Battle of Alberta tonight again….Oilers must win to stay in the race for the playoffs! With only two games left, gotta win em both to stand a chance. The Oilers got a nice win over these very same Lames this past weekend.
Frankenstein (aka Pitkanen) is in tonight. Apparently, his groin is good to go! Alas, Garon is not playing tonight again. Roloson had a very solid game against Calgary so hopefully he can keep it up for another couple games.
I’m calling a HUGE win for the Oil…..they’re going to kick the Lames and Celine all over that ice! 4-1 for the Oil.
I found a nice old Oilers goal just in time for tonight’s big game! Gee Messier can score on the Lames in any fashion! Good Messier!!!
Oilers are 2 points behind Vancouver/Nashville for that last 8th spot but they both have games in hand on the Oilers. Last night’s sloppy loss to the Avs really hurts but the Oil have to put it out of their minds, just go out and kick some Lames’ ass. They were always a longshot to make the playoffs and it’s still not beyond them. Just go out, play well and win. No pressure! 🙂
I’m assuming Roli is starting again. I think we can all agree he was Red Light Roli last night (thanks D) and embarrassing in the shootout. Not much the Oil can do but play him if Garon is still injured.
I’m calling a good Oilers win…..4-2 for the Oil. Hemmer, Cogs, Gags and Brodziak get the goals.
Looks like Garon has been fighting an injury over the past week (lower body) and that is the reason Roloson has started the last four games instead. I’m not sure this is why Roli has started all four games but it must be the reason for the Vancouver start. Garon had played excellent against that team all year. Roli had three starts in a row so starting Roloson for a fourth time was inexplicable even though he had won three games in a row. However, his last start against Phoenix was not a great game so I think we all figured Garon was back in net. So I guess MacT isn’t the complete idiot we all thought…..he was hampered by an injury to his goalie. It must not be serious since no other goalie has been called up and Garon was backing Roli up on each of those starts.
TSN also reported that Garon did not practice Friday. Does that mean he doesn’t start Saturday’s big game against Colorado? Only MacT knows I guess……
Big game tomorrow folks. They are 5 pts behind Colorado for the 8th spot so another chance to get within 3 pts of the playoffs. They choked on Thursday. The team looked very tight and cautious in the early parts of the game. Okay kids, go back to not worrying about it and just have fun. You’re a fun team to watch and as long as you compete hard, that’s all we ask.
I predict an Oilers victory……no matter who is in net. The team is going to rebound hard and play a tough game. Oil win 3-1 (goals from Gilbert, Hemsky and Penner).
Big game tonight……Vancouver is in town tonight and with a victory in regulation tonight, the Oilers will be only 3 points behind them for a playoff spot. Winning 10 of 12 games, the Oilers are looking to stay hot. Roloson started three straight and won them all. But I think MacT has to go back to Garon tonight for a couple reasons: Roloson did not look sharp on Tuesday night against Phoenix and Garon stole a couple games against Vancouver earlier this season.
So our kids continue to keep this team rolling with Gagner, Cogliano, Gilbert, Nilsson, Brodziak and Glencross playing as seasoned veterans….there is an excellent chance tonight for a W.
A win tonight…..the bandwagon will fill up again! GO OILERS!!
The DEVIL gets away with a very similar act that resulted in Chris Simon getting a 30 games suspension. Prongs only gets 8 games but to make this whole situation even worse, it took a better video (bullshit, the first one was clear enough) and outrage from some media to even make the NHL look at this. So Colin took out his Wheel of Justice, spun it fairly (sarcasm) and the Devil only gets 8 games. Also, he’ll make it back just in time for the playoffs.
The NHL has blown another suspension call and is anyone else getting sick of it?? Simon gets 30 games while Pronger gets only 8 for basically the same action? I’d even put Pronger’s act worse since he stomped on Kesler’s leg not the skate boot that Simon did.
The best part is the NHL’s explanation, “In attempting to free himself, Pronger carelessly and recklessly brought his foot down.” Sure…..there was no attempt to injure because Pronger is known for his gentlemanly behaviour in the league.
Anyways, let’s move onto our Oilers. They are in Phoenix tonight to play the Coyotes and hoping to rebound from a disastrous game in Colorado. I’m guessing Roloson gets the nod tonight since Garon has played 16 straight games (even though he was pulled in the Avs game). The team needs to tighten up their defensive game. There is too many giveaways and sloppy play. The defense (not including Greene) has played quite well along with the kid line. Hemsky and Penner really need to pick up their game. Man, are they ever missing Horcoff?! Stoll or Reasoner are horrible on that line.
To end, I want to throw out a shout-out to one of my favorite former Oilers, Igor Ulanov. I adored that man for his physical play. Sure he wasn’t the best defenseman but he had character and was one of the toughtest Oilers ever. A post over at Oiler Nationby Robin Brownlee mentioned Igor when discussing the state of Joni Pitkanen and his “toughness” factor. Basically, Joni is as delicate as a 19th century lady.
This is good part from the article:
Ulanov once had to be forced off the ice by officials at Madison Square Garden after taking a slapper in the mouth because he wanted to wait until the end of the period for repairs—he ended up needing 30 stitches. Uli was wicked tough. When I asked him what the hell he was thinking, he seemed offended.
“What?” he scowled. “It’s blood on my face. My leg is not broken.” My guess is Joni and Igor would’ve had issues.
Damn I miss Igor!!!
Okay back to our Oilers tonight, Pitkanen should draw back in after missing one game with the flu. Oilers will rebound nicely and win 4-2 with goals from Hemsky, Penner and Cogliano (2).
Oops, he did it again. In fact, he did IT three times in a row. Andrew Cogliano (aka Cogs) scored in overtime last night to lift the Oilers over the St. Louis Blues. Yes folks, that is his third overtime goal. Even more impressive, it’s his third overtime goal in as many games. Yes, an NHL record.
Aside from blowing a 3-0 lead (let’s not get into that yet), the Oilers held on and took the game to overtime. Cogs scored with 5 seconds left in OT with a beautiful pass from Gagner (Gags). Earlier in the season, I was shouting to put these boys together. Along with the addition of Nilsson lately, they are the dynamic trio. The kid line isn’t kidding (yes that was bad). They have so much chemistry and even better, are scoring lots of goals.
Okay, let’s get to this blowing leads. You know what? This team is young and yes, they’re going to cock things up. But they are not blowing leads and losing like they did in December. I believe they lost 6 games in a row and were tied or leading heading into the third period. Fast forward a few months, and now when blowing a lead, the Oilers come back in OT or the shootout. Obviously we’d all like to see more regulation wins but this is a team in transition. They are developing (faster than we all thought) and becoming an Oilers team of old. Filled with physical play, using their speed and grinding out wins.
It’s too bad their 7-1 run hasn’t helped make up much ground. They are still 7 pts out of the playoffs. But it sure gives this fan some hope for the future.
Kevin Lowe did not make any deals today as the Edmonton Oilers was among a few teams that made no moves. I figured he’d be very quiet today but not this quiet. Go listen to Lowe’s press conference to get his take. I think the players he wanted to trade (ie: Roloson) had no takers and maybe nothing significent in return. I mean look at Huet; he was traded for a second round draft pick. So if a starting goalie only gets a second rounder, I can’t imagine much was offered for a backup goalie with a cap hit over 3 mil.
Anyways, here is a list of all the movestoday. As mentioned already, Huet was probably the most surprising considering that was the only move from Montreal today. No one even mentioned he was on the block, he went for only a second pick and Montreal is now going with a 20 yr old goalie. Hmmm it’ll be an interesting playoffs for the Habs.
Toronto did as expected: no one waived their no trade clause or there was no interest in the big ticket items (McCabe). They did move Kilger, Belak and Gill for draft picks. It’s almost no fun laughing at the Leaves anymore. Seriously, Ferguson really hampered this team with all the no-trade clauses. This team is a mess and will be for the near future. Time to start buying out contracts if you can’t trade them. Too much money is tied up in such poor talent.
Anyways, back to our Oilers. The good news is this team could be in much worse trouble (see the Leaves). The bad news is another missed playoffs, too many injuries, and a mediocre coach. More good news is the kids: they’re developing faster than most of us thought and the future looks pretty good. Yes the Oilers need to get someone to play with Hemsky, resign our RFA’s, unload some contracts (Roli) and stay healthy. So we have hope.
UPDATE: Good win in the shootout (shocking, yes) for our Oilers over Detroit. Oil blow a 2-0 lead and go down 3-2 late in the third, but score with 20 seconds left to send the game to overtime. Good gritty win….seriously nice to see. Oh yes, Pitkanen went down with an injury early in the third. Not sure how bad it is….is it broken?? If the Oilers’ luck continues, of course it is. We’ll find out tomorrow, maybe.
So, who is getting traded tomorrow? There will be a couple big trades (Brad Richards and Marion Hossa will be on the move) and the rest will be salary dumps (basically for a bag of pucks).
A few names are already off the list:
–Sundin has refused to waive his no-trade clause. I’m Switzerland on this issue. He’s showing his love for his team OR he’s absolute lack of motivation to actually win the Stanley Cup. Maybe a bit of both? More about Toronto in a minute.
–Forsberg has signed with Colorado after weeks of indecision. Fuck, it felt like a lifetime. Bad news for Colorado; they just signed Peter Forsberg in 2008.
–Boyle has resigned a monster deal in Tampa Bay (6 years, 40 million which is a $6.66 million cap hit). Not sure this is a good signing….TB still needs an actual goalie especially since they’ve also just traded Prospal to Philadelphia for some pucks.
So, we know Hossa and Richards will be traded tomorrow but where will they end up? There is a story floating that Montreal is after Hossa. I’m not that high on Hossa; he’s one of those types of players (ie: Europeans) that disappear in the playoffs so you’d better be careful with what you give up. However, Montreal could be a very big threat in the playoffs if they get him and he remembers to keep playing past the middle of April.
If Montreal stocks up, what will Ottawa do? The Sens just got their asses kickedby Toronto 5-0 (true sentence folks, I know this seems like a set-up for a joke, but it is not) so they must be getting worried. One problem with this team is defense (aside from starting Emery in net for five straight games. Gerber relieved him in the third after he gave up 5 goals on 21 shots. Why was he still in net after 3 or even 4 goals? Coaching is another issue in Ottawa). They traded Corvo away for Stillman and Raggaty-Ann (Commodore). Sure a bit more offense, but damn, they need more than that.
One note to Toronto: what a mess. Sundin, Kaberle, Kabina, and Tucker have all stated they will not waive their no-trade clauses. McCabe says he will think about it. How the hell can Fletcher make any changes for the better when his stupid predecessor handed out no-trade clauses like candy? He won’t. Their best bet is to either buy out a couple of those guys (Kabina for sure) or sit their asses in the pressbox until they waive their no-trade clause. Also, what is TO doing? They should be tanking the rest of the season and trying to get that lottery pick. They are 6 pts out of the playoffs, and seriously, they aren’t going to make it. TANK!!!!
“I don’t think we’re that far off,” McCabe said. “We had a ton of injuries again this year. You guys make this out to be like the worst team in the world….We’re one or two players off, I think, from being a good team……I don’t think we’re that bad.”
BAD…..VERY BAD!!!
Now we get to the OILERS. I am not expecting a trade of note tomorrow unless Lowe unloads Staios or Stoll. Those are basically our only two big trading chips. Maybe a Roloson if someone wants to take on his salary for next year. Otherwise, maybe a couple dumps (Reasoner, Sanderson) for some pucks/picks.
There is the rumour that the Rangers are after Robbie Schremp. So what is Lowe going to do? We keep hearing that Schremp is not a MacT-type player. Screw you MacT…..not every player needs to be a two-way forward. As much as everyone loves the Pisani’s of the world, you need the Schremp’s too! I’m not sure if you know but scoring goals is important.
I’ve always floated back and forth on the Scremp drama, but this kid has earned a real chance. Since Moreau is a broken piece of chinathese days, bring up Robbie and let him play the rest of the season. Give him huge ice time and let’s see what he can really do. We can always trade him in the summer but come on, you’ve put so much time into this kid so give him a real shot. It’s too bad he was injured late last year. He came into training camp recovered from his injury but had very little training time. So yes, he got passed by Cogliano, Gagner, Brodziak, etc. He’s ready to go so give him a shot. I think there is room on the team now.
Anyways, not sure what will happen to our Oilers tomorrow but I doubt it will be as shocking as last year.
The Oilers are in Nashvilletonight and what are we to expect?? They have won 4 of 6 games but more importantly, they are a scrappy team again. Yes, they are intense, emotional, physical and gritty. This is the Oilers team we all know and love. Yes they had gone missing for awhile but in the past couple weeks, they have found their way home. When you even have Gags fighting, you know this team has gotten their edge back. I am lovin’ it.
The Oilers have lost to the Predators six times in a row (I have no explanation….they’re like Minnesota. They have our number and it’s unexplainable). BUT, I think tonight is the night to end the losing streak. The Oil are going to bring the heat tonight!!
And this brings us to Zach Stortini. A few months ago, I (along with most Oiler fans) questioned his place on this team. He had trouble skating, couldn’t fight (huggy bear or Sir Hugs A Lot) and seemed lost out there. Fast forward a few months, Zach has become an integral part of this team. His fourth line (with Brodziak, whom I absolutely adore, and Glencross) are lighting it up, not only in the hits department but on the scoreboard. They’re actually carrying this team at times. They’re taking the lead, and the rest of the team is following. They’ve all stepped up their intensity and physical play. This is Oilers hockey!!! I think we’re all loving it! While they lost the Vancouver game, damn it was fun to watch. Aside from some shitty refereeing, it was a damn good game. We need this to continue!
Oilers win tonight 4-1 with the Zack Attack line scoring 2 goals along with Hemmer and Gags.
The Oilers are in Calgary today for the Battle of Alberta. We won the battle on Monday, can we repeat and win again? I think hell yes!
Sure Calgary will be gunning for our kids after getting their asses kicked several times this week (by Chicago and our Oilers). But the Oilers seem to finally be fighting hard and competing. That is all I have really wanted all year. This team has been soft most of this year. They’ve forgotten their gritty style of play that catapulted them into the Stanley Cup Finals in 2006. Sure the team was down Moreau, Souray at times and Pisani. BUT….as we saw on Monday and Wednesday, this team is capable of playing the tough, forechecking and hitting style.
So the Oilers bring their swords (sticks) to Calgary, ready to pummel the Lames into contrition. Stortini will hopefully bring his fighting style from Chicago’s game (he actually threw punches) instead of his usual Sir Hugs A Lot or Huggy Bear style!
Other news: Souray had surgery this week and it was suggested he might be ready to return in March. This has to be extremely wishful thinking but you never know. The Oilers are 7 points of the playoffs and while I’m not counting them out like many others are, the reality is that the Oilers have a very outside chance of making it. However, the chance is still there. They need to run the table, leap over some teams (St. Louis has four games in hand on us so that’s one issue) and hope for some of those loser teams to start losing. If nothing else, we just want to see a good fight for the playoffs. I can handle another non-playoff year if they show some fire and play hard.
Will Kevin Lowe make any deals at the trade deadline? Will Pitkanen and Gilbert get signed? I am quite nervous about all the damn rumours of Pitkanen getting traded. I hear he’s asking for a huge contract which is odd since sure he’s a good d-man but really hasn’t had a breakout year yet. He has 16 pts in 39 games this year (43 pts last year in Philly). So are his high demands his way of trying to get out of here? Does he truly believe he’s worth that? Someone must be reading the blogs! We waited a whole year to get that puck-moving defenseman so I’d hate to see them trade him so quickly. He has such potential !!
One hour until gametime: I foresee a great win by the Oilers. Stortini punches Phaneuf so hard, he begins singing Celine Dion songs! 5-2 Oilers with goals by Hemsky (2), Gilbert, Cogliano and Reasoner.
Battle of Alberta tonight again….Oilers must win to stay in the race for the playoffs! With only two games left, gotta win em both to stand a chance. The Oilers got a nice win over these very same Lames this past weekend. 
