin' and rollin' all the way till the last minute of play. The ducks have pulled the goalie to try and tie the game. But Kotalik puts it in the empty net for the Oilers. Yeah! 5-3 Oilers. (Kotalik from Hemsky and Souray at 19:48) The Oilers WIN!!! The 2 points are in the bag. WOOOOOOOO!!!!

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VIDEO HIGHLITES

GAME SUMMARY

EVENT SUMMARY

DAVID STAPLES REVIEW

OIL DROPPINGS REVIEW

SCORING CHANCES SUMMARY

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FINAL SCORE

Edmonton Oilers - 5

Anaheim Ducks - 3

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Tonight's Starting Lines

For complete ratings see Oil Droppings. He did a really good job on them. Plus the lines changed throughout the game. Damn you MacT and your fancy blender.

Kotalik Gagner Hemsky

Penner Horcoff O'Sullivan

Moreau Cogliano Pisani

Jacques Brodziak Stortini

Souray Staios

Grebeshkov Gilbert

Strudwick Smid

Roloson

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BEERS

Dwayne Roloson - Roli the goalie was awesome. He made 51 saves for the win. Now do I really have to say anything else? Frosty Roli? How about two? Cheers!

Dustin Penner - The flying fridge was great. He had 2 goals and was a +2. He did his thing out there and had 4 shots and 2 hits. All this and he ony played 12:14. What a heck of a game. Pilsener for the Fridge? Cheers!

Zack Stortini - I really liked his game. He did was he is supposed to and played well. He fought. He caused a screen on the Brodziak goal. And he was hitting people. All this and he only played 4:10. Good job Zack. Glad your back. How about a cold one? Cheers!

Honorable Mentions - Jason Strudwick (He played not bad. He still isn't great but he did what he had to. +1 and 2 shots.), Shawn Horcoff (had a good night on faceoffs. He played a ton and was moved around quite a bit.), Patrick O'Sullivan (I really liked his play. He was on the PK and had some good moments on the offensive side.), Ales Kotalik (I also liked his game as well. I said from his first game as an Oiler that he needs to work on the cardio. I think he has as he played 16:54 and didn't look tired.)

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JEERS

Ethan Moreau - I have no idea what I have against him. I just didn't like the way he played. He just doesn't act like a captian. His fall at the boards all alone was slick and that made me laugh out loud. That's how I must look sometimes. lol. But seriously, he really needs to step up and become more of a leader in order for this team to be successful. We need an action type of a leader. God knows that it isn't Hemsky. So for a lackluster effort at even stength... Boooooooo!

The Entire Team - You guys really need to cut it out with all the penalties. Sure the refs were a little over happy with the whistles but come on. Way to many careless penalties. The elite teams don't take that many penalties in a game. Booooooooo!

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A win. About time. That's all I can say. About time. Next game is at 6:00 pm tommorow against the pesky Wild. Big Mac should draw in for Jacques I would suspect. Let's hope for another 2 points. Go Oilers!!!

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?)

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. :)

GAME SUMMARY

EVENT SUMMARY

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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!

Beers and Jeers #45 (Mar 17/09 vs. St. Louis Blues)

Thanks to Telus, the internet in my area was down last night just as the game was starting. I know... another excuse. But seriously, the Telus internet is good but it keeps cutting out every once in awhile. It's driving me crazy.

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Hello folks. Happy St. Patricks Day!!! Before this game starts the Oilers are sitting in 9th. I'm sure it will change a bit tonight. Hope it's up for us.

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There has been some changes in the lines and we shall see if they pan out. Mr. Irish, Patrick O'Sullivan is now playing with Horcoff and Hemsky. I don't mind this at all. He is a shooter.

Kotalik will be with Gagner and Nilsson. I actually feel bad for Gagner. Nilsson has been not helping him at all all year. Can't imagine that Kotalik will help much either. So, why did we pick him up?

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Tonight's Starting Lines

O'Sullivan Horcoff Hemsky

Nilsson Gagner Kotalik

Reddox Cogliano Pisani

Moreau Brodziak Penner

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FINAL SCORE

St. Louis Blues - 1

Edmonton Oilers -2

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BEERS

Dwayne Roloson - Roli the goalie came through once again. He was almost caught a few times (like the play where he was at the top of the circle). But he did what he does best. He stopped pucks. The guy is unbelievable. Frosty beer Roli? Cheers!

Patrick O'Sullivan - Sully was great on that 1st line. He seems like a fit for Hemsky. Thank god. He had a few great chances and was creating his own. At times though, he and Hemsky looked out of sync. But I'm sure that after a few games they will be rollin'. Have a frosty green mug o' beer Sully. Cheers!

Denis Grebeshkov - This guy has really became a fantastic player. He has made a believer out of me. I really hope the Oilers can retain this guy in the off season. He is slowly becoming one of my faves. He picks up an assist on the PP goal in the 1st and he led the team in hits with 3. All in all he was superb. Have a beer on me Grebs. Cheers!

Honorable Mention Sam Gagner (The little dude was good today. He even had a good day on the faceoff dot. 71%) Sheldon Souray (He was playing with an edge and I liked it. He scores a huge goal and unloads lots of bombs.) Tom Gilbert (5 blocked shots. Nice.) Ales Hemsky (He played good and seemed interested in playing tonight. Hope to see more of that.)

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JEERS

Ethan Moreau - I have two reasons why he gets a boo. First, now that you wear a visor that is fairly large and covers a lot of your face. You either can't fight anymore or you have to show respect and take off the helmet. I thought that it was cool to stick up for Hemmer but puching a guy while your face is covered made me boo you right then and there. Second, the penalty in the 3rd. What the hell man? Again. *hands in the air like I just don't care* Need New Captain. (NNC) Boooooooo!

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Well folks, let's hope the next Beers and Jeers goes smooth so I'm not making any excuses about where it is. So please... no more hate mail. jk

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 #37 (Feb 24/09 vs. Tampa Bay Lightning)

To begin, I predicted on OilersNation a 5-3 win. I usually don't like to say anything out load, but I'm changing it up a bit. Why not. What's it going to hurt?

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1st Period

Why is it that the crap teams come to E town and teach the Oilers a lesson on how to win games? I sure hope that that isn't the case tonight. *fingers crossed* So the game starts off in the favor of the Oilers. Erik Cole blasts down the right side and beats his man and scores his 15th of the year. Yay! 1-0 Oilers. (Cole unassisted at 2:20). Pretty much right after the ensuing faceoff, Big Mac and Koci drop the gloves. It was a pretty darn good fight. I would have to give the decision to Big Mac even though Koci fell on him at the end. At 5:40, Strudwick fires a knuckle puck and scores. Yeah! 2-0 Oilers. (Strudwick from Gagner) Unbelievable! This sure isn't how I pictured this game. The game then continues at a good pace. The Oilers clearly are the better team this period. It's kind of refreshing. TB takes a penalty at 13:09, and the Oilers fail to score. The PP did look a little better, so that's a good thing. The crowd seems to be unusually quiet tonight. Not sure why? The Oilers are winning 2-0. TB takes another penalty just as the period is about to expire. The Oilers will have 1:45 of PP time to start the 2nd. Hopefully another goal? As the period ends I can't help but think that the TB team has a fantastic 1st line. Beyond that they look like a beer league team. Wow! And the Oiler fans think we have it bad...

2nd Period

The Oilers don't score on the PP but they continue to play good. I hope our 1st line can get it going. We need them to be going every game. Scratch that. We need at least 2 lines going every game. If we want to be taken seriously that is. So the Oilers can't cash in on the PP and Nilsson takes a goalie interference penalty on the other end of the ice at 1:49. Wouldn't you know it. Tampa Bay scores. Boooooooo! 2-1 Oilers. Well that brings the Lightning back into the game. At 3:25, Gary Roberts takes a goalie interference penalty. Oilers can go up by two if they can score here. No dice. But Souray lets off quite a few bombs. Some hit the net. Some don't. Either way, if I am Dustin Penner, I probably stained myself a few times. Seriously... how scary must that be? During a face off, Gagner high sticks a TB player and then sits for two. Luckily for Gags, the Oil kill it off. Ok guys. Momentum time. But Steven Stamkos gets a breakaway and scores at 12:23. Booooooooo! 2-2 Tie Game. Glove High on Roli. Does everyone in the league know that it's five hole or glove high on Roli? However the Oilers storm back. Souray blasts another shot at the goal and this time it goes in. Yay! 3-2 Oilers. (Souray from Cogliano at 13:15) Right on. Back in the lead. Staios nails Recchi and makes the Lightning want to fight. No real takers but Souray let's all those female dogs know who the alpha dog is in this house. Make sense? Haha. A short while later Roli makes a huge save. Roli! Roli! Roli! Still 3-2 for the Oil. Just as the period is about to end, Cogliano busts in to the TB zone and gets hauled down. PP once again for the Oilers. But the period runs out.

3rd Period

Well they start out on the PP and the lightning kill it off. But at 2:20, Cogliano has the puck find his stick in the crease and pops in an easy one. Gooooooaaaaallll Oilers! 4-2 Oilers. (Cogliano from Stortini and Moreau) The period has some real good flow to it. The Oilers continue to fire the puck at the net. That is also refreshing to see. We usually get out shot. Nilsson slams his knee with a TB player and seems shook up. Hope he isn't gone for a long time. At 8:09, Souray and Koci each take a roughing penalty as they mixed it up in the Oilers zone. I love Souray for his hardcoreness. I wish all the defenseman on the Oil were like that. At 11:09, Halpern takes a penalty and the Oilers go on the PP. But seconds later, Gagner takes a Hi-sticking penalty to make it 4 on 4. There was some good chances but nothing really transpires for either team. At 13:46, TB does score. Damn! 4-3 Oilers. Oh no. I hope this isn't a waste of a game? Again. So the action picks up a little with the new found closeness in the score. Tampa Bay is trying hard to tie it up. At 18:15 Peckham and Reechi come together. They both take penalties and sit for two. What is it with Peckham and the Grandpa's? lol. *in my best Rosco P. Coltrane voice, "I love it, I love it"* So with a minute left in the game, TB has their goalie pulled, and Horcoff shoots it and St. Louis makes the save. What? Yeah... He didn't score. But just as the game is finishing, Souray shoots it from just past the red line and scores with 2 seconds left. Yeah! 5-3 Oilers. (Souray from Brodziak) What a finish. OILERS WIN!

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Game Summary (CLICK HERE)

Stats Sheet (CLICK HERE)

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Tonight's Starting Lines

Penner Horcoff Hemsky (This line had tons of ice but came up short in the goal department. Penner was actually not bad tonight. He wasn't the squeaky wheel tonight. Horcoff wasn't all that bad. He just wasn't all that good either. Faceoffs good. Shots good. -2 bad. Hemsky was not Hemsky tonight. He seemed weird to me right in the beginning of the game. He was hit a few times and that kind of made him puck shy. Maybe it's just PMS?)

Nilsson Gagner Cole (I liked this line tonight. (2nd best line) They were real strong in the begining of the game. They were playing as a unit very well. Nilsson was shaky at times, not quite himself tonight but still good. Gagner was good. He played his position well and got an asssist on the Strudwick goal. Cole was also good tonight. He had seemed to do everything right tonight. I really enjoy watching him play. Only 3 games left. :(

Moreau Cogliano Stortini (This was the best Oiler line tonight. They were awesome. Moreau didn't take a single penalty. In fact, he managed to finish up +3. Cogliano had a goal and an assist tonight. A real sloid game for him. Stortini only played 10:55 but was great. No dumb penalties for the big guy. Nice Game 3rd Line!)

Reddox Brodziak MacIntyre (Ahhh... it's the 4th line. They really didn't do much as a line. Reddox was ok but not really noticable. Brodziak wasn't that bad. He did earn an assist at the end of the game. Big Mac only played 2:03. He did fight though. And a good one at that.)


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Final Score

Tampa Bay Lightning - 3

Edmonton Oilers - 5

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BEERS

Sheldon Souray - The man was awesome tonight. He was a mean hitting machine. He was a shot firing cannon. He was a true team leader on the ice. The Edmonton Oilers are damn lucky to have a guy like Sheldon Souray on this team. He represents the team well. Have a frosty beer Souray. Great Game. Cheers!

Andrew Cogliano - The speedy center was due for a good game. And today was the day. He scored a pretty easy goal, but a goal nonetheless. He also had an assist tonight for his efforts. A 2 point night and 12:55 of ice time. He did have 3 giveaways but I'm turning a blind eye and I must have missed them. *wink* Have a beer Cogs. Cheers!

Ethan Moreau - I have been giving Chopper a hard time all year, but tonight he showed me who the real Ethan Moreau is. He was excellent all over the ice. He played a real smart game and took no penalties. I'm sure people were waiting for it. I was. But for ending the night at +3, that deserves a nice cold one. Cheers!

Honerable Mention - Erik Cole (He had his legs going tonight. The goal he scored was a real factor in this game. It gave the Oilers the momentum.), Sam Gagner (The guy was pretty good all around.), Steve Staios (he did what he had to. He played a simple game and that works for him.) Zack Stortini (Is this the same Huggy Bear? This guy is impressing me.)

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JEERS


The 1st Line - When the game looked like they were playing a beer league team, I thought that the 1st line should kill these guys. But they didn't. In fact they looked average. This line needs to click every game in order for the Oilers to make it to the playoffs. Boooooooooo!

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That's all folks. That was an exciting game. I am relieved to get the 2 points. As of right now the Oilers are tied with 3 other teams for 7th. Minny, Anahiem and Dallas are tied with us with 65 points. One game at a time boys.

Next game is Thursday against the Columbus Blue Jackets. We need this win as well. Let's Go Oilers!!!

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!