(Cult Of Hockey) Player Grades - Oilers vs Avalanche (11/18/09)

The Cult Of Hockey Player Grades have arrived at Oilers Jambalaya.  This is Smokin' Ray coming at you live pre-recorded from two sites, mine and at The Cult of Hockey at the Edmonton Journal. 

David Staples had asked me if I would like to contribute to the player grades that he does and I accepted graciously.  David has supported me from day one so it's going to be nice to give back a little.  Is this good for you the reader?  I hope so.  Enjoy!

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Despite the Oilers bad Power Play, they manage to win 6-4.  Not a bad game to watch that's for sure. To top it off... it was free on TSN.

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Ales Hemsky (8) - He was solid all game except for his blunder with Visnovsky that led to a chance for the Avs.  He had a goal and an assist for two points tonight.  He even took 4 shots.  Not bad for a playmaker.

Sam Gagner (7) - He had a really slow start, much like everyone else did, but really turned it on at the halfway point of the game.  He scores a huge goal (for him and the team) and his pain seemed to fade away.  His hip is bothering him right now and with all the other Oiler problems, this is one guy we don't need to miss any time.  He would have scored an 8 if he didn't start so slow.

Shawn Horcoff (7) - Despite having a bum shoulder right now, he played pretty decent.  I'm not sure why Quinn has him taking 15 faceoffs in a game when he goes 33%.  He's better than that, but not right now.  At least pair him up with another center on the PK like O'Sullivan.  He scores a nice goal on a Hemsky rebound and helps to get the Oilers going early on in the game.  He made no real huge mistakes, but he is clearly hampered by his injury and his game reflects that.  You just tell he would have been awesome tonight if he was 100%.

Dustin Penner (8) - He may not have scored any points, but it's the intangibles that he brings to the table that make him worthy.  His screening and tipping is top notch right now.  He even busted his stick on a Souray tip.  How do you even see a Souray shot, never mind tipping it?  He had 7 shots tonight and was the best faceoff guy on the team.  He went 7W-8L for 47%.  Who would have thought that he could do it all?  Literally. I'd say that both him and Hemsky were close to being a 9 in my books.

Ladi Smid (7) - I think we should all tell Kevin Lowe that he was right on the Pronger trade. Ok.. let's not go quite that far yet but he sure is looking simply amazing this year.  He tallies an assist and finishes the night tied for team best, +3.  Looking at the stats you would think it would show more hits for him as he was ramming and slamming guys all game.  He is playing a consistent and reliable game for Quinn. Thank you Dany Heatley for nixing that deal.  Penner and Smid are studs for this team this year.  And it's all because of you. Sort of.

Sheldon Souray (6) - He is one mean dude.  Shortly after Moreau takes an elbow to the head, Souray does a little chin music of his own.  The refs seen that one though.  So you can hardly be mad at him for taking the penalty, it was just at the wrong time as Stortini was assessed a instigator penalty 1:01 before that.  He also finished a -1 and that doesn't help a guys rating.  Did I mention the 2 giveaways?  Yeah...  But still.  If it wasn't for all that he could have had an 8.  To make an excuse for him, he was on the ice for a lot of tough minutes.

Lubomir Visnovsky (8) - Holy cow!  When he plays well, he plays well.  He made great plays all night and he was a pleasure to watch.  His only black mark was a screw up between him and Hemsky which gave him a 1 in the takeaway column.  He had 2 assists and finished a +3 tied with Smid for the team lead.  I really would have given him a 9 if not for the giveaway.  Yes folks... he was that good.

Tom Gilbert (4) - He had a soft 1st period and was a -2 for the night.  Quinn even benched him for most of the 2nd as he only played 1:22.  He did get an assist on the Potulny goal.  That was pretty much his only good point of the game.

Dean Arsene (5) - For a guy who was playing in his 2nd ever game in the NHL, he looked calm.  I didn't see any major mistakes other than an errant pass that was picked up by the Avs late in the 3rd.  But you know Quinn is liking him when he's out there quite regular in the 3rd period.  I want to see more of this guy.  I'm liking what I see.

Patrick O'Sullivan (5) - He finally scores a goal.  It's been way to long and you could see him breath a sigh of relief right after it went in.  He had 5 shots and was 45% on the faceoff dot.  He needs to play better for a whole 60 minutes and he needs to shoot that puck with conviction.

Ryan Potulny (6) - He had a pretty solid game and was rewarded with more ice time.  He scores the tying goal and gives the crowd and the team a huge lift.  He definitely is a good call up.  Glad we have him.

Zack Stortini (3) - He spent 17 minutes not playing because of the fight (for the Moreau hit) and only played 5:16 after that.  The fight even sucked.  Wilson tied up his arms and that was it.  They struggled and it was over.  Not his greatest night.

Ethan Moreau (5) - He really wasn't all that bad before the hit to the head.  He had a shift after that and that was it for him as he didn't return.  So with him gone and Stortini not lighting it up, that was it with the 4th line.

Gilbert Brule (6) - He didn't have a bad night and he didn't have a great night either.  He was on the ice for Hejduk's 2nd goal and on the ice for the Cuminsky goal.  Both times he could have been harder on his check but wasn't.  On the good side he was on the ice for some of the Oilers goals as well.  But it is nice to see him be more consistent this year.  I was starting to wonder why we traded Torres for Brule.  But the kid is alright.

Liam Reddox (6) - He played a good enough game and earned an assist.  It's too bad he's not a bigger guy because he sure does throw his tiny little body around.  He plays a smart game and does the little things well.  But have no fear Reddox haters, he will go back when the Oilers get bodies back. 

Jason Strudwick (4) - All he really did was block some shots and take up some minutes from Gilbert.  He seems to have some trouble keeping up with the more quicker players.  On the Avs second goal, he was running around like a chicken with his head cut off and was a major reason why that goal was scored.  With the emergence of these younger guys, I don't see the need for him past the trade deadline.

Andrew Cogliano (5) - He had flashes of brilliance and then would fade away.  He is the only one out of the Heatley three that hasn't flourished this season.  He had a good chance tonight being on a line with Gagner but failed to produce.  Maybe he needs to see a head shrink to get his groove on.  Or dancing lessons.

Jeff Deslauriers (4) - He was super stinky in the 1st two periods.  In the first 25 minutes, he let in 3 goals on 7 shots.  I was waiting for Quinn to pull the plug but he didn't.  Maybe it's the lack of games or maybe he's not as good as we all though he was.  If I was him, I'd get serious because Dubnyk will be knocking on the door next year.

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Well that's it folks.  I hope I did this game justice. Thanks for reading.

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My normal Beers & Jeers Edmonton Oilers Recap to follow.

B&J #75 Edmonton Oilers Recap vs Vancouver Canucks 10/25/09

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

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- Well Brule and JDD get back into the lineup tonight.  Brule has been sick and missed the last 3 games and JDD finally gets a start after Khabibulin lost last night to the fLames.  Still no Mike "Duffman" Comrie.  This must be a bad flu if guys are missing this many games.

- The loss still stings from last nights game.  Don't the Oilers know that we have to go to work on Monday and get ridiculed by fLame fans everywhere?  Three times we lost to them already.  Enough is enough.

- If you guys feel like talking hockey anytime, look us up on Facebook. (Smokin' Ray) (Paq Twinn)  We are always around.

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Pre-Game Records

Edmonton Oilers (6-3-1) vs. Vancouver Canucks (5-5-0)

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TONIGHT'S STARTING LINES

Penner-Gagner-Hemsky
Jacques-Horcoff-O'Sullivan
Moreau-Cogliano-Nilsson
SPARE-Brule-Stortini

Smid-Visnovsky
Gilbert-Grebeshkov
Chorney-Strudwick
Peckham

Deslauriers
Khabibulin

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**These are Re-Tweets of Paq Twinn's LIVE TweetCast© at www.Twitter.com/PaqTwinn **

1st PERIOD

- Welcome this LIVE Full Game *TweetCast* of the Oilers @ Canucks
- Brule draws back in and JDD will get the start in net, for the Oilers
- The Oilers should play with something to prove tonight, after last nights loss
- Waiting for player intros, anthem and puck drop.
- Here we go, Oilers win opening face off.
- Good pace to this game so far
- Gilbert takes an interference call with 16:13 remaining in the 1st
- Oilers kill off the penalty. 14:00 1st
- Oilers PP as Sedin goes off for roughing at 12:29
- Mitchell goes off, Oilers 5on3 for 1:33
- Pens has all day in front but cant pick the corner
- 'Nucks kill off their penalties, Oilers got 5 shots
- With 8:55 remaining in the 1st, the game is still 0-0.
- So far there has been some play going both ways, but its a pretty boring 1st.

- Grebs goes off for interference. Oilers PK 2:44 1st
- Grabner tips in a point shot. 1-0 'Nucks 2:09 1st
- Storts vs Hordichuk, good fight, Hordichuk gets in few but Storts takes him down
- Last min in the 1st
- After the 1st period the Canucks lead the Oilers 1-0
- Well that was boring, Oilers need to pick it up. they weren't that bad, but they need to be better.

2nd PERIOD

- 2nd period is under way. 'Nucks win the draw
- 'Nucks controlling the play early in the 2nd, JDD standing his ground.
- Edler takes 2 for interference, Oilers PP 15:17 2nd
- Storts levels Luongo, takes a penalty. 4on4 14:19 2nd
- Oilers kill off remaining time in Storts penalty
- H.Sedin tips in a point shot. 2-0 'Nucks. 10:39 2nd
- Chorney goes off for interference 10:17 Oilers PK
- Gilbert is having a hard time out there. He's fighting the puck
- Pens makes a good rush to the net.
- This period is much of the same from the first. Slow and boring 5:00 2nd

- Edler goes off for hooking 3:27 2nd
- Oilers PP looked good but no goals.
- Last min 2nd
- After 2 periods, the Canucks lead the Oilers 2-0.
- This is the first time since last April that I've seen the Oilers play like this, with a few moments of exception, they've been bad.
- The old irishman is probably going nuts in the room right now. Oilers have to play better in the 3rd. Luongo has been good.
- @AToilfan83 Oilers are feeling effects of missing all the bodies to injury/illness, and back to back games. with full roster, we'll be solid

3rd PERIOD

- 3rd period is under way. Oilers win the draw.
- 1st line is looking better. Has been the best for the Oilers
- Oilers are looking better this period. 16:45 3rd
- JDD has played a good game tonight. 18 saves so far. 15:14 3rd
- Lubo gets high sticked. Grabner gets 4. Oilers PP
- First 2 min are gone in the PP. Nothing to write home about

- Lubo's fine, he's out on PP now
- Oilers can't muster anything on the PP
- Pace is picking up speed. 8:00 3rd
- Gilbert falls on Khabi, knocks off the net, and Kesler snaps his stick over his knee.
- Luongo is proving to be a hard nut to crack. 2-0 'Nucks with 5:35 remaing in the 3rd
- Oilers getting some good chances.
- Oilers need a goal soon. Understatement 2:30 3rd
- Last min 3rd
- And this one is over. Oilers 0 - Canucks 2
- This was the worst game so far this year. The Oilers had chances, but no sustained pressure unless on a PP and they couldn't beat Luongo
- Thanks for following this LIVE *TweetCast* Next up, Home to face the Avs.
- This team needs some rest. Comrie coming back is good, but we really miss Stoner. He hits and skates hard.
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GAME HIGHLIGHTS



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FINAL SCORE

Edmonton Oilers - 0


Vancouver Canucks - 2

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GAME STATS

- Event Summary

- Game Summary

- Scoring Chances (MC79)

- Full NHL Play By Play

- Oilers Time On The Ice

- Canucks Time On The Ice

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BAD TIMING PENALTY

None - I know... I'm surprised as well.

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GOAT WATCH

(Smokin' Ray) Ethan Moreau - Not sure why Quinn doesn't just give his spot to Stortini on the 3rd line?  Moreau is just not that effective anymore.

(Paq Twinn) Robert Nilsson - Average at best tonight.  I'm sure he's counting down his days as an Oiler.  When the other guys are ready to return, I'm sure he's as good as gone.

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BEERS

None - No one was worthy of a beer tonight. The Oilers sucked. So instead, the Oiler fans get the beer.  We need it for the wasted weekend of misery.  Kegger for the people!

HONORABLE MENTION(S): The 1st Line (They were the best Oilers tonight.  It's too bad that the defence pairings (77 & 37) that played with them for a lot of the time were not very good or it could have made a difference.), Zack Stortini (Once again he plays a good game and bleeds from a fight.), Jeff Deslauriers (Actually wasn't that bad.  He didn't get any help from the team while making 27 saves.), Ladislav Smid (He is turning into a consistent defenseman.  Played another solid game.), Lubomir Visnovsky (He also played pretty good.  He needs to play more of a simple game.)

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JEERS

The Entire Team - That was the second bad effort in a row.  It's very disappointing to see a club that is as good as they have seen lately, just to crap it up in two straight games against divisional rivals.  Just terrible.  You can only use the flu excuse for so long then it becomes redundant.  I don't want to hear it anymore, we need some action, some effort.  Booooooo!

HONORABLE MENTION(S): Denis Grebeshkov (The worst of the worst. Mr. Losethepuck), Tom Gilbert (The 2nd worst of the worst)

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OUR GAME SUMMARIES

Smokin' Ray - The bright side of this game?  The shot total wasn't a 2 to 1 ratio.  The dark side? We lost.  Again. And to a divisional rival.  Again.  *sigh* I can not believe it.  I guess the new 1st line can't blow every team out of the water every game.  The absolute worst part of this game?  Getting shutout. Grrrr.

Paq Twinn - Well that was a stinker. Luongo was good, but the Oilers made him look better. No sustained pressure, no bodies in front. Gilbert had another bad game, and Grebs struggled too. Maybe the trade rumors are getting to them, but they need to be better with Souray and Staios out. JDD played a solid game, but like last night for Khabi, the rest of the team didn't help out much. I give this game a D grade. Get better cause the Avs are good this year. We can't lose 3 in a row.

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NEXT GAME

Oilers vs. Avalanche

Oct 27/09
7:30 pm MT
Sportsnet West

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Beers and Jeers #69 (Oct. 12/09 vs. Nashville Predators)

Well thanks once again to Paq Twinn for Tweeting the game for us tonight with his TweetCast© .  You did a great job.

** For those of you that don't have Twitter, you can come here every game and there will be a box at the top of the webpage.  There you will have Paq Twinn's TweetCast© Live and up to date without subscribing to Twitter.**

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Tonight's Starting Lines

Jacques-Horcoff-Hemsky
O’Sullivan-Gagner-Stone
Penner-Brule-Comrie
Moreau-Cogliano-Stortini

Gilbert-Visnovsky
Smid-Grebeshkov
Strudwick-Chorney

Deslauriers
Khabibulin

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**The Period Summaries are a Re-Post to Paq Twinn's Twitter Game Day Live Feed**

1st period

- Oilers 1st road game this year.
- Pekka Rinne in net for the Preds
- Nashville wins face-off, gets chance, save by JDD
- Good pace in opening 2 minutes
- Storts vs Grant, good tilt, lots of punches, pretty even.
- Nashville with some pressure, a few shots.
- Shots are 5-1 for the preds at 16:00
- Oilers not looking sharp early.
- Horcoff scores! from Hemsky on a 2 on 1.
- Oilers up 1-0 at 12:00 mins left in first period
- Oilers skating harder after the goal
- The top line for EDM is looking better every game. #thebesttonightsofar
- Brule scores! on a cross crease pass from Penner. 2-0 Oilers. 9:00 mins left in the first.
- Oilers starting to take over the play late in 1st Period.
- Oilers go on PP, Goc 2 for holding
- PP goal for Storts, pass from Comrie
- 3-0 Oilers 6:00 mins left in the 1st. #goodroadperiod
- Hemsky goes off for 2, 5:38
- Oilers kill it off, JDD with a couple saves
- Smid goes off for tripping. 2:55
- Oilers kill off penalty. Storts scores his 2nd. 30sec. left in 1st. 
- After a shaky start, Oilers take over and lead 4-0 Oilers. 1st intermission.
- JDD looking sharp in first start of the season. made some real nice saves.   #qualitychances
- Storts playing the game of his life tonight. Fight...check, Goal...check. check   #morethanjustaprettyface

2nd Period

- Second period. Preds win face-off
- Comrie and Brule go on a 2 on 1. Ellis makes the save. #oilerschasepekka
- Cogs scores! pass from patty-o. 5-0 Oilers 2mins into 2nd.
- Nashville starting to take chances.
- Brule and Boulion go off for 2. 4 on 4
- Oilers D looks good, even without Souray and Staios. #pickinuptheslack
- Oilers penalty, Moreau off for 2. #badtimingpenalty #goat
- 10:30 left in 2nd. :49 left in PK. Still 5-0 Oilers 
- Oilers have settled into "their" game now. #hitandskate 
- JDD with 20 saves so far tonight.
- Oilers kill off the penalty, not without chances for the Preds. 
- all the lines working well together tonight. #GOILERS 
- Erat 2 mins for interference. 7:44 Oilers PP
- Oilers are plying some good hockey, need to improve on shots for and against ratio though.
- Preds kill off the penalty. #oilersmissSourayonpp
- Smid 2 mins for interference 4:35 left in the 2nd.
- Patty-o with a good shift on PK 
- Oilers kill off penalty, Grebs scores on a nice deke. 2:00 left in 2nd. 6-0 Oilers 
- Brule and Hemsky get the assists. #grebscomesdownfrompoint #topshelf 
- Arnott scores from Hornqvist 6-1 Oilers #lastminutegoal #haventlearnedtheirlesson
- end of 2, 6-1 Oilers shots: 26-17 for the preds.
- I think that Gagner is the best young talent the Oilers got. Taylor Chorney is playing pretty good tonight. #honorablemention

3rd Period

- 3rd period. Oilers win face-off.
- Preds are pressing, for a goal, early. 6-1 Oilers
- pace has slowed. players are more methodical with their plays.
- JDD makes a nice save. #badbounce
- Sullivan in on a breakaway....Stop by JDD!
- 5 mins gone in the 3rd. 6-1 Oilers #lookingconfident
- overall a good game by the #Oilers tonight. Chorney did a good job in his 3rd #NHL game. #noglaringmistakes
- Preds taking shots from all angles now. #cantsolveJDD
- Great glove save by JDD. #southpaw 
- Deslauriers is making a case for more games. #bestiveseenhim
- Stoner goes off for 2 mins. Oilers PK 
- Oilers kill it off thanks to JDD. 6-1 Oilers 9:00 3rd
- Oilers 2nd line of Patty-O Gags and Stoner having a solid night. #soiseveryoneelse
- pace is picking up, Preds trying everthing. #Oilershavtheanswers
- 5:00 mins left in the 3rd period. #GOILERS
- JDD with 39 saves on 40 shots tonight
- Oilers have been out shot 2-1 (ratio) tonight. #secondgameinarow
- Horcoff 2 for tripping at 1:44 of the 3rd.
- Preds playing till the end. #goodonthem
- Oilers kill off the penalty and Win the game by a final score of 6-1.
- JDD(1), Storts(2) and Cogs(3) get the stars. 

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FINAL SCORE

Edmonton Oilers - 6

Nashville Predators - 1

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Bad Timing Penalty™

None

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Goat Watch™

Ethan Moreau - Baaad!  He gets another Jeer tonight.

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BEERS

Jeff Deslauriers - The comes in for his 1st start off the year and not only has a 40 save night, but looks good doing it.  I sure hope this preformance puts some ease into the fans of this franchise.  He did well just like he did last year and I'm sure he's going to do the same this year.  Excellent game JDD.  1st game... 1st beer.  Cheers!

Zack Stortini - Mr. Zorg had one heck of a game.  Quite possibly deserved the 1st star.  Two goals on two shots and a fight that lasted an eternity.  The big guy deserves some more PP time.  Quinn rewards those who bust their asses, and Storts did tonight.  He earned the coldest beer I have. Cheers!

Denis Grebeshkov - I haven't been a huge fan of his so far in this season, but he did very good tonight.  he really steped up and ran with the ball.  He still has his moments where you want to puke, not sure if those will ever go away.  I hope so.  The goal he scored was very slick.  Top Cheese as Paq Twinn likes to say.  :) Great game Grebs... How about an imported Temne beer from Russia? Cheers!

Andrew Cogliano - What is it with getting placed on the 4th line and then finding your skills again?  Is it Stortini?  Cause it can't be Moreau.  At any rate, I like Cogliano tonight.  Let's see what Quinn does with him next.  Good job speedy.  Frosty?  Cheers!

Gilbert Brule - This guy seems like he's for real this year.  He's playing at that level where he can make a contribution to the team.  Thank god because I was hoping that he wasn't going to be a bust.  He's trying to play with a nasty edge and it seems to help him compete.  For playing a standup game... How about a Bud?  Cheers!

Honorable Mentions: Shawn Horcoff (He scored his 1st of the year and played a good game), Taylor Chorney (He was called up and was put in right away.  It looked like he never left after training camp.  Good game tonight.), Ales Hemsky (He wasn't overly good, he just wasn't that bad either.), Lubomir Visnovsky (He seems to get a little better every game and he is dynamite 5 on 5.), Tom Gilbert (When he's not noticable, he's playing pretty sound hockey.  He did that tonight.), Jason Strudwick (Normal solid game from Struds.)

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JEERS

Sam Gagner - Other than ending the night even at 50% on the faceoff dot, he really did nothing.  You noticed him, but no shots or hits?  That's not how he has been succesful.  A little 4th line duty once again for Sam? Booooooo!

Ryan Stone - He's supposed to be the hitter of this team.  That's his niche and he strayed away from that.  Two more games of that and Big Mac may get a chance.  I can expect a better game from him next time. Boooooooo!

Ethan Moreau - He did nothing.  Once again the people around you are lighting it up.  He did manage to be +2 at the end of the night, but when a guy like him has no hits or blocked shots, then he didn't play well.  That's his type of game, and he was invisable.  I may just have to rekindle the old campaign from last year.  NEED NEW CAPTAIN (NNC).  Boooooooo!

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That was a great game to watch.  It was nice to be on this side of the ass whooping.  See you guys all next time...  GOILERS!!!

Beers and Jeers #63 (Sept 24/09 vs. Tampa Bay Lightning)

After a disappointing last two games, the Oilers tun it up here and actually played a good game.  There was so many bright spots and a little low spots.  Pat Quinn has his job cut out for him.  This isn't some make a change and POOF, Stanley Cup Champion.  Faceoffs are killing this team in the pre-season and I don't see it changing. 

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Tonight's Starting Lines

Moreau — Gagner — Cogliano
Penner — Schremp — Eberle
Nilsson — Brule — Stone
MacIntyre — Reddox — Stortini

Grebeshkov — Staios
Chorney — Gilbert
Smid — Visnovsky

Deslauriers and Dubnyk

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FINAL SCORE
 
Edmonton Oilers - 3
Tampa Bay Lightning - 4  OT
 
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Bad Timing Penalty™
 
Steve Staios - What kind of a leader checks a guy from behind in front of his own net and the play is already headed back the Oilers way?  Steady Steve, that's who.  Good god man.  The Lightning get a PP chance with 10 seconds left in overtime. To top it off, the ensuing faceoff was located in the Oilers zone.  Faceoff win by the TBL and wham boom!  Game over on a St. Louis goal.  ~Atta boy Steve.~
 
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BEERS
 
Andrew Cogliano - The kid was flying on the wing.  He seemed pretty happy to be with Gagner again and it showed.  It was nice to see that pairing passing and skating together.  It was nice to see them "find" each other.  For awhile there, the Kid line was back together one last time (maybe not?!?). Even Nilsson looked good with them and he hasn't been great at all.  Seeing the three kids again made a little sad that that may never happen again.  But for tonight's hard working effort... have a cold one on me Cogs.  Cheers! 
 
Gilbert Brule - He wasn't flashy at all but he played a heck of a game.  He was solid in his own end and did manage to have some chances on the rush.  I was surprised to see him play like this.  Good to see "some" players still want to "make the team."  I think ol' Gil deserves a frosty for the effort.  Cheers!
 
Dustin Penner - The Flying Fridge no more.  He was finishing checks and playing his butt off.  It was nice to hear Quinn say before the game that he was one of his better players so far in the pre-season.  That's a huge compliment for a guy that was the coaches toilet paper last season.  For another solid game... a super sized beer for a super sized effort.  Cheers!
 
Tom Gilbert - He was definitely the best of the worst of the Oilers defence crew.  He managed to play better than the rest of them and was used often.  He really needs to find his groove in order to get the job done.  However, I do like Gilbert.  Well enough to sling a beer his way.  Cheers!
 
Honorable Mentions: Taylor Chorney (He didn't do any game breaking stuff, but played well.), Sam Gagner (He was great with Cogliano.  He played real well.  His passes were perfect.), Rob Schremp (He started off not so good but by the middle of the 2nd he was making plays on 5 on 5 and finished game more at the level Quinn wants.  Was this the last game for #88 as an Oiler?), Jordan Eberle (The young rookie battled hard and in return gains more of the coaches respect.), Robert Nilsson (Maybe just a little too late for him?  He was good tonight.)
 
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JEERS
 
Lubomir Visnovsky - The worst of the worst.  He's slow and useless.  He's not making smart plays.  Maybe I was wrong when I said he was good a few games ago.  Maybe I forgot how good he really can be.  Common sense would say he's not in shape.  If he wants to start the year as the 5th or 6th guy, keep playing like that.  Booooooo!
 
Denis Grebeshkov - The second worst of the worst.  Pretty much the same as Visnovsky, but worse giveaways.  Grebs had some very sloppy play tonight.  Losing the puck at the worst time (not like there is a good time), getting caught up ice pinching and his overall defensive game was terrible.  I sure hope that someone other than Souray is going to step up and help this team win some games.  Get better Grebs...  in a hurry.  Booooooo!
 
Steve Staios - I just think he's past his prime and if there is anyway to make a trade for him I'd take it.  He was a big ball of stinky tonight.  He just plain sucked... that is all.  Boooooo!
 
Honorable Mentions: Ethan Moreau (Did he even play tonight?  How do you spell invisible?), Zack Stortini (Did nothing), Ryan Stone (He clearly won't make the team.  Not an NHLer.)
 
--------------------------
 
Who Should Be The Next To Be Sent Down?
 
Ryan Stone, Rob Schremp Marc Pouliot and Kip Brennan
 
---------------------------
 
THE GOAT WATCH™
 
Ethan Moreau - He stunk.  I think I picked the right guy.  Need I say more?
 
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What an emotion filled game.  This team is like picking pedals off a flower.  We love them, we love them not.  Once again, we love them.  Until next time...

Beers and Jeers #60 (Sept 19/09 vs. Vancouver Canucks)

First off, it's going to be nice to see Brad Lukowich a little more this season (traded to Canucks in the summer) as he has spent a lot of his career in the east. I've known him since Jr. High in Cranbrook and he's a real good person. Never in a million years did I think that he would be in the NHL, never mind winning the cup twice (lucky bugger). But when it's game time vs. the Oilers, he's a piece of trash. ; )

This game was real dry and not very exciting. At times it was painful to watch. There was no fights or hatred on the ice which is weird for a Canucks/Oiler game. I'm sure Quinn wasn't impressed. But going up against Luongo is always going to be difficult. Tonight wasn't any different. He was good. But so was Deslauriers. They had a good goalie duel. Unfortunately, Vancouver came out on top. Damn you Canucks!

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Edmonton Oilers Starting Lineup

Brule— Gagner — Hemsky

Penner — Cogliano — Eberle

Moreau — Pouliot — Nilsson

McDonald — Reddox — MacIntyre

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Smid — Souray

Motin — Grebeshkov

Taylor — Young

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Deslauriers

Dubynk

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FINAL SCORE

Edmonton Oilers - 1

Vancouver Canucks - 3

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Bad Timing Penalty™

Robert Nilsson - Not only did he take a penalty in the 1st period, which the Canucks scored on to start the game off, he took the BTP™ at 7:27 of the 3rd period. The game was in a lull and either team needed some kind of spark to get going. Nilsson goes for tripping and the crowd really gets into the PP. The Canucks can't score but the crowd is involved and loud. A minute and change after the penalty expires, the Canucks ride the crowd momentum and score to make it 2-1. Crap!

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GAME SUMMARY

STAT SHEET

EDMONTONOILERS.com RECAP

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BEERS

Sheldon Souray - Big Sexy does it again. He blasted a beauty past Luongo in the 1st period with 6 seconds left in the frame. He played good tonight. He led the team with 25:45 and didn't look winded. The man is a leader. For doing you best Souray... Have a frosty beer. Cheers!

Jeff Deslauriers - After watching Dubynk play so far, I sort of dismissed JDD as the future of the Oiler goalies. But tonight he was rock solid. He covered the net well and did a good job at controlling his rebounds. The Oilers are going to have a tough decision ahead of them next year. I'm glad I don't have to pick. For a standout game tonight... It's (insert french beer) time. Cheers!

Ladislav Smid - The Spaz sure has changed since last season. He seemed calm and cool out there. He seems confidant in his playing ability. He's the one guy who I have waited to screw up and he hasn't. he's been good. He logged 25:39 of ice time and made a good partner for Souray. Your effort was beer worthy Mr. Smid. Can or Bottle? Oh... Big Bear. Cheers!

Honorable Mention - Johan Motin (He played well again. I can't believe he's only 19.), Jordan Eberle (He sure makes it look easy. He has been good.)

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JEERS

Robert Nilsson - See the BTP™ section above. Nilsson was at fault for this loss. He seems to be playing himself out of a job with the Oilers. Sadly... I don't really care anymore. Boooooooo!

Marc Pouliot - Another guy who needs to shine and doesn't. Ending the night at +1 isn't good enough. Where's the desperation? Where's the fire? The lack of desire to be in the NHL is enough to drive a guy like me mad. Boooooooo!

Gilbert Brule - He wasn't all that bad. It's pretty clear that he suits a more 3rd/4th line type role. I just don't see him as a top six guy. Oh well... accept what you are and develop it. If you want to be in the NHL that is. Booooooo!

The Entire Team - You guys were stuck in a medium pace for the entire game. What a boring game to watch. I was really expecting some more guys trying their butts off to win a job. I guess I was expecting to much. *gasp* I bet the next squad will be fired up after watching that crappy game. Boooooo!

Honorable Mentions - Ales Hemsky (Needs to be better. Maybe he misses Horcoff?), Sam Gagner (Not meshing with Hemsky at all.), Ethan Moreau (Nothing more than a fourth line player now.)

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Who Should Get Sent Down Next?

#57 Colin MacDonald, #81 Jake Taylor, #28 Brian Young

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Oh well... new game tomorrow. Let's Go Oilers!!!

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

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

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Tonight's Starting Lines

Kotalik Horcoff Hemsky

Nilsson Gagner O'Sullivan

Moreau Cogliano Pisani

MacIntyre Brodziak Penner

Souray Staios

Grebeshkov Gilbert

Chorney Peckham

Deslauriers

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FINAL SCORE

Calgary fLames - 1

Edmonton Oilers - 5

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BEERS

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

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

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

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

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

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

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JEERS

There are none. Yay!

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

Beers and Jeers #29 (Feb 7/09 vs. Detroit Red Wings)

I hear that Shawn Horcoff isn't playing tonight and that Kyle Brodziak is taking his place on the 1st line. Tom Gilbert is playing tonight which is good. On a side note, Theo Peckham (D) has been called up and Ryan Potulny (F) has been sent down.

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1st Period

Roli gets the game going in the 1st minute with a stick to the balls to Dan Cleary. Nice move. But it resulted in a penalty. A short time later Detroit (Rafalski) scores on the same PP. 1-0 Wings. About 2 minutes later Detroit was breaking in to the Oilers zone. Pouliot looks at the guy (Lebda) he is supposed to be covering and then looks back to the shooter. Well, Lebda gets the pass and scores. Pouliot looks dumb. 2-0 wings. At 5:44 Detroit (Cleary) scores again. 3-0 Wings. They are making the Oilers look like the Oil Kings. For those who say the Oilers are a "puck possession" team, then I think they need to watch Detroit. They are a true puck possession team. Gagner then takes a questionable cross checking penalty and Detroit (Hossa) scores again. 4-0 Wings. In the last 2:00 minutes in the period Brodziak loses it and Detroit scores (Datsyuk) once more and makes it 5-0. Wow. What a bad period.

2nd Period

MacT seems to be switching things up. Deslauriers gets the nod. Sorry Roli. Maybe tomorrow. It also looks like Peckham and Strudwick are changing places. And if I was MacT, I would give Hemmer something better than a couple of 3rd liners to play with. Cogs and Moreau would be a better option than Penner and Brodziak. IMO. The game gets in a good flow for the first 8:00 minutes of the period. Hemsky takes a penalty. (He is playing very crappy this past few games. Wonder why?) And the Oilers kill off the penalty. Finally we kill one. But a short time later Detroit takes a penalty. This could be a jump start for the Oilers. But... it isn't. The Oilers do however get on a little momentum swing and start giving Detroit some serious presssure which results in another Detroit penalty. Sam Gagner has been the Oilers best player so far in this game (IMO). I really like his drive that he has to try and do something out there. But he's little and really when it comes down to it, he really can't do much. Yet. In time I can see him being really good. Better than Hemsky. But that's just my opinion. So with 5:00 minutes left in the 2nd, MacT has the MacBlender on at a medium pace. It's getting hard to keep up with who's with who. But the Oilers do look much better in the 2nd then they did in the 1st. But it's too little, too late. The score is still 5-0 Wings. *opens another beer* Oh wait. Detroit wants one more. Lidstrom scores this time with 7 seconds left in the period. 6-0 Wings. I guess I spoke too soon.

3rd Period

I am very optimistic for this period. I think we can at least score one goal. Right? Please? We will see... The period started off pretty good. Brodziak is back with the 4th line for a shift and had a nice breakaway. Didn't score, but nice. But the Oilers do score. All right Stortini! A crash to the net type goal and thank god. We needed that. 6-1 Wings. So with 15:00 minutes left... can a miracle happen? 5 more goals to tie. Well it happened. Another goal (7:01). Stortini to Penner. Storts is on a mission. 6-2 Wings. Detroit is maybe to comfortable right now. But the Oilers are a 3rd period team. We seem to like to do things the hard way. Oh My God! Pouliot scores! You read that right. Pouliot scores. 6-3 Wings. We are on a roll now. Watch out Wings. The deep fryer is on. Hold the phone I say! At 15:29 Samuelsson will score for the wings. Momentum is gone. Damn! 7-3 Wings. Wait... 14 seconds later, Leino scores to make it 8-3 Wings. That pretty much was the fat lady singing. Damn you Detroit and your awesomeness. Damn you.

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Tonight's Starting Lines (basically only the 1st period)

Penner Brodziak Hemsky (these guys were terrible. Two pluggers with our "star" player. Good thinking MacT.)

Nilsson Gagner Cole (This line stayed intact for the most part. They were not bad. Cole could have been more physical. Nilsson was not really an impact player. Gagner was quite good. Maybe the best Oiler?)

Moreau Cogliano Reddox (These guys were so-so. I personally do not like this line. When Horcoff is out, Cogs should be the guy. Not #51.)

Strudwick Pouliot Stortini (This is a useless line. No one to fight on Detroit. Pouliot has played bad in this game even though he scored. Strudwick was moved to defense. Storts all of a sudden in the 3rd became Hemsky. He was a machine.)

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Final Score

Edmonton Oilers - 3

Detroit Red Wings - 8

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BEERS

HAHAHA! Like there is going to be any. Well, lots of beers being consumed by the fans because what else do we have to do with the rest of a Saturday. We drink. Yay!

Honorable Mentions (but not worth a beer)

Sam Gagner (He was good even if the stats don't show it. He played hard, did his back checking and made some hits.), Zack Stortini (had 2 points and was a huge surprise in the 3rd.), Denis Grebeshkov (He played ok. He managed to be +1 at the end of the game.), Tom Gilbert (also finished +1.) Jeff Deslauriers (he came into a nightmare once again. He managed a little better this time. He was pretty good)

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JEERS

Ales Hemsky

- The guy looked like a floater out there. A cheery picking waste of a roster space. Ok. That may be a little harsh but I can't stand when one of our core guys are not even trying. He is a great player but sometimes he doesn't feel like playing. Today being one of them. Booooooooooooo!

Sheldon Souray

- I pick on him because he is the elder on the D line. He is our best guy now that Visnovsky is out. He needs to lead. And that didn't really happen this game. I expect tomorrow's game to be better. Boooooooooooo!

Ethan Moreau

- Completely non-existent in this game. No big hits. No 10 shots. No leading. If it seems like I am picking on the leaders of this team, your right. I blame them for having a team fall apart. They wear the C's and A's for a reason. Show up tomorrow please! Boooooooooooooo!

Honorable Mentions (because there is too many people who sucked)

- Marc Pouliot (made a few bad plays. Wasn't a factor other than his goal.), Steve Staios (no leadership from Steve. No fiesty play, no anything.), Dwayne Roloson (He was beat by some realy nice tip ins. Not all his fault, but he wasn't good either)

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Next game is tomorow at 1:00 vs. the Wild. That will be tough. But we will get the win. We better...