If This Continues, the Oilers Dodge a Few Bullets

Couldn't help but look at the contracts that are essentially being wasted with this lock out. Hall and Eberle are on their last years of their ELC. This is the last year they won't have a $6M cap hit. After this season they are paid handsomely.

Another reason to look is to see which players are in their final contract years. Let's be real. The league isn't going to fire up at all this year, so at some point, the Oilers have decisions to make.

UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS

Nikolai Khabibulin - This is the final year in his questionable contact. I can't see the Oilers resigning him even if it's a one year extension. He's past his prime and will never be a good goaltender again. However, not sure Dubnyk can carry the whole load. Oilers will have to sign a replacement goaltender once Khabibulin is gone.

Ryan Whitney - What do you do with a player who has been injured the last few years and still hasn't played a game this year with another league? I don't know either. Sign him for one more year as a "feeler" and see how it plays out? When he's 100% he's the best guy on the backed the Oil have. But will he ever reach that again?

Ladislav Smid - I like Smid. He's just turning into a stud on the blueline and I can't imagine the Oilers let him walk away for nothing. I'd do what it takes to ensure he comes back with a multi year contract.

Ryan Jones - Another North American talent wasting away sitting at home. Jones is a great team player, but can a guy like Hartikainen fill his spot? Most defiantly. If management truly likes him, he will be back for at least one more season.

Darcy Hordichuk - Meh! Fringe player who isn't really part of this team moving forward. Good team guy, but really, that's all he is.

Andy Sutton - From the word on the street, the big man might be headed for retirement. Sad if true. He's a decent 6th man.

Lennart Petrell - I didn't see the big hub bub about him. He's an OK player, but why not give his 4th line minutes to one of the kids whose earning a spot playing with the OKC Barons. I wouldn't bring him back.

Yann Danis - He's a solid goaltender for the OKC Barons and he's worthy of a one year renewal. But, never forget that Tyler Bunz could be ready to play in the AHL next season. With Bunz and Roy, they won't need Danis.

Dane Byers - I don't know a whole lot about Byers. All I really know is he's a good team guy and it's worth signing him for more term with the OKC Barons.

RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS

Sam Gagner - Gagner has been playing over in Austria and is trying to stay in game shape. He's still in the "to be determined" catagory with the Oilers and not having him play in front of Oilers management on a nightly basis makes it harder for the team to decide what to do with him. I'd resign him for two more years if he would go for it. But much like last year, he will probably ask for a one year deal. If the Oilers want long term, the price needs to go up. I like Gagner and I want him to be part of this team moving forward. Do the Oilers?

Teemu Hartikainen - The big man is really finding his game this season. He's been good for most of his games played. No doubt the Oilers try and lock him up for two years minimum. He will be a main part of the future of the Oilers for years to come.

Magnus Paajarvi - He's really meshing well with Lander and Hartikainen so far this season in Oklahoma City. Can that carry over to the NHL? Not sure. But the Oilers will resign the Swede and decide down the road if he's a fit with the team or not. Very possible he's trade bait once the general managers get talking again.

Theo Peckham - What do you say about a player who was just released by an ECHL team? Oy!!! (To be noted: Peckham allegedly asked to be released) What happened to this guy? If the Oilers make any decisions on Peckham, it's probably only a one year extension. Also probably trade bait.

Colten Teubert - He replaces the lost muscle that the Oilers will lose with Peckham. I like Teubert's game. He's a standup guy who takes no shit. Once he's seasoned, he can be a great 5/6 guy for any NHL team. He should get at least a two year extension.

Taylor Fedun - He scored his first professional goal last night and that must be a huge monkey off his back. Oiler fans everywhere are proud of his commitment on getting back into the game after his leg injury last year. Before the injury he was a solid player with big potential. Oilers now hope he can regain that form once again. So far this year he's made strides. No doubt the Oilers resign him for at least a couple of years. He's part of the future.

Mark Arcobello - He's a decent AHL talent and I can see him coming back for another year with the OKC Barons. Not sure if he will ever play in the NHL though.

Chris VandeVelde - While some players have developed, I'm not 100% sure CVV has. It's possible that he could become a 4th line center, but his faceoff % needs to improve for that to happen. I'm not sure if the Oilers want to keep developing him. He's kind of at a stand still. Give him one more year with the Barons then decide?

Alex Plante - Plain and simple, his foot speed is slow. As is, he will never become a regular in the NHL. I'd resign him for the purpose of including him in a trade down the road. I don't see him as part of the future.

Tanner House - Effective AHL'er at times. Not entirely sure what the projected output is of this guy, but it doesn't look that good. Is he worth keeping around for the Barons sake?

Philippe Cornet - He led the Barons in goals last year and was swiftly sent down to the Stockton Thunder at the beginning of this season. It was puzzling. Maybe something happened between him and the coach? Either way, after being sent down he's produced pretty well in the ECHL. He has 18 points as of right now. I'd resign him for sure. Two more years to see if he can evolve some more.

Antti Tyrvainen - From all reports that I've read about him, he's not a player the Oilers should continue developing. I'd move on.

CAP HIT (BUYOUTS)

Sheldon Souray - His $1.5M cap hit is over after this 2012-13 season is officially over.

- WRITTEN BY SMOKIN' RAY-

GAME ON!!! Oilers vs Wild Tonight At 7:30pm MT

Tonight brings us another game to be excited for. Or does it?

The Oilers take on the Minnesota Wild tonight at 7:30pm MT and it should be a boring game to watch. It's painful for me when I watch the Wild play. It's like going to the dentist. But hockey.

But there might be some good things that come from this game.

- At least we know we can beat them in our arena. No stupid records to try and stop this go around. Rexall is our place. We can win here.

- Sam Gagner might return to the lineup tonight. If he doesn't play tonight, it sounds like he will by Saturday.

-Ryan Whitney will play his second game today. Watch for him to improve this game. He's just getting his legs under him.

-Nik Khabibulin should get the start going by the way Renney has started his goalies. I know it's only been 2 games, but he's looked solid so far.

- Is Theo Peckham the odd man out again? Or does one of the other guys like Cam Barker take a turn watching from up above?

- Jason Gregor talked about Lander possibly playing on the wing when Gagner returns. Will that happen tonight, or does Sam take a turn on the wing? This might be Lander's last time to impress.

Don't forget to join me on twitter tonight for the usual Oilers banter.

Enjoy your day... cause it's GAME DAY!!!

-WRITTEN BY SMOKIN' RAY-

The Future Of The Edmonton Oilers

I`m working today and I`m a little bored. I started thinking this morning about the Oilers and what lies ahead. The more I thought, the more I got fired up. Forget last year and even this year. The future is where it`s at. I know... that has been promised for the last 10 years. But the future is close. Last night watching the Taylor Hall revelation, I couldn`t help but think he`s finally arrived. It`s been a long time since I was sold on a young player so quickly. But how can you not embrace what he represents? The kid wants to be a winner and you know what? I believe him. Combine Hall with the other young players and you get a gnarly young core group to lead this team to Lord Stanley`s cup. Want to know the future? Here it is. Hall, Eberle, Paajarvi, Lander, Dubnyk, Peckham, Teubert, Petry, Vande Velde, Hartikainen, Omark (plus other players not named) and the two 1st round draft picks from 2011. Now if that doesn`t set this team up for years to come, then really.... nothing will.

-WRITTEN BY SMOKIN' RAY-

Devan Dubnyk Wins His First NHL Game / Oilers vs Red Wings Game Recap (3/19/10)

This is a brief game recap of the Edmonton Oilers vs the Detroit Red Wings game on TSN.
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PRE GAME RECORDS

Detroit Red Wings (34-23-12) at Edmonton Oilers (21-42-7)

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FINAL SCORE

Detroit Red Wings - 2

Edmonton Oilers -3 SO

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TONIGHT'S STARTING LINES

Penner Cogliano Brule
Moreau Horcoff Pisani
Nilsson Potulny Pouliot
Stortini Gagner Minard

Whitney Gilbert
Chorney Strudwick
Johnson Peckham

Dubnyk
Deslauriers

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VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS



THE SHOOTOUT VIDEO



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THE MEAT AND POTATOES

The Good:

- Devan Dubnyk almost lost his first win with .03 seconds left in the 3rd period. But he didn't. Lucky for him he continued his good play for a full 65 minutes plus the shootout. Devan Dubnyk has a legitimate NHL win under his belt. I couldn't be happier for him. Great job Devan.

- Ryan Whitney scored his first goal as an Oiler tonight. He's been pretty good since we acquired him. I'm still finding him to be a decent pick up in a trade. Especially for a guy like Lubomir Visnovsky. Whitney had 5 shots and 3 blocked shots to go with his goal. I'd say a decent night.

- Andrew Cogliano is a whole different guy right now. You put him on the top line and he performs. He scores a goal and gets an assist on the Whitney goal. This was one of his best games in a long time. He was solid at both ends of the ice. But can he do it again?

- Gilbert Brule has been quietly one of the Oilers most consistent guys all season long. He did it again tonight as he keeps showing that chemistry with Penner and Cogliano. Brule assisted on both Oiler goals and played a good physical game all game. He's, in my opinion, a keeper for next season. You can just tell he wants to be good.

The Not So Good:

- Ethan Moreau is just plain bad. it's like he has no clue on how to play the game anymore. If Comrie was a healthy scratch, I'm going to be very ticked off.

- Theo Peckham is going to take a lot of the blame for the tying goal by not playing the puck properly, but where was the defender watching the back door guy (Rafalski)? Where was Johnson? Horcoff?

- Speaking of Peckham, his partnership with Johnson wasn't so shit hot tonight. Both of them finished a -2 and while they did look good for long periods of time, they had those rookie mistakes that can cause a game to be lost. They have been a good duo and I'd expect them to be a little better next game.

- I really do not like the Minard/Gagner/Stortini line. Either Quinn figures that Gagner is so damn good that he makes others around good or he's really ticked at him? I honestly do not know the answer so I can't tell you either way. I would hope it's because he thinks he's the cats ass.

The Side Dish:

- If you missed it, Jordan Eberle scored a goal in the first minute of his first game with the Springfield Falcons this year. CLICK HERE for the game recap.

- Also tonight the Stockton Thunder had a game to play. They lost to the Utah Grizzles in a very one-sided game by the score of 6-2. The recap will be posted soon on Oilers Jambalaya.

- The Canadian Sledge Hockey team also lost their game tonight. They were playing against Norway for the bronze medal and Norway scored with 3 seconds left. It's a shame because Canada wanted this so bad after being shocked by Japan yesterday. Good try and we still love you guys. GOCANADAGO!

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DID YOU KNOW? (Facts About The Edmonton Oilers)

Did you know... at this point of the Oilers season, the majority of fans wanted an Detroit win tonight (to be ahead of Calgary in the standings) over Devan Dubnyk to get his first win tonight and not achieve the record for longest in NHL without first win.

Did you know... Gilbert Brule is 3rd on the team in points with 34 points?

Did you know... Devan Dubnyk started in goal 11 times this season, including tonight? That's a lot of games with no win.

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POST GAME VIDEO



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EVENT SUMMARY
GAME SUMMARY

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NEXT GAME

Edmonton Oilers vs San Jose Sharks

Sunday 21/03/10

6:00 pm MST
Sportsnet West

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CLICK HERE TO READ THE LIVE TWEETCAST

-Written by Smokin' Ray-

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 #56 (Apr 8/09 vs. Los Angeles Kings)

Well it's hard to want to sit down and talk about that game. I'm sad, frustrated, shocked and a little bit in denial. I can not believe it's all over.

Roli started what maybe his last game this year and possibly as an Oiler. Thanks Roli. We do like you here in Edmonton. But MacT, please let him play the last game of the year. Don't let it end like that for him and you.

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1st Period

The 2nd line starts the game for the Oilers. The have a great 35 seconds as they are in the LA zone. But LA gets out and hems that line back in their own zone. Son of a... The Kings score a soft one on Roli at 0:55. Damn! 1-0 Kings. The crowd all at once let out a collective Awwww. A little while later Ethan Moreau drills a guy. Holy Crap! The Kings score again. 2-0 Kings. Once again it was the 2nd line that gets burned at 3:46. The crowd is stunned. I am stunned. After this this game is pretty boring. No real action, just safe hockey by both teams. At 8:51 the Oilers get their first PP. Not much really happens except for Hemsky whiffing on a pass. He looks at his stick blade like WTF? A few seconds later the camera shows him sitting on the bench pouting about it. At that moment both the wife and I said cya to Hemsky for the night. When he gets frustrated early, he disappears for the rest of the game. Probably he only real weak part of his game. Anyways, a fight breaks out. Peckham vs. Brian Boyle (6'7" 250lbs). Peckham kills him. He lands a few good left punches to the face/head. That was good. Crowd responds to it. MacT seems to have the blender on medium speed now. That means MacT is in panic mode. Not yet MacT. Jack Johnson nails Gagner from behind. Penner was right there when it happened and he took exception to it. Penner vs. Johnson. He handles Johnson ok and takes him down. Good on Penner. Will the emotion carry over to the 2nd? That was an intense last few minutes.

2nd Period

34 seconds into the 2nd, the Oilers go on their 2nd PP of the night. The PP still looks crappy. They don't score. Good first 5 minutes was all Oilers. 6 shots Oilers. Kings zero. Gagner the crazy fool skates out of his way to lay a body check on Brian Boyle. Brian Boyle! 6'7" 250lbs. Gags has a big set of nuts. How many Vets would have done that? That is why this kid is going to be a great all around player for the Oilers for years to come. A short while later, Brodziak grabs a flying puck and drops it in front of his stick. He has a wide open net and misses. Unbelievable! With 10 minutes played, the Oilers seem to be trying to get something done. Nothing is seeming to work though as it's still 2-0. Fight! Stortini vs. Ivanans. Good tilt. Storts even gets reversed jerseyed and still manages to get in some more shots to the head of Ivanans. After the fight Stortini's face looks like a half beaten bag of tomatoes. The 2nd line has been good this period. Good chances. Yeah! Oilers score. 2-1 Kings. (Pisani from Grebeshkov and Gilbert at 16:29.) Alright boys. Back in this one. Roli is taken down right in front of the ref and there is no call. The crowd is back in this game now too. Let's Go Oilers! Roli gets tripped up yet again and again, there is no call. Roli covers the puck and then freaks out. He throws the puck into the corner. Even when he's crappy, he still entertaining. Good period by the Oilers.

3rd Period

Good start by the Oilers. MacT is rolling all four lines. They are all playing good so why not? Nothing really news worthy in the first 10 minutes. Good flow but no excitement. With 9 minutes left, Gagner is nailed once again. And he just gets back up. Soon after Moreau has a great chance and almost scores. Nice passing on that play. Well there is 4:30 left and the Oilers are really turning up the heat now. The crowd is fired up and it seems to be helping the team. This game is Oilers vs. Quick. He is robbing the Oilers left and right. He's LA's Roli tonight. Oilers call a timeout at 18:21. Oilers can't mount much of an attack. With 32 seconds left, Grebeshkov has the puck taken from him as he is casually skating in front of Roli. He was lucky there as he stole it back. But the game ends. It's over. We lose.

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Tonight's Starting Lines

Kotalik Horcoff Hemsky

O'Sullivan Gagner Nilsson

Moreau Cogliano Pisani

Penner Brodziak Stortini

Souray Staios

Grebeshkov Gilbert

Strudwick Peckham

Roloson

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FINAL SCORE

Los Angeles Kings - 2

Edmonton Oilers - 1

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BEERS

Sam Gagner - This kid wanted this win more than any other Oiler. Well it appeared that way to me. He was hitting guys twice his size, he was shooting. He had a couple of takeaways. He was trying to do what ever. In fact it makes me wonder if the Oilers should be like Chicago and bank their future on a young guy like Gagner by giving him the C? For a great game other than the 2 goals against, have a frosty beer. Cheers!

Theo Peckham - He has been impressing me quite a bit. He is tougher than I imagined. He plays pretty decent hockey. In fact, he keeps up the progress and he could easily replace Staios. His fight was good. He even manged a shot and a blocked shot. Solid game Theo. Have a cold one on me. Cheers!

Ethan Moreau - The Captain played pretty good. He did not do anything stupid. He played a sound game. He led the team with 4 hits and they were good ones to. He did his job and that deserves a beer. Cheers!

The Fans - There isn't enough beer in the world to numb the pain. But we shall try. Chug!

Honorable Mentions - Fernando Pisani (He scores the Oilers only goal. Played well.), Patrick O'Sullivan (The guy shoots from anywhere. 7 shots.)

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JEERS

Ales Hemsky - WTF? Why is it that when you can't get anything going in the first 5 minutes you disappear for the rest of the game? You showed up a little near the end but it was too late. You let a lot of Oiler fans down playing like that in this game. We needed you. And you ignored us. Booooooo!

Shawn Horcoff - Ok. Your faceoffs were good. But when you are the #1 anything, you need to produce. Not just this game, but every game. You didn't and the season is over. Peoples brains are going to explode next year with that contract of yours. You think people are harsh now. lol. Wait. Boooooooooo!

89 12 19 37 77 35 - All six of these guys were on the ice for both LA goals. All six were guilty on the 2nd goal. Roli more so on the 1st goal. -2 for the 2nd line. You guys may have played well, but at those two moments you were pretty awful. Boooooooooo!

The Entire Team - Playoffs... Missed... 3 years in a row... WTF?!? BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

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Now what?

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

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

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

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

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1st Period

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

2nd Period

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

3rd Period

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

Overtime

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

Shootout

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

Nilsson - gets poke checked by Kipper

Hemsky - also gets poked checked by Kipper

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Tonight's Starting Lines

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

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

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

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

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FINAL SCORE

Calgary Flames - 3

Edmonton Oilers - 2

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BEERS

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

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

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

Honerable Mentions

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

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JEERS

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

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

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

Beers and Jeers #34 (Feb 17/09 vs. San Jose Sharks)

Well how is everyone tonight? Good, good. It's game day again. This time versus those damn Sharks. Why do they have to be so good in the regular season? (we all know they suck come playoff time) This is going to be a very hard game for the Oilers. Let's hope we ride the Rolitrain for another stop. Whoot. Whoooooot.

Erik Cole has been rumoured to be on his way out soon and that sucks. He fits well with Gagner and it's to bad that this season had to be so messed up for the Oil and him. If only Cole had a better experience here. He will be missed. Robin Brownlee wrote a good article about the destination of Cole. CLICK HERE

So I have a few questions to ask. Is tonight's game going to be that boring defensive game like yesterday? Is Hemsky going to razzle and dazzle tonight? Is Smid the next Pronger? Is Gagner going to fight another guy over six feet tall and 200 lbs? Is Roli finally going to score with his bat swing? Is this the last game for Reddox now that Jacques is ready to come back? Do the referee's have their glasses cleaned? Will Rob Brown ever finish off the hair plugs installation? Do we get the 6th point on this roadie? and finally... Is the sound going to cut in and out during the PPV broadcast again because I can not stand that?

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1st Period

The Oilers vs Sharks. Oh man. Are we ready for war? I am... I hope the Oil are? GAME ON!!! Just as the game starts the sounds starts to cut out again. *shakes head* And I pay for that. Anyways, the lines are the same as last night and we shall see how that works out. Well the first part of this period has been all Sharks. They are keeping the Oilers in their own zone. Geez... even their 3rd line is kicking our butt. (ROFL: the Ref fell and slid into Dan Boyle and they both go down.) Wow! The Sharks fire a puck from behind the net and Roli has to come up HUGE. Well Roli is ready to go tonight. That's a good sign because the players are a step behind so far in this game. With 9:00 minutes played, the 4th line and the 3nd line have had some good shifts but nothing really from the 1st line. At 10:08 they score!!! The San Jose Sharks that is. It was a good goal for them. High slot shot, glove high on Roli. 1-0 Sharks. It was a matter of time with the way they are playing. Come on Oilers... Yeah!!! Stortini now with a goal. Alright Storts! (at 12:18, Stortini from Brodziak and Gilbert) 1-1 tie game. Out of all the guys that should score the 1st goal, Storts would be my second to last pick. (he really is catching Gagner in goals) So I look at the shot count. All of he sudden the Oilers have some shots on the board. So now the Oil are back in this game. It took a while but they are here now. Gagner took a high stick to the nose and the refs glasses must have been foggy because he missed it. He was also 6 feet away. Soooo??? But the Oilers do get a diferent PP chance. And then the Oilers blast a puck in to the Shark zone and the puck takes a weird bounce and Erik Cole is in the right place at the right time and scores on the empty net. Yeah Cole! (at 19:08, Cole from Souray and Gilbert) 2-1 Oilers. The Sharks take another penalty and give the Oilers even more life. But the period is over and the Oilers are looking good. End of period score: 2-1 Oilers.

2nd Period

Let's start this one with a PP goal. Well that doesn't happen as the Sharks kill off the penalty. In fact they seem to gain a little momentum. Damn! The Sharks tie it up at 1:48. 2-2 Tie Game. Marleau with a nice shot, glove high on Roli. A few seconds later Pouliot takes a penalty. Sharks are on the hunt now. After a quick scramble in front of Roli, Souray takes exception on Michalek and gives him a hard left and sends him to the ground. Gotta love Souray. Next thing you know, San Jose takes 2 separate penalties and now it's 4 on 3 for the Oilers. Momentum keeps on swinging. Very exciting game tonight. Way different from yesterdays game. MacT calls a time out. Let's see what happens... Well the Oilers don't score with a 5 on 3, but San Jose does. What? yeah... Grier flies down and Marleau jumps out of the box and tic and toe it's in at 5:43. *shakes head* 3-2 Sharks. Well a may lay breaks out. Strudwick starts some shoving and tussling. Moreau is there tossing and tackling. And Theo Peckham was in there on the ground with Lemieux on top of him giving him the "I'm old and I deserve respect" shake. They work their way back up to their feet somehow and begin to talk. The next thing I know, Peckham throws a punch and he lands a few more on the old man. Then mocks the crap out of him and drives him mad. This could be a story a little later in the game for sure. THIS GAME IS GREAT! Roli makes a big save and another short skirmish happens. If I was a small guy in this game I would really be worried right about now. Staios takes a penalty for being too aggressive. And now Moreau takes a penalty. At least he took a guy with him. And now Horcoff takes a high sticking penalty. What's going on here? 5 on 3 for the Sharks. They kill off the Staios penalty, right on. And they also kill off the Horcoff penalty. Ok guys, let's try 5 on 5 for awhile. Now Moreau wants to fight again. It was not really much of a fight as they fell to the ground. He's gone for 5. The 4th line comes out now and Stortini fights big Semenov. Semenov lands a big uppercut and stuns Storts. Then Storts throws a few and they fall down. Holy cow! But the Sharks remember that this is more than the MMA on ice and score at 19:06. 4-2 Sharks. Well that is not how we want that period to end but at least we are going down swinging. So far the Oilers have 24 penalty minutes in the game. Oh. That was all in the 2nd. End of period score: 4-2 Sharks

3rd Period

Ding... Ding... Round 3. Well it looks like a hockey game broke out here. Decent flow to the 3rd. Back and forth action. I see Lemieux back out. I wonder if him and Peckham are going to get reacquainted? Well they are still playing hockey but nothing really to report. Chances we had by all and 10:00 minutes have been played. Awww crap. Horcoff takes a penalty. Let's go Oilers! They do it. Right on. A minute later 89/12/83 have a nice shift together. As the whistle blows Gagner gets a shove from Semenov. Gagner pushes back. Semenov pushes him again. Gagner sticks him in the middle area. Good thing that linesman came in between them. That's one big dude to fight. How can you not love Gagner? Well here we are now with 5:00 minutes to go and we are still down by two. Hemsky draws a penalty and it's PP time. This is when I miss #71 and #37. Staios on the PP is just never right. But the Oilers can't get much going and the game ends. That was a good game for the Oilers even though they lost. At least there was some fight to their game. We have been missing that for a long time. Welcome back.

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Tonight's Starting Lines

Penner Horcoff Hemsky (They were not really that dominant. Penner was sort of lazy again. Horcoff was playing like a checker. Hemsky was strange tonight. He didn't suck... but he wasn't the same.)

Nilsson Gagner Cole (This line wasn't bad tonight. Nilsson was a little above average. Gagner took 8 shots with 4 hitting the net and played hard. Cole scored a lucky one and had 5 hits.)

Moreau Cogliano Pouliot (This was not much of a line. Moreau was good. Hitting and whacking anyone in site. Cogliano was riding the pine. Not sure why? only 7:58 of ice time. Pouliot is a head scratcher for me. Pisani can come back any day now...)

Stortini Brodziak Reddox (What a good line. They were causing greif all over the place. Stortini scores and fights. He just needed the assist. Brodziak was ok tonight. Reddox was not bad. I didn't yell at my TV because of him so that's good.)

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FINAL SCORE

Edmonton Oilers - 2

San Jose Sharks - 4

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BEERS

Tom Gilbert - Gilbert was very good tonight IMO. He didn't seem to have much faults in this game. Which is good because he has had some relapses lately. But tonight he picks up 2 more assists while logging 26:23 of ice time. He also managed 2 blocked shots and 2 takeaways. So for having a productive game... Have a frosty Gibby. Cheers!

Zack Stortini - Huggy Bear is on the loose. He tried his big thugery butt off tonight. He scored a goal that was instrumental to the Oilers in getting into the game. He had a fight with the big guy Semenov. He did what he could. And that's all that we can ask for. Miller time Storts? Cheers!

Ladislav Smid - Who would have guessed that Smid would be in a top 4 pairing and actually not look out of place? He was a very smart player tonight. He jumped up at the right times. He had 3 hits and the Spaz even managed to get in to the kerfuffles after the whistles. And he logged 18:48 in ice time. I think he deseves a beer. Cheers!

Honerable Mentions: Sheldon Souray (he was the workhorse again tonight. People worry about Roli and all the work. What about Souray? 29:10 of ice time.), Theo Peckham (He is starting to win my heart. I know that sounded gay, but he really is impressing me. He's tough and he doesn't seem to be scared of people.), Sam Gagner (even though he was -2, I thought that he was good. It's crazy to see how old he plays sometimes. Wait till he is older and how good he is going to be.)

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JEERS

38% team faceoff percentage - Booooooooooooo!

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Even though the Oilers lost, I thought that it was a good game for them. The answerd the bell for themselvees and for their team mates. It was good to see. But we still have 4 points out of 6 on this trip and that isn't so bad. I wonder if Roli is playing in Dallas on Thursday? Of course he will. We need the W.

So thanks for stopping by and reading the madness. We shall see you all next game. Until next time...