Wednesday, December 9, 2009

(Edmonton Journal) Cult of Hockey Player Grades - Oilers vs Lightning (12/09/09)



Once again David Staples of the Edmonton Journal's Cult of Hockey has allowed me to do the player grades for this game. You can read it here at Oilers Jambalaya or you can read it HERE.



Now I hope you understand how hard it is to grade a game that's choppy.  It was cool that we were able to see the game, but it was so choppy at times I missed little sequences.  But here is what I saw.

The Cult of Hockey Grading System: 10-perfect game, 9 extraordinary, 8 great, 7 good, 6 above average, 5 average, 4 below average, 3 poor, 2 terrible, 1 deserves to be in minors.



 #27 Dustin Penner (7) - I didn't find too many faults in his game tonight.  He played pretty good and scored a typical Penner in front of the net goal. Heck, he even led the team in faceoffs.  He sure plays a complete game this year. I hope he gets more than a nod for Team Canada.

#89 Sam Gagner (6) - He played well but was still over matched in the Oilers end at times. He has been better in these last two games and he needs to find that "next level" if he's to do well as a #1 center.  He had 3 shots and his pass/shot gave him an assist on the Penner goal.  Overall, not a bad game.

#10 Shawn Horcoff (5) - He was near invisible.  He played 22:12 and although most of those minutes were decent minutes (1:46 of PP time and 2:36 in PK time) he needs to be more effective.  This was not the same Horcoff as we seen the last two games.

#13 Andrew Cogliano (5) - Cogliano had some good moments in this game.  Nothing that was over the top or anything.  He has this way of looking like he does a lot out there, while really all he is doing is skating fast.  He reminds me of Todd Marchant, only he can't win faceoffs.

#19 Patrick O'Sullivan (4) - He was not good at all.  He brought down the 2nd line with his sub par play.  Hedman scored that goal and that was O'Sullivan's guy and he didn't take him. He just seems lost out there right now.  He only had 3 shots and if he is going to earn his money he needs goals.  And how do you get goals? You shoot.

#67 Gilbert Brule (6) - He was pretty good.  He kept trying to make nice plays to Penner and instead maybe should have taken more shots himself.  But all in all I don't have much to complain about.  He's way better than I ever thought that he could be.  And this is just the beginning for him.

#18 Ethan Moreau (4) - The Captain didn't do much tonight.  I don't know about you guys, but he's not really contributing much.  It's almost like he's just taking up minutes when someone else could eat hose minutes.  Don't get me wrong, he's not terrible right now, but he also isn't a contributor.

#22 JF Jacques (6) - He was the best player on his line.  He had 5 hits and it seems like if he is doing that, then he's doing his job. 

#16 Ryan Potulny (5) - He was another one of those looked average type of players tonight.  He did what he could and it definitely wasn't fantastic.  He was just plain jane average.

#46 Zack Stortini (9) - The man had a Gordie Howe hat trick and still added another fight to his resume near the end of the game.  This was the best that I have ever seen him.  He had 3 hits and I didn't notice a single error (other than 0 for 6 on the faceoffs) on his part tonight.  So that's why I'm giving him a 9. All this and he only played 6:22.  Should this game earn him a 10?

#32 Ryan Stone (8) - The other bash brother was also good tonight.  His fight was a good one and it impressed me that he could chuck them like that.  He was hitting everyone (I don't know how the NHL doesn't count more hits) he could and even created some scoring chances.  He also played just over six minutes tonight, but he made the most of it.

#12 Robert Nilsson (7) - He was pretty good tonight and picked up another assist.  I maybe should have given him a 6 but he plays so well with Stone and Stortini and it's helping him shine.  I'm sure that he's thankful to get back into the lineup.  He seems to be trying to not make those little mental mistakes that have plagued him in the past.

#44 Sheldon Souray (7) - He was left alone on a wicked 2 on 1 for the Lightning's first goal.  Not totally his fault, but he made a decision to take the passer and that left St Louis all alone with JDD.  He and Gilbert were on for three Oiler goals and the on for the first Tampa goal.  Although he wasn't all out aggressive, he played pretty darn good.

#71 Lubomir Visnovsky (5) - All the defence were pretty average tonight including Visnovsky.  I've seen him be better.  He played 21:00 minutes and had 1 shot and 2 blocked shots.  Not really a night to remember.

#77 Tom Gilbert (6) - It was his error (pinch) that caused the 2 on 1 and essentially, the first goal of the game.  He did however score ten minutes later to even up the score.  So does that balence things out?  He actualy was decent tonight.  It appears to me that he's been getting better as this road trip goes on.

#24 Steve Staios (5) - Quite an average game.  Not much to say here.

#5 Ladislav Smid (5) - He had a fairly decent game.  He blew a spaz and knocked some guys down.  I kept waiting for him to score another goal tonight but it never happened.

#43 Jason Strudwick (5) - Also an average game.  Oddly enough, no goals were directly his fault.

#38 Jeff Drouin-Deslauriers (7) - His willingness to battle for 60 minutes helped the Oilers win this game.  He made some good saves all throughout the game.  But once again the Lightning went up high on him and scored.  How is that possible when the guy is that tall?  He's playing better than anyone expected.

#40 Devan Dubnyk (N/A) -  He did not play.

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**Normal Beers and Jeers-Edmonton Oilers Recap to follow.**

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Edmonton Oilers - What To Do With The Free Agents?



The Edmonton Oilers have too many Free Agents at the end of this year.  What does Steve Tambellini do about this mess?  Does he just ride it out and try and re-sign as many as he can at the end of the year?  Does he trade them away for equal or better value (or in some cases, no value)?  What to do???

Here is a place to go to see the what the Edmonton Oilers Players are making. (Cap Numbers)

Unrestricted Free Agents

Fernando Pisani UFA ($2.5 million cap hit) I would not keep him.  Sorry, but his time is up here.

Mike Comrie UFA ($1.25 million cap hit) I would not keep him.  His coming home was nice.  But he's not a fit here.

Ryan Stone UFAVI ($600,000 cap hit) I would re-sign him for $1 million a year for two years.  He somehow makes the team better, so we best keep him.

Jason Strudwick UFA ($700,000 cap hit) I would not keep him.  He's slow and he's not able to keep up with most of the plays.  He's a funny guy though.

Dean Arsene UFA ($386,000 cap hit) I would re-sign him to a two way deal for $600,000 a year for two years.  I liked what I saw in his brief stint with the Oilers.

Restricted Free Agents

Sam Gagner RFA ($1.625 million cap hit) I would resign him for no more than $3.5 million a year for 5 years. He just might be the "future" of the Oilers.  Sign him long and cheap.

Andrew Cogliano RFA ($1.133 million cap hit) I would re-sign him for no more than $2 million a year for 3 years. He's a keeper even though I hear he's been shopped around.

Marc Pouliot RFA ($825,000 cap hit)  I don't think I'd keep him either.  Maybe try and include him in a deal this season.

Gilbert Brule RFA ($800,000 cap hit) I would re-sign him to $1 million a year for two years.  He has emerged this year and should have to play well for the next two years and then get rewarded.

JF Jacques RFA ($525,000 cap hit) I would re-sign him for $750,000 a year or under. Great hitter and is a physical player.  As long as his injuries don't keep coming back, he's a keeper.

Ryan Potulny RFA ($595,000 cap hit) I would re-sign him for $750,000 for two years.  I like his style of play.

Liam Reddox RFA ($515,000 cap hit) I would only re-sign him on a two way for under $600,000.  With the rise of Stone and Potulny, he's now expendable. Can he be included in a deal?

Colin MacDonald RFA ($550,000 cap hit) I would re-sign him to a two way for under $600,000 for two years. Good player for the Falcons.

Ryan O'Marra RFA ($1.22 million cap hit inc. bonus) I would re-sign him to a two way for $750,000. Anything more than that and I'd let him walk.  He needs two more years in the minors, at least. And let's be real... $1.22 million a year?  That sounds like a Kevin Lowe contract.

Denis Grebeshkov RFA ($3.15 million cap hit) I would re-sign him for the same amount, $3,150,000 to two year deal.  I like his play, but I think the Oilers would trade him if given a chance. The guys like Chorney are making decisions harder.

Theo Peckham RFA ($600,000 cap hit) I would re-sign him for $750,000 a year over three years.  I like what he brings to the table, but he has lots of room to improve to warrant big money. 

Jeff Deslauriers RFA ($625,000 cap hit) I would try and trade him.  If not, then try and re-sign him to a two year deal for $750,000.  He's good, but I like Dubnyk better.  Maybe I'm wrong.

Devan Dubnyk RFA ($700,000 cap hit) I would re-sign him to a three year deal worth $750,000.  I think that in time, he will be better than JDD.  Either way the Oilers will have to decide which of the two they will keep.  Signing Khabibulin to a four year deal makes no sense.  Why lose a good prospect for a set of old balls?


Before anyone freaks out about what I just wrote, there is a lot of work to do with this hockey club.  Trades are sure to happen and no one can predict who's around at the start of next season.  These are just my opinions and I have no idea what the Oilers cap numbers will look like next year.  Granted, if the Oilers were to sign all the people to the deals I have just said, then other people will have to go. I can tell you right now all these deals, plus the existing one's, would put the Oilers over the cap.  I just haven't got that far yet.

WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

Monday, December 7, 2009

B&J #93 Edmonton Oilers Recap vs Florida Panthers (12/7/09)




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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- Who's Out? Who's in? Same lines as last game.  Chorney and O'Marra have been sent back down to Springfield as they are not being used here with the Oilers.

- As I tweeted earlier, Springfield Falcon Kip Brennan is the AHL leader in penalty minutes.  After 27 games he has 137 pim.  I guess this is why the Oilers didn't re-claim Steve MacIntyre a few days ago.

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Pre-Game Records

Edmonton Oilers (12-13-4) at Florida Panthers (11-13-5)

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TONIGHT'S STARTING LINES

Penner-Gagner-Brule
Jacques-Horcoff-O'Sullivan
Moreau-Potulny-Cogliano
Nilsson-Stortini-Stone

Smid-Visnovsky
Souray-Gilbert
Strudwick-Staios

Deslauriers
Dubnyk

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**These are Re-Tweets of Paq Twinn's LIVE TweetCast© at http://twitter.com/OilersJambalaya/edmontonoilerstweetcast**

1st PERIOD

- Getting set for #Oilers vs #Panthers Are you ready?
- Mean Gene, Kevin Quinn and Louie Debrusk are saying their "funny" puns. Let's hope the puck drops quickly. #canttakeit
- GAME ON!
- Man is the #Florida arena empty. But yeah... Let's keep hockey in places it shouldn't be. #stupiddecisions
- Good start to the game. #Oilers are looking good. Vokoun doesn't need stitches yet. #lamejoke
- Weiss rings one off the post. 12:30 left in the 1st period.
- Oilers are just looking for a spark. Who's it going to be?
- Brule nails Ballard. PP for the #Panthers. #wasvokounlaughing
- Oilers kill off the 1st penalty of the game. They looked lousy but killed it off.
- 8:30 left in the 1st period.
- Oilers will get a go at the PP. The shots are 9 for the Panthers and 4 for the Oilers before the PP starts.
- No dice for the #Oilers . They only had one shot on that PP.
- 5:00 minutes left and it's still a 0-0 Tie Game / Quinn is sure rolling out the #1 line often
- There is 4:20 left... umm...  I forgot what I was going to say. #hightimes
- One Minute Left iin the 1st Period #Oilers vs #Panthers / 0-0 Tie Game
- That's it for the 1st Period / The #Oilers better come out flying in the 2nd. This game is their's for the taking.

2nd PERIOD

- 2nd period is underway.
- Horc SCORES on a nice cross crease pass from Lubo. PP goal. 1-0 Oilers  / 16:25 2nd
- Moore scores for the cats, on a flukey bounce. 1-1 Tie Game / 13:51 2nd
- McCabe throws an elbow to Nilsson's head. He'll go off for 2. Oilers PP 12:39 2nd
- The cats kill it off
- Oilers outshooting Panthers 9-3 in the 2nd. 9:45 2nd
- JFJ with a big hit on Allen.
- Gags gets a phantom penalty on a innocent looking play. oh and the panthers had possesion. #whatsupwiththat
- Oilers PK. 5:18 2nd
- Pens and Patty-O get a great shorthanded chance.
- Smid gets called for holding. Oilers PK 2:41 2nd
- Oilers doing a good job on PK. #aggressivePK
- JDD with a big glove save as the penalty expires.
- Campbell tries to throw a big hit on Nilsson. Nilsson side steps and Campbell hits teamate Allen. Both cats are out for the count. #ouch
- Stretcher is coming out for Campbell. #hopehesOK
- Campbell limps off to dressing room. #toughkid
- After 2nd it's tied at 1 a piece.
- Better period for the Oil. Now lets finish this one.

3rd PERIOD

- 3rd period is underway. Shots are 25-16 for the cats.
- Patty-O shoots the puck over the glass. Oilers PK 19:33 3rd
- Moore scores his 2nd of the night on the PP. 2-1 Panthers
- Moore's 1st went off Gilbert, his 2nd went off Staios. #badluckforJDD
- OilersJambalaya says YEAH!!! Visnovsky scores! *breathes a sigh of relief* / 2-2 Tie Game
- Lubo SCORES! as he onetimed a shot past Vokoun, assist to Smid. 2-2 Tie Game 15:00 3rd
- OilersJambalaya says The Dreaded Visnovsmid™ Strikes Again...
- Halfway trough the 3rd and the game is gettin good. #backandforthaction
- Brule wants a piece of Ballard. #watchoutforstick Bru will go off for roughing. Oilers PK 8:27 3rd
- Oilers kill off Bru's penalty.
- 5 min remaing in 3rd. 2-2
- JDD gets lucky tring to play puck.
- 2 min warning
- OilersJambalaya says Why is Staios and Strudwick out there at this point of the game? #Quinnmustbedrinking
- Why are the Oilers so lazy in last few mins of periods. Haven't they learned YET?
- After 3 periods it's tied at 2. #Oilers @ #Panthers Overtime here we come.

OVERTIME

- Oilers are 3-4 when tied after 3, all going to the shootout.
- Is it just me or is Lub the Oilers best player period. #heseverywheretonight
- Oilers get 4 on 3 OT PP halfway through OT
- Horc, Pens, Gags and Souray are out on PP.
- dantencer says Overtime power play that yielded 0 shots on goal for the Oilers. Total blown opportunity.
- Oilers get a great chance with Pens driving the net and taking out Vokoun. Puck goes in but after the buzzer. Oilers going to shootout again

SHOOTOUT

- Cats shoot 1st. Rienprect goes in and shoots, misses the net
- Patty-O tries a deke, Vokoun poke checks him.
- Wiess goes in and JDD poke checks him.
- Nilsson goes in and shoots it off the post and in. 1-0 Oilers
- Olesz goes in dekes to the backhand scores. 1-1 each
- Horc goes in dekes and SCORES! Oilers win shootout 2-1.
- Oilers beat #Panthers 3-2 in the shootout.
- Lubo(1), Moore(2), and Horc(3) get the stars.
- Another solid road game for the Oil tonight. 3 wins in a row, on the road no less. Who saw this coming?
- JDD with 33 saves for the win. Both goals against were flukry redirections off his D
- Thanks for following this *Live* Tweetcast. Next up the #Oilers travel to Tampa to take on #Lightning on Wed. at 5:30. No TV
- dantencer says Oilers 2nd goal has been changed from Visnovsky to Penner. His 16th on the year.

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GAME HIGHLIGHTS




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FINAL SCORE

Edmonton Oilers - 3

Florida Panthers - 2  so

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BAD TIMING PENALTY

None - This honor goes to Bryan McCabe.  What a bonehead taking a penalty in overtime.  He is kind of like our captain.  A BTP specialist.

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GAME STATS

Edmonton Oilers Summary
(CLICK ON PHOTO TO ENARGE)



Florida Panthers Summary
(CLICK ON PHOTO TO ENARGE)



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BEERS

Lubomir Visnovsky - He is crazy good this guy.  He picks up both assists on the Oilers only two goal in regulation time.  He can do anything.  He has clearly been our best player since day 1 of the season.  His great play just rubs off on Smid.  If there is anything to complain about, he needs to shoot more.  He has a great shot and it's evident as he is one of the best defencemen in the league in goals.  Super good game!  Feel like a tall glass of Heineken? Cheers!

Ladislav Smid - He just keeps rolling along.  He now has two points in two games.  The streak is alive!!!  He played really good again tonight.  He had an assist and 3 hits.  The guy just keeps on impressing me.  What's next?  Maybe he should get a shot at the shootout?  For another solid game, enjoy a Black Label. Mmmm... thick. Cheers!

Jeff Deslauriers - A winner of three games in a row.  Since his poop in the bed game, he's been on fire.  He's playing like he thinks he can.  He's damn good.  Do I sound surprised?  It's because I am.  He's exceeded everything that I have expected from him.  It just goes to show that he needs to play more than once every two weeks.  He needs games to stay sharp.  He made big saves and kept the Oilers in this game.  Great job Jeff.  Frosty Budweiser?  Cheers!

HONORABLE MENTION(S): Shawn Horcoff (He scores his second shootout game winner in a row.  He played well tonight. He played like a leader.), Ethan Moreau (Played a pretty flawless game. 4 shots, 3 hits and 2 blocked shots.), Gilbert Brule (He played with passion tonight and had 4 good hits. He's bustin' his hump and deserves the shot on the 1st line.), Dustin Penner (The big guy had a pretty good game.  He screened well, and picked up a goal from a Visnovsky shot.  He continues to get points.),  Sheldon Souray (He was a mean beast tonight.  He had some great hits and played a pretty responsible game.  He needs to shoot more.), Robert Nilsson (He continues to impress me since his return.  He picked up an assist tonight.)

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JEERS

Jason Strudwick & Steve Staios - This pairing sucks.  I can not wait until Grebeshkov comes back (he started skating with the team today).  Strudwick is a terrible player.  I know... I've said it before, but it's true.  He's terrible.  The only stat he had was 2 blocked shots.  *throws arms up in the air* And Staios... he's just starting to become Strudwick II.  How they were given that much ice time is beyond me.  Especially late in the 3rd and those two are out there.  Scary stuff.  Please Quinn... let these guys go. Boooooo!

HONORABLE MENTION(S): None

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GOAT WATCH

(Smokin' Ray) Ethan Moreau - You guys are supposed to suck.  It's hard to hate a guy who's good.

(Paq Twinn) Robert Nilsson - Same with Bobby.  I need to boo people.  Your not helping the situation.

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OUR GAME SUMMARIES

Smokin' Ray - I though that it was a boring game to watch at times.  It's never fun to watch a game that's dry. There was times that had me on edge but they didn't last long.  I liked that the Oilers didn't make a whole lot of mistakes.  I really dislike the Staios/Strudwick pairing.  Grebs can't come back fast enough.  I liked that the 1st line actually put in a solid effort tonight and that they didn't just rely on everyone else to pick up the slack.  I also liked how JDD is still looking sharp.  Take you time Habbi, no need to rush back.  All in all I'm a happy guy now that the Oilers have 3 game winning streak on the go.  No more avoiding the fLame fans at work.  Good Job Boys!

Paq Twinn - Well if you said the Oilers would win 3 games on this road trip, I would have said you're CRAZY. *Wipes pie off of face* Guess I was wrong. Another good game tonight from the Oilers. Lubo was awesome tonight, and even my goat pick, Nilsson, looked good. I don't know what to think about this team, one day they suck real
ly bad and the next thing you know, they roll off 3 wins on the road with solid efforts. Will the real Oilers please stand up. I am still of the belief this team needs some personnel changes but I'll take the win, I guess. *waves bye bye to Taylor Hall*

This team still needs to learn how to play for 20 min periods, they're still giving fans and myself heart attacks in the finals seconds of periods. JDD played solid, made some big saves tonight. The goals that got by him were pure fluke, one off Gilbert's skate, the other off Staios' leg. Pretty much everyone did thier job tonight and the Oil need that to win on a consistant basis. Game Grade: B

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POST GAME REACTIONS

**Check Back Later**

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GAME STATS

- Game Summary

- Event Summary

- Scoring Chances (MC79)

- David Staples/Player Grades (Cult of Hockey)

- Full NHL Play By Play

- Oilers Time On The Ice

- Opponents Time On The Ice

- Faceoff Report

- Shots Report

- Shootout Details

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NEXT GAME

Edmonton Oilers (13-13-4) vs. Tampa Bay Lightning (11-10-8)

Wed, Dec 9/09
5:30 pm MT
NOT ON TV / WEB CAST ONLY.  Watch it here at OilersJambalaya

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Thanks for stopping by and reading the Edmonton Oilers Full Game Recap. Don't forget that you can agree or disagree with us on Facebook and Twitter. Just look for Smokin' Ray Burnt and Paq Twinn. We will see you all next game. GOILERS!

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Sunday, December 6, 2009

In Katz's Shoes - An Oiler Fan's Thoughts



Hello, my name is Paq Twinn and I'm the "other" guy here at Oilers Jambalaya. I've known Smokin' Ray for 10 years now and it's been fun helping out with the TweetCasts for the Beers & Jeers and whatever else he's wanted me to do. Now it's time to ramp it up a bit and you'll find me writing on here a lot more often. Do I have a different point of view compared to Smokin' Ray? You bet I do. Here's one example...

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Here's what I would do if I were in Katz's shoes.

If you build it they will come?

I'd worry less about the new building and more about the on ice product. Don't get me wrong, I do think that the Oilers need a new building in the future. It's just that the team is so inconsistent, that fans don't know what to expect when they show up to Rexall place for a game. Is it the team that works their collective asses off that shows up, or the one that stinks the joint out? The product should be the focus at the moment.

On a side note, if Mayor Mandel wants the "city" to own the new arena then he should pony up some money. Otherwise, be happy someone wants to better your city and build a new attraction, and keep your mouth shut.

The Scouts

When looking at the Oilers draft history over the last 30 years, an involuntary urge to puke swells in my gut. Other than some great drafts in the first few years (Messier-3rd rd, Anderson-4th rd, Kurri-4th rd, Moog-5th rd) and some decent prospects from recent drafts, the Oilers have been horrible.

From 1984-1992 there wasn't one 1st rd pick that played more than 60 games. That's not even a whole season. When Kevin Lowe took over from Slats back in 2000, most of the scouting staff retired, probably cause they would have been fired after drafting the likes of Rita, Riessen, Bonsignore etc. Kevin Lowe appointed Prendergast as head of scouting, while Lowe himself scouted AHL and NHL talent. Neither era has a great draft record. Slats got some good ones in the Oilers infant years, and Lowe has been better in the last few years himself(minus Robbie Schremp).

If I were in Katz's shoes I would do everything possible to get a scout or 2 that has a proven track record. Someone from Detroit and maybe New Jersey, these teams draft consistently well every year and it doesn't seem like a fluke.

The Good, the Bad, the Ugly and the Unknown

Finally I'd do something about the contracts on this team. Here's what moves I would want done with this roster.

The Good ones are obvious, and I'm not that concerned about them. Gags, Pens, Hemmer, Lubo, Smid, Brule, Storts, Stoner and Potsy.

The Bad ones haven't played bad, but some have. I would give Tambo the power to trade these guys. Gilbert, Grebs, Horc(I know, I know, the contract), Cogs, Patty-O, Comrie and Souray. I would also deal one of the 3 goalies. JDD and DD are RFA's at season's end and we have to choose one to keep and deal one or keep both and trade Khabbi.

The Ugly players have to go, no matter what. whether it's through trades, buy-outs or waiving to the minors. They are as follows, Moreau, Nilsson, Staios, Strudwick, and I don't like to do this to him but Pisani as well.

The Unknown players haven't been around long enough to really know how effective they will become or ineffective for that matter. The jury is out on Chorney, Peckham, Reddox, McDonald and O'Marra. These guys still have potential and I wouldn't give up on any of them....yet.

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Well there you have it, a little look into Paq's brain. Hope it wasn't too scary. One more thing, I would also bring back the blue shoulder patches on the white jersey's, or maybe orange. But there would be shoulder patches on the whites for sure. But that's a whole other subject for some other time.

Have a great day and see you next time.

Saturday, December 5, 2009

B&J #92 Edmonton Oilers vs Dallas Stars Recap (12/05/09)




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

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- Who's Out? Who's in? No one. The lines stay the same as the last game.  Including Deslauriers starting in goal.

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Pre-Game Records

Edmonton Oilers (11-13-4) at Dallas Stars (13-8-7)

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TONIGHT'S STARTING LINES

Penner-Gagner-Brule
Jacques-Horcoff-O'Sullivan
Moreau-Potulny-Cogliano
Nilsson-Stortini-Stone


Smid-Visnovsky
Souray-Gilbert
Strudwick-Staios

Deslauriers
Dubnyk

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

1st PERIOD

- Welcome folks to the nooner game between the Oilers and the Stars / Jeff Deslauriers is going to get the start in net for the Oil.
- The Puck Has Been Dropped! GOILERS!!!
- Pretty even so far for both teams. 5:00 minutes have been played.
- Stars PP. Potulny goes for Hooking at 5:42
- No damage done by the Stars as they failed to score on the PP. Oilers should gain some momentum from the kill and get going. Good start.
- There is 12:16 left in the 1st and the shots are 2 for the Oilers and 4 for the Stars
- @Nick_OilersFan Your right. It's like we are watching a glorified practice. Oilers vs Stars 6:14 minutes left in the 1st. #pickupthepace
- Stars score. Benn taps in an easy rebound at 15:51. 1-0 Stars .
- The Stars take a penalty so it's a PP for the Oilers
- The pace has really picked up now. 2:00 minutes left in the 1st
- The Stars kill it off but score a few seconds later with 30 seconds left. #Oilers looked sloppy on the play. 2-0 Stars
- That's it for the 1st period. The Oilers need to get going and play better in their own end.
- ONronaldo Oilers would be such a better team if they could find a league that played 19 minute periods

2nd PERIOD

- Game On!!! Visnovsky scores for the #Oilers / 2-1 Stars / Visnovsky from Nilsson and Smid at 2:15 of the 2nd period
- Niskanen takes a Hgh Stick penalty at 4:51. PP for the #Oilers
- 11:39 left in the 2nd period and the Oilers are looking more fired up.
- Souray hammers Brendan Morrow. It was a good hard hit. / 2-1 Stars / Oiler shots 19 / Stars shots 22 / 9:40 left in the 2nd
- 5:44 left in the 2nd and it's still 2-1 Stars
- Stars are going to get a Power Play with 5:10 left in the 2nd. It's a Too Many Men call. Jacques to serve it.
- The Stars can't score and Gagner is back out on the ice. (he served it, not Jacques)
- Great chance by Penner
- Oilers played a better 2nd period. The score is 2-1 Stars.

3rd PERIOD

- It's GAME ON!!!
- Edmonton is going to get a PP chance here
- Oilers don't score but are playing well. Nilsson is like a born again Oiler.
- 11:30 left and the #Oilers are applying some good pressure.
- 8:00 minutes left and the #Oilers really need a goal here. Could this be time 4 a Strudwick goal? Or a Smid goal? Or maybe a Stortini goal?
- YEAH!!! Oilers score. Smid scores!!! 2-2 Tie Game
- I can't believe it. Smid is a stud. WOoooOooOoo!!!! GOILERS!
- RT SportsnetJim For Smid - it was only the 4th goal in his entire career.....right about now Pat Quinn will take it
- One minute left in the 3rd period 2-2 Tie Game
- Overtime it is. Great game so far and I'd expect the same in OT. Now who is the hero?
- Cogliano and Nilsson have looked good in this game. I'm sure they will see some ice in OT

OVERTIME

- Good action in the OT. Back and forth play with secent chances for both teams.
- One Minute Left in the Overtime period.
- Souray has been great today. He's been a great leader for the Oilers
- Overtime is over and it's off to the Shootout. / 2-2 Tie Game

SHOOTOUT

- Ok the #Stars are shooting 1st. Richards is stopped by Deslauriers.
- O'Sullivan is up for the #Oilers. He scores on Turco. NICE!!!
- James Neal is up for the #Stars. And he doesn't score.
- Sam Gagner is now up for the #Oilers. Does he have the moves??? No goal.
- The #Stars have Eriksson shooting now. He scores as JDD went for the poke check. 1 goal now for each team
- Bobby Nilsson is the #Oilers guy now. He is stopped by Turco.
- This is it. If Dallas scores it's over. Ribero can't score. Oilers still alive.
- Who's next for the Oilers? Dustin Penner. He can't score either. Another poke check given out.
- Brendan Morrow misses the net. This is a game in itself
- Horcoff can do it right? COME ON HORCS!!! He SCORES!
- OILERS WIN!!! OILERS WIN!!! That's two in a row. I think it's called a streak.
- WOOoooOOOooOOOoo!!!!
- 3 stars of the game: #1 Deslauriers #2 Turco #3 Smid
- Thanks for following along. Now it's time to party like it's a Saturday night. What?  It is? WOOOO!

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GAME HIGHLIGHTS



The SHOOTOUT VIDEO




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FINAL SCORE

Edmonton Oilers - 3

Dallas Stars - 2  SO

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BAD TIMING PENALTY

None -

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OILERS GAME STATS




STARS GAME STATS




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BEERS

Ladislav Smid - The guy played his best game as an Oiler.  Not only did he score and get an assist, he had 9 hits.  That's right. 9 hits.  Holy crap!  He was a machine out there.  He plays so well with Visnovsky and they seem to cover each others mistakes.  1 goal, 1 assist, +2, 21:51 of ice time, 2 shots, 9 hits and 2 blocked shots.  Now if that isn't a beer type of game then I have no idea what I'm talking about.  Solid game by Ladi.  Frosty beer time?  Cheers!

Robert Nilsson - I liked the way he played again.  He was doing a lot of things right.  Sure he made a few mistakes/dumb errors, but he played pretty good.  He picked up an assist on the Visnovsky goal and his line was very effective.  They out chanced the Stars and Bobby was a big part of it.  Miller time?  Cheers!

Jeff Deslauriers - Maybe the best Oiler of the night.  He made all the right saves at all the right times.  It's nice to see that he can be a good goalie and not just the bad one we seen a few games ago.  Let's see if the Oilers can ride his good play for another win. For playing good tonight, let's drink a nice frosty Kokanee.  Cheers!

Lubomir Visnovsky - The "other half" of the amazing 1st "D" pairing.  With all the trade talking lately (mostly just Oiler fans), this is one guy I would not let go.  He plays such a ballsy game and yet he can recover if he makes a mistake.  Tonight he was not only part of a great defence pairing, he was a standout.  His goal was sweet.  Watch the highlights above if you missed it.  For a great game... it's frosty beer time. Mmmmm. Cheers!

HONORABLE MENTION(S): Souray/Gilbert (They were also a great duo.  Very solid.  Just not as good as the Vis/Smid guys.), Ryan Potulny (Had a great night on the faceoffs and was looking like a real NHL'er, even though he's not. Yet.), JF Jacques (Even though the stat sheet wasn't screaming his name, he made some timely hits.  Solid hits.), Shawn Horcoff (Scores the Shootout winner and plays ok.), Andrew Cogliano (He's really playing well lately.  Same goes for tonight.  He had himself a good game.), Ethan Moreau (The Captain had himself a decent game tonight.  It's amazing how good he can be when he doesn't try to hard.)

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JEERS

Steve Staios/Jason Strudwick - What a bad pairing.  These guys are not a good match and should not be sent out together anymore.  They caused a few errors and were generally outplayed for the most part.  Maybe I'm biased, but these guys stink. Booooo!

HONORABLE MENTION(S): Gagner/Brule/Penner Line (They ended the night a -2 and even they looked somewhat good, they sucked if that's what you call a 1st line.), Patrick O'Sullivan (A game ago he was lucky and scored. Today, not so much.),

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GOAT WATCH

(Smokin' Ray) Ethan Moreau - He played good.

(Paq Twinn) Robert Nilsson - He also played good.

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OUR GAME SUMMARIES

Smokin' Ray - Well watching the Oilers win two in a row is quite a nice change.  First Detroit and now Dallas.  Wow!  Is it Christmas already?  When the Oilers make it to a shootout I always get worried.  But the guys pulled out the win and let's hope that they ride the wave all the way to Monday when the face the Panthers.  I'm wondering if Stortini will fight MacIntyre on Monday?  But it was a great game tonight guys!!! GOILERS!

Paq Twinn - He missed the game due to his truck being towed while he was playing poker last night.  He had to go and reclaim it.  They even charged him two days of storage.  WTF is that all about?  The string of bad luck continues.  Is this the last of it???  Let's hope so.

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POST GAME REACTIONS



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GAME STATS

- Game Summary

- Event Summary

- Scoring Chances (MC79)

- Full NHL Play By Play

- Oilers Time On The Ice

- Opponents Time On The Ice

- Faceoff Report

- Shots Report

- Shootout Details
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NEXT GAME

Edmonton Oilers (12-13-4) vs. Florida Panthers (11-13-5)

Monday, Dec 7/09
5:30 pm MT
Sportsnet West

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Thanks for stopping by and reading the Edmonton Oilers Full Game Recap. Don't forget that you can agree or disagree with us on Facebook and Twitter. Just look for Smokin' Ray Burnt and Paq Twinn. We will see you all next game. GOILERS!

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