Showing posts with label Toronto Maple Leafs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Toronto Maple Leafs. Show all posts

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Oilers Lose To The Leafs 4-1 While Taylor Hall Shines / A Game Recap


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.

Thank you for reading OilersJambalaya.com.

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FINAL SCORE

TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS - 4

EDMONTON OILERS - 1

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TONIGHTS STARTING LINES

Hall/Gagner/Eberle
Penner/Cogliano/Omark
Paajarvi/Brule/Jones
MacIntyre/Fraser/Stortini

Whitney/Strudwick
Peckham/Gilbert
Foster/Smid

Khabibulin
Dubnyk

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TWEETCAST REPLAY LINK

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE TWEETCAST REPLAY

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VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS



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FINAL SHOT TOTAL

Toronto Maple Leafs - 34 

Edmonton Oilers - 24

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GOAL SCORERS

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.

#2 JIM VANDERMEER - (0) DNP (Injured)

#4 TAYLOR HALL - (7) BEERS He 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.

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BAD TIMING PENALTY (What is a Bad Timing Penalty?)

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.

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GAMES 3 STARS

1st: PHIL KESSEL
2nd: JS GIGUERE
3rd: TAYLOR HALL

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USEFUL GAME LINKS

EVENT SUMMARY

GAME SUMMARY

FACEOFF REPORT

SHOT REPORT

mc79hockey.com SCORING CHANCES

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BEERS & JEERS RECAP CREDITS

Thank you for taking the time to read OilersJambalaya.com.

We are trying to change the way you look at the Edmonton Oilers... one reader at a time.

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Special thanks to David Staples of Cult Of Hockey - Edmonton Journal for allowing us to use his grading system. I feel it's a great system.

-This Recap Was Written by Smokin' Ray Burnt-

Toronto Maple Leafs vs Edmonton Octane... I mean Oilers / A LIVE TweetCast


Welcome to the LIVE TweetCast of
the Edmonton Oilers vs the Toronto Maple Leafs 
GOILERS!!!

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OILERS OCTANE GIRLS

TV: Sportsnet West

RADIO: 630 CHED & Oilers Radio Network

PUCK DROP: 7:08 p.m. MST


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Last 10 Games: Toronto 4-5-1; Edmonton 6-3-1
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Toronto Maple Leafs (11-14-4) at Edmonton Oilers (11-13-5)



This LIVE TweetCast is brought to you
by the good people of 

Thursday, December 2, 2010

The Shoe Feels Great On The Other Foot / Oilers Win 5-0 / A Game Recap


BEERS & JEERS GAME RECAP

Welcome to another fine Edmonton Oilers Beers & Jeers Game Recap.

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FINAL SCORE

EDMONTON OILERS - 5

TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS - 0

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TONIGHT'S STARTING LINES

Hall/Horcoff/Eberle
Jones/Gagner/Paajarvi
Penner/Cogliano/Brule
MacIntyre/Fraser/Stortini

Whitney/Smid
Foster/Vandermeer
Peckham/Gilbert

Khabibulin
Dubnyk

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VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS



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TWEETCAST REPLAY LINK

Click Here To View The TweetCast Replay

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FINAL SHOTS

Oilers - 19   Maple Leafs - 33

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GOAL SCORERS

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)

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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.

#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) BEERS His 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) BEERS He 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.

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BAD TIMING PENALTY (what is a Bad Timing Penalty?)

NONE - Phew!

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GAMES 3 STARS

1st: TAYLOR HALL
2nd: JORDAN EBERLE
3rd: NIKOLAI KHABIBULIN 

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USEFUL LINKS

EVENT SUMMARY

GAME SUMMARY

FACEOFF REPORT

SHOT REPORT

mc79hockey.com Scoring Chances

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Thank you for reading OilersJambalaya.com. We are trying to change the way you look at the Edmonton Oilers... one reader at a time.

Special thanks to David Staples of Cult Of Hockey - Edmonton Journal for allowing us to use his grading system.

-Written by Smokin' Ray of OilersJambalaya.com-

Edmonton Oilers vs Toronto Maple Leafs Video Highlights

Basement Barn Burner / Maple Leafs vs Oilers at 5:00pm MT / A LIVE TweetCast


Welcome to the LIVE TweetCast of
the Edmonton Oilers vs the Toronto Maple Leafs 
GOILERS!!!

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TV: Sportsnet Oilers

RADIO: 630 CHED & Oilers Radio Network

PUCK DROP: 5:08 p.m. MST


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EDMONTON OILERS STARTING LINES

Hall - Horcoff - Eberle
Paajarvi - Gagner - Hemsky
Penner - Cogliano - Brule
Jacques - Fraser - Jones

Whitney - Smid
Peckham - Gilbert
Vandermeer - Foster

Khabibulin
Dubnyk

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SPECIAL GAME NOTES:

- 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.

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Last 10 Games: Edmonton 4-4-2; Toronto 3-6-1

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Edmonton Oilers (8-12-4) at Toronto Maple Leafs (8-11-4)


This LIVE TweetCast is brought to you
by the good people of 

Do you see what I see? It's an Oilers winning streak!!

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.

Saturday, March 13, 2010

Gilbert and Whitney Are Good, Stortini And Nilsson, Not So Much


This is a game recap of the Edmonton Oilers vs the Toronto Maple Leafs game on Hockey Night and Canada.

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FINAL SCORE

Edmonton Oilers - 4

Toronto Maple Leafs - 6

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Tonight's Starting Lines

Comrie Horcoff Moreau
Penner Cogliano Brule
Minard Gagner Pouliot
Stortini Potulny Nilsson

Whitney Gilbert
Chorney Strudwick
Johnson Peckham

Deslauriers
Dubnyk

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VIDEO REPLAY



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THE RECAP

I figured since either your watching the game, or you don't give a crap, I figured the Beers & Jeers are getting a little redundant and therefore I am going to not do them for the games that we can all watch. I'll still do them for the PPV games though. A lot of people count on the recaps as nobody is paying for the PPV's much anymore. I have the package. So I'll post them there.

I figured I could write about the game, but in more of a discussion type forum. 

Let's start with the good stuff:

- Brule tries hard no matter what. How can you not like that about him? Tonight he had 3 shots and really dictated the play when he was out. I liked him, even if he blew that breakaway.

- Tommy G is a new guy. Not new to the team. But more like as in a brand new man. He's not only been responsible in his own end, he's done a decent job as a #1 guy. He was +1 and had an assist. Gilbert even played an exhausting 26:17. Nicely done Tommy G.

- Ryan Whitney is a guy who I was not happy about acquiring. Not only was I wrong about him, he's making me look stupid. He skates fast and he's very fluid. He's strong and his passes are fairly accurate. I'm liking this guy. Tonight he played 27:09 and had an assist. He did all that even with a bum/injured knee. Now we all know that is a must have quality if you want to be an Oiler. I'm glad Ryan has it.

- Sam Gagner just keeps getting better. To be honest with you, the more I see Gagner this year, the less I care about Hemsky. Gagner has passion and the drive to be great. He's going to be a star in the NHL and there is no doubt he will surpass Hemsky in most facets. Tonight he picked up an assist but was a -1.

- I would like to see Devan Dubnyk get more games. He needs a win.

- Dustin Penner tonight was the Powerhouse Dustin Penner. He was that machine we seen at the start of the season. He scored a goal and had two assists and was +2 at the end of the game. Stellar game for the big guy. I just wish he was this for all 82 games. He really could make a run for a trophy if he did.

The Not So Good Parts Of The Game:

- Having Moreau in the lineup was a mistake from the get go. The trade deadline has passed, let him sit it out for the rest of the year. He sucks the life out of the team.

- What the hell is wrong with Deslauriers? HELLO!!! They are going to shoot high on you. I'm sure if I know where your weak spot is, then the NHL teams must know right? You better fix it soon. It's getting sad.

- Zack Stortini has dropped off the radar. So far, it's like he's not really emotionally involved any more. I wonder if there is a riff with Quinn? But for night's like tonight where he only played 6:40, but ended up -2. Ouch!

- For a guy who needs to play his butt off to secure a spot on the team next season, Robert Nilsson is a huge let down. He started the year looking pretty good, but he's been sucking for a long time. Tonight he sucked some more. he was -2 and played 13:30.

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POST GAME VIDEO



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For the full game TweetCast, Go Here To Re-Read

**LIVE BLOG** Edmonton Oilers at Toronto Maple Leafs (THE BATTLE OF THE BAD)


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 Toronto Maple Leafs tweets.

I have also included Hockey Canada and CTVOlympics to the Live Blog. The Paralympics are on and I am cheering for all the Canadian athletes that are there participating. GO CANADA GO!!!

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!!!

Edmonton Oilers (21-39-7) at Toronto Maple Leafs (22-33-12)

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Daily News & Rumors

Sorry, I have not been blogging much lately but it is hard to get rumors during the Olympics when the focus is all Olympics and people seem to forget about the NHL. Unfortunately I do not have an Oilers rumors for you.

According to Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch, GM Scott Howson said the team is leaning toward selling. Names like Raffi Torres and Freddy Modin have came up, there is believed to be a lot of teams interested in Raffi's services.

There is serious interest in Alexei Ponikarovsky, several teams have contacted the Leafs about Alexei and if he remains a Leaf after the deadline I will be SHOCKED.

Price or Halak? We have been asking this question for a while now and a decision may finally be here, I personally think Price will be dealt, and the team that seems the most interested is the Chicago Blackhawks believe it or not.

Friday, February 5, 2010

Our Condolences To The Burke and Reedy Families

We have received some very sad news in the hockey world today. 21 year old Brendan Burke and fellow vehicle occupant, 18 year old Mark Reedy, were tragically killed in a car accident earlier today.

The vehicle that they were driving had slid sideways and struck an oncoming truck. The driver of the truck was not hurt in the accident. They did manage to get Mr. Burke to the hospital, but he later died of his injuries.

Snow and bad roads were the root cause of the accident and as far as we know, drugs and alcohol were not a factor. For more on this story and complete updates, CLICK HERE

On behalf of everyone in the Jambalaya family, we want to send our thoughts and prayers out to the Burke and Reedy families in this troubling time. God bless you folks.

-Smokin' Ray-

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Daily News & Rumors

According to Darren Dreger of TSN the Oilers may be closing in on a deal that would send Ethan Moreau and a prospect/pick in exchange for Garnett Exelby or Lee Stempniak.

According to Bob Mckenzie of TSN Ilya Kovalchuk has been told that he will be dealt in the next few days "RDS reports that Don Waddell met Ilya Kovalchuk today and told him to expect a trade in the coming days. Now it's on."

The New York Islanders have placed Defenseman Brendan Witt on waivers. 

The Columbus Blue Jackets have fired Head Coach Ken Hitchcock.

Hurricanes Defenseman Nic Wallin has waived his NTC and will not be in the Hurricanes lineup tonight, he is likely heading to San Jose.

Sunday, January 31, 2010

Oilers + News & Rumors **UPDATED**

First off, I would like to congratulate the Oilers on being swept by Calgary Flames... This was the first time a Battle of Alberta season series has been swept by either team. The Oilers suffered yet another big blow (because you haven't suffered enough already) as Sheldon Souray broke his hand in a fight last night with Jarome Iginla. This lowers Souray's chances of being traded.

Jonas Hiller - In other news, the Anaheim Ducks have re-signed Goaltender Jonas Hiller to a 4 year deal earning him 4.5 million per season / 18 million total. This obviously means Anaheim has moved on from Giggy as the starting goaltender. They will have him as a 6 million dollar backup unless somehow they can move his salary.

Leafs - Leafs GM Brian Burke is holding a press conference at 11:30 AM eastern on leafs TV, it will likely be a trade for J.S Giguere from Anaheim. It may not be the only move done today by the Leafs says Darren Dreger of TSN on his twitter " Could be multi-deal, multi-player. Big makeover...if all comes together for Toronto. My blackberry may blow!"


Update - This from Darren Dreger "Something enormous is about to go down. Working on it."

Update # 2 - From Darren Dreger " Phaneuf to the Leafs"

Update # 3 - It seems as leafs will get Giggy, Phaneuf and Sjostrom 

Update # 4 - Stajan and White are involved.

To Flames: Stajan, White, Hagman, Mayers

To Leafs: Sjostrom, Phaneuf, Keith Aullie (AHL Defenseman)

Update # 5 - Another deal in next 30 minutes says Brian Burke.

Update # 6 - Marlies Forwards and Sjostrom will fill in vacant Forward spots on Leafs.  

Update # 7 - Burke says sit tight we should be back soon. 

Update # 8 - It looks like Finger and Toskala for Giguere and a 1st round pick.

Update # 9 - It may be Exelby instead of Finger or Blake.

Update #10 - The Ducks want to send a player, Leafs want 1st.

Update # 11 - Darren Dreger says Toskala and Blake for Giggy done deal.
As always, all comments are welcome.

Kotalik done as a Ranger? - According to Larry Brooks of the NY Post Ales Kotalik has been told he will be traded and has left the team.

Update from Larry Brooks "Rangers tentaive deal to move Kotalik fell through due to complications, per NYR."

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Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Oilers on top of the world...well the Leafs at least


I know I am just a rumor blogger and am not an Oilers fan (Devils fan here) however I do know a lot about them and I want you guys to know that the Oilers are above at least 1 team..... guess who?

The Toronto Maple Leafs.

You guys (Oilers fans) think you are in a rough position (last in the NHL). Well, the Leafs are in a worse position.  Not only are they 3rd last in the NHL, but they don't have a 1st this year (Cam Fowler???), or a 1st next year either... terrible.

They have 3 big assets Tomas Kaberle (NTC), Phil Kessel (they just got him) and Nazem Kadri (gosh forbid they have 1 good prospect), so they are looking at dealing all of their other good players Hagman, Ponikarovsky and such just to get some 2nd round picks where you draft players that may or may not ever play in the NHL.

Oilers nation don't worry you have a bright future with Taylor Hall, Svenson, Eberle, etc.., plus you have Hemsky and Khabibulin injured who are big time players and will be ready and fresh for next season. Also, despite losing all of the time, you get to watch one of the most talented Defenseman in the NHL.  No not Sheldon Souray, I am talking about Lubomir Visnovsky. This guy is just so talented and is really a treat to watch.

That is all for now Oiler nation please comment and let me know how I did.  If it was bad I will just stick to my rumors (and Devils at a different site).

Quick leafs rumor update

Leafs GM Brian Burke has given Garnet Exelby permission to seek a trade.

Preds re-sign Goc


The Nashville Predators have signed forward Marcel Goc to a one-year contract extension worth $775,000.

Wednesday Morning Rumor Update

Leafs shopping Mayers

- According to Darren Dreger of TSN, the Toronto Maple Leafs have given Forward Jamal Mayers and his agent permission to seek a trade out of Toronto, Leafs GM Brian Burke has made it clear to every NHL team that Jamal is available.


Trade winds continue to swirl

- Canadiens GM Bob Gainey was scouting last night at the Leafs/Kings game, it is believed that scouts for up to 10 different teams were taking in that game as well.

Ponikarovsky update

- Alexei Ponikarovsky's play as of late has been very solid and that is not going unnoticed, the Pittsburgh Penguins, Calgary Flames, Boston Bruins and Atlanta Thrashers have all shown interest.

"The Wizard" drawing interest


- The Boston Bruins and LA Kings have shown serious interest in Hurricanes Forward Ray Whitney don't be suprised if he is dealt before the olympic break.

King Kovy?

- Kovalchuk to the Kings is picking up, if Kovalchuk was to be dealt to the Kings it would take a package like Jack Johnson, Alex Frolov, a top prospect and a 1st round draft pick. Rich Hammond an LA Kings insider has confirmed that the 2 teams have held talks about the Russian superstar.

Hill-en to climb

- New York Islanders Defenseman Jack Hillen took an Ovechkin shot in the face yesterday night. He suffered broken jaw & damaged teeth; he had surgery last night and will be out the next 6-8 weeks.

Time for an Oil change

- The Edmonton Oilers are interested in Predators Goaltender Dan Ellis, I have heard the Predators really like O' Sullivan.

I will highlight sections involving the Oilers in BLUE from now on.

All comments are welcome! 

NHLTALK202

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Players Grades - Cult of Hockey - Oilers vs Leafs (12/30/09)


The Oilers get killed in the giveaway department.  30 for the Oilers and 13 for the Leafs.  That's a shocking stat if you ask me.  But other than that this was a grat game for the Oilers.  A win after that long feel nice.

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.

#5 Ladislav Smid (6) - He had a hurt hand from the Iginla fight the other night so he played a more mellow, low key type of a game.  No face washes after the whistle.  He finished the night at a +1 and didn't look too bad out there.  Lucky for him he only had 1 giveaway. 

#10 Shawn Horcoff (6) - He had a real good faceoff game tonight.  He went 11W-7L-61%.  Not bad Horcoff.   He played a decent game and he didn't look like he was hurt tonight.  He picked up the assist on the first O'Sullivan goal and that should help his confidence out. He had 17:02 in ice time.

#12 Robert Nilsson (6) - At times he looks like a million bucks and at times he looks like an amateur.  Tonight he was floating in the middle somewhere.  I liked his game tonight but was still foolish with the puck at times.  I liked that he was hitting guys and he really tried to get involved in this game.  He only had two giveaways.

#13 Andrew Cogliano (5) - He started the game off like a hot potato, flying all over the place.  By the mid point he was getting cold.  He still played well, but he had more jump at the start.  On one hand he had 2 giveaways, and on the other he had 3 takeaways.  Does the good outweigh the bad?

#16 Ryan Potulny (4) - It looked like he played OK.  But did he really?  It's hard to judge him because while he didn't make any glaring mistakes (not including the tripping penalty), he really didn't do anything.  No shots, no hits, no nothing.  All he had was a blocked shot. I've seen him play better.

#18 Ethan Moreau (5) - I can't believe he made it through a game without screwing things up. *clap, clap* Mind you Quinn kept his minutes down by only playing him for 10:28.  He had two shots and one giveaway.  Not a bad night for him.  My wife was sad though... watching him play usually builds up our swear fund. EDIT: Why was he put out there in the last two minutes of the game? Is Quinn just trying to temp fate?

#19 Patrick O'Sullivan (8) - Well this was his best game in a loooooong time.  Good for him.  After his first (couldn't get more fluky) goal, he started to play with conviction and really came out strong for the last half of the game.  He handled the puck like it was meant to be on his stick.  He fired 5 shots and had two hits.  Guess what? No giveaways for this guy.  His second was a beauty and was a marvel to watch.  So maybe, just maybe, we have the "good" O'Sullivan around here now.

#22 JF Jacques (8) - His job is to hit people.  He did his job.  He flattened Komisarek twice and then fought him in a quick but decent scrap.  He had 5 hits but I swear it was way more than that.  Not only did he demolish the Leafs with his shoulder, he picked up an assist on Brule's goal in the 1st period.   He did have a giveaway but he also pulled off a takeaway. Even stevens there.  JF Jacques???  Not tonight. Tonight he was JF Great.

#24 Steve Staios (5) - He played OK but didn't deserve anything more than a 5.  On the night he had 3 giveaways.  That's not a great night. Especially for a defenseman.  But... he did show some testicular fortitude by blocking 5 shots.  He's fearless that way and I respect that aspect of his game.  But he was caught on the Kessel goal watching a Leaf go by him while Kessel was going to the net behind him.  Kessel scores and Staios looks around like he's going to sit in the timeout corner.  However, Staios did well and didn't take a penalty all game.  So I'm torn on his grade, so he gets a 5.

#27 Dustin Penner (6) - He had moments where you could see the dominant big guy in him.  You could also see the quiet, sit in the corner guy too.  He had 1 shot, 1 hit, 2 takeaways and 2 blocked shots.  Not really a banner night for Penner yet, he did take over shifts and look like an all-star while the rest looked like Pee Wee players.  I hope even without getting selected for Team Canada, he continues his great play.  His Dad was at the game and it got me thinking. Was he there on holidays or was he there to celebrate Dustin's Team Canada selection (which didn't happen)?

#32 Ryan Stone (7) - He's a strange guy to grade. When you think he's not really doing much, he pulls out a nice hit or makes a good pass that spurs on a chain reaction of goodness.  He's a good guy to have on this team even though I thought that we didn't need him.  I guess I was wrong.  He had 4 good hits and a couple led to good chances.  Including all that he had 3 takeaways.  So what does all this mean?  He plays a simple yet effective game. 

#37 Denis Grebeshkov (6) - He sure did look better than having Strudwick back out there.  Sure Grebs makes mistakes, but he can skate, and actually skate with the puck.  So having that aspect back in the lineup was nice.  He picked up an assist on the fluky O'Sullivan goal and really was not bad, except for the 2 giveaways.  He also managed two hits.

#38 Jeff Deslauriers (8) - The guy was a monster (you don't own this word McGuire) tonight. I was so rooting for him to get the shutout but it wasn't meant to be.  Who cares really, we won.  It was funny because a couple of the stand up saves he made tonight really reminded me of Bill Ranford.  Kicks the leg out and flops back on the net for support. Classic stuff, and in the orange and blue too.  Loved it.  He made no mistakes and played a heck of a game. If he managed to get the shutout, I seriously was going to give him a 10.  Maybe I shouldn't have thought about it? Maybe I was the jinx?

#44 Sheldon Souray (7) - He was a hard one to grade.  He played the most out of all the Oilers at 24:22.  He played not bad but had 3 giveaways.  All the defence were bad at giving the puck to the Leafs.  But Souray did shoot a lot more this game.  He had 4 shots and 4 were blocked (crazy fools).  He definitely wasn't a gong show out there. 

#46 Zack Stortini (6) - With limited time on the ice it's hard to get going.  He did a good job when he was called upon on.  He had 3 hits and 2 shots.  Not a bad night for Storts.  I'm a little surprised he didn't want to go with anyone.

#67 Gilbert Brule (7) - I liked his style tonight.  He was buzzing around right from the start.  He scores the opening goal and that got the Oilers going.  That was his 10th of the season and is the 2nd Oiler do reach double digits in the goal department.  To go along with the goal he had 3 hits and 2 blocked shots.  I don't know how, but the Jacques/Horcoff/Brule line worked tonight.  I think it was because they tried to play more physical rather than trying to be a finesse line.  Good on Brule for bringing it tonight.

#71 Lubomir Visnovsky (6) - He picked up an assist on the Brule goal and looked not bad throughout the game.  His penalty was the one that the Oilers were killing when Kessel scored his goal.  So in any other game lately, that would have caused a bad rash of consequences, but tonight it only made it 3-1.  He may have had 5 blocked shots (that's brave stuff), but he also had a team worst, 4 giveaways. Ouch. 

#77 Tom Gilbert (6.5) - Yeah that's right, a 6.5.  I can't decide between a 6 and a 7 so he gets that.  He was solid tonight.  Well, minus the 3 giveaways, but hey, who wasn't giving pucks away?  He only managed 1 shot in the Leafs zone but found time to block 3 shots in the Oilers end.  That Gilbert is a nice guy.  He also managed to pick up an assist on the last O'Sullivan PP goal.  Quinn sure has been giving lots of ice time and he's making the best out of it.  Is this a new and improved Gilbert?

#89 Sam Gagner (5) - He did his thing and it didn't wow me.  In fact, it's been awhile since he's made me go wow.  While he did have an decent night at faceoffs, he also had 3 giveaways.  He seems to do a stupid pass or two every game.  It's not that they are stupid passes, just weak wristed ones and they usually don't turn out good.  He didn't get a shot on net and other than the OK faceoffs, he had nothing else to show.  Could something be ailing him? EDIT: He did get rocked hard in the game but seemed to shake it off. But it hurt.

LIVE *TweetCast* Edmonton Oilers vs. Toronto Maple Leafs (12-30-09)

Welcome everyone to another fine TweetCast by Oilers Jambalaya.

Tonight Smokin` Ray is doing the player grades for the Cult of Hockey - Edmonton Journal. Feel free to tell us what grades you would give. He may just use them.

Feel free to comment by typing in the box below. It`s easy and no signup required.

We hope you enjoy the TweetCast and GOILERS!


Saturday, March 7, 2009

Beers and Jeers #42 (Mar 7/09 vs. Toronto Maple Leafs)


The Oilers are starting this game in 9th. Two points out of 8th. This is definitely a must win.


This is going to be the 21st straight game for Roli. A new Oiler record surpassing Fuhr. That sure is something.


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1st Period


Both teams start out the period playing pretty safe hockey. Not my kind of style but I guess it works. Smid takes a skate to the head and goes down. He ended up going back to the dressing room, my guess... for stitches? At 11:21 the 4th line comes out on full out mode. Reddox makes a nice play. Stortini throws a hit. Next thing you know Storts has dropped the gloves. Good tilt. Storts wins that one. The Leafs almost score but Cogs was there to save the day. Lucky for Roli because he thought that he made the save. And just as the period starts to wind down, Gilbert takes a Interference penalty. The period ends tied 0-0.


2nd Period


Smid has a concussion and will not return it is reported. That's too bad. Smid has been very good this year. Well the Leafs waste no time on the PP. The Leafs score at 1:08. Damn. 1-0 Leafs. But the Oilers also waste no time replying back. Hemsky goes in on a breakaway and scores. Yeah! 1-1 Tie Game. (Hemsky from Horcoff at 1:29) Now the pace just seemed to be turned up a bit. The MacBlender seems to be on slow mix. Gagner out with Kotalik now. It's tied MacT. Don't panic. But here comes the Oilers 4th line with that pressure and they score. Yeah!!!! 2-1 Oilers. (Brodziak unassisted at 8:34) He tips it by the defender and goes in on a mini breakaway. Scores 5 hole. This 4th line is really moving tonight. Now the 3rd line comes out and scores. Alright Boys!!! 3-1 Oilers. (Pisani from Grebeshkov and Cogliano at 10:45) The Leafs look screwed now. They are really trying to answer back. What a good period if your an Oiler fan. I hear a lot of them in the stands tonight. That's good to see. errr.. Hear. It was reported that Cogs has 50 people at this game. Including his Grandpa who has never seen him play in the NHL live. And Cogs already has an assist. Awesome.


3rd Period


The 3rd is in all out, don't lose the game mode. The Oilers are playing very safe hockey. And why not? We are up 3-1. The game progresses with a few penalties and no scoring chances. This has been a pretty solid period by the Oilers because there is 5:00 minutes left in the game and there is not much to report. At 16:50, Souray and Kubina get together and both take double minors. I love the way Souray gets mean. He's freaking scary. Well the Leafs have pulled their goalie and Brodziak hits the empty net. Scores! 4-1 Oilers. (Brodziak from Hemsky and Horcoff at 19:32) All of the sudden Strudwick is throwing those fast rabbit punches on Ben Ondrus. Ondrus probably didn't know that he punches like that or he wouldn't have fought him. Struds wins that fight. OILERS WIN!!! Yeah.


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Tonight's Starting Lines


Kotalik Horcoff Hemsky (This line still hasn't clicked. I don't care that they were getting points. That's great. They just don't look like a unit yet. Hemsky did look pretty good though. He was looking great, then something wouldn't go his way and he would look like he was pouting. Horcoff was average. Kotalik was still trying to fit in out there.)


O'Sullivan Gagner Pouliot (This isn't working either. O'Sullivan isn't clicking with Gagner. But you never know what an extra day of practice and getting to know you team mates might do to help. Gagner was looking good. But couldn't really finish anything. Pouliot was Pouliot.)


Penner Cogliano Pisani (This line was effective at times. They seem to be understanding each other. Not sure if that is bad news for Chopper? Doubt it. It's more like what do you do with Dustin "Donair" Penner? Penner was the whipping boy tonight. He played the least with 8:16 and only saw 5 on 5 time. Cogs was trying hard to impress his "fans in the stands". He played good. This was the best Pisani has been since returning. He scores the back breaker goal in the second.)


Reddox Brodziak Stortini (This 4th line seems to be the better line on a regular basis. Reddox was good. He didn't do much, but he also didn't cause anything either. Brodziak was quite good tonight. Him and Storts really have good chemistry. Storts was fighting, crashing the net and even played more than Penner did. Great line again.)


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FINAL SCORE


Edmonton Oilers - 4

Toronto Maple Leafs - 1


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BEERS


Steve Staios - He played a smart game and blocked 5 shots. He took no stupid penalties. He played tough yet was restrained. Staios plays games like these every once in a while. Tonight was one of those nights. Good game Steve. Have a frosty. Cheers!


Dwayne Roloson - Solid again. Roli made 39 saves to keep the Leafs down to one goal. He has been great for a while now. Thank god we didn't trade him for a bag of pucks like everyone wanted to eh? Roli! Roli! Roli! Have a nice cold one Roli. Cheers!


Kyle Brodziak - He played a nice safe game. His line was on fire and it had a lot to do with #51. He scored a nice on in the 2nd and later scores on the empty net. Good job Kyle. Have a Pilsner. Cheers!


Honorable Mention - Denis Grebeshkov (He was +4 at the end of the night and also had an assist. Solid game.), Tom Gilbert (He also redeemed himself tonight with a +3 and an assist.), Ales Hemsky (Had flashes of his old self. He managed a break away goal and an assist.), Shawn Horcoff (also had a good point night with 2 assists.)


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JEERS


Not much really to boo tonight. They played a good game and they won. What more can we ask for? The Oilers really just need the new guys to start meshing/producing as soon as possible.


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The next game is Tuesday against the Habs. We need the 2 points and that is going to be a tough game. Hope the good Oilers show up. See you all next time.

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