It's no secret that Shawn Horcoff was hurt last game. It's no secret either that the Oilers only have 4th liners as backup (including Jacques). So what to do and who to call?
The man that currently stands out is Linus Omark. His 5 goal game yesterday (plus he scored in the shootout) has made him the talk of the hockey world. This is a kid that wants to score goals and it looks to me, like he has something to prove. See below
So now that he's 3rd in the AHL in scoring, is he the automatic call up? Can his AHL game translate to the NHL game quickly? Can he fit right in and produce?
All good questions when considering him being the call up for the Oil. As of right now, he's played 15 games and has 10 goals, 7 assists for 17 points (a team high). He's a +5 and has 40 shots on goal.
So is he the guy you choose?
Looking at the stats page, Alex Giroux (15 points) isn't really all that different in the stats department. But he clearly doesn't have the hype that Omark has right now (or the foot speed). Does that put Omark ahead of Giroux? I would think so. Scratch Giroux off the list.
Now only one other guy on the Oklahoma City Barons has a shot at filling a top 6 position while Horcoff is out. That guy is Liam Reddox. He has the speed, the will and the smarts to fill in. He's less flashy as Omark and he's a few points behind -- Reddox has 7 goals, 6 assists for 13 points and 66 shots -- but since the season started, Reddox has been the most consistent Baron right from the get go. Some nights Reddox fires off 7, 8 even 9 shots at the goalie. Nobody compares in that department. He busts his ass of every game and always seems ready to go. Reddox can play center and wing, can Omark?
Out of Omark and Reddox, who's more ready for the NHL? Obviously you could say Reddox based on his previous NHL experience. Who knows about Omark? He could be? Only one way to find out I suppose.
So if the Oilers do indeed need a fill in for Horcoff, my heart says pick the scrappy kid in Reddox, but my brain says Omark has the hype and that's what the Oilers want to give the fans.
The Cult of Hockey Grading System: 10perfect 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.
#2 JAMES VANDERMEER - (5) Decent all game long. He had 3 hits, 2 blocked shots and a takeaway in 15:27 of ice. But he did take 2 out of the 4 Oilers penalties.
#4 TAYLOR HALL - (7)BEERSFast. The only way to describe him. He made a lot of nice plays and is looking better every game. He had 2 hits, 3 takeaways, a blocked shot and 2 shots on goal. No complaining here.
#5 LADISLAV SMID - (6) He have a decent game. He logged a ton of time on the ice and looked like he wanted more.
#6 RYAN WHITNEY - (7)BEERS He was good. He played 26:00 minutes and was strong on the puck. After a few less than great games in the last little while, I was worried his feet may be bothering him. He looked fine and healthy to me tonight. He adds another assist and he had a hit, a takeaway and 2 blocked shots. Best defenceman on the night.
#10 SHAWN HORCOFF - (6) Horcoff was hurt after playing 8:42. I hope he's not gone for long.
#13 ANDREW COGLIANO - (6) He's been on fire lately. Tonight's game he was good again. He had 3 shots and was 5/5 for 50% on faceoffs. But he was on the ice for the only Hawks goal.
#14 JORDAN EBERLE - (5) Not a fan of the line he's on. He looks his best with Horcoff. I thought he was the best on the line. Good once again on the penalty kill. Smart player even when he's not attracting the focus.
#16 COLIN FRASER - (5) He seen some added ice time after Horcoff went down. He responded nicely. I liked that he had a little extra jump in his steps. He had 2 hits, but was a team worst 2/5 for 29%.
#22 JF JACQUES - (0) DNP (Injured)
#26 KURTIS FOSTER - (7)BEERS He was dynamite! He scored to get the ball rolling and he played smart hockey all night long. He had 3 hits, 3 shots, and had a takeaway and a blocked shot. He played 17:31.
#27 DUSTIN PENNER - (6) He actually used his big frame well tonight. He was on for both Oiler goals and he just seemed to make things happen. Glad to see he's motivated again. In his 17:16 of ice time, he had 1 shot, 1 hit, 1 blocked shot and 1 takeaway.
#28 RYAN JONES - (6) He along with Fraser seen more ice than normal. He had 2 shots, a hot and a takeaway. Nothing real to complain about here.
#33 STEVE MACINTYRE - (0) DNP (Healthy scratch)
#35 NIKOLAI KHABIBULIN -(8)BEERS That save was FREAKING AWESOME! Watch the highlights above. Wow! He was great all game. He made the little saves along with the big ones. WHen the Oilers were asleep, Khabi wasn't. The curse of the former Oilers continued as Pisani popped one by him.
#40 DEVAN DUBNYK - (0) DNP (backup)
#43 JASON STRUDWICK - (6) All of the sudden guys like Strudwick and Vandermeer are looking good to me. Either I had a few too many beers, or he really did play well. He had 3 blocked shots and 2 hits in his 18:12 of ice time.
#46 ZACK STORTINI -(6) He played well. I loved his fight with John Scott. He was jerseyed and he still kept going. lol. Love that Storts. He actual hockey game was pretty good. He's not a liability out there. He had 3 hits and played 6:55.
#49 THEO PECKHAM - (0) DNP (Injured)
#67 GILBERT BRULE - (6)Brule has, like Cogliano, improved a lot since Penner has been on their line. He had 3 shots, 3 hits and a takeaway and was burning up the ice. I don't understand why he isn't getting a look on the pk?
#77 TOM GILBERT - (7)BEERSHe was pretty good tonight and he did what he had to do to be successful. He had 5 shots that couldn't find the back of the net and he once again blocks a team high, 4 shots. He does quietly play a solid game. He was dependable tonight.
#83 ALES HEMSKY - (8)BEERS He was brilliant tonight. The best Hemsky game that I have seen in a long, long time. He assisted on both goals and played almost 20 minutes.
#89 SAM GAGNER - (4) He started out OK, but was I disappointed with him tonight (other than his goal).
#91 MAGNUS PAAJARVI - (5) I hate this line. They don't work well together. He had 2 shots in his 14:09 of ice time. His most consistent quality? He drew another penalty.
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Fan Scott Sturdivant (1st photo) & Condor's Erick Lizon (2nd photo)
The Stockton Thunder Goes Pink Weekend ended with a bang! So what happened?
Thunder defenseman Jordan Bendfeld was charged with an illegal hit to the head penalty halfway through the first period and was out the rest of the game.
Thunder's designated Pest of the Night from the Condors, Erick Lizon, was at his best (or is it worst?) tonight. The only photos I was able to take tonight were of Thunder fan Scott Sturdivant doing a great impersonation of Lizon.
Two powerplay goals were scored by Steve Vanoosten and Ryan Constant in the second period.
In the third period, after letting a puck hit by Aaron Clarke from the blue line float slowly by his left pad into the net, Condors goalie Josh Tordjman took advantage of a skirmish happening in Thunder's defensive zone and skated out of the crease and down the ice. He confronted Thunder's starting goalie Tyson Sexsmith, and KAPOW, goalie fight! Tordjman got a good hit in, but Sexsmith was clearly the victor of that confrontation. Both goalies were ejected from the game and got penalties for leaving the crease, fighting, and a game misconduct/secondary altercation.
Both backup goalies, Bryan Pitton for the Thunder and Peter Hirsch for the Condors had to step in with a little under 5 minutes left in the game. Anthony Aiello scored the fourth and final goal of the game for Stockton shortly after that.
Stockton Thunder swept the Bakersfield Condors in their 3 game Thunder Goes Pink series.
Tyson Sexsmith got his first shut-out of the season. Both he and Bryan Pitton shut out the Condors this weekend-Pitton's shut-out was on Friday.
And lastly but importantly, $500 a goal was pledged in order to donate money to St. Joseph's Medical Center. A total of $2,000 was raised from the scoring.
Couldn't have asked for a more exciting game to end the weekend with.
Third star of the night-Ryan Constant. Second star-Steve Vanoosten. First star of the night-Tyson Sexsmith.
Away: Toronto Marlies (4-6-1(SO)); Last game: 3-0 Win vs. Texas Home: Oklahoma City Barons (8-5-1); Last game: 4-2 Loss vs. Houston
Quick News and Notes -This is the second and final meeting between the teams this season. -The Marlies won the last game 5-2. -The Barons loss last night ended their 5 game win streak. -This is the Marlies third game of a 10-game road trip. -Bryan Pitton was in goal for the Barons in the last game between the two; James Reimer for the Marlies. -Reddox and Omark are the two Barons players that scored in the last game between the two. -Giroux is leading the team with 14 points. Moran, Omark, and Belle are all next with 12. -The Barons are 4-2-0 when scoring first. -The Barons are 2-3-1 when outshooting their opponent, and 6-1-0 when being outshot. -Barons PP: T-18th in the league - 13/86 (15.1%); Marlies PP: 27th in the league - 5/51 (9.8%) -Barons PK: 1st in the league - 64/69 (92.8%); Marlies PK: 8th in the league - 40/46 (87.0%)
Players to watch OKC: I'd expect Gerber to be in net tonight, but they want to get JDD playing, so it could very well be him. Jacques will be back in the lineup tonight. TOR: Nazem Kadri(13) leads the Marlies with 9 points, 4 of which were in the game against the Barons. Four players behind him are tied at 6 points apiece.
After a pretty disappointing loss last night, the team will be looking to rebound. There's not a whole lot you can fault JDD for last night, the defense didn't show up like they should have. The Barons had no real forecheck whereas the Aeros were forechecking the whole night. Hopefully the Barons make the right adjustments and are able to leave tonight's game with an even season series against the Marlies. The puck drop is at 5:05 CDT/4:05 MDT. The game will be broadcast on 96.1 KXY. As always, you can follow myself(@AHLBarons) and Scott(@OilFieldHockey) as we tweet from the game.
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Oilers Jambalaya is in no way, shape or form associated with the Edmonton Oilers or the Bakersfield Condors. This is a fans blog for fans. We happen to love those teams, so we write about them.
