Secret NHL Players Poll Taken

ESPN the Magazine, which recently conducted an anonymous poll of 50 NHLers have brought us some interesting information.

Here are the highlights;

The 50 players thought that Edmonton was the 4th worst franchise at a 12% vote. Phoenix was voted the worst.

Detroit Red Wings were voted the best NHL franchise.

Roberto Luongo was voted the most overrated player in the NHL.

Alex Ovechkin was voted the best player in the NHL.

Derek Boogaard was voted the toughest guy in the league.

32% of the votes went to the Black Hawks when asked who would win the cup this year.

The Smartest NHL Coach was Mike Babcock with 22% votes.


Last coach they would want to play for in the NHL was John Tortorella.
 
40% of players would like to see a relocated team go to Canada.
 
Pittsburgh has the worst visitors dressing room while the Wild have the best room.
 
52% of the players thought that the NHL would benefit the most from more TV coverage.
 
Former Oiler Chris Pronger was voted the NHL's dirtiest player. No surprise there.
 
The Flyers have the meanest fans and the Canucks have the best fans. What, no Oilers on the list?
 
Do you guys agree with these choices?
 
-Smokin' Ray-

The Stockton Thunder Wins Against Vegas - A Game Recap

GAME RECAP: Stockton 3 - Las Vegas 2 (SO)

03/26/2010 10:54 PM -
THUNDER SHOOTS DOWN LAS VEGAS
Perugini's 19 saves guides Thunder to critical 3-2 SO win vs. Las Vegas
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FINAL STATS: BOX SCORE
VIDEO: Highlights and postgame locker room reaction
AUDIO: Game highlights

STOCKTON, Calif. - Goaltender Andrew Perugini made 19 saves, including all three in a shootout, to help guide the Stockton Thunder (31-26-9, 71 points) to a 3-2 shootout victory over the Pacific Division rival Las Vegas Wranglers, before 5,717 fans at Stockton Arena on Friday.

Andrew Perugini, perfect in the shootout, claimed his 21st win of the year.

(photo by George Steckler)

The Thunder, who claimed their first shootout win since Mar. 1, 2009 (snapping seven straight shootout losses), reduced its magic number to five to clinch a Kelly Cup Playoff berth after Alaska defeated Ontario, 2-1 earlier in the evening.

James Bates and Igor Gongalsky scored for the Thunder while Oren Eizenman put the game away with a shootout winner in the fourth round, firing a snap shot past Jimmy Spratt to the stick side.

In a game that marked the first time both teams were meeting in Stockton since last year's second round of the Kelly Cup Playoffs (Game 4), Bates gave the Thunder a 1-0 lead just 4:15 into the game when he scored his 26th goal of the season of the rush, beating Spratt with a snap shot from the right circle.

A meticulous puck possession game yielded only four shots on goal to Las Vegas and Stockton also killed off 40 seconds of a 5-on-3 penalty kill.

Gongalsky's 14th goal of the season elevated the Thunder lead to 2-0 with 4:55 left in the second period, sneaking a wrist shot through Spratt's five-hole from between the circles.

Las Vegas crawled back to within a goal just 21 seconds later, when Greg Collins' sharp-angled pass at the left wing caromed off traffic and into the back of the net.

After the Wranglers endured several penalties to begin the third period, including an altercation between Chris Frank and Ryan Constant, Chris Neiszner capitalized on the reciprocated momentum with his 14th goal of the year to tie the score at 2-2 with 6:25 left in regulation after he fired a wrist shot from the right circle.

After a scoreless overtime, ex-Wrangler Kelly Czuy scored in the second round and newcomer Matt Marquardt followed with a snap shot from between the circles in the third round, giving Stockton a 2-0 shootout lead after two rounds.

Perugini denied Alex Bourret's wrist shot in the third round to set the stage for Eizenman's game winner, firing his forehand bid after swooping in from the right wing.

Spratt took the shootout loss in a 34 save effort.

NOTES: The Thunder scratched Brett Hemingway (healthy), Mark Pavli (injured reserve), Matt O'Dette (injured reserve), Justin DaCosta (healthy), Riley Emmerson (injured reserve) and Craig Valette (injured reserve) ... Stockton outshot Las Vegas, 37-21 and owned a 7-1 edge early in the game ... the Thunder improved its home record to 16-10-7 ... Bates' goal marked the ninth time in the last 10 home games that Stockton scored the game's first goal.

The Thunder continues the seven-game homestand with its next game tomorrow at 7:30 p.m., hosting the Las Vegas Wranglers at Stockton Arena. The game can be heard and viewed online exclusively at http://www.stocktonthunder.com/ , courtesy of B2 Networks (audio is free of charge).

The Thunder was voted "Best Local Sports Team" by readers of the San Joaquin Magazine, has led the ECHL in attendance for four consecutive seasons and drew 223,854 fans to Stockton Arena in 2008-09. Season Tickets for 2009-10 are on sale now. For more information about tickets, merchandise, or other inquiries contact the Stockton Thunder offices at (209) 373-1500 or visit http://www.stocktonthunder.com/.

THREE STARS:
1. STK - 35 Andrew Perugini
2. STK - 28 James Bates
3. LV - 22 Chris Neiszner

Written By The Stockton Thunder

*Reprinted with permission from Stockton Thunder Professional Hockey Club, ECHL. The Stockton Thunder are a proud 'AA' affiliate of the Edmonton Oilers (NHL) and Springfield Falcons (AHL) *

Game Recap: Ryan Whitney Takes It To The Ducks In An Oiler Loss

This is brief game recap of the Edmonton Oilers vs the Anaheim Ducks game on Sportsnet West.

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PRE GAME RECORDS

Anaheim Ducks (34-31-8) at Edmonton Oilers (24-42-7)

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FINAL SCORE

Anaheim Ducks - 3

Edmonton Oilers - 2

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TONIGHT'S STARTING LINES

Penner Cogliano Brule
Moreau Horcoff Pisani
Nilsson Potulny O'Sullivan
Comrie Pouliot Stortini

Whitney Gilbert
Chorney Strudwick
Johnson Arsene

Deslauriers
Dubnyk
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VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS



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THE MEAT AND POTATOES

The Good:

- Jeff Deslauriers was good. He made some big saves (37 in total) and gave the Oilers hope when the game was looking bleak. He played hard and the team didn't give him much help once the Ducks got going in the 3rd.

- Gilbert Brule played himself a good game. He was everywhere and tried to make an impact on every shift he was out. He had 5 shots on goal and scored with one of them. He's definitely a bright spot on next years team.

- Ryan Whitney was hungry to show the Ducks what they gave up on. I think with his 2 assists and 27:08 in ice time, he did just that. He even got into it with Troy Bodie (a former Oiler prospect) and showed a lot of piss and vinegar. I am really liking the cut of his jib.

- Instead of hating him, I liked Marc Pouliot tonight.

- I liked the passion from Dean Arsene. His rough treatment on Bobby Ryan and then the mercy fight with Mike Brown (he was killed in that fight), was good to see from an Oiler defenceman.

- I thought Mike Comrie had a good game. He didn't score, but he made some great plays and had 4 shots.

- Tom Gilbert never ceases to amaze me lately. He played 25:17 and didn't make a lot of mistakes. He also picked up an assist.

- Patrick O'Sullivan was back in the lineup. He was pretty solid and it looked like his finger didn't hurt him that much.

The Not So Good:

- I miss Visnovsky.

- I don't know how many times Kevin Quinn said "601" in reference to Teemu Selanne being at 600 goals, but it got old real quick.

- Once again the 2009/10 Edmonton Oilers team blows a game in the 3rd period. Even with endless Power Plays, they were out-skilled and outplayed by the Ducks. The 3rd period started as a 1-1 tie game and it got going at the 10 minute mark, for the Ducks. Then with two minutes left they turn it on and get some real good chances or a goal like tonight. It's this aspect of the Oilers game that I really hope they change for next season. I really do not like it.

- And to top it off, the game was boring for the first 50 minutes.

- TheCaptainEthanMoreau had 3 giveaways and had enough ice time that he should have accomplished more than he did. How is this guy NOT in Springfield with the Falcons? Seriously.

The Side Dish:

- The Springfield Falcons lost to the Lowell Devils 4-3 in the shootout. Jordan Eberle picked up an assist and scored a goal in the shootout during the loss. Eberle has at least one point in every game he's played with the Falcons so far this year.

- The Stockton Thunder also played tonight. Recap soon.

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POST GAME VIDEO



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EVENT SUMMARY
GAME SUMMARY

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NEXT GAME

Edmonton Oilers vs St. Louis Blues

Sunday 28/03/10

4:00 pm MST
Sportsnet West

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CLICK HERE TO READ THE LIVE TWEETCAST

-Written by Smokin' Ray-

GAME RECAP: The Springfield Falcons Lose In A Shootout To The Devils

FALCONS EARN ANOTHER POINT ON THE ROAD

March 26, 2010 - The Springfield Falcons once again earned a point on the road losing to the Lowell Devils 4-3 in a shootout at the Paul Tsongas Arena in Lowell, MA Friday night. The Falcons have now taken 11 of a possible 14 points in their last seven road games going 4-0-2-1 in that span. The Falcons conclude their current five-game road trip in Portland, Maine on Saturday night.

LIVE BOX SCORE

With the game deadlocked at 1-1 entering the third period, the two teams exchanged goals throughout the final frame. Chad Wiseman gave the Falcons a 2-1 lead at 11:57 of the third period with a power play goal, but Lowell's Nathan Perkovich tied the score at 2-2 when he converted on the man advantage.

Springfield took their second lead of the third period at 16:06 of the final frame when Chris Minard scored his 16th goal of the year, but once again Lowell evened the score when David McIntyre scored less than a minute later sending the contest to overtime.

After a scoreless overtime, it took the teams 11 rounds in the shootout before Lowell's Brad Snetsinger ended the contest with the Devils' 11th shooter. Springfield's Slava Trukhno extended the shootout when he scored on Springfield's fifth and final shot. Wiseman and Jordan Eberle also scored for Springfield in the shootout.

In the second period, Stephen Gionta opened the scoring at 12:21 when he scored his 15th goal of the year, but Springfield tied the score at 1-1 when Liam Reddox scored his 18th marker of the campaign at 17:22 of the middle stanza.

FALCONS LINEUP

Chris Minard - Chad Wiseman - Jordan Eberle
Charles Linglet - Rob Hisey - Colton Fretter
Liam Redoox - Ryan O'Marra - Colin McDonald
Jason Pitton - Slava Trukhno - Matt Beca

Chris Armstrong - Jeff Petry
Eddie Del Gresso - Jake Taylor
J.F. David - Jordan Bendfeld

J.P. Levasseur
Bryon Pitton

•The Falcons had 3 guys make their AHL debuts tonight in Jeff Petry, Eddie Del Grosso and Matt Beca.

FALCONS SCRATCHES - Johan Motin (Healthy), Bryan Lerg (Healthy), Geoff Paukovich (Healthy), Ryan MacMurchy (Healthy), Alex Plante (Injured), Kip Brennan (Injured), Matt Nickerson (Healthy), Tony DeHart (Healthy)

Game Night Notes...

Game Setup: The Falcons and Devils will meet for the final time in the 2009-10 season. In the seven previous meetings the Falcons are 3-2-1-1 against Lowell and are 1-2-0-0 at the the Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell, the home of the Devils. Springfield is in the midst of a five-game point streak, going 3-0-2-0, and are 6-2-2-0 in their last 10 games. The Devils are only 3-5-0-2 as they fight for the final Atlantic Division playoff spot with the Manchester Monarchs. Lowell is coming off a 2-1 regulation loss at home against Manchester on Wednesday night. In that game, Michael Swift gave the Devils a first period lead of 1-0 but the Monarchs scored two unanswered goals and Monarchs’ goalie Johnathan Bernier made 33 saves in the win.

The Falcons defeated the Devils in the last meeting between the teams on March 6.

Falcons Player Notes:

• New addition Jordan Eberle, reassigned to the Falcons from the Western Hockey League, scored a goal in each of the three games last weekend. Eberle also notched three assists in those games.
• Charles Linglet has 10 points versus the Devils this season, one goal and nine assists. Linglet is fourth in the AHL with 73 points and is third in assists with 54.
• Colton Fretter has a pair of goals and a six-pack of assists in seven games against the Devils. Fretter leads the Falcons with 23 goals. He scored a goal last weekend breaking a 14-game goal drought that stretched back to February 6 in Albany.
• Chris Minard has six goals against the Devils in only three games this season. Minard scored a hat trick on October 25 in Lowell.
• Chad Wiseman and Colin McDonald have each scored three goals against the Devils this season.

Devils Player Notes:

• Alexander Vasyunov leads the Devils with eight points against the Falcons this season. Vasyunov has five goals and three assists while playing in all seven contests against the Falcons.
• Ben Walter leads Lowell with 50 points on the season but Walter has only notched four assists against Springfield in the seven previous meetings.
• Nick Palmieri has the team lead in goals with 21 and has lit the lamp three times against the Falcons.
• Cory Murphy has 6 of his 34 assists against the Falcons this season.
• Matt Halischuk has three goals in two games against Springfield this season. Halischuk scored a pair of goals on March 6 in the Devils 7-5 loss at the MassMutual Center.

Falcon Player Movement Recap:

During the week two players were reassigned to the Stockton Thunder of the ECHL. Matt Marquardt and Bryan Young. Young played in two games during his latest stint in Springfield, that began on March 14 in Portland, and recorded no points. Marquardt joined the Falcons after being traded from Boston to Edmonton and appeared in four games without any points scored.

Also this week Dean Arsene was recalled by the Edmonton Oilers to patrol the blueline north of the boarder. Arsene has has two goals and nine assists in 56 games with the the Falcons this season. Arsene has served six penalty minutes in four games with the Oilers.

The Falcons also signed a trio of former NCAA student-athletes, who’s seasons concluded recently, to Amateur Tryout Contracts this week. On Tuesday, defenseman Eddie Del Grosso and forward Mat Beca were signed. Beca, a native of Mississauga, Ontario played four years for Clarkson University in the NCAA. Beca just wrapped up his senior season, which concluded with Clarkson not making the field of 16 for the Frozen Four Championship, and set a career high with 20 goals. Del Grosso played this season for the University of Nebraska-Omaha and scored seven goals and 23 assists. Defenseman Jeff Petry was signed earlier today after play three seasons for Michigan State. While a Spartan, Petry scored nine goals and notched 58 assists.

Tonight’s Goaltender Match-up:

Springfield
J.P. Levasseur is 0-1-0 against the Devils this season, allowing six goals on December 15. Levasseur is 8-15-0-1 with a 3.57 goals against average and 0.896 save percentage while splitting time between Springfield and Bakersfield in the ECHL.

Bryan Pitton earned a win against the Devils on March 6 giving up 5 goals and making 37 saves in the Falcons 7-5 win. Pitton is 2-2 with the Falcons after spending most of the season in Stockton.

Lowell
Mike McKenna is 21-14-6-3 this season including a 4-1 mark against the Falcons. McKenna a 2.15 goals against average versus Springfield this season.

Jeff Frazee gave up six goals and only made 21 saves on March 6 in Springfield as the Falcons won a wild game 7-5. Frazee is 13-15-0-1 this season for the Devils with a 2.71 goals against average.

Written By The Springield Falcons

*Reprinted with permission by the Springfield Falcons AHL Hockey Club. The Springfield Falcons are a proud affiliate of the Edmonton Oilers (NHL)*

Oilers, Falcons & Thunder Games / LIVE Blog at 7:00pm MST

GAME DAY!!!

Welcome everyone to another fine TweetCast by Oilers Jambalaya.

Tonight you will see the tweets/comments of Paq Twinn, Smokin' Ray, Nick Walker, Scarlett, OilFieldHockey, Dan Tencer, The official Edmonton Oilers and the official Anaheim Ducks tweets as well as the tweets from the Springfield Falcons and the Stockton Thunder.

Feel free to comment by typing in the box below. It's easy and no signup required. Once you comment, we will unmoderate you and you can then speak freely. Be patient if we don't see you right away. You will get on.

We hope you enjoy the TweetCast and we are glad you stopped by. GOILERSBUTNOTTOOMUCH!!!

Anaheim Ducks (34-31-8) at Edmonton Oilers (24-42-7)

Springield Falcons (24-34-11) at Lowell Devils (35-27-4)

 Las Vegas Wranglers at Stockton Thunder