ANCHORAGE – Veteran Wes Goldie collected a hat trick, Brian Swanson scored twice and the Alaska Aces used five power-play goals to defeat the Stockton Thunder (12-6-4, 28 points), 8-3, before 3,016 fans at Sullivan Arena on Wednesday night.
The Thunder, who took just their second road defeat in regulation this year (6-2-2) and still maintained a first place tie in the Pacific Division with Las Vegas, lost an early 1-0 lead which turned into a four-goal deficit in the first period, when the Aces scored four times on a five-minute major power-play.
Mark Arcobello paced the Thunder offense with a career-high three points (2g-1a)
Mark Arcobello scored two goals and added an assist to lead the Thunder in scoring. Anthony Aiello added a power-play goal in the third period. Gerald Coleman picked up the win for Alaska with 29 saves in net.
Arcobello broke the scoreless tie just 4:25 into the game with a shorthanded goal after stripping the Alaska defenseman Steve Ward at center ice, racing on a breakaway and beating Coleman with a forehand to the glove side.
Alaska answered 58 seconds later with Ethan Cox’s turnaround shot that beat Bryan Pitton to the blocker side from the right circle. The game’s momentum took a sharp turn after Chris Lawrence was handed a five-minute major penalty for boarding, opening the door for a four-goal rally for Alaska in a span of 4:18.
Goldie responded at 11:42 with a backhander from beneath the hash marks, over Pitton for the first power-play goal on a five-minute major and a 2-1 lead for Alaska.
Kory Falite then got a piece of Chad Anderson’s shot from the high slot with 12:53 gone in the period, boosting the Aces lead to 3-1.
Just 57 seconds later, a Bryan Miller wrist shot from the left circle inflated the Aces lead to 4-1, firing his third goal of the season over Pitton’s shoulder.
Swanson buried the final goal of the Alaska power-play, in the slot with 3:10 left in the period for a 5-1 lead.
After replacing Pitton with Garrett Zemlak, the Thunder turned the second period around for a 12-10 shots advantage and cut the deficit to 5-2 when Arcobello scored his second goal of the game, off a relay from Garet Hunt when he beat Coleman with a wrist shot from inside of the right circle.
Just 56 seconds into the final period, Goldie put the Thunder back in a four-goal hole with his second of the game, stashing a backhander from the deep slot after jumping on turnover.
Aiello cut the gap back to three goals at 6-3 when his power-play goal, coming at 4:57, completed an Arcobello feed to the right goal post.
Goldie’s hat trick, on a wraparound to the forehand, put Alaska up 7-3 with 8:39 elapsed after converting a Scott Howes pass at the right circle. Swanson closed the scoring on Alaska’s fifth power-play goal with 4:21 left, finishing Goldie’s pass at the right goal line with a re-direction past Zemlak’s left pad.
Pitton, who was in net for the eventual game-winning goal, took the loss with just eight stops. Zemlak finished with 18 saves in 44 minutes between the pipes.
NOTES: The Thunder scratched Chase Ryan (healthy), Trevor Hunt (healthy), Jim McKenzie (injured reserve), Tyson Sexsmith (injured reserve) and Craig Valette (injured reserve) … Alaska’s five goals in the first period set a Thunder record for most goals scored by an opponent in one period … Alaska finished with a 34-32 shots advantage … the Thunder went 1-for-4 on the power-play … Stockton took just its third loss in regulation at Sullivan Arena dating back to 2007-08, dropping to 8-3-1 in the last 12 games in Anchorage.
The Thunder returns to play for its next game on the road, visiting Alaska on Friday at Sullivan Arena, starting at 8:15 p.m. The game can be heard on radio at 1280 AM KWSX and viewed live on the internet (pay-per-view video charge) at www.StocktonThunder.com, courtesy of AmericaOne.
A two-time recipient of the ECHL “Award of Excellence,” Thunder was voted “Best Local Sports Team” by readers of the San Joaquin Magazine, led the ECHL in attendance for four consecutive seasons and drew over 200,000 fans for the fifth consecutive season in 2009-10. Season Tickets, mini-plans and individual tickets for 2010-11 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. AK – 16 Wes Goldie
2. AK – 27 Brian Swanson
3. STK – 21 Mark Arcobello
Congratulations to forward Curtis Hamilton and goaltender Olivier Roy as they were both selected to represent Team Canada at the upcoming World Junior Hockey Championship.
We should be proud of these two players as some very, very good players were cut this morning including Red Deer Rebels foward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.
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.
If you have any suggestions, corrections or comments, please leave a comment at the bottom of this post. No sign up is required. Ever.
TOR: D. Phaneuf (05:55 - 1st) , M. Grabovski (PPG, 08:28 - 2nd) , K. Versteeg (17:38 - 2nd) , P. Kessel (PPG, 09:47 - 3rd)
EDM: J. Eberle (11:45 - 1st)
GOALIES
TOR: J. Giguere (W) EDM: N. Khabibulin (L)
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POWER PLAY
Toronto Maple Leafs - 2/5 for 40%
Edmonton Oilers - 0/4 for 0%
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PENALTY KILL
Toronto Maple Leafs - 4/4 for 100%
Edmonton Oilers - 3/5 for 60%
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FACEOFFS
Toronto Maple Leafs - 27/24 for 53%
Edmonton Oilers - 24/27 for 47%
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HIT/BODYCHECK COUNT
Toronto Maple Leafs - 18
Edmonton Oilers - 22
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GIVEAWAY TOTALS
Toronto Maple Leafs - 17
Edmonton Oilers - 23
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TAKEAWAY TOTALS
Toronto Maple Leafs - 6
Edmonton Oilers - 8
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BLOCKED SHOTS
Toronto Maple Leafs - 14
Edmonton Oilers - 17
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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 - (0) DNP (Injured)
#4TAYLOR HALL - (7)BEERSHe was the best Oiler tonight by a long shot. He took 8 of the 24 shots. Sure he was -1, but who cares when you show the effort like he did? He had a cheap shot to the face from Phaneuf and took a big hit earlier. That didn't slow him down none. I love this kid. He's a winner.
#5 LADISLAV SMID - (4) He didn't do a whole lot. He failed to bring his nasty side out. He played 19:12 and only had one hit.
#6 RYAN WHITNEY - (6) He did what he could. He picked up an assist with a nice play to keep the puck in the zone. He played 26:22 and on;y had a hit and a blocked shot. Oh.. he did have 3 giveaways too.
#10 SHAWN HORCOFF - (0) DNP (Injured)
#13 ANDREW COGLIANO - (6) I liked his effort and he really tried to make things happen. He played 18:54 and had 2 shots, 3 hits and went 7/8 for 47% on faceoffs.
#14 JORDAN EBERLE - (6)BEERS He scored the only Oilers goal with a beauty of a shot. Top shelf from right up close. That had me fired up. He took 3 shots and had 1 takeaway.
#16 COLIN FRASER - (3) JEERS He played limited minutes tonight playing only 8:32. He didn't really contribute much to this game. He went 2/4 for 33% on faceoffs. If he can't do that well, then why is he needed. Play O'Marra in his place.
#22 JF JACQUES - (0) DNP (Healthy Scratch)
#23 LINUS OMARK - (4) He was given PP time and couldn't cash in. Renney gave him 16:45 in ice time and only managed 1 shot. He also had 1 giveaway. I'll give him more time, but other than that shootout goal 2 games ago, he's not doing anything to impress me.
#26 KURTIS FOSTER - (6) He was decent. No real complaints from me. He played 18:28 and had 2 shots, 1 hit, and 2 blocked shots. He also had a giveaway.
#27 DUSTIN PENNER - (6) Penner used his big body well tonight. He held off the Leafs a few times including a penalty kill where he kept the puck on his stick while the l\Leafs tried to take it from him. He does need to screen the goalie on the PP though. For some reason I seen him on the half wall a few times. Was that his idea or Renney's? He played 20:34 and had 1 shot, 1 hit, 2 giveaways, 1 takeaway, 2 blocked shots and went 3/3 for 50% on faceoffs.
#28 RYAN JONES - (4) He was pretty average. He had 2 shots, 2 hits, 1 giveaway and 1 blocked shot. I can't really complain about his play tonight. Decent enough.
#33 STEVE MACINTYRE - (4)He was somewhat effective. He didn't make Phaneuf not be a knob and he didn't stop Orr from anything (other than when they were both tossed for pushing each other in the 3rd). I did notice he skates better. He's not so choppy on the ice. Glad to see some improvement. He had 2 hits (on paper) and had 2 giveaways. He had 2 hits (on paper) and had 2 giveaways. He had 2 hits (on paper) and had 2 giveaways. He had 2 hits (on paper) and had 2 giveaways. He had 2 hits (on paper) and had 2 giveaways.
#35 NIKOLAI KHABIBULIN - (5) Not so good. He gave up some weak goals and he made me wish that Dubnyk had another start tonight. Not sure what else to say about him.
#40 DEVAN DUBNYK - (0) DNP (Backup)
#42 RYAN O'MARRA - (0) DNP (Healthy Scratch)
#43 JASON STRUDWICK - (5) Oy! He unfortunately had one of the goals hit him as it went in. He was OK, but not worth paying for for the whole season. He better be really good in the dressing room because I see no need to keep this guy. He had an own goal, 1 hit, 1 giveaway, 1 takeaway, and 1 blocked shot. Luckily Renney limited his ice time to 13:19.
#46 ZACK STORTINI - (4) He had a scrap with Orr and to my eyes, it was boring as hell. But if you follow any of the Oilers guys, they all said it was a good one. I disagree. He had 2 hits and that's about it. He also went 1/1 for 50% on faceoffs. Glad to see him back in the lineup. If Renney would give him a chance, he's more than a plugger who fights.
#49 THEO PECKHAM - (6) He nailed Phaneuf pretty good and I was hoping he was going to hurt him. He did challenge Dion to a fight, but he pussed out. He had 3 hits, 2 giveaways, 1 takeaway and 2 blocked shots. He could have played a little tougher. Don't ask, just beat the crap out of the guy.
#67 GILBERT BRULE - (5) Two games in a row that he tried to be physical. He had 1 shot, 3 hits and 1 blocked shot. He went 3/5 for 38% on faceoffs. What happened there? He used to be good at faceoffs.
#77 TOM GILBERT - (6) He was good. He played 22:58 and he had 2 shots, 3 giveaways, 2 takeaways and a team high 4 blocked shots. Nobody blocks more shots on the Oilers than Gilbert does. I admire him for that.
#83 ALES HEMSKY - (0) DNP (Injured Groin)
#89 SAM GAGNER - (6) He started out the game on fire with the kids but cooled off int he 2nd period. His pass to Eberle was sweet and I figured he was going to have a strong game after that. I was wrong. He had 1 shot, 1 giveaway and 2 blocked shots. Meh! He can be better than what he showed tonight.
#91 MAGNUS PAAJARVI - (4) He tried. He had 1 shot and a giveaway. Not much to say about MPS. He played 13:32 and took a Bad Timing Penalty that resulted in the Leafs 4th goal.
Too Many Men & The Magnus Paajarvi Penalty - MacIntyre's penalty, to me, was questionable. It was barely a cheap shot on Armstrong. Right after that penalty was killed off, the Oilers took a too many men penalty. Terrible mistake on their part. But the kicker was the Paajarvi penalty. The Leafs scored the 4th goal while he was sitting in the box.
Last Tuesday, the Barons returned home to take on the Houston Aeros. After giving up a 3-1 lead, the Aeros were able to win in the shootout, stealing an important point from the Barons. Friday began the Barons 3-in-3 weekend. At home against the Manitoba Moose, the Barons were able to pull out a win, scoring 3 straight goals, Giroux's being 2 of them, to win 4-2. Saturday, the Barons headed to Chicago where they would be centralized for the rest of the weekend. Taking on Rockford on Saturday night, the Barons were able to hold off the IceHogs who scored 3 straight to take the game into overtime. Teemu Hartikainen got the game-winner 2 minutes in to walk out of Rockford with the 2 points. Sunday afternoon, the Barons headed north to Milwaukee to take on the Admirals, who were also on the end of a 3-in-3 of their own. After beating them twice before at home, the Barons couldn't get any momentum built after Liam Reddox's goal in the 1st and took the loss 2-1.
Winning 5 of a possible 8 points, the Barons find themselves in 3rd place in the division, tied with Milwaukee. They trail San Antonio by 5 points, the Rampage have 1 game in hand, and Peoria by 1 point, with the Rivermen having 2 games in hand. Liam Reddox had his 6th first goal of a game. The Barons are 3-2-0-1 when Reddox scores first. Here's the stats from the 4 games.
O'Marra and Omark were called up to the Oilers after the game in Houston. Dave Bonk was signed to a PTO from Allen of the CHL, and Jesse Gimblett was called up from Stockton. Jeff Petry had a 3 game goal streak that ended after Sunday night. Hartikainen got his first 2-goal game of the season against Rockford.
JDD was in net for both games that the opposing team made a late comeback. The Barons were able to sneak out of Rockford with a win. Gerber continues to perform well for the Barons. The difference in the shot count between the two goalies just shows how much different the defense plays in front of them.
The Barons were 2/18(11.1%) on the PP during the 4 games. The PK continued to excel, going 19/21(90.4%).
The Barons have only 2 games this week, both at home. They take on Hamilton on Friday at 6:05 CST. The Barons will be giving away Snuggie-style blankets to the first 2000 through the door. Some players will also be made available for autographs after the game. The NBA Thunder will be playing next door, so it will be interesting to see the attendance. Saturday, the Barons take on San Antonio at 7:05 CST. A very important game as far as the standings go. Saturday will be the Teddy Bear Toss. Fans will also get a chance to shoot for a Christmas ham following the game.
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.
If you have any suggestions, corrections or comments, please leave a comment at the bottom of this post. No sign up is required. Ever.
VAN: A. Burrows (06:12 - 1st) , H. Sedin (06:37 - 2nd)
EDM: J. Eberle (PPG, 19:55 - 3rd)
GOALIES
VAN: R. Luongo EDM: D. Dubnyk
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POWER PLAY
Vancouver Canucks - 0/4 for 0%
Edmonton Oilers - 1/5 for 20%
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PENALTY KILL
Vancouver Canucks - 4/5 for 80%
Edmonton Oilers - 4/4 for 100%
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FACEOFFS
Vancouver Canucks - 32/23 for 58%
Edmonton Oilers - 23/32 for 42%
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HIT/BODYCHECK COUNT
Vancouver Canucks - 23
Edmonton Oilers - 26
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GIVEAWAY TOTALS
Vancouver Canucks - 13
Edmonton Oilers - 22
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TAKEAWAY TOTALS
Vancouver Canucks - 8
Edmonton Oilers - 11
-----------------------------------
BLOCKED SHOTS
Vancouver Canucks - 20
Edmonton Oilers - 11
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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 - (N/A) He was hurt after playing 1:32. They say it is an ankle injury.
#4TAYLOR HALL - (5)He was one of the better Oilers tonight (that's not saying much). He had a team high 3 shots. He hustled out there and didn't get much help from his linemates. He was out chanced 4/7.
#5 LADISLAV SMID - (4) He was average at best. He ended the night -1 and really did nothing on the stats sheet even though he played 22:12.
#6 RYAN WHITNEY - (4)JEERS He was not very good in my eyes, yet managed to be on the plus for chances (6/4). Go figure. Hence the score of 4 and not a 3. He had a team high and a season high 6 giveaways. He had 2 hits and had 3 takeaways.
#10 SHAWN HORCOFF - (0) DNP (Injured)
#13 ANDREW COGLIANO - (4)JEERS Cogs stunk. Even with Renney changing up the lines, he still stunk. He was -2, had 2 giveaways, had no shots, 1 hit and 1 takeaway. On the plus side, he went 6/6 for 50% on faceoffs (which is good for his standards).
#14 JORDAN EBERLE - (5) He was the only Oiler player to score. It came with 4 seconds left in the game and I suppose we should be happy about that. He also contributed 2 of the 22 team giveaways.
#16 COLIN FRASER - (2) JEERS Did he even play? Not noticeable at all. 10:38 of playing time resulted in no shots, 3 hits and 1 blocked shot. I can think of two words when I watch him play... LIAM REDDOX
#22 JF JACQUES - (2)JEERS He was brutal as well. He lines guys up for big hits and misses. He hits the boards more often than players. Someone needs to tell him to slow down and actually hit a guy. Way more effective than missing a check. In 9:49 of ice time, he registered nothing but 3 hits. And Stortini sits for this slug? WTF?
#23 LINUS OMARK - (3)JEERS He was brutal 5 on 5. Zero chances for. He had 1 blocked shot and a giveaway. Not a special night like the last one. Can he improve or is he another Rob Schremp? I'm betting he can improve.
#26 KURTIS FOSTER - (3)JEERS He tried to get shots to the net but just couldn't. He had 4 that were blocked before hitting the net. So because of that he had zero chances on paper. He did pick up an assist on the Eberle goal.
#27 DUSTIN PENNER - (4) Penner was expected to lead this team and failed for the most part. He tried but it wasn't enough. He took 2 shots, 2 giveaways, 1 blocked shot and he was 3/6 for scoring chances. He also picked up an assist on Eberle's goal. He went 5/4 for 56% on faceoffs. A team high. He was also -2 with Cogliano.
#28 RYAN JONES - (4) He was so-so. He tried hard to do something out there and with no avail. I liked his effort, but if all else fails, hammer some players with hits. He didn't do that. He had 1 shot and 2 blocked shots in 14:22 of ice time.
#33 STEVE MACINTYRE - (0) DNP (Healthy Scratch)
#35 NIKOLAI KHABIBULIN - (0) DNP (Backup)
#40 DEVAN DUBNYK - (7)BEERS He was pretty good. Both goals were hard for him to save so I can't really blame him. He kept this game respectable and did his best to not make this a blowout. WHat more can you ask for? Well... he could have scored I suppose. Kidding!
#42 RYAN O'MARRA - (4) His line sucked like all the Oilers lines did. I liked O'Marra though. I think he's a way better player than Fraser and I would hope that the Oilers see the light as well. He threw 4 hits and had a blocked shot. From my memory, he lost faceoffs because h\the guys he was with failed to win the second battles to gain possession. Hence his 2/5 for 29% faceoff record. Unlike Omark, I can see great potential in O'Marra.
#43 JASON STRUDWICK - (0) DNP (Healthy Scratch)
#46 ZACK STORTINI - (0) DNP (Healthy Scratch)
#49 THEO PECKHAM - (4) Not really a standout like games past but I won't complain. However, I don't think Don Cherry would approve of this game. He had 4 hits (good), 1 giveaway and a takeaway. I understand that he's labeled a physical guy, so when the team is sinking like tonight, beat the crap out of someone. Get the team fired up. That's what your here for.
#67 GILBERT BRULE - (4) He was better tonight. He laid out a team high 5 hits and had 1 shot on goal. He also contributed to the giveaway cause by coughing up 2 himself. He somehow out chanced the Canucks 3/2 and when Renney changed the lines in the 3rd, he was promoted. Hard work can pay off, even when your not that good. His dumb moment of the game? The boarding call. He deserved that one.
#77 TOM GILBERT - (4)JEERS He was out chanced by a 2/7 margin. Not good enough for one of the "best" Oilers defencemen. "He had 1 shot, 1 hit, 2 giveaways, 2 takeaways and 2 blocked shots. I would expect more from anyone else too if they played 25:57 like Gilbert did.
#83 ALES HEMSKY - (0) DNP (Injured Groin)
#89 SAM GAGNER - (3)JEERS He has a chance to be "the guy"and he failed to do so tonight. I expect a ton out of this kid and maybe that's my problem. He's still just a kid. He's not meshing with Hall and Eberle and I don't expect him to be on that line next game. He took two penalties and tried to take 5 shots in the game, but only 1 manged to hit the net. He went 6/9 for 40% on faceoffs.
#91 MAGNUS PAAJARVI - (3)JEERS He tried out there. He even had a penalty shot that looked slow motion and predictable. No way he was fooling Luongo with that move. He only registered 2 shots. 1 was on net and the other was a miss. No hits, no nothing. A tad disappointed with MPS.
Theo Peckham - Gilbert Brule just took a stupid boarding penalty and with only a few seconds burned off on that penalty, Peckham (I'm sure not on purpose) high sticked a Canucks player. That gave the Canucks a 5 on 3 for a minute forty something. Lucky for those two, the Canucks failed to score.
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GAMES 3 STARS
1st: HENRIK SEDIN
2nd: DANIEL SEDIN
3rd: DEVAN DUBNYK
The Thunder returned home to Stockton Arena tonight after a tough road loss to the Bakersfield Condors the day before. The 5-3 loss to Bakersfield broke the Thunder's ECHL streak of not having lost a road game in regulation.
Tonight the Thunder brought a great, energetic product to home ice, taking on the Utah Grizzlies. In net for Stockton was Garrett Zemlak, giving starting goalie Bryan Pitton a break after last night's loss. JP Lamoureux was goaltending for Utah.
Thunder center Marcus Watson, who before today was on a free-agent tryout agreement, played his first game tonight on a professional contract, and scored the opening goal at 5:47 of the first period. Shortly after, Stockton's Bretton Cameron added a goal to make the score 2-0.
Fraser Clair's powerplay goal in the second period put the Thunder up 3-0 and had Grizzlies goalie Lamoureux visibly exhibiting some frustration.
It was a spirited game in front of a crowd of 8,330. In the second period, Thunder left-winger Garet Hunt dropped the gloves with Grizzlies defenseman Matt Sorteberg. Garet was clearly the winner of that fight and both players were escorted to the penalty box charged with five minutes for fighting. Three minutes later, Garet Hunt's brother, Thunder defenseman Trevor Hunt, took on Grizzlies defenseman David Schulz.
Utah scored their first goal late in the second period from center Marcus Carroll on a powerplay. Carroll also brought the score to 3-2 by scoring another powerplay goal in the third period.
There was no love lost between the Stockton Thunder and Utah Grizzlies. According to the ECHL site, a total of 32 penalties were charged overall, including a 10-minute game misconduct for abuse of officials to Utah Grizzlies Matt Clarke after he slammed his stick on the glass while on his way to the penalty box to serve an interference call.
The score remained 3-2 despite opposing goalie Lamoureux being pulled for the extra attacker in the last seconds of the game. Thunder goalie Zemlak made 27 saves for the win.
I'm sure everyone has seen Linus Omark's shootout goal from last night (If you haven't, you can leave your Oilers card at the door). Having gotten to see him play live those 16 times, it felt pretty cool to see someone go and have success at the NHL level. Late last night, another OKC blogger, and someone who's gotten to be a pretty friend that just happened to have season tickets two rows behind mine, put up a pretty awesome post that pretty much sums up my feelings. She also reminded me of why I stick mostly with stats because of how my writing ability still lacks pretty bad. Candace Riley writes A New Ice Age. If you haven't seen it yet, she gives a pretty great recap and adds in pictures that she takes throughout the game. Go and check it out. So without further adieu, here's Candace's post.
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Not long after Tuesday night's game against Houston, the rumours started running hard and fast about the Oilers calling up a couple Barons players. The likely duo was named as Ryan O'Marra and Linus Omark. The rumour became truth early Wednesday afternoon. They were pulled off the ice during the Barons' outdoor practice and shuttled to Edmonton that afternoon/evening. They both played in their first game of the season with the Oilers Friday night. Ryan had seen time with the club last season, but this was Linus' first taste of the regular season big show. As it would turn out, one taste wasn't enough, apparently. Each one registered an assist during the 2nd period of a close game against Tampa Bay. Tampa led on a couple of occasions, but Edmonton fought back to take a 3-2 lead to the 3rd. Steven Stamkos would tie the game for the Lightning early in the 3rd. We arrived home from the Barons win over Manitoba, and we'd see it go to overtime, then finally a shootout. The Edmonton announcers on Rogers Sportsnet were pretty excited with speculation as to whether or not Oilers coach Tom Renney would put Linus in the shootout. I almost couldn't believe it when they said that, yes, he had made the list of 3. He would shoot third, behind Jordan Eberle and Taylor Hall. Eberle scored on his attempt, and Oilers goalie Nikolai Khabibulin stopped Marc Pouliot on his. Taylor Hall would be stopped by Dan Ellis, and the same for Steven Stamkos. Then, it was Linus' turn. He took a very quick run to the puck, but was stopped by the referee at center ice. Apparently in his excitement, or that of the entire crowd at Rexall Place, he hadn't waited for the whistle to go. On his second go.................................magic.
Already hoarse from the Barons game, Aaron & I both screamed loud enough to doom what was left of our voices, pretty much. JF Jacques was the first player off the bench to grab Linus, and the entire building was so loud I think it was shaking. I know *I* was....... It finally hit me a little while later................*THIS* is why we're here. The Barons. The fans. To support these guys on whatever journey their career might take them. Sure, I knew it and understood it before. But to be caught in that actual *moment* that takes your breath away.............seeing a guy's dream come true, is just almost too much joy for a heart to bear. I know Linus didn't want to be here. I know some things were said in interviews early on that may have been.....questionable. Some so-called fans tried to turn it against him. I. Don't. Care. I understood WHY. And now, tonight, we as fans were able to understand it and live it with him. Whether they play one game here, or an entire season, they'll always be "ours"....if only for fleeting moments. From then on, all joy and heartbreak will be shared by us all. It's positively heartwrenching to see them go, yet that's all you want for them....is to have their dreams come true. They may play one game up there, or we may never see them down here again.........NHL superstars and fixtures from then on. Linus may never do another thing in the NHL ever again, and it wouldn't matter. He still can say that he *owned* the night of December 10, 2010.....when he set all hockey related electronic media on fire and kicked it off stage. TOP THAT, he seemed to say. I watched a player named Rene Corbet score 2 goals in a Stanley Cup final game in early June, 1996 for the Colorado Avalanche. Who, you might ask? It doesn't matter......he was my favorite player, it happened, and I remember it.. And just like tonight..................it was magic. Linus, should lightning strike and you ever read this......I understand why you didn't want to be here. I accept that with all my heart. And after tonight, I hope I never see you back again. The hockey world belongs to you tonight, if only for this short, fleeting moment. I can only hope you grab it, hold on, and DON'T LET IT GO. Gratis, Linus...one more time.
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Be sure to check out Candace's Twitter, @SoonerPenguin. She's a Pens fan, but don't hold it against her. Thanks to Candace for letting me repost this.
Be sure to check out the Barons game starting in about an hour. You can listen on 1000 KTOK or follow along on Twitter, @AHLBarons. Barons will play again tomorrow in Milwaukee at 7 CST/ 6 MST.
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.
If you have any suggestions, corrections or comments, please leave a comment at the bottom of this post. No sign up is required. Ever.
TBL: R. Jones (05:03 - 1st) , R. Malone (PPG, 17:48 - 1st) , S. Stamkos (11:33 - 3rd)
EDM: M. Paajarvi (11:37 - 1st) , T. Hall (PPG, 05:46 - 2nd) , T. Gilbert (PPG, 16:30 - 2nd) , J. Eberle (00:00 - SO)
GOALIES
TBL: D. Ellis (L) EDM: N. Khabibulin (W)
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POWER PLAY
Tampa Bay Lightning - 1/5 for 20%
Edmonton Oilers - 2/3 for 67%
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PENALTY KILL
Tampa Bay Lightning - 2/3 for 33%
Edmonton Oilers - 1/5 for 80%
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FACEOFFS
Tampa Bay Lightning - 38/30 for 56%
Edmonton Oilers - 30/38 for 44%
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HIT/BODYCHECK COUNT
Tampa Bay Lightning - 12
Edmonton Oilers - 31
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GIVEAWAY TOTALS
Tampa Bay Lightning - 20
Edmonton Oilers - 25
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TAKEAWAY TOTALS
Tampa Bay Lightning - 14
Edmonton Oilers - 16
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BLOCKED SHOTS
Tampa Bay Lightning - 16
Edmonton Oilers - 28
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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 - (5) He was not so good. He had a team high 4 giveaways and only one hit. He played 21:06 and did block 3 shots, but I just thought he looked a step behind.
#4TAYLOR HALL - (7)BEERS The kid can play. And score. His skating speed is very hard to stop and he seemed to have the jets burning all game long. He took 10 shots tonight including his wrap around goal, with 4 of those 10 shots hitting the net. Every 4th shot was from Hall. The team took 42 in all and 10 were Taylor's. He had 2 takeaways and even blocked a shot. He couldn't have played much better.
#5 LADISLAV SMID - (6) He was OK. He finished the night -1 but he played tough there for a while. He was trying to be physical and he did make a nice play in the 3rd to break up a scoring chance but he needs to find away to do that all the time. He made 3 hits and had 3 blocked shots, but also had 2 giveaways.
#6 RYAN WHITNEY - (6) He was pretty decent. I didn't notice any real bad giveaways from him (credited with 2 tonight). I do remember seeing him get caught out of position in the 2nd, but for the most part pretty safe plays. He took 1 shot and also had 3 blocked shots. He played 24:41.
#10 SHAWN HORCOFF - (0) DNP (Injured)
#13 ANDREW COGLIANO - (6) Cogs was OK. He played pretty hard and good things happened for him. He played just over 20 minutes and played well on the PK. Looking at the event summary, Cogliano has 1's all across the board. He went 8/11 for 42% on faceoffs. Good effort tonight.
#14 JORDAN EBERLE - (6)BEERS He plays smart. He does need to be more aggressive with shooting and going hard to the net. He needs no work on his play making skills, he has that down to a science. He had 1 shot and 2 takeaways. His shootout move was so slick. A little foot kick and a quick deke and it's in. He's credited with the shootout winner even though Omark stole the show.
#16 COLIN FRASER - (4) JEERS I'll be honest. I never really noticed him all that much. I'm not -- and I know I have tried -- a Fraser fan. I seen no point in keeping him around. O'Marra can do what he does, but better. Fraser had 1 shot, 1 hit and 2 giveaways in 9:49 of ice time.
#22 JF JACQUES - (4) He was OK. He tried to hit guys and he registered 3 on paper. He needs to rack up 6 or more hits a game like he used to.
#23 LINUS OMARK - (7)BEERS The kid earns an assist (his first ever NHL point) from a pretty sweet play to set up Gilbert and scores in the shootout with a spin-o-rama fake shot through the 5 hole to steal the show. WOW! What a show it was. He played 11:49 and had 1 shot, 2 takeaways and 2 blocked shots. While his defensive game needs work, he sure can move that puck. If he can play well again on Sunday, he may start to earn a permanent spot here
#26 KURTIS FOSTER - (7)BEERS I liked Foster. When he's doing something and he's productive, that's when he's on his game. Tonight he did a lot. He had 3 shots on goal (6 in total), 3 blocked shots, a hit and a takeaway.
#27 DUSTIN PENNER - (8)BEERS Penner had an edge to his game tonight and he really stood out as dominant. Omark was nailed hard and Penner stuck up for him and tussled with Kubina. That seemed to piss Penner off and after that he just bounced guys off of him. He assisted on Paajarvi's goal and created a ton of chances. Oh so close to the Gordie Howe hat trick. He had a fight, took 4 shots, had 4 hits and 2 blocked shots. I'd say a good night.
#28 RYAN JONES - (6) He was decent. From sheer hard work alone he made himself an opportunity shorthanded. He's playing the best we have seen him since he's been with the team. He had 4 hits.
#33 STEVE MACINTYRE - (0) DNP (Healthy Scratch)
#35 NIKOLAI KHABIBULIN - (8)BEERS He kept the team in this game long enough to win it in the shootout. He made some great saves and for the most part, kept the rebounds away from the front of the net. His focus seemed honed in as he made some saves, I had no idea how he seen them.
#40 DEVAN DUBNYK - (0) DNP (Backup)
#42 RYAN O'MARRA - (6) His season debut and he picks up an assist. I thought he was way more effective than Fraser was and if that keeps on going, I can see him replace Fraser when cuts need to be made. I liked his game tonight. His line was burned early on a goal, but most of that was nerves I'm sure. I doubt that line before the game started and while it wasn't a great line, it was OK. In 11:30 of ice time, he had 3 hits and 1 blocked shot. He went 4/8 for 33% on the faceoff dot.
#43 JASON STRUDWICK - (0) DNP (Healthy Scratch)
#46 ZACK STORTINI - (0) DNP (Healthy Scratch)
#49 THEO PECKHAM - (6)BEERS He plays such a hard hitting game. He had 5 hits tonight and was a wrecker. He also blocked 4 shots and played pretty good on the PK. He's really adapting well to the NHL. He keeps growing on me.
#67 GILBERT BRULE - (5) He was average. He took 1 shot, pounded 2 hits and had a giveaway. He's deserving his time on the 4th line.
#77 TOM GILBERT - (7)BEERS Is it me or is he playing like he's tough? He seems to be more physical and more in your face. Only in the game though, he still doesn't mix it up after a whistle. He scores a goal and plays a team high 26:02. He took one shot, had 1 hit, 3 takeaways and 1 blocked shot.
#83 ALES HEMSKY - (0) DNP (Injured Groin)
#89 SAM GAGNER - (6) His new line wasn't great. They didn't flat out suck either. Sam had a rough go with 3 giveaways and only had 1 shot, but he did go 10/10 for 50% on faceoffs. That's damn good, for Gagner. He had PP and PK time tonight.
#91 MAGNUS PAAJARVI - (7)BEERS Another good game. He scores a goal and has an assist for the 2nd star of the game. While he wasn't blowing minds with you tube antics, he played a good solid game. He had 2 shots and a giveaway. Nice to see all the kids taking a turn becoming a hero.
The Oilers Bench - Imagine this. Overtime. The Oilers are tied and what happens? The puck goes to the guy that's coming on and the guy going off is lolly gagging to the bench. Tweet! Too Many Men. In Overtime! Lucky the Bolts didn't score and the Oilers went on to win in the shootout.
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GAMES 3 STARS
1st: NIKOLAI KHABIBULIN
2nd: MAGNUS PAAJARVI
3rd: ADAM HALL
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