Game Day "Predators"

Don't know how long Hall will be out of the line up, but to say there is no worries in Oil Country would be far stretched. All Oil fans are hoping for a quick recovery for Taylor Hall. In the meantime, there will be a new left wing playing with Horcoff. Chances are high they will elevate Jones into that position, but for my money and thinking I would think it has to be Paajarvi. The way they are handling Magnus to this point has been a shame and will not reap any rewards at this current rate of ice time and linemates. If Paajarvi is to break out he needs the ice time and less then 11 minutes a game just wont do while playing mostly 4th line and spotted time on 3rd. Use him on the point instead of Belanger on the second unit PP as well. If the team is not going to play him in Hall's spot now, when will they play him more? I say, stop messing around and assign him to OKC for some high playing time minutes.

Horcoff has been really earning his stripes this year and other then the occasional give away he has every other game, his game has vastly improved. What I don't get is all the praise the MSM gives to Shawn regarding his FO%. I will be writing a follow up blog on the Oilers and FO% again but in the meantime I would like to see Horcoff more consistent in the FO dot. Maybe it's the amount of overall ice time that is hurting his % as the season wears on. He does play top line minutes and is on the 1st unit PP and 2nd unit PK. More then he needs in this bloggers opinion.

While some fans may be feeling pretty good about a win against the Predators tonight at home, remember they will look to rectify what happened last time out against us and Hall will not be out there to run havoc on their defence either. This game needs Eberle and Nugent-Hopkins to take over this game and bring Rexall to their feet.

Go Oilers! Go Oilers!

My predictions for today's game at Rexall Place

Gametime 7:30pm CHED630am/Sportsnet-West

REV'S Edmonton Oiler

Gameday Predictions Nov 28th/11

1.This is a pretty potent PP the Oilers have so can't see them going back to back games without a goal on it. PP goal or 2 tonight.

2. The Oilers will hold the Predators to within 3 goals max tonight

3. 'Nuge' shut out again tonight, and at home? I don't think so, Nugent-Hopkins will get back onto the scoresheet tonight, especially knowing a win is needed to prevent another loss at this time.

4. Ryan Whitney will continue to see min 19 minutes of ice time tonight. He did look dog tired last game and made a couple mistakes but soon he will be rounding into form. Good luck Whitney!

5. The Oilers may have lost the battle last game but they won't lose this war for a playoff spot. Even without Hall tonight they will find a way to win tonight.

(EV'S PREDICTIONS TO DATE: 51 for 95 = 53.6%)

tough night on my predictions but nonetheless, I still am sitting above the 50% mark. Was not a good game for the 'Nuge' or Eberle and the goaltending lacked anything special other then a nice save here or there. Look to get back into the winning ways tonight.

As the great Ed Whalen used to say "In the meantime and in between time, that's it, for another edition of...REV'S PREDICTION" (bolded words are not Whalen's words)

For Oiler and Baron news and 2012/13 NHL draft watch www.twitter.com/revingev

Game Day "Avalanche"

Tonight, or should I say in the late afternoon (5pm Edmonton time) our beloved Edmonton Oilers take to the ice against the Avalanche of Colorado. Coming off a fresh victory on Friday afternoon against the Wild in which they "Reversed the Curse", this game will be a test of fortitude.

While this team is really starting to find it's offensive stride, it is also still learning how to handle the ups and downs of NHL hockey. Today's game will be a great game to see just how focused the Oilers can be after a great big win in Minnesota. It's easy to ride the big momentum but what happens if a few bad bounces go against you? Or what if the goaltender is struggling or some bad mental errors happen and a giveaway turns into a quick couple goals?  Maybe the Oilers can score a couple goals themselves to get back into the game but will they have enough to come back and stake a claim into a win?

All these questions and still not enough answers as of yet. On the other hand, the Oilers have started to show signs of growth and maturity. While they did try to force the puck a couple times against the Wild, they for the most part, took what was given and tried to make the most of each opportunity. That patience paid off and then the Wild had to open the game up more and the Oilers had them playing into their own game. Speaking of patience, are you not amazed at how well Jordon Eberle is playing as I am? Yes, I knew he was good, but this point pace he is on, is unreal compared to what he showed last season. While Jordon is not a player who can take over a game on his own, he definitely is one of the best complimentary players in the league.

Not only will the Oilers have to be careful not to be over confident but they are facing a team who did dominate the ice last time in Colorado and if not for the Oilers goaltender, it would have been a loss. Also, the Avalanche will be fighting hard for a win on home ice as that has really been their downfall this season to date.

Nice to have another game earlier in the day as opposed to the Saturday late night game they so often play. With our top two lines rolling, decent goaltending and a good developing core of defencemen, I see a strong chance of the Oilers coming back to Edmonton in a real good position.

"Go Oilers!"

My predictions for today's game in Colorado

Gametime 5:00pm CHED630am/CBC

REV'S Edmonton Oiler

Gameday Predictions Nov 26th/11

1.The PP has been a heaven sent sign of the change of tides in Edmonton. With so many offensive weapons in their arsenal, I expect another goal tonight to be scored on the PP

2. The Oilers have a prime chance to return back to Edmonton, sitting real pretty. Renney and his staff has really been doing a good job keeping these guys focused and working within a system. Another Oilers win tonight is looking good.

3. Well, it's HNIC and we all know the story of RNH and HNIC. He has excelled in those games and can't see why that can not continue tonight. RNH continues to put up points and tonight I suspect he will have a min of a 2 point night. (predictions getting even more courageous huh?)

4. Ryan Whitney was brought along nicely in second pairing minutes and will probably see a slight increase in mins if all goes well. Time to see Whitney hit min 18 minutes ice time tonight.

5. The Oilers FO was a atrocious 28.8% as a team  against the Wild and can't continue. Tonight there will be some changes to that and as a team will win the overall team FO%

(EV'S PREDICTIONS TO DATE: 49 for 90 = 54.4%)

wow! Went 5 for 5 on the predictions in that Wild game. Talk about reversing the curse. Hope to see those predictions above hold true for tonight as well. Next goal would be to see my predictions be at 60% or better.

As the great Ed Whalen used to say "In the meantime and in between time, that's it, for another edition of...REV'S PREDICTION" (bolded words are not Whalen's words)

For Oiler and Baron news and 2012/13 NHL draft watch www.twitter.com/revingev

Game Day "Wild"

Time to pull out the jersey's, throw them on, order your pizza and open up a cold one. Today the Edmonton Oilers take on their dreaded rivals, the Wild in a afternoon affair.

Got to say, I like the idea of a early game when it is played on a Friday as it leaves you with lots of time to still go out and do what you want for the night, in the meantime it also allows the Oilers to head over a few states to get a little bit of rest before their game against the Avalance on Saturday.

Can't tell you why, but I believe this will be a game that is not a 2-1 win for either team. Call it a hunch or whatever, but the law of odds says that eventually there will be some higher scoring games when the Wild are involved. After listening to some comments from the players and from the coaching staff, I think the boys are going to be mentally prepared, so if there is any noticeable mistakes being made, it will likely call from the back end more then the forwards.

If the Oilers play a patient game, they can capitalize more on the PP. It's important that the forwards don't try to play lone ranger tonight and try to over handle the puck on their own and also stay away from trying too many long outlet passes that end up in bad giveaways in the neutral zone.

Should be a fun afternoon for Oiler fans everywhere. Let's all enjoy every moment we can and take in that beautiful aroma called 'winning'. Don't fail me now Oil! Go Oilers!

My predictions for today's game in Minnesota

Gametime 2:00pm CHED630am/Sportsnet-West

REV'S Edmonton Oiler

Gameday Predictions Nov 25th/11

1. I can see the Oilers good fortune continuing today on the PP. The Oilers will score on the PP today.

2. As much as I would like to predict the Oilers Lose this game (only so they can prove me wrong  again and win) I can not swallow saying that on this post. The Oilers will win. Why? Because they are getting hungrier for wins and want to end this dreaded streak the media and fans talk about. Not to mention, any team hates losing to the same team over and over. They have a agenda...win!

3. A RYAN will score a goal tonight. I know, what a dumb prediction, we have a few Ryan's. But I did say a goal, not a point. Ryan Whitney, Ryan Smyth, Ryan Jones or Ryan Nugent-Hopkins don't let me down. What I really want is for a few Ryan's to score.

4. Nugent-Hopkins continues his point scoring streak tonight (He saw TSN has Read ahead of him to win the Calder race and is dying to prove them naysayers all wrong, just as he did when not selected to play for the world Jr team last year)

5. Everytime I think I have figured out how many mins Teubert will get to play, Renney goes and plays him opposite. I pick low, he plays high, I pick high, he plays low. Today I am going to say Teubert should be playing 13+ minutes of total ice time.

(EV'S PREDICTIONS TO DATE: 44 for 85=51.7%)

It will be interesting to see if the boys play the patient game of hockey Renney has been saying in practice is the plan. If they do, this could be a big win for me in my prediction counter.

As the great Ed Whalen used to say "In the meantime and in between time, that's it, for another edition of...REV'S PREDICTION" (bolded words are not Whalen's words)

For Oiler and Baron news and 2012/13 NHL draft watch www.twitter.com/revingev

"Demotion or Development?"

I can not even count the number of times I hear of "hockey" players acting like being sent to the AHL is some kind of demotion. Granted there are many who do not complain or grumble but at the same time there does tend to be this 'misconception' that playing in the AHL is looked at as being demoted from the big leagues. Is it possible, people (Main Stream Media, Bloggers and Fans) can be misrepresenting the real purpose of the AHL?

The Edmonton Oilers AHL team is the OKC Barons, so let's look at our own views and perceptions as fans alike. There are several reasons for having a team in the AHL and with that, their are several demands that come with setting up a team in a AHL city but 2 stand out clear...

"Winning & Development"

(I took this picture at the 2011 Summer Development Camp)

As these young prospects (from the picture above) wrapped up summer development camp in Sherwood Park, several were sent to OKC in September and a couple to Stocton. While many went back to jr hockey and or college, the remainder prepared for their next step in the AHL and the ECHL.

 In the case of these young players, those who went to the Stockton Thunder of the ECHL or the OKC Barons of the AHL , they were estatic and looking forward to the next step of their hockey development, towards the goal of being a NHL full time player some day.

In fact the purpose of the AHL is defined in WIKIPEDIA:

The American Hockey League (AHL) is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League (NHL).^[

The ECHL is defined in WIKIPEDIA:

The ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League) is a mid-level professional ice hockey league .. It is generally regarded as a tier below the American Hockey League.
26 of the 30 National Hockey League teams have affiliations with the ECHL,^[2] and 469 players have advanced from the ECHL to play in the NHL

So I think that we can all agree, both the ECHL and AHL are considered development leagues. With the fact, that 469 players have graduated from the ECHL to the NHL, I think we can all agree that this league has been serving us hockey fans well also.

This year, due to a over abundance of talent, Stockton has been carrying some higher level talent then in past years. Milan Kytnar has spent time there. Ryan Martindale, Cameron Abney and Olivier Roy have been honing their games in Stockton as well, just to name a few. Dubynk spent some time with the Thunder not long ago and seems to be tracking well with the Oilers as of late.

To say these players have been or were 'Demoted' to a lower league would be inaccurate. These players were sent for a variety of reasons but all the reasons come back to one word. "Development"

Development can appear like a demotion to some, when in fact, it is all about development. Players are not sent to a AHL team or a ECHL team to be buried and just provide local entertainment for their hockey fans. Players can be sent to the AHL or ECHL for the purpose of conditioning, or working on parts of their game that need adjusted and tweeked at the NHL level. To say a player has failed or is no longer NHL calibre because they have been reassigned to a AHL or ECHL team would be inaccurate. Now, if that said player does not develop upon being assigned, there is a good chance they will either be traded or just let go as a free agent.

I know some have been concerned with us sending down to OKC a few of our current players and even some at the end of training camp. Hartikanen was one, many wanted to see stay with the Oilers out of training camp but for his development the Management and coaches felt they wanted to see him play higher minutes rather then play limited time up in Edmonton. Brule was sent down to further develop his game (even though some want to argue it is a demotion for how bad he has played). Truth is, Brule needed to work and develop on area's of his game and that could only be done in the AHL. Petry, Teubert, Plante, Chorney have all been up and down in this crazy phase of development but in some cases it is only for a short stay not a long one.

There are players however who are in the AHL and ECHL who are called veterans. They are the aged wise ones, who teach and mentor the youngers men to this pro level game.They also help the team when it comes to winning. On successful winning AHL teams you will always find Veteran defencemen and goal scorers. On occasion, they need to be given opportunities when injuries arise or their game is steps above everyone else in their team and or league. To say these Veterans are being demoted when they are returned to their AHL team would be inaccurate. If at any time, one of these Veteran or younger prospects in the AHL or ECHL

The problem the AHL and ECHL have is 'Winning' can become secondary to development. In some cases, fan support depends on providing a high quality of talent and not just grabbing the best players and moving them up, just because they are playing good. It's all about 'seasoning' and here is hoping the Oilers organization learns how to 'season' their players with the best of them!

Currently there is discussion if Lander or Paajarvi will see some time in OKC with the Barons. They may, or they may not at all. All I can say is, if they do get sent to OKC, it will be for development not because they are being demoted due to bad play. All players, learn and develop differently. If those two are to play in OKC, I say 'enjoy them Oklahoma', cause they won't be in OKC very long!

For Oiler and Baron news and 2012/13 NHL draft watch www.twitter.com/revingev

The Desperation Line

With how this season has started for some players, you would think Edmonton Oilers coach Tom Renney would simply create the Desperation line out of... well, desperation.

The Oil have three players who really need to get the offence going. So why not make them play together? It's not like they are contributing on any other line.

On left wing I'd put Magnus Paajarvi. He needs to get it going like no other Oiler and perhaps a solid set line is what he might need to find some chemistry and rhythm. I like Paajarvi and I think he needs sone help. He's not a "throw away" player like some suggest.

Next, I'd put Sam Gagner at center. He's his best when patrolling center ice and he's at the point of his career where he's got to take the bull by the horns. He's starting to show it now with his fight last night. He always picks it up after dropping the gloves. Paajarvi will benefit from Gagner's leadership and skills. These two together could be dangerous.

Lastly, I'd have Anton Lander on right wing. While he has been playing pretty good (at center), a little offence would give him that added piece of confidence. Lander can, and probably would mesh well with Paajarvi. This line can help both find the goal sheet if given a solid chance together.

The other bonus to having Lander on this line? Faceoffs. If Gagner is booted out, Lander can take the draw. Win-win for this line.

So there you have it. The Desperation line.

Paajarvi - Gagner - Lander

-WRITTEN BY SMOKIN' RAY-