At the tail-end of a 4-0 Thunder walloping of Bakersfield on Nov. 7, the results featured 95 penalty minutes, 27 penalties in total dished out. 17 of them were “emotion” penalties (roughing, fighting, leaving the crease, secondary altercation, misconducts, etc). It’s pretty evident that emotions will be running high. Jim McKenzie confirmed it this morning in a conversation we had, and Matt Thomas is hoping the Thunder will match it throughout the game.
The Thunder are in first place at 11-4-4 (26 points), Bakersfield is nine points behind. The Thunder outscored Bakersfield, 15-2, in the three-game series in November, but the score might be closer than you think tonight.
The Thunder have found their stride again with Bryan Pitton carrying the mail (7-0-1 this year with a 2.26 GAA) and the offense combining for 13 goals in the three-game sweet at Victoria last week. But, we’ll see several gifted and credentialed players inserted into the Condors lineup this evening, for the first time in the series.
They are: Kyle Calder (yes, THE Kyle Calder), recent assigned prospects Kyle Broda and Pete Zingoni, former Springfield Falcon Slava Trukhno, former Manchester Monarch Joe Rullier, and fresh-off-the-I.R.J.D. Corbin and Bobby Robins.
With Jesse Gimblett up in the AHL, that creates a spot for Thomas to dress seven defensemen. He’ll do that, and Trevor Hunt will serve primarily as an extra forward and also create options for penalty killers with fresh legs at the ready, in case that need arises.
Here’s how the lineups are looking for tonight:
THUNDER LINE COMBINATIONS
McKenzie – Lawrence – Watson
Clarke – Bureau – Cameron
G. Hunt – Arcobello – Clair
T. Hunt
As a reminder, send us your questions for the broadcast at fanmail@stocktonthunder.com – and don’t be afraid to mention your valued status as a season ticket holder! Don’t forget, you can add your comments by clicking on the comment link below!
Come gather as well at Fat’s Grill to watch the game.
Podcast #8 of "The Oil Terminal" is available for download, or listen from "The Oil Terminal" page located here. In this podcast, We catch up on the Barons' 5 game road trip, and who should the Oilers recall from Oklahoma City. Hopefully you will enjoy this weekly podcast of "The Oil Terminal".
The Barons finished up a 5-game road trip on Saturday. After splitting a pair of games in Lake Erie, a 3-2 OT win and a 5-3 loss, they headed to Austin for where the Stars handed them a good beatdown, chasing JDD after 1 period and winning 5-2. The Barons then took a trip up north of the border for a weekend set with the Manitoba Moose, splitting that pair as well with a recently returned Martin Gerber turning in a 3-2 shootout loss and a 4-0 win. The most telling stat of the road trip has to be the power play and the scoring in general. I went and looked at the last 5 games of the homestand and compiled those stats, and the stats of the road trip. First, here's the player stats from the homestand.
Reddox, Omark, and McDonald were coming up big for the Barons. Petry contributing his own SH goal in addition to Reddox's. Giroux's goal scoring drought continued. Petiot was injured, Belle was called up, and Plante was out for a game with an injury towards the end of a practice, so Joey Ryan and Jordan Bendfeld were brought in to fill in the holes on the blue line. Both came up big for the team when they needed them. JF Jacques provided the toughness that the team had been lacking a bit of and contributed a goal as well.
Gerber was called up after the game against the Chicago Wolves, which left JDD as the #1 goaltender ahead of Bryan Pitton who was called up from the Stockton Thunder. JDD had a shaky game against San Antonio, but slowly game into his own as time progressed. The Barons PP was 8/25 (32%) while the PK was 22/25 (88%). The Barons outscored their opponents 19-12 while going 3-1-1 in the 5-game span. Now, the road trip.
After the homestand, the Barons headed on to their road trip. Reddox and McDonald continued on their hot streaks. Omark not so much, his 3 points didn't come until the last game against Manitoba. Petry and Giroux would contribute the Barons only two PP goals on the road trip, Giroux's goal ending his 15 game goal drought. Bendfeld would end up getting a couple games in while Taylor battled an illness in the games against Manitoba. O'Marra returned in Manitoba after his shoulder injury that he suffered in the first game against Milwaukee back on the homestand.
JDD would start the first three games of the road trip. After giving up 3 goals in 1 period in Austin against the Stars, Todd Nelson pulled him in favor of Bryan Pitton. Pitton played well but was caught out of position a couple times as the Stars rolled on to win that game. Gerber returned after his stint in Edmonton and turned in 2 wins. The Barons were shaky on their PK as the road trip began, going 3/7 in the games against Lake Erie. Overall, the Barons went 2/26 (7.6%) on the PP and 21/25 on the PK (84%). They were outscored 15-14 while going 2-2-1.
The Barons return to Cox Center tomorrow for a game against the Houston Aeros and Friday for a game against Manitoba. The Barons will then travel to Rockford, Illinois to take on the IceHogs for the first time this season.
Welcome to another fine edition of the Edmonton Oilers Beers & Jeers Game Recap. We hope you enjoy what we have to offer and that you find it useful. Or at least a little entertaining.
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EDM: R. Jones (02:32 - 3rd) , T. Hall (00:23 - OT)
GOALIES
STL: J. Halak (L) EDM: N. Khabibulin (W)
-----------------------------------
POWER PLAY
St. Louis Blues - 0/1 for 0%
Edmonton Oilers - 0/1 for 0%
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PENALTY KILL
St. Louis Blues - 0/1 for 100%
Edmonton Oilers - 0/1 for 100%
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FACEOFFS
St. Louis Blues - 25/22 for 53%
Edmonton Oilers - 22/25 for 47%
-----------------------------------
HIT/BODYCHECK COUNT
St. Louis Blues - 20
Edmonton Oilers - 16
-----------------------------------
GIVEAWAY TOTALS
St. Louis Blues - 17
Edmonton Oilers - 21
-----------------------------------
TAKEAWAY TOTALS
St. Louis Blues - 7
Edmonton Oilers - 13
-----------------------------------
BLOCKED SHOTS
St. Louis Blues - 9
Edmonton Oilers - 18
-----------------------------------
BEERS & JEERS PLAYER GRADES
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.
#2JIM VANDERMEER - (6) He was OK. He played 21:05 and had a team high 5 hits. Not his best game lately (3 giveaways), but still worthy enough that I wasn't screaming for a call up.
#4TAYLOR HALL - (8)BEERS He was awesome again! He scored the OT winner and really busted his hump all over the ice all game long. It took 20 games, but the real Taylor Hall is starting to show. He took 4 shots on goal and had a team high 3 takeaways.
#5 LADISLAV SMID - (6) He was pretty solid. I'm still missing his nasty side, but he's progressing. Maybe the switch to the 3rd pairing was a good idea for him and Foster? He had 2 blocked shots and a hit.
#6 RYAN WHITNEY - (6) He logged a lot of time again and made the nice pass to Hall for the game winner. He had a team high 4 blocked shots and that's rare. He can play in any situation and for the most part, handles it all pretty well.
#10 SHAWN HORCOFF - (7)BEERS He is the luckiest out of all the Oilers. He plays with Hall and Eberle and as far as I can hear, not one complaint about his big dollar contact. Is he earning it or is he just riding the rookie wave to greatness? He went 9/5 for 64% on the faceoff circle. That's pretty good. If he would have earned an assist or a goal, he would have been bumped up to an 8.
#13 ANDREW COGLIANO - (5) Decent game tonight from my eyes, but a little stinky when looking at the number totals. Only 1 shot, 1 hit, 1 takeaway 1 blocked shot and 2 giveaways. He's been better.
#14 JORDAN EBERLE - (6) He was OK. He should have been a 7, but his 3 giveaways is glaring at me. He took 5 shots in total with 3 hitting the net. It's strange to see how mature he is on the ice and I would assume that playing with Horcoff is going to age him a little. Meaning he's going to be a vet presence sooner than the other rookies. He's slick.
#16 COLIN FRASER - (6) On the 4th line with Storts and Jacques. He did find himself with 1:07 of PK time. Best of all forwards. He dropped the gloves with Della Rovere and did pretty good. Nice to see some emotion form Fraser even if he only plays 6:14 a night.
#22 JF JACQUES - (4) He was average at best. The supposed BIG HITTER doesn't hit very often. His physical presence is lacking the physical. Or the presence. He did lay out 2 hits and 2 blocked shots, but I always expect more from the tough guys.
#26 KURTIS FOSTER - (5) I didn't mind Foster. He sure isn't what the media hyped him to be. I have been expecting that Souray bomb shot from him and so far, I have only seen it once (not tonight). He had 1 shot, 1 hit and 1 giveaway.
#27 DUSTIN PENNER - (6) Renney said after the game that Penner was not feeling well. I suppose looking back you could tell, but I still liked how he played. He had 2 good shots on goal and when he drives to the net, good things happen.
#28 RYAN JONES - (7)BEERS He's another guy that I have been flogging lately. Tonight he was great. I liked him. Really. He scores the games opening goal in the 3rd period and played well all night despite looking like the 3rd wheel with Gagner and Paajarvi. Jones had a team high (with Vandermeer) 5 hits. If he keeps playing like this, a call up might never be made.
#29 MARTIN GERBER - (0) DNP (With OKC Barons)
#33 STEVE MACINTYRE - (0) DNP (Healthy Scratch)
#35 NIKOLAI KHABIBULIN - (8)BEERS He was on his way to another shutout when, you guessed it, another former Oiler Eric Brewer scores to tie the game. He played well all night and did come up with some key saves. I was worried that he's going to get overplayed again, but he seems ready to come back not like Hemsky.
#40 DEVAN DUBNYK - (0) DNP (Backup)
#43 JASON STRUDWICK - (0) DNP (Healthy Scratch)
#45 SHAWN BELLE - (0) DNP (With OKC Barons)
#46 ZACK STORTINI - (4) He was OK. He crashed and banged but still needs to do more I think. He only had 1 hit to his name. He played 6:24.
#49 THEO PECKHAM - (6) He took a puck in the mouth in the first, was stitched up, and then came back and finished the game. Character that guy has. While he didn't register a lot of stats on paper, he is a welcomed participant. He can play tough. He out chanced the opposition 8/5.
#67 GILBERT BRULE - (6) He was decent. Not much to complain about. He took 4 shots and was 3/3 for 50% on faceoffs. He filled in for Horcoff when Horcs had skate issues and seemed like a fit with the rookies.
#77 TOM GILBERT - (6) He led the team in ice time with 24:48. All that ice time is sure to hurt him somehow. Oh yes... 3 giveaways. He didn't lead the team in blocked shots tonight and that to me, is strange. I have seen him play better even though he out chanced the Blues.
#83 ALES HEMSKY - (0) DNP (Injured Groin)
#89 SAM GAGNER - (7)BEERS His chemistry with Paajarvi is growing. Gagner led that line all game long and with the Jones goal, marked another point for Gagner. It is weird that he didn't take a single shot. If you are wondering, I gave him a 7 for his willingness to compete. Replace Hemsky with Jones and this line will rock.
#91 MAGNUS PAAJARVI - (7)BEERS Another good game. He also picked up an assist on the Jones goal. He had 3 quality shots and a takeaway. He's really been improving these last few games. I like that he's gelling with Gagner.
I had an idea a while back in April about creating an Assist Leader award and to call it the Wayne Gretzky award.
After getting all too excited that this may take off (I do that a lot), it didn't go like I had hoped at all. I went to some of the local press for help/questions with this and was told by most that I was wasting my time. One had said that the NHL has considered renaming a trophy after Gretzky anyways, so this isn't a new concept.
Well... I'm not talking about renaming an existing trophy like the Hart or the Art Ross as that MSM suggested. I'm talking about making a brand new trophy all together. One that makes sense for today's NHL.
I truly believe the NHL needs an assist leader trophy for the guys that get unrecognized. Those players matter and arguably, if there wasn't an assist, there would never be many goals.
It's hard to argue who the best goal scorer is. Howe? Lemieux? Hull? Gretzky? It's hard to argue who's the greatest player of all time. Same 4 guys plus Orr? But it sure isn't hard to figure out who the greatest passer was. That's clearly, Wayne Gretzky. Hands down.
He owns the NHL record of 1,962 career assists (including playoffs, he has a total of 2,222assists). He has the highest assists per regular season game percentage with 1.321 per game. (1,962 assists in 1,485 games). In 1985/86, Gretzky had an NHL record 163 assists in one season (he had 11 more assists in the playoffs that year too). In 1990/91 he made the record for most consecutive assists with 48 assists in 23 straight games. To this day no other player has beaten that streak. He's tied with Billy Taylor for most assists in one single game with 7 assists. That 7 assist game happened in his first NHL season. Gretzky has a league best 270 playoff assists. There is at least another dozen or so assist records that Gretzky can call his own that I am not listing here. He's the assist king. You can't argue that.
He owns multiple records (see above). He's had his number 99 retired league wide. He was labeled the Great One. And yet no NHL trophy in his honor?
So you know what? I'm going to "waste my time". I'm going to tell the world that this needs to happen. I believe it's the right thing to do. If you do to, please sign this petition. I don't know if any amount of signatures will do anything to help this, but I'm going to try. Gretzky would never give up. Either should I.
Away: Oklahoma City Barons (13-8-2), 4th in the Western Division; Last Game: 5-2 Loss to Texas Home: Manitoba Moose (11-7-3), 5th in the Northern Division; Last Game: 6-3 Loss to Milwaukee
Quick News and Notes -This is the first of 4 meetings between the two teams this year. -The Moose and the Barons are both coming off of 2 game losing streaks. -Martin Gerber is returning from his stint in Edmonton. He should be the starter tonight. -JDD started 6 straight games for the Barons going 3-2-0-1. He was pulled after the 1st period in their last game against Texas after letting in 3 goals. -Belle is tied for 7th in points among defensemen with 15. Petry is tied for 11th with 14. -Omark is tied for 11th in points overall with 23. -Hartikainen is tied for 1st in PP goals among rookies with 5. -Reddox is tied for 1st in SH goals overall with 3. -OKC PP: 24/131 (18.3%) 13th in the league; MTB PP: 15/117 (12.8%) 27th in the league. -OKC PK: 99/112 (88.4%) 3rd in the league; MTB PK: 80/95 (84.2%) 10th in the league.
The Barons look to come back to end their losing streak after a split with Lake Erie and a loss in Texas. Ryan O'Marra has stayed out of the lineup the last few games and still remains questionable. Petiot continues to be injured from his lower body injury. OKC fans may remember the Moose. Sebastien Centomo was called up to the Moose a couple times when he played for the Blazers. Alexandre Giroux continues to try to break out of his scoring slump. Puck drop is at 7:30. The game will be broadcast on 96.1 KXY. As always, you can follow myself(@AHLBarons) and Scott(@OilFieldHockey) as we tweet about the game.
EDM:J. Eberle (03:10 - 1st) , T. Hall (06:24 - 2nd) , S. Gagner (19:57 - 2nd) , T. Hall (16:55 - 3rd) , R. Jones (17:29 - 3rd)
GOALIES
EDM: N. Khabibulin (W)TOR: J. Giguere , J. Gustavsson (L)
------------------------------------
BEERS & JEERS PLAYER GRADES
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 - (7)BEERS He was dynamite tonight. He had an assist on the Jones goal and was +4. He played 20:57 and was on top of his game. He also had 5 hits to his credit. This is back to back games where he was given a 7 by me. Vandy is the first of many Oilers players to prove me wrong tonight.
#4 TAYLOR HALL - (8) BEERSHis mastery of the game keeps getting better. He pulls out a 1st star performance with a 2 goal night. Both goals were spectacular. Hall is the real deal and with the 2 goals tonight he ties Gagner with the team lead at 8 a piece. He was part of 8 scoring chances tonight and took a team high, 4 shots. 30 friends and family were at the ACC to see Taylor light it up.
#5 LADISLAV SMID - (6) Again not a real solid effort but was good enough not to be bad. He had 2 hits and 2 blocked shots. He was +1 at games end. I can honestly say that he didn't stand out to me.
#6 RYAN WHITNEY - (7)BEERS Whitney had 2 assists tonight and that moves him to the top spot for defenceman in the league. He finished +3 but was roasted on scoring chances for and against (6/11). He blocked a team high 5 shots and laid out 2 hits. He's a rock back there.
#10 SHAWN HORCOFF - (7)BEERS He was +3 and had an assist on the 2nd Hall goal. He did a lot of good out there and really helped make space for the kids. He had 2 shots, 3 blocked shots and was 8/11 for 42% on faceoffs. He out chanced the opposition 7/4. I'm thinking he's liking the mentor thing?
#13 ANDREW COGLIANO - (6) He was not bad. He took 2 shots, 2 hits and 2 blocked shots. I liked his hustle and he did play a lot of PK time. Other than going 1/7 for a terrible 13% on faceoffs, he was OK.
#14 JORDAN EBERLE - (8)BEERS Wowzers! The kid can play. He scored a goal and had 2 assists and that was good enough to move him very close to the rookie scoring lead. Eberle may be a kid, but he's playing a like a man. He's not on the PK anymore, so all his productivity came on even strength play. Buy an Eberle jersey. You just can't go wrong.
#16 COLIN FRASER - (5) I'm not going to complain. He was OK. He did nothing to make anyone take notice, but was also with Big Mac and Storts. He had 3 hits and 1 takeaway in 7:28 of playing time. 3:07 of that time was on the PK.
#22 JF JACQUES - (0)DNP (Healthy Scratch)
#26 KURTIS FOSTER - (6)He was OK. He took a lot of shots with only 2 hitting the net. Not much else to say about Foster.
#27 DUSTIN PENNER - (6) He had a quiet game stats wise. He played good enough but he didn't take the game by the balls. He took no shots, had no hits and only registered a blocked shot. Not a spectacular night when the rookies are tearing it up.
#28 RYAN JONES - (6) He has been bad as of late. I said to hell with him, send him down and call up Reddox. Well... tonight he scores and snags an assist. I'll give him credit. He showed me he can be useful. He only played 14:23 but finished +2, 1 shot, 1 hit and 2 takeaways. I wasn't fond of his 3rd period penalty, but he did manage to score the 5th goal.
#29 MARTIN GERBER - (0) DNP (Minors)
#33 STEVE MACINTYRE - (4) Did fight Colton Orr and beat him up (which was great), but that's all. Hmmm... hard to grade. He should earn a 7 strictly for his fight and the fact the Leafs didn't try to mess with the kids after that. He did his job even if he only played 3:20.
#35 NIKOLAI KHABIBULIN -(8)BEERS His first game back off the injury and he blasts out a shutout. Holy hell! 33 saves for the win and he looked great doing it. I was wrong about him. I figured him playing tonight was a huge mistake. I was wrong. *gasp*
#40 DEVAN DUBNYK - (0) DNP (Backup)
#43 JASON STRUDWICK - (0) DNP (Scratch)
#45 SHAWN BELLE - (0) DNP (Minors)
#46 ZACK STORTINI -(5) Same boat as MacIntyre, but he didn't put any fear into anyone. He also played just over 3 minutes so how do you judge him on that effort? Not his fault Renney doesn't play him more. I say give him a 5 for moral support.
#49 THEO PECKHAM - (7)BEERS He hit (3 hits) guys like he does every other game. He's damn good at it too. He plays a solid defensive game and can read plays well. Sometimes he goes to far out of his way to hit a guy, but tonight he recovered fine every time. He did well in scoring chances for and against. He was +1
#67 GILBERT BRULE - (5)Brule was somewhat quiet again. 2 shots and 1 hit is his claim to fame. He was even on scoring chances and really had no impact on this game once again.
#77 TOM GILBERT - (6)He was OK. He wasn't on for any of the goals which is strange considering he played 16:57 of E/S ice time. He blocked 3 shots and took one of his own. At least that's something.
#83 ALES HEMSKY - (0) DNP (Injury) He came and played for one game yesterday and was really sore after it. He sat out this game but I'd expect him for Saturday's game.
#89 SAM GAGNER - (7)BEERSHe was good again. He scored a nice goal tonight and it was all on effort. Following the puck will help you get those once in a while. He misses Hemsky and Jones just isn't a good enough replacement. I liked how Paajarvi and Gags worked together. They seem to be clicking. Now to have Hemsky back permanently. He took 2 shots and had a takeaway.
#91 MAGNUS PAAJARVI - (6) He played hard and earned another assist tonight. His pointless streak really is over. I bet he's happy about that. Like Gagner, he was +2 and had a shot, a takeaway and a blocked shot. He's been improving a lot of the last couple games.
- Hemsky will not play tonight. He was sore after last night's game.
- Khabibulin will start tonight in goal for the Oilers.
- The Leafs' average age of 26.0 is the youngest in the NHL.
- The Oilers average age is 26.9.
Our little Edmonton Oilers are becoming quite the Eastern killers. First up was Ottawa with Martin Gerber leading the Oilers to victory and defeating his old team before being sent back to Oklahoma with the return of Khabibulin. Then came the Montreal Canadiens who had a 3-1 lead heading into the third period but our comeback kids, led by Hemsky and Gagner, tied up the game and off to overtime. They haven't faired too well in OT/SO games this year with no wins in four attempts. However, Penner stripped the puck from the Habs and scored on a nice breakaway.
There you have it. 2 wins in a row which is their first since the beginning of the season. And the Leaves are up tonight. Can the Oilers make it three in a row and sweep the east? Yes!! The Leaves are as successful as they were last year and sit near the bottom with the Oilers.
Dubnyk played a very good game last night so I'm guessing Khabibulin will get the start tonight. He's been out a couple weeks with a groin injury and was playing very badly before so I'm not sure what to expect from the Russian tonight. Honestly, he is Toronto's best chance at victory.
I'm going with Khabibulin tonight (I hope to be shocked) and am predicting a 5-1 win for our Oilers. Suck it Burkie!!!
Update: Hemsky is doubtful for the game which is too bad since he played great last night.
EDM:K. Foster (PPG, 17:45 - 1st) , A. Hemsky (10:09 - 3rd) , S. Gagner (SHG, 13:17 - 3rd) , D. Penner (02:28 - OT)
MTL: S. Gomez (PPG, 13:05 - 1st) , M. Darche (PPG, 08:01 - 2nd) , R. Hamrlik (10:02 - 2nd)
GOALIES
EDM: D. Dubnyk (W) MTL: C. Price (L)
------------------------------------ BEERS & JEERS PLAYER GRADES
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 - (7)BEERS He is on a roll. Not only did he play smart hockey, he was pretty darn good. He called for the puck like a wild man on the Hemsky goal. He yells, he gets the puck, shoots, Hemsky scores. Nice call and a nice play. He finished the night +2 and had 3 shots, 3 blocked shots and 3 hits. Nice night!
#4 TAYLOR HALL - (7) BEERSHis hustle is non stop. He goes and goes and goes. He took 9 shots in total with 3 hitting the net. He tried everything i the book to score but came up short. No matter, he played great. I'm starting to see him understand NHL hockey. He's getting it.
#5 LADISLAV SMID - (6) He was OK. He didn't stand out as special tonight. He did finish +1 with 16:29 of ice time. He did have a scoring chance rate of 4/3. That's not bad.
#6 RYAN WHITNEY - (7) Whitney had a good game. He played a ton (26:16) and blocked 3 shots. I still can't believe that he can play so many minutes. He was on the ice for all the goals (for and against) but 2. He finished the night +2.
#10 SHAWN HORCOFF - (6) He wasn't quite at the level that Hall was on tonight but still was OK. Horcoff played 17:32 and had 2 shots and went 6/7 for 46% on faceoffs. He fared OK on scoring chances as well.
#13 ANDREW COGLIANO - (6) He played hard and created some good chances. He didn't have the same quality games that he's been having. He had 2 hits and was 3/3 for 50% on face offs.
#14 JORDAN EBERLE - (6) Much like Horcoff, he wasn't on the same level as Hall. He had a takeaway, a giveaway and a shot. He didn't really see any PK time tonight and only played 17:37 in total.
#16 COLIN FRASER - (4)JEERS I'm not a fan of Fraser. Boooooo! I see a player who tries hard, but fails on being able to bring it to the NHL level. In his 7:04 of ice time, he does throw 3 hits, but to go 1/2 for 33% on faceoffs, stinks. A 4th line center should do better than what he's doing this year. Ryan O'Marra as a replacement? Go for it.
#22 JF JACQUES - (3) JEERS He took the Oilers Bad Timing Penalty tonight and it really was a terrible penalty. Since he's been back, I scratch my head when he's in and Stortini's sitting out. Jacques brings nothing to the table. Nothing. Booooooo!
#26 KURTIS FOSTER - (6)His goal was a bomb of a shot. BOOM! That was an awesome shot. He made a few nice passes tonight but he finished -1 and had 2 giveaways. He wasn't great, yet not bad either.
#27 DUSTIN PENNER - (7)BEERS He scored the game winning goal on a steal at the Habs blueline. He did play a pretty solid game. He had 4 shots and 3 hits in 17:50 of ice time. He was way better than the guys he played with.
#28 RYAN JONES - (3)JEERS He was pretty bad. Again. I don't get why he's here and not Reddox. Reddox is doing everything he can for the OKC Barons and putting up some good numbers at the same time. Jones, does nothing. He did get sticked in the face which resulted in the Oilers first goal, but other than that, he did squat. Booooooo!
#29 MARTIN GERBER - (0) DNP (Minors)
#33 STEVE MACINTYRE - (0) DNP (Healthy scratch)
#35 NIKOLAI KHABIBULIN -(0) DNP (Backup)
#40 DEVAN DUBNYK - (7) He played well. Nice game for him. He just plays so composed. Once again he takes the Oilers to overtime or better. He deserves more games even with Khabibulin coming back. #43 JASON STRUDWICK - (0) DNP (Scratch)
#45 SHAWN BELLE - (0) DNP (Minors)
#46 ZACK STORTINI -(0) DNP (Healthy Scratch)
#49 THEO PECKHAM - (6)BEERS He was instrumental in helping the Oilers keep that "edge" in the 1st period. He laid out some nice hits and had 3 blocked shots and played 20:00 minutes. One of those blocked shots resulted in the Oilers scoring shortly after. He did the right (brave) thing and it helped the team out. I like this guy.
#67 GILBERT BRULE - (6)Brule was so so. While he was OK, he just wasn't as good as he's been lately. He had 2 shots, 2 hits and 2 takeaways. While that line had a few good chances, his playing was a pretty low level game.
#77 TOM GILBERT - (7)He was good. 3 shots and 3 blocked shots. He always seems to find a way to block shots. Kudos to him! In his 23:26 of ice time, he managed to not be on for a goal against. Including the penalty kill. Gilbert has been better lately and it's about time.
#83 ALES HEMSKY - (8)BEERS He came back tonight with a bang. He had a goal and 2 assists to go with a +2 rating. When Gagner scored his goal it was all because Hemsky was skating backwards and was in position to shoot. He gave Gagner that few extra inches that he needed to score high on Price. All game he made positive things happen. He was the on ice leader tonight. Welcome back Hemmer!
#89 SAM GAGNER - (8)BEERSHe has been playing these last few games like a man possessed. He's been great. He can play both ends of the rink well and if his faceoffs were better -- he was a team high 9/7 for 56% -- he could be a serious threat. Gagner seems to be "getting it" this year. He can do it all. It's only going to get better.
#91 MAGNUS PAAJARVI - (7)BEERS He created a lot of chances and was in a lot as well. He was on for 10 chances for and had 6 against. He finally after a lot of games, he picked up an assist on the Hemsky goal. He worked so hard tonight it was nice to see him pick up a point. He does need to find that physical edge in his game. He shouldn't be afraid to hit players.
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JF Jacques - Stupid bone headed penalty taken at 6:50 of the 2nd period. Not only was it in the offensive zone, that Power Play for the Habs helped them gain momentum to not only score then, but they go on to score shortly after that to go up 3-1.
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GAMES 3 STARS
1st: DUSTIN PENNER
2nd: MATHIEU DARCHE
3rd: ROMAN HAMRLIK
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