The Future Of The Edmonton Oilers

I`m working today and I`m a little bored. I started thinking this morning about the Oilers and what lies ahead. The more I thought, the more I got fired up. Forget last year and even this year. The future is where it`s at. I know... that has been promised for the last 10 years. But the future is close. Last night watching the Taylor Hall revelation, I couldn`t help but think he`s finally arrived. It`s been a long time since I was sold on a young player so quickly. But how can you not embrace what he represents? The kid wants to be a winner and you know what? I believe him. Combine Hall with the other young players and you get a gnarly young core group to lead this team to Lord Stanley`s cup. Want to know the future? Here it is. Hall, Eberle, Paajarvi, Lander, Dubnyk, Peckham, Teubert, Petry, Vande Velde, Hartikainen, Omark (plus other players not named) and the two 1st round draft picks from 2011. Now if that doesn`t set this team up for years to come, then really.... nothing will.

-WRITTEN BY SMOKIN' RAY-

Oilers Postgame: Game 61 @ Colorado

Scoring Summary:
1st: EDM Dustin Penner (14:17) PP; Assists: Shawn Horcoff, Ales Hemsky
2nd: EDM Sam Gagner (7:08); Assists: Magnus Paajarvi, Ryan Jones
2nd: EDM Taylor Hall (15:49); Assists: Jordan Eberle, Tom Gilbert
2nd: COL Milan Hejduk (17:36); Assists: Matt Duchene, John-Michael Liles
3rd: EDM Jordan Eberle (11:08); Assists: Andrew Cogliano, Theo Peckham
3rd: EDM Kurtis Foster (12:55); Assists: Tom Gilbert, Taylor Hall

Resources
Boxscore
Oilers Time on Ice
Scoring Chances

Game Highlights

Taylor Hall, Tom Gilbert, Devan Dubnyk, Tom Renney

Paul Stastny

David Jones

-Written by Eric Rodgers-

Slow Days in the Oilogosphere / Jeff Deslauriers / Stockton Thunder Affiliation

With the Oilers news at an almost standstill, the good folks of the Oilogosphere are running out of things to write about, myself included. It's not an easy gig right now, but we keep plugging away.

Here's what's happened lately.

Yesterday the Edmonton Oilers came to terms with restricted free agent, Jeff Deslauriers. He signs a 1 year, $1.05 million dollar contract and I think it's a great deal for both. I don't expect JDD to be an Oiler by next season so a 1 year deal is good enough for now. And at the $1.05 price, that's not bad either. As a comparable, Devan Dubnyk was just signed to a 2 year $800,000 contract not long ago.

Tomorrow starting at 12:00 noon MDT, the Edmonton Oilers and the San Jose Sharks are holding a press conference together to announce a joint agreement with both teams using the Stockton Thunder as their respective ECHL affiliate. We will see what we can do... maybe a LIVE TweetCast???

On a side note, this new twitter account started following us two days ago and it looks like it is going to be a good one to follow. It is publishing 20 Oilers blogs on it's feed, including Oilers Jambalaya. Follow @Oilogosphere.

For all the OKC Barons fans out there, Jen Sharpe from the EdmontonOilers.com has written a good Barons report about the team and what's on the go right now. Go here to read it.

As the boring days of summer continues... we will be here.

-Written by Smokin' Ray-

The Silence Is Killing Me / The Edmonton Oilers RFA's

As this off season trickles by, one has to wonder what is up with the Oilers and the restricted free agents.

Has Sam Gagner's agent been talking to Tambellini? What about Gilbert Brule? Did he get an offer yet? What about Andrew Cogliano? Do the Oilers sign him before/if he gets traded? Do both Deslauriers and Dubnyk get a tendered offer? Is only one coming back? Are both coming back? Lot's of questions that need answering.

Like I said in the title, the silence is killing me.

I would hope that Gagner receives an offer before July 1st as I'm sure at least one other team will throw out an offer sheet for him. I like Gagner too much to lose him because the Oilers didn't try hard enough before it's too late. If another team offers $5 million +, the Oilers will be in tough to sign him to that deal. I should point out that Gagner isn't worth $5+, but another team will do what it takes to get him. He is a key cog for the Oilers moving forward.

Vanek, Kessler, Penner and Kessel all were over paid for this reason. Big offer sheets. Let's not have this happen to Gagner. $3.5 million over 5 years is fair and let's move on and get to signing some of the other young players.

I would also hope that they can sign both goalies. I personally would take the chance and send JDD down to OKC. It is possible that they could lose him on waivers, but if he clears, that provides one heck of a goalie for the OKC Barons.

I would keep Dubnyk with the Oilers and have him backup Khabibulin (and Khabibulin's replacement once he gets hurt.) So if I'm the GM and I'm going to try and send down JDD, he only gets a one year deal with no signing bonus (just in case).

I really hope that Marc Pouliot doesn't elect to go to arbitration. I just can't see him making a good enough case to get big dollars. He should just resign to whatever the Oilers offer. He needs to play well this year and make a strong case for himself next year.

-Written by Smokin' Ray-

Devan Dubnyk The Destroyer / An Oilers Game Recap

This is brief game recap of the Edmonton Oilers vs the Los Angeles Kings game on Sportsnet West.

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PRE GAME RECORDS

Edmonton Oilers (26-46-8) at Los Angeles (45-27-8)

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FINAL SCORE

Edmonton Oilers - 4

Los Angeles Kings - 3 Shootout

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TONIGHT'S STARTING LINES

Penner Potulny Cogliano
Comrie Stortini O'Sullivan
Moreau Horcoff Pisani
Linglet Pouliot Jones

Whitney Gilbert
Chorney Strudwick
Johnson Arsene

Dubnyk
Deslauriers

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VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS



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THE MEAT AND POTATOES

Game Notes:

- The Oilers started the game on fire. Then by the halfway through the first it was all Kings. The Kings really applied the pressure on the Oilers. But, the 1st ended 1-0 for the Oilers despite being out-shot by the Kings.

- The 2nd period still wasn't good for the Oilers. The Kings again came out ready to beat the Oilers. Despite taking a ton of shots at Dubnyk, they couldn't score. The Oilers did however. It was 2-0 after the 2nd period was over.

- Even though the Oilers again scored early in the 3rd, the Kings were still taking it to them. Bam! Bam! It`s a 3-2 game. Bam! Now it's a 3-3 tie game. Holy crap! It was looking like the Oilers were going to implode once again, but the game went to overtime.

- Overtime settled nothing and the shootout was next. Potulny and Horcoff score to win it for the Oilers.

The Good:

- Devan Dubnyk was really good tonight. He faced 55 shots and had a shutout going into the 3rd period. I decided just for fun to see who people would choose. So I asked the people that were around for the TweetCast who they would keep if they had to pick, Dubnyk or Deslauriers. 10 people chose Dubnyk and 1 chose Deslauriers. I was one of the 10 that picked DD.

- Mike Comrie was the man tonight. Partly because Hillary Duff was at the game. He ALWAYS plays well when she is there. With 2 goals on 3 shots, I'd say Mike was on fire, or just a show off. I wonder if the Oilers are going to bring him back for another year? I don't think I'd be opposed to it. For a guy who I hated so much, I no longer have that hate for Mike.

- Tom Gilbert is easily the most improved player in the last half of the season. Ever since Ryan Whitney came into his life, he's be terrific. He scores a goal and has 2 assists tonight and led the team with 4 blocked shots. That's a great effort on his part.

- Ryan Whitney is slowing becoming one of my Jib cutters. He's a real key cog in helping Gilbert turn the page. He had 2 assists and was +2 tonight.

- Marc Pouliot was the best at faceoffs tonight at 50%. Other than that, he did squat.

- The "New Bash Brothers" Arsene and Johnson were pretty dominant in the hitting department. Johnson had 5 hits and Arsene had 4 hits.

The Not So Good:

- The Oilers were out-shot 55-16. I can not believe they won a game while getting destroyed in shots.

- The Chorney/Strudwick train wreck was in full force tonight. Chorney made a weak pass on his first shift and never looked back. Both guys ended up -2 each. I don't want either one of these guys back.

- The play that caused the penalty shot that Whitney took was bad. He gave the puck away at the Kings bklueline and then rushed back and grabbed Modin and hauled him down in front of DD. Good thing Dubnyk saved that penalty shot.

The Side Dish:

- The Edmonton Oilers website has a draft simulator. Try it here. It's kind of fun.

- The Springfield Falcons lost in a 7-5 game to the Wolf Pack. Click here for the recap.
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POST GAME VIDEO



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EVENT SUMMARY
GAME SUMMARY

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NEXT GAME

Edmonton Oilers vs Anaheim Ducks

Sun 11/04/2010

6:00 PM
Sportsnet West

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CLICK HERE TO READ THE LIVE TWEETCAST

-Written by Smokin' Ray-

The Moreau and Penner Show / A Game Recap

This is brief game recap of the Edmonton Oilers vs the Minnesota Wild game on TSN.

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PRE GAME RECORDS

Minnesota Wild (37-35-7) at Edmonton Oilers (24-46-8)

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FINAL SCORE

Minnesota Wild - 1

Edmonton Oilers - 4

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TONIGHT'S STARTING LINES

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

Whitney Gilbert
Chorney Strudwick
Johnson Arsene

Dubnyk
Deslauriers

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VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS



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THE MEAT AND POTATOES

The Good:

- Linus Omark was signed to a two year, two way deal with the Oilers today. He is just another smurf so I'm curious on how his training camp is going to be. The jury is still out on whether this is good or bad news.

- Moreau scores a shorthanded goal to make it 2-0. But wait, hold the phone. Moreau scores again. His first 2 goal game this year. Wow! By the last few frames of the game, Moreau has had a few good chances as everyone is feeding him for the hat trick. It's more than evident by his 7 shots on goal. Finally the captain shows the team how to lead.

- Devan Dubnyk played a heck of a game and gets to the number 3 in the win column. It wasn't show stopping, but he got the job done. It's been a fun year (hypothetically speaking) to watch him grow and get better.

- Wow! Dean Arsene sure can hit a guy. Boom! But... he can't fight worth a crap. If he could learn to fight better, I'd really push for him to be on the team next season.

- Dustin Penner was good again tonight. (maybe Quinn should scratch out O'Sullivan's eye?) He scores his 30th goal (and 31st) of the season. He's the first since Ryan Smyth did it. *runs and cries because I still miss Smitty*

- Shawn Horcoff had a good game. He picked up two assists and was pretty good at both ends of the ice.

- The Whitney/Gilbert machine was working well tonight. Gilbert even picked up a few more assists for his season points total.

- Taylor Chorney played really good. The rookie did well. He picked up an assist and he was +2. Maybe one of his best games as an Oiler.

- Ryan Potulny was back in tonight and he played a very solid game. He was 80% on faceoffs, he had 2 assists, and in my opinion, one of the best Oiler players tonight. Potsy is a keeper.

- Andrew Cogliano has really changed these last few games. I think it's the fact that he now gets to be a go to guy. With all the injuries to the team, he's getting his chance to shine. He was +1 tonight.

- Fernando Pisani led the team with 4 hits. I'm going to miss him next year.

The Not So Good:

- The team was good. No need to bitch.
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POST GAME VIDEO



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EVENT SUMMARY
GAME SUMMARY

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NEXT GAME

Edmonton Oilers vs Colorado Avalanche

Wed 07/04/2010

7:30 PM

Sportsnet West

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CLICK HERE TO READ THE LIVE TWEETCAST

-Written by Smokin' Ray-

Edmonton Oilers News Today (Brule, O'Sullivan, Nilsson, Deslauriers, Quinn)

It appears like Gilbert Brule will be out for the rest of the season with the right ankle sprain. He is on crutches, but thankfully there was no broken bones. With only a handful of games left, I see no point on rushing him back just so the Oilers can still finish 30th.

Jeff Deslauriers will most likely get the start tonight vs the Coyotes on Hockey Night in Canada. Considering that Dubnyk played last night, I'd say JDD is in.

With the optional skate today, only 10 skaters and Devan Dubnyk participated. Linglet, Cogliano and Arsene were some of the skaters present.

Pat Quinn stated that both O'Sullivan and Nilsson will play tonight. The one guy that sits will be determined later today. I would assume that it would be Charles Linglet. He had a very sub par debut last night against the Stars.

-Smokin' Ray-

The Edmonton Oilers April Fools Joke

The Edmonton Oilers sure didn't forget about April Fools day like I did. But I suppose that's what happens when you have a new baby in the house like I do.

But nonetheless, the Oilers laid out a good one on us.

The prank involved Devan Dubnyk moving up to play center on Friday vs the Stars. Some people that I know actually thought this was real. Some of them had seen it over at OilersNation.com and I kept receiving texts about it. lol. I had such a good laugh.

So I figured that I would replay it here at OJ. For memory sakes...

WATCH THIS ONE FIRST

WATCH THIS ONE NEXT

The Edmonton Oilers even went as far as changing the Depth Chart (see pictures below). I have to admit, it was a good prank.

HAPPY APRILS FOOLS DAY EVERYONE!

Devan Dubnyk Wins His First NHL Game / Oilers vs Red Wings Game Recap (3/19/10)

This is a brief game recap of the Edmonton Oilers vs the Detroit Red Wings game on TSN.
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PRE GAME RECORDS

Detroit Red Wings (34-23-12) at Edmonton Oilers (21-42-7)

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FINAL SCORE

Detroit Red Wings - 2

Edmonton Oilers -3 SO

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TONIGHT'S STARTING LINES

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

Whitney Gilbert
Chorney Strudwick
Johnson Peckham

Dubnyk
Deslauriers

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VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS



THE SHOOTOUT VIDEO



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THE MEAT AND POTATOES

The Good:

- Devan Dubnyk almost lost his first win with .03 seconds left in the 3rd period. But he didn't. Lucky for him he continued his good play for a full 65 minutes plus the shootout. Devan Dubnyk has a legitimate NHL win under his belt. I couldn't be happier for him. Great job Devan.

- Ryan Whitney scored his first goal as an Oiler tonight. He's been pretty good since we acquired him. I'm still finding him to be a decent pick up in a trade. Especially for a guy like Lubomir Visnovsky. Whitney had 5 shots and 3 blocked shots to go with his goal. I'd say a decent night.

- Andrew Cogliano is a whole different guy right now. You put him on the top line and he performs. He scores a goal and gets an assist on the Whitney goal. This was one of his best games in a long time. He was solid at both ends of the ice. But can he do it again?

- Gilbert Brule has been quietly one of the Oilers most consistent guys all season long. He did it again tonight as he keeps showing that chemistry with Penner and Cogliano. Brule assisted on both Oiler goals and played a good physical game all game. He's, in my opinion, a keeper for next season. You can just tell he wants to be good.

The Not So Good:

- Ethan Moreau is just plain bad. it's like he has no clue on how to play the game anymore. If Comrie was a healthy scratch, I'm going to be very ticked off.

- Theo Peckham is going to take a lot of the blame for the tying goal by not playing the puck properly, but where was the defender watching the back door guy (Rafalski)? Where was Johnson? Horcoff?

- Speaking of Peckham, his partnership with Johnson wasn't so shit hot tonight. Both of them finished a -2 and while they did look good for long periods of time, they had those rookie mistakes that can cause a game to be lost. They have been a good duo and I'd expect them to be a little better next game.

- I really do not like the Minard/Gagner/Stortini line. Either Quinn figures that Gagner is so damn good that he makes others around good or he's really ticked at him? I honestly do not know the answer so I can't tell you either way. I would hope it's because he thinks he's the cats ass.

The Side Dish:

- If you missed it, Jordan Eberle scored a goal in the first minute of his first game with the Springfield Falcons this year. CLICK HERE for the game recap.

- Also tonight the Stockton Thunder had a game to play. They lost to the Utah Grizzles in a very one-sided game by the score of 6-2. The recap will be posted soon on Oilers Jambalaya.

- The Canadian Sledge Hockey team also lost their game tonight. They were playing against Norway for the bronze medal and Norway scored with 3 seconds left. It's a shame because Canada wanted this so bad after being shocked by Japan yesterday. Good try and we still love you guys. GOCANADAGO!

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DID YOU KNOW? (Facts About The Edmonton Oilers)

Did you know... at this point of the Oilers season, the majority of fans wanted an Detroit win tonight (to be ahead of Calgary in the standings) over Devan Dubnyk to get his first win tonight and not achieve the record for longest in NHL without first win.

Did you know... Gilbert Brule is 3rd on the team in points with 34 points?

Did you know... Devan Dubnyk started in goal 11 times this season, including tonight? That's a lot of games with no win.

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POST GAME VIDEO



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EVENT SUMMARY
GAME SUMMARY

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NEXT GAME

Edmonton Oilers vs San Jose Sharks

Sunday 21/03/10

6:00 pm MST
Sportsnet West

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CLICK HERE TO READ THE LIVE TWEETCAST

-Written by Smokin' Ray-

Andrew Perugini, Stockton Thunder's All Time Shutout Leader

‘GINI IN A BOTTLE

Goaltender Andrew Perugini, who is tied for second in ECHL save percentage (.915) and is tied for fourth in the ECHL in goals-against-average (2.79), became the Thunder career shutout leader (4) on Feb. 12 and posted his most recent blanking on a week later at Bakersfield, a career-high 45-save effort in a 2-0 Thunder win. Perugini was named Reebok Hockey ECHL Goaltender of the Week in February for the second time in his career.

ALL-TIME THUNDER SHUTOUT LEADERBOARD

GOALTENDER SHUTOUTS
1. Andrew Perugini (2008-present) 5
2. Tim Boron (2007-08)                 3
3. Devan Dubnyk (2006-07)          2
    Glenn Fisher (2007-08)              2
    Jake Moreland (2005-06)          2

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CLICK HERE TO SEE ORIGINAL ARTICLE AT STOCKTONTHUNDER.COM

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

Devan Dubnyk Wins His First Game?

I woke up this morning from a great sleep and I had a crazy dream last night. Devan Dubnyk won his first game tonight vs the Blue Jackets.

Not only did he win, he won it in style. Huge glove saves, stacking of the pads and there was even a penalty shot.  

I have no idea if he is playing tonight (wait till morning skate) or not, but if he does, he will get the win. GODUBNYK!

GILBERT BRULE AND TOM RENNEY AFTER PRACTICE ON SUNDAY

B&J #105 Edmonton Oilers vs Nashville Predators Game Recap (1/12/10)

Welcome to Oilers Jambalaya - An Edmonton Oilers Hockey Blog. Beers & Jeers is a dual collaboration between Smokin' Ray and Paq Twinn. We hope you enjoy our Edmonton Oilers full game recap.

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- Who's Out? Who's in? Brule is sick once again and that means JF Jacques is back in to the lineup.  Comrie, Khabibulin, Hemsky and Pouliot are still out and won't play tonight.

- After the wonderful mini camp, the Oilers should be a better team right? Right?

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Pre-Game Records

Nashville Predators (27-16-3) vs Edmonton Oilers (16-23-5)

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TONIGHT'S STARTING LINES

Edmonton Oilers

Penner-Horcoff-Nilsson
Jacques-Potulny-O'Sullivan
Stone-Gagner-Pisani
Moreau-Cogliano-Stortini

Souray-Gilbert
Smid-Visnovsky
Grebeshkov-Staios

Deslauriers
Dubnyk

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**These are Re-Tweets of Paq Twinn featuring Smokin' Ray, during the LIVE *TweetCast* at http://twitter.com/OilersJambalaya/edmontonoilerstweetcast You can also join along at our LIVE interactive *TweetCast* right here at Oilers Jambalaya during every Edmonton Oiler game.**

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FINAL SCORE

Nashville Predators - 5

Edmonton Oilers - 3

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GAME VIDEO REPLAY



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GAME SUMMARY SHEETS

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BAD TIMING PENALTY

Ethan Moreau - Of course it's the Captain. I mean really... who else right?  At 14:59 of the 3rd period, Moreau takes the Oilers only penalty of the game and does it in style with another hooking call. The Predators score on that PP and I'm sure somewhere, Moreau is blaming the PK unit for allowing that goal and crushing the teams momentum that it was building for a comeback.  Trade this guy ASAP.

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GAME STAT SHEET

(click to enlarge)

(click to enlarge)

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BEERS

Dustin Penner - He was a workhorse (22:55 of ice time) and played a heck of a game. His low point was his -2 rating.  However the -2 wasn't really pinned on him. He was playing with everyone and was trying to do everything.  He scored a goal and had 6 shots. All in all, he was trying his butt off and he was good.  Frosty Bud? Cheers!

Ryan Potulny - He had a goal and an assist and played a pretty good game.  Once again he surprises me.  He did the little things right and impressed me with his play.  It`s Miller Time for Potsy. Cheers!

Visnovsky/Smid - The bad news first: Visnovsky had 5 giveaways. Ouch!  The good news: This was a good tandem.  They were great and both ended up +1.  Visnovsky managed an assist on the last PP goal and even blocked a couple of shots.  Smid on the other hand played a smart game.  I liked these two tonight.  Cold beeeerrrr heeeeerrree. Cheers!

HONORABLE MENTION(S): Devan Dubnyk (He came in in relief and played well. After a few more games, I bet he`s more comfortable out there.), Robert Nilsson (At times he was reckless, but for the most part he was good.), Sam Gagner (The little dude was buzzing out there.  He made some nice plays.) Patrick O`Sullivan (Hard to believe I cursed at him a lot a month ago.  He was pretty decent in this game.)

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JEERS

Ethan Moreau - TRADE HIM NOW!!! He blew the teams momentum again this game.  He sucks and needs to go. Booooooo!!!

Souray/Gilbert - Wow! Souray was the worst tonight. He was standing there like a deer in headlights all night.  Gilbert sucked too, but not near as bad as Souray.  -4 for Souray and -3 for Gilbert.  Not a good night for these two. Booooooo!

Jeff Deslauriers - He was burned on some tough goals and some weak ones that should be stopped.  He even flubbed up a pass to Gilbert which resulted in a goal for Nashville.  Ugh! What a bad game for JDD. Boooooo!

HONORABLE MENTION(S): None

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OUR GAME SUMMARIES

Smokin' Ray - That sucked bad.  My goat, Ethan Moreau, blew the momentum with a Bad Timing Penalty and that was the game. Sure the Oilers might not have made the comeback, but how are we going to find out?  As of right now, the Oilers only have one win in the last 13 games. Yay team!

Paq Twinn - I was stuck between wanting to laugh and cry for most of this game. It was amazing how little of an effect the two day mini-camp seemed to have had. Despite Quinn and companies best efforts, the Oilers looked pretty much exactly the same. The Oilers did out shoot the Preds but were unable to Pekka Rinne until 7:22 of the 3rd. However, after that goal the Oilers played much better. They started to skate just a little bit harder, and as a result, started to control the play more then they did in the first 47 mins. Had they started to play this way earlier, like say in the 1st or even the2nd, they might have won this game. Pens had a pretty good game and was double shifted most of the night. He scored a PP goal late in the 3rd. JFJ played well, Cogs continued to play with an edge, and Doobie played very well in relief of JDD. Game Grade: D+

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POST GAME VIDEO REACTIONS



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GAME STATS

- Scoring Chances (MC79)

- David Staples/Player Grades (Cult of Hockey)

- Game Summary

- Event Summary

- Full NHL Play By Play

- Oilers Time On The Ice

- Opponents Time On The Ice

- Faceoff Report

- Shot Report

- Roster Report

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NEXT GAME

Edmonton Oilers vs Pittsburgh Penguins

Thursday, 14/01/2010

7:30 PM

TSN

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Thanks for stopping by and reading the Edmonton Oilers Full Game Recap. Don't forget that you can agree or disagree with us on Facebook and Twitter. Just look for Smokin' Ray Burnt and Paq Twinn. We will see you all next game. GOILERS!

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Reason's for Optimism / Reason's to Cheer

As our collective playoff hopes fade faster then a January sunset, I just wanted to remind people, that the Oilers do have most of the pieces in place for a solid team. Not all is doom and gloom. There's always a bright side to any situation and here's the Oilers silver lining.

The Forwards

The obvious guys are Hemsky, Penner, Horcoff. Yes, Horc makes too much money for his output, but the fact remains, he can be a big part of a winning team. With the emergence of Pens this year, we finally have a big power forward that we have been looking for since we traded Messier and no I don't think they are the same player, other then the power forward part. And then there's Hemsky, that's self explanatory, the guy has mad skills.

The kids that I like on this team are as follows; Gagner, Brule, Stone, Potulny and Stortini. These guys are keepers for sure. Even though they have had "off" games this year, none have been disappointing. In fact I, like most of you, was pleasantly surprised by the play of Stoney, Potsy and Bru, I just didn't see them playing this well for us. I'm not sure guys like Nilsson, Cogliano or J.F.Jacques will be around next season as they could be included in deals during the off season, although the Oilers do need JFJ's size and willingness to hit. And don't forget that guys like Jordan Eberle and Magnus Paajarvi-Svensson, who lit up the WJHC over the last couple weeks, are on their way next year too.

The Defence

Of our top six D-men I would only keep three. The guys I would keep to build around are; Visnovsky, Gilbert and Smid. Yes, I would trade Souray. I love the guy as much as anyone, but if this rebuild is going to be done properly, one of Souray or Visnovsky has to be moved. I choose Souray because he is older (by a month) and I think Lubo brings more to this team besides a booming slapshot, it's like choosing between Coffey and MacInnis in my books. Smid is turning into a great defender and Gilbert is still figuring this league out and not playing too badly doing so. Grebeshkov can bring a return in a trade and Staios or Strudwick have to go, as we only need one 7th D-man. With guys like Taylor Chorney, Theo Peckham, Alex Plante and Jeff Petry coming up, we need to make room on the back end.

The Goalies

I, like most in the hockey world, have no idea what is wrong with Khabibulin's back. What I do know is that Deslauriers has some very respectable numbers after 24 starts this season. His save % is basically on par with Khabbi's and his goals against average is better. JDD is getting some extremely valuable playing time with Khabbi out. I don't know enough about Dubnyk to make any assumptions on how he is doing. He has seen some action, but only after sitting on the bench for weeks on end.  So he has been rusty, so to speak, when he has gotten into a game. He does have a short memory though, as he was able to shake off some poor outings for the Oilers and Falcons during the last couple months. The Oilers have to keep JDD in my mind and try to trade or find some kind of loop hole in the CBA to lose Khabbi's salary from the cap hit, before deciding to trade DD.

Final Thoughts

So as you can see here, there are quite a few reasons to remain optimistic about this team. Sure rebuilds take some time, but the Oilers have many of the right pieces already in place. All they need is a season or two of premium draft picks and its off to the races in Oil Country. So as you sit and watch your Oilers lose more often then not for the rest of this season, cheer the little battles being won and the progression of the younger guys as they will carry the load in the next few years, along with *fingers crossed*, *knock on wood* Taylor Hall.

-Paq Twinn-

Edmonton Oilers - What To Do With The Free Agents?

The Edmonton Oilers have too many Free Agents at the end of this year.  What does Steve Tambellini do about this mess?  Does he just ride it out and try and re-sign as many as he can at the end of the year?  Does he trade them away for equal or better value (or in some cases, no value)?  What to do???

Here is a place to go to see the what the Edmonton Oilers Players are making. (Cap Numbers)

Unrestricted Free Agents

Fernando Pisani UFA ($2.5 million cap hit) I would not keep him.  Sorry, but his time is up here.

Mike Comrie UFA ($1.25 million cap hit) I would not keep him.  His coming home was nice.  But he's not a fit here.

Ryan Stone UFAVI ($600,000 cap hit) I would re-sign him for $1 million a year for two years.  He somehow makes the team better, so we best keep him.

Jason Strudwick UFA ($700,000 cap hit) I would not keep him.  He's slow and he's not able to keep up with most of the plays.  He's a funny guy though.

Dean Arsene UFA ($386,000 cap hit) I would re-sign him to a two way deal for $600,000 a year for two years.  I liked what I saw in his brief stint with the Oilers.

Restricted Free Agents

Sam Gagner RFA ($1.625 million cap hit) I would resign him for no more than $3.5 million a year for 5 years. He just might be the "future" of the Oilers.  Sign him long and cheap.

Andrew Cogliano RFA ($1.133 million cap hit) I would re-sign him for no more than $2 million a year for 3 years. He's a keeper even though I hear he's been shopped around.

Marc Pouliot RFA ($825,000 cap hit)  I don't think I'd keep him either.  Maybe try and include him in a deal this season.

Gilbert Brule RFA ($800,000 cap hit) I would re-sign him to $1 million a year for two years.  He has emerged this year and should have to play well for the next two years and then get rewarded.

JF Jacques RFA ($525,000 cap hit) I would re-sign him for $750,000 a year or under. Great hitter and is a physical player.  As long as his injuries don't keep coming back, he's a keeper.

Ryan Potulny RFA ($595,000 cap hit) I would re-sign him for $750,000 for two years.  I like his style of play.

Liam Reddox RFA ($515,000 cap hit) I would only re-sign him on a two way for under $600,000.  With the rise of Stone and Potulny, he's now expendable. Can he be included in a deal?

Colin MacDonald RFA ($550,000 cap hit) I would re-sign him to a two way for under $600,000 for two years. Good player for the Falcons.

Ryan O'Marra RFA ($1.22 million cap hit inc. bonus) I would re-sign him to a two way for $750,000. Anything more than that and I'd let him walk.  He needs two more years in the minors, at least. And let's be real... $1.22 million a year?  That sounds like a Kevin Lowe contract.

Denis Grebeshkov RFA ($3.15 million cap hit) I would re-sign him for the same amount, $3,150,000 to two year deal.  I like his play, but I think the Oilers would trade him if given a chance. The guys like Chorney are making decisions harder.

Theo Peckham RFA ($600,000 cap hit) I would re-sign him for $750,000 a year over three years.  I like what he brings to the table, but he has lots of room to improve to warrant big money. 

Jeff Deslauriers RFA ($625,000 cap hit) I would try and trade him.  If not, then try and re-sign him to a two year deal for $750,000.  He's good, but I like Dubnyk better.  Maybe I'm wrong.

Devan Dubnyk RFA ($700,000 cap hit) I would re-sign him to a three year deal worth $750,000.  I think that in time, he will be better than JDD.  Either way the Oilers will have to decide which of the two they will keep.  Signing Khabibulin to a four year deal makes no sense.  Why lose a good prospect for a set of old balls?


Before anyone freaks out about what I just wrote, there is a lot of work to do with this hockey club.  Trades are sure to happen and no one can predict who's around at the start of next season.  These are just my opinions and I have no idea what the Oilers cap numbers will look like next year.  Granted, if the Oilers were to sign all the people to the deals I have just said, then other people will have to go. I can tell you right now all these deals, plus the existing one's, would put the Oilers over the cap.  I just haven't got that far yet.

WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

Beers and Jeers #61 (Sept 20/09 vs. New York Islanders)

As you can see, I have made some changes to the site. I hope they are for the better. But you never know until you do it. I was acquiring to much content to stay at one column and made the change to two. I'm sure you will see some more changes in the future.

Saskatoon huh? Why Saskatoon? I'm sure there is a good reason for it, but it makes no sense to me. The Islanders are the home team on paper, but the crowd is an Oiler crowd. Again, makes no sense. But what do I know?

Lubomir Visnovsky is back in the lineup and is ready to go. Need I say more? Welcome back #71, it's been too long.

If I'm Chris Minard, I would ask management to switch my number 39 so Mike Comrie can take it. It's been stated publicly that he wanted that number. Why wait till he's sent down? Or am I just over reacting? Speaking of numbers, how did Dean Arsene get #8? Is he really going to play with the Oilers this year? Probably not.

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Tonight's Starting Lines

Stone-Comrie-O'Sullivan

Jacques-Potulny-Eberle

Pisani-Kytnar-Stortini

Minard-Pouliot-MacIntyre

Chorney-Visnovsky

Arsene-Grebeshkov

Strudwick-Plante

Dubynk

Deslauriers (didn't play)

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FINAL SCORE

Edmonton Oilers - 1

New York Islanders -3

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Bad Timing Penalty™

None that mattered

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Game Summary

Stat Sheet

EdmontonOilers.com Recap

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BEERS

Jordan Eberle - I sure do like this kid. Half of me wants to see him stay and the other half knows it's for the best that he goes back to junior. I just love the way he tries hard no matter what. I like the cut of his jib. That's the kind of heart this team needs. Next year is going to be sweet to be an Oiler fan. Time for a cold one Eazy E? Cheers!

Patrick O'Sullivan - He tried hard and scored the Oilers only goal. Not really his best game at all, but worthy enough to get a beer. Quick chug this and leave. Cheers!

Lubomir Visnovsky - He played pretty solid for his 1st game back. He didn't look out of place at all, except for the 1st period. It sure was nice to see him speed around again. He was the best Oiler on the ice. Feel like a cold beer? Cheers!

Steve MacIntyre - He had a heck of a fight with Joel Rechlicz. They battled the last time they played each other and it was expected that they would go again. They didn't disappoint. Big Mac killed him for the 1st half of the fight landing some huge bombs. But Rechlicz caught a second wind and started to make a comeback landing his own big bombs. By the end of the fight they were so exhausted that the refs stepped in to stop it. Definitely worthy of a frosty beer. Cheers!

Honorable Mentions: Taylor Chorney (If not for Strudwick, I'd bet that spot would be for this guy.) Dean Arsene (Where did this guy come from? He's a pretty reliable player. Not many mistakes.)

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JEERS

The Entire Team - That's two games in a row where the Oilers players don't look like they want to make the team this year. There are a few exceptions. But as a whole, Quinn can't be happy with these last two games. I'm sure more cuts will be made tomorrow. Two losses in a row. Booooooo!

Marc Pouliot - His time is up. He isn't worth keeping around anymore. His lazy way to play hockey and gentle giant hitting style has cost him a spot on this team this year. Take Schremp with you. Booooooo!

Chris Minard - This guy just doesn't belong here in the NHL. Why is he not in the minors with the rest yet? Booooooooo!

Fernando Pisani - This isn't so much of a jeer, as it's more of a "what the hell man?" I still have not seen the Pisani that we have all grown to love yet in this pre-season. He has been non-noticeable and floating around. Guys like Stone are playing/trying better than you. You can't tell me Quinn doesn't notice. You better get going. Boooooo!

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From This Game, Who Should Go Down Next?

#39 Christopher Minard (Not NHL quality yet) & #64 Milan Kytnar (Not ready yet. Was rocked a few times)

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This arena had the best music that I've heard so far in pre-season and it's a junior arena. Take notice Oilers. It's refreshing. They played some Metallica which was cool. I even heard some cowbells in the crowd. That's how you know your in Saskatchewan, cowbells ringing.

Even Rod Phillips was getting frustrated during the 2nd period after watching the Oilers get worked over by the Islanders. "They couldn't make a play to save their lives." He talked about how crappy Chris Minard was playing. Referring to the team he says, "This is pretty disappointing." I couldn't have agreed more with Mr. Phillips. The Oilers were stinking it up and looked like an AHL team that didn't even belong in the AHL. They did score right after that outburst by Phillips though. Maybe he helped? ; ) Expect better next game. Right Quinn? Right?

Until next time...