Of all the things that are impressive about Prince, the one thing that always stood out for me is the number of women who moved to his town to be near him.I mean, come the hell on. What's he got.. ah forget it.
Anyway, Prince and John Madden and lots of lakes and beautiful scenery are famous things about Minnesota and since he wrote the 1960's we should also mention Robert Zimmerman.
The Oilers roll into Minnesota today and play the Wild. Win and they're back in the top 8 with some games in hand on a few teams ahead of them. Lose and it's back to the dungeon.
I'm reminded of that old Bob Dylan song "Memphis Blues Again": "Oh, Mama, can this really be the end, To be stuck inside of Mobile With the Memphis blues again."
Don't ask me why it fits, it just does.
Hard to believe but I liked both Prince and Zimmerman. We all knew the Oilers were going to lose yesterday, including them. What a season, always on the edge of falling way down or put a couple wins together and back to fifth.
ReplyDeleteNo favors last night from San Jose or Calgary or Chicago. Mediocrity sames to be the flavor of the season in a lot of cities.
My favorite line about Minnesota comes from Chris Rock.
ReplyDelete"All the black people in the US, they're in about 10 places. New York, LA, Chicago, Atlanta....they're ain't no black people in Minnesota! Hell, the only black people in Minnesota are Prince and Kirby Puckett (RIP)"
Anyways, today's Garrioch mentions something that's been floating around for awhile - the Bouwmeester speculation.
Maybe there IS a plan. Land Bouwmeester as a UFA, giving you the combo of J-Bo and Ales to build around long term, then use one of the other defensive assets along with a sizeable forward salary (Penner) to bring in a high end LW?
We'll see how she plays out. Trade deadline might be anti-climactic, but damn, July 1st could be downright fascinating.
Oh, and a little bird told me yesterday to watch for some sort of move by the Flames in the next few weeks to add a fairly prominent defenseman.
Does Garrioch ever get it right?
ReplyDeleteWe all knew the Oilers were going to lose yesterday
ReplyDeleteYeah, but its still tough
You start to wonder about where the hell this team is going
They get killed by Chicago,
Mact says "we were too small and slow",
Who's in the pipeline?
- Brule, Ebele, Omark
Plus, Cole is on his way out?
Jayzzuz
They'll beat the Wild today.
Garrioch's like the fifth or sixth person on this "J-Bo to E-town" boat though.
ReplyDeleteYes, he's the Eklund of the MSM, but this smoke is coming out of more than one window.
This Bouwmeester stuff sounds interesting, but is there any indication it's not just Lowe being Lowe and saying "yeah, we'd love to have Bouwmeester" in the same way that the Oilers are rumoured to be kicking tires regarding every major trade target and free agent of the last decade?
ReplyDeleteI mean, I just don't think there's any practical way to make it work unless you can turn around Gilbert, Moreau, and Staios in a trade while getting value back.
Oh, and a little bird told me yesterday to watch for some sort of move by the Flames in the next few weeks to add a fairly prominent defenseman.
ReplyDeleteIs this the same defenceman who's been rumoured to Boston and Jersey in recent days?
Last night was a clear breaking point for me. I'm fine with this team selling or holding at the deadline but I do not support a buy.
ReplyDeleteThey aren't a healthy Horc/Vis away from competing with Detroit. Adding Kovalchuk won't help them beat San Jose. Picking up Jim Dowd won't take down Chicago or Calgary. The whole depth chart is a mess. Guys that are number 2's should be number 4's at their position and on down the line. Freaking Hossa doesn't even play top power play or 1st line. Amazing.
The sell is acceptable because there are some parts that could be flipped for assets and the hold is OK because this team might really be hurt by another late season swoon and could really use the playoff experience.
Make no mistake, this team will not win a playoff round. This is Atlanta when they traded for Zhitnik. This is NYI when they traded for Ryan Smyth. The huge advantage we have as an organization is the fact that missing the post season will not be the death blow it could very well be for Phoenix, Columbus, Florida and the rest of that crew. Use that advantage (as the Leafs have) to do what is best for this team long term.
To think this team spends to the cap and performs like this nauseates me. The injury excuse is a major red herring as in general, this team has been quite healthy this year with no Top 6 forward, Top 4 defenseman or starting goalie missing much time. Of course, that may change with Vis but to this point, serious injuries to key players are no worse than any but the luckiest (NYR, Phoenix).
The injury excuse is a major red herring as in general, this team has been quite healthy this year with no Top 6 forward, Top 4 defenseman or starting goalie missing much time.
ReplyDeleteHemsky doesn't count?
To think this team spends to the cap
ReplyDeleteThe full roster Cap hit for this year's team is $53.7 Million.
Or, just under 95% of Cap.
Yeasterday's roster was $42.3mm,
about 75%
Lord Bob: The way I'm reading it, the Bouwmeester camp is the side interested in signing in Edmonton. And, for a player like that, the feeling would probably be mutual.
ReplyDeleteYou'd make allowances to lock down a 25 year old blue-chip big minute blueliner like that.
HBomb: Don't get me wrong, I'd love to have Bouwmeester and I'd be all about making sacrifices if we had to in order to get him long-term.
ReplyDeleteBut bearing in mind that we're going to need a goalie and a Cole replacement as well, it'll be tricky to make the financials work.
LB
ReplyDeleteDid the Salmonbellies kick Las Vegas' ugly butts last night?
Lord Bob: Like I said, there would be a progression. Land Bouwmeester, then deal one of Gilbert/Visnovsky/Souray plus something else for a 1LW.
ReplyDeletePenner's a SoCal guy and Souray's kids are down there.
Ideal plan:
- Souray plus Penner for Frolov plus something else (Lombardi's done business here before).
- Extend Cole and Grebeshkov
- Ink Bouwmeester for around 6 per over at least six seasons on July 1st
- Dump Staios and Moreau for picks
Your "core" then becomes
F: Hemsky, Horcoff, Frolov, Cogliano, Gagner, Cole, Nilsson, Pisani, Brodziak, Pouliot
D: Bouwmeester, Visnovsky, Gilbert, Grebeshkov
That's what you work with going forward. Problem is, dealing Souray leaves you butter-soft on the back-end (hell, throughout the lineup), so maybe it makes more sense to move one of 71 or 77. But I really like those guys - 71's the best we've got now, and I'm convinced 77's deal looks like a bargain in 2 years.
Would they consider a top four of Bouwmeester-Visnovsky-Gilbert-Souray? Would LA take Grebeshkov back with Penner in a package for Frolov?
The possibilities are endless, but exciting. Landing a blue chip UFA like J-Bo would open some doors in terms of options, that's for sure.
Jason Blake:
ReplyDelete19 goals
21 assists
40 points
+6
He would be our leading goal scorer by 3 goals - Edmonton is a pathetic hockey team.
Our top LW is playing on the 4th line.
Our top C has 1 goal in the last 17 games, might not even crack 50 points this year.
Our 3rd highest scoring forward gets played on the 3rd line with Moreau.
Our 2nd line center has 4 goals and 17 points.
Our 2nd line wingers have 22 and 19 points.
Our starting goalie probably has a .850 sv% since Garon was traded.
And we have a GM who's talking about being sellers? Get fucking real.
"Would LA take Grebeshkov back with Penner in a package for Frolov?"
ReplyDeleteNot unless their idiots.
Frolov is making 2.9 million next year and then he will be extended.
Who's going to pay Penner 4.2 when you could extend Frolov for 5.5?
They already have Doughty, Greene, Johnson, Preissing in their top 4 with prospects like Hickey and Colten Teubert around the corner.
@Traktor
ReplyDeletePlus Quincey and Harrold.
That should say buyers but I'm sure you guys got the drift.
ReplyDeleteThat would be great if Tambellini could pull it off, HBomb, with the exception that we'd probably be right at the cap and wouldn't have a tonne of depth. Our 5-6 D would be Smid and Peckham or something similar, for example, and if we had an injury it could be bad news.
ReplyDeleteFCM:
ReplyDeleteAll the Kings have to do is sit on their hand and they'll be great.
Traktor: Jason Blake? You've flown too close to the sun. Jason Blake is a 34-year old cancer making 4.5M with 3 more years to go on a contract PLUS he didn't start scoring until the team was falling down the elevator shaft.
ReplyDeleteNot a good argument. At all.
If Philly is actually thinking of moving Vanreimsdyk that would be a guy to go after (see HBombs article). Oilers and Philly are historically frequent trading partners and Philly has an excess of forwards. Grebs+ for Vanreimsdyk anyone?
ReplyDeleteLowetide:
ReplyDeleteI never suggested we pick him up - I only used him to highlight how pathetic our hockey club is.
I wouldn't take Blake for free.
"PLUS he didn't start scoring until the team was falling down the elevator shaft."
ReplyDeleteIsn't that why our scouts liked Pouliot so much?
From Hockey Central:
ReplyDeleteThe dilemma facing the Rangers is should they allow Avery to play at Hartford without claiming him, they risk having another NHL club swooping in for his services.
Sources Say the Pittsburgh Penguins, Colorado Avalanche, Columbus Blue Jackets, Vancouver Canucks and Edmonton Oilers are also considered good fits for Avery.
Jason Blake is a 34-year old cancer
ReplyDeleteBut it's the sort of cancer the Leafs can just take a pill to treat!
Also, with all this talk about Dylan and Prince, it occurs to me that we're actually overlooking the most obvious musical analogy to this Oilers game and, indeed, this Oilers season: Blue Rodeo's "Blew It Again".
H-Bomb
ReplyDeleteNo way you trade Souray AND Penner for Frolov and a prospect. He's definitely a talent but I'm sure the kings would take Grebs and a pick for him. Souray is the guy that stays. He's a tough big minutes guy and if if if Bouw ends up in Etown. I'd say Gilbert is the odd guy out. Same skillset but Bouwmeester is bigger and stronger.
I really don't want to see Penner go. He works well on the cycle and isnt a run and gun player. Would do better if we had him playing with some like minded players. He looks good on the fourth right now.
@ Traktor re: Jason Blake
ReplyDeleteRon Wilson has that team of marginal hockey players in Toronto playing way above their level. If we had Wilson running our team, you'd see a bunch of our guys having solid years too. I doubt Blake would produce the same numbers in a different situation.
jdr: I'd be hesitant but OK with it. Bouwmeester-Visnovsky-Souray would be about as good a top-three as anywhere in the league.
ReplyDeleteOk guys, I'm at the Lord Bob crossroads. Watch the game or go "get the girl".
ReplyDeleteIt's a roadie in Minnesota and I have residual liquid courage from last night. The choice is obvious.
@ Traktor
ReplyDeleteI agree on the pathetic-ness of this club though. We'll be close enough to the playoffs to be buyers at the deadline and end up screwing ourselves for another year. Same old story.
//Grebs+ for Vanreimsdyk anyone?//
ReplyDeleteGrebeshkov is no Jay Bouwmeester. Because Philly would mention Van Reimsdyk in a deal for Bouwmeester does not mean he is available. And Van Reimsdyk would only be available if one were to take either the Lupul or Hartnell contract.
Ok guys, I'm at the Lord Bob crossroads. Watch the game or go "get the girl".
ReplyDeleteIt's a roadie in Minnesota and I have residual liquid courage from last night. The choice is obvious.
Oh, god, an Edmonton - Minnesota game? I'm not sure I'd want to watch that even if there wasn't a girl option. :P
OOF:
ReplyDeleteI have no interest in Blake, I was merely making fun of our team. Kind of like when I say Richard Park has more points than Erik Cole.
I hope you're wrong about us being sellers but we all know foresight is a foreign concept in Oil Country.
Lord Bob: I'd probably put the 2005-06 season to "Always Getting Better".
ReplyDeleteGotta love Blue Rodeo.
That should read buyers, again. No wonder people are confused with my intentions.
ReplyDeleteAvery to the Oilers?
ReplyDeleteNot at his price tag. I would be shocked if an team would pick him up off waivers (either kind). I think any team interested will wait till the Stars buy him out this summer, and he will have the choice of where he goes (but admitting that choice may be a limited one). That way the team isn't on the hook for his 3.7ish million dollar cap hit for three more years: he'll get paid for the buy out so his lower contract (1.5 million for a year or two, is my guess) won't seem so terrible for him.
B.C.B: I wouldn't want Avery, but I wonder if the Oilers are thinking about it. Lord knows he could help this team on the ice.
ReplyDeleteHemsky doesn't count?
ReplyDeleteOf course he counts as a Top 6er but if he ends up playing 70+ games can you say he missed major time? In the ball park with Zetterberg, Boyle, Kessel, Mike Greene etc. who missed a "handful" of games.
The full roster Cap hit for this year's team is $53.7 Million.
Or, just under 95% of Cap.
Yeasterday's roster was $42.3mm,
about 75%
Uh, they were missing Horc and Visnovsky (and Pisani if you want). The Wings played without Holmstrom and Franzen (and Kopecky if you want). They were slightly healthier than we were which is probably like most teams but not 8 goals healthier.
Look at St. Louis with McDonald, Kariya, Eric Johnson, Eric Brewer and TJ Oshie who have all missed much of the season. They've got 1 more loss than us this season.
It seems to be agreed upon here that Kevin Lowe left MacTavish too many holes to field a competitive team which I'll concede in part. There was no tough minutes replacement for Stoll or Reasoner (who sucked at it by the way) but other than that, we felt pretty good at pretty much every other position. Many, many people thought this team would contend for the division with health and goaltending being the biggest concerns I heard. Health has been WAY better than other years and only now is starting to be an issue and goaltending, although a gong-show, has performed about as well as we thought, just with a different face.
I think an under appreciated fact on this board is MacTavish's "wins-per-dollar" number. And the W/L actually is flattering because when you look at GF/GA we stand second last in the West ahead of only Phoenix who happen to have the 3rd lowest payroll in the league.
So either Kevin Lowe has given too much money to too many people or Craig MacTavish has not been able to get his "good" individuals to become a "good" team.
There have been other unpopular players in Oiler history : maybe he'll have learned a lesson, hopefully?
ReplyDeleteI won't mind seeing Avery in the Oilers' silks. I have liked his play (not him) since his LA years. He would provide much need grit to the top two lines. He may like the big media, too. I just hope it is a one year deal, so if all goes bad, we won't have to buy him out.
I still think that Avery was the scapegoat for that miserable Dallas team: the "sloppy seconds" thing was purely a pretext on the team's part to light fires under asses and make like they were Doing Something and getting rid of a malign influence. The sort of guy who'd been there less than a season and who had no friends in the organisation so they could afford to lose, but also somebody with a name that people care about.
ReplyDeleteJonathan said "lord knows he could help us on the ice". Damned right I do!
Also, we could always deal with him like we dealt with Corson and make him captain!
ReplyDeleteKT: probably both.
ReplyDeleteGiven the depth this team is showing to not have, I wouldn't necessarily mind a quality for quantity trade, ie. cole. Let's face it, the moves this off-season cost this team depth, start looking to next year and the year after. If MacT can't buy into that, replace him.
Dominic Moore VS Shawn Horcoff
ReplyDeleteBoth play the toughest minutes.
Both play with the best teammates.
Moore Corsi = 5.9
Horcoff Corsi = 3.2
Moore PTS/60 = 2.29
Horcoff PTS/60 = 1.32
Moore GFON/60 = 3.48
Horcoff GFON/60 = 2.81
Moore GAON/60 = 3.11
Horcoff GAON/60 = 2.11
Moore differential = +.37
Horcoff differential = +.70
Moore = 11 goals, 23 assists in 53 games
Horcoff = 11 goals, 22 assists, in 51 games
Moore = 900k this year, UFA next year
Horcoff = 3.6 million year year, 5.5 million next year
I wonder how much Moore will get in the summer?
NBC reports from the Wings-Pens game, that Norway has qualified for the Olympics by beating Denmark today on the strength of a hat trick by Patrick Thoresen.
ReplyDeleteThor fans, rejoice.
Any word on line-up changes today?
the perfect Prince song for the team's attempt to make up for Horcoff's absence (also covered by the GooGoo Dolls):
ReplyDelete"I Could Never Take the Place Of Your Man"
Moreau will line up at 1L tonight.
ReplyDeleteI know this is all so much speculation but I saw something on this thread about taking a Philly prospect whose name I won't try to spell and potentially Scott Hartnell's contract in a deal for Grebs. I dunno, but I think a guy like Scott Hartnell would look really fucking great on our team right now. Gritty, consistently scores 20+ goals in tough divisions, hits like a freight train. Yeah, I think I'd make that deal provided we can lock him up for a couple years. It'd be like a young Moreau but with legitimate hockey skills. I think I'd like a 2nd line of Hartnell-89-26 thanks...or put him with Horsky and move the fridge to the 2nd line? Yeah...I'd like that a lot. Godot10, lets make that deal you speak of...seriously...
ReplyDeleteI also wouldn't mind making a play for Tim Connolly. He's a RH center. Sure he's been kinda injury prone the last couple of years, but because of that, he might come cheaper then he would've had he been healthy, and him sticking around might allow us to keep 26, considering they're both upstate new yorkers and all that...
Just speculation here of course, but I think those two, Hartnell and Connolly would make the team a lot better, short and long term.
Trak: you can say that 10's overpaid but if you're comparing Moore to 10, you know you're gonna get mowed down:) And, hey, all the best to you because it's a free internet:)
ReplyDeleteHB: I agree, there's enough guys talking about JB to Edm that this rumor's got more legs than Manute Bol. The thing I read today - not sure if it was from the SN site or from Garrioch - was that the kid cited one of his reasons for the potential move as him being sick of playing in a non-hockey market.
Welcome to Edmonton!!:D
I get a nice feeling thinking about 71 and JB anchoring down a pairing apiece. And while I like what 44's been doing this season, the odds don't support him doing that two years in a row and he's currently a real -5 and we've seen that our PP can be just as poor with the guy as it can be without if. I'd certainly be looking to get rid of him.
I'm not confident that the Avery idea's picking up steam because that link says sources say he'd be a good fit in Edm but that's different from saying we know for sure they're interested in him.
The guy can play tough min and just look at what he did in that role in '07-08 in NYR; even before the Kings dealt him he was just -8 for an awful Kings team while in the role of playing on the tough min line.
So, yes, I'll take the chance on him being able to help us and I'd love to see him here.
Count me among the crowd that thinks the Oilers would have to totally tank before they sold off at the deadline. KT makes some great points when he says we can afford to parse and still have the fans back for 2010 but when Katz is offering the moon to Big Georges between spots than I doubt that if he had any say around deadline day, he'd give the OK to off guys like 18 and 24 because those are the fellows who need to be moved.
Those fellows are making money and not making a difference.
Surprise, surprise, Roli with the start ... three in 66 hours for our 39-year old stopper.
ReplyDeleteI don't disagree with him starting today, but to choose him yesterday was asinine.
Does anyone have a link for the feed?
ReplyDeleteBtw, what's the over/under for JDD starts between now and mathematical elimination? If it's as high as 3, I'll take the under.
ReplyDeleteBob try http://atdhe.net/. you might have to try a few times, but I am watching it.
ReplyDeleteBouwmeester signing as a UFA is the dream and if Strachan is saying it then I'm inclined to buy it.
ReplyDeleteAnd then they can move another Dman for help up front.
And 18 and 24 do have to go and its about the contracts. Staios in the top four is fine but in the bottom pair for that amount is all wrong. And if Moreau goes then that's three bottom sixers making 2 plus moved and some balance to the salary structure again.
Anyone check the next five games after today? Home to the Habs and then at LA, SJ, Dallas and Phoenix.
That's the season I think.
Hemsky slides up to take Reddox's spot with Cogliano and Moreau.
ReplyDelete27-51-46 reunited, but in depth chart terms they look more like a third line than a fourth. That honour surely goes to 33-78-85.
B.C.B.: atdhe's homepage wouldn't load for me the last 15 minutes but it finally kicked in.
ReplyDeleteFor the second straight game MacT uses his timeout in the first 6 minutes.
ReplyDeleteKudos to Penner for winning that faceoff.
ReplyDeleteWhat's with Hemsky? He's just flat giving it away. Twice on that shift after the PPG.
Brodziak chases the puck down behind the net and Moreau skates off into the corner for no apparent reason. That could have been a scoring chance if the second guy stops in front of the net.
ReplyDeleteHemsky with his first point in awhile, but in the main he's handling the puck like a man with a concussion.
Sourays shot is ridiculous.
ReplyDeleteI remember loving Dave Manson on the backend. Big shot and created havoc with the plumbers up front digging for rebounds.
But 44 is a cannon with a sniper scope.
Of all things I hate about playing MINN, and there are quite a few, its that damn guitar riff and chant music they play after they score a goal.
Its like some cheesy sportsnet montage soundtrack. Hockey that matters. That kinda crap.
So much for that idea.
ReplyDeleteI'm by no means a Stortini fan but I'm actually worried about his health if Boogaard gets into it with him.
ReplyDeleteThis is such a BS makeup call here. They don't Storts coming out of the box with Boogaard, so they just take Boogaard and then grab Souray afterwards.
Tyler: Stortini is by no means afraid of Boogaard (2 previous tilts), but if there is One reason why this team signed MacIntyre, he's wearing #24 in ... what is thsat ugly colour anyway? Puce?
ReplyDeletecerise? chartreuse?
ReplyDeleteNice backcheck by your man there Bruce.
ReplyDeleteWhatever, it's somewhere in the colour chart under "butt ugly".
ReplyDeleteActually, on its own I'm sure it's a very nice colour. It's the combination of the three that is horrid.
ReplyDeleteMinny's darks are the ugliest unis in the league.
Minny's darks are the ugliest unis in the league.
ReplyDeleteThe New York Islanders take issue with that, Mr. Bruce!
Jacques does have a nice tie, though.
ReplyDeleteBruce what did you think about what Al Strachan had to say about Stortini?
ReplyDeleteBlatant trip on Gilbert there.
ReplyDeleteSo if the dream ever comes true and they land J-Bo, you obviously have to move one of 44 or 71.
ReplyDeleteBut then can you afford to keep 37? I'd be sad if the answer is no.
BDHS: Didn't hear it.
ReplyDeleteThat was a brutal fucking goal. Come on, Roli.
ReplyDeleteNHL goalies have to make that save
ReplyDeleteA rested, confident goalie makes that stop.
ReplyDeleteNice one Roli.
ReplyDeleteApparently rumour is Stortini's dumped his agent and some guy McCurdy is taking over. Confirm or deny? ;)
Somewhere in Pittsburgh, Mathieu Garon is howling with laughter.
ReplyDelete(And somewhere in Springfield, Ryan Stone is firing can-of-corn wristers right into Devan Dubnyk's crest in practice while Dany Sabourin fills the water bottles.)
And this guy is going to be your starter next season as well?
ReplyDeleteCurtis Sanford can be picked up for a song, folks.
I know our coach always approaches it as "who gives me the best chance to win Today" but his failure to recognize yesterday as the lost cause it obviously was, was a blunder of roster management, specifically goalie management. Yesterday was -- or should have been -- all about positioning ourselves for today.
ReplyDeleteManny Legace just went through waivers. Manny Legace just went through waivers.
ReplyDeleteI'm liking Moreau's ability to skate around like mad today. No real hockey application but I think it bodes well. When the others tire in the third period, Ethan rifles will be flying into areas where nothing happens.
ReplyDeleteBodes well. BODES well. Bodes WELL!
Chances: 8-4 Min; 7-2 EV; 2-1 Oilers on ST.
ReplyDeleteNotes: the Oilers didn't create an EV chance after 83 notched one at 16:12; the other EV chance was 78 from 30 feet out at the 17:40 mark.
Oil with oodles of PP time but only created two chances; and they gave up a SHC to boot.
Game lagged for a time and around the six min mark the Wild got in position for a couple of chances though their shots didn't find the net; I mark those instances as chances all the same, though.
That's a bad fucking goal from Roli and it's frustrating because if you go up 2-0 on Minny, you'll bet the house they won't come back and by the time there's a game that they DO come back, you'll have so many houses that you won't miss the one you lost:D
A rested, confident goalie makes that stop.
ReplyDeleteCrazy talk. Roli just needs to throw those dice harder.
Also, our right side defence -- Pouliot and Strudwick -- were nowhere to be seen on that rush. No way a guy should be able to get a clear slapshot from there.
ReplyDeleteBTW, it must be sad to be a Dys fan but you don't really have a lot of other smart fans to talk to so you hang out on Oilers boards and hope for the worst:)
ReplyDeleteLowetide: you have it exactly right about Air Moreau and his hustle. That was Arnott's problem. All the skill in the world but no hustle. That's why we traded him. Whereas Moreau has all the hustle in the world but no skill, and that's why he's captain!
ReplyDeleteWho could have ever predicted that a 39 year old Roli would falter down the stretch after being run into the ground?
ReplyDeleteIt's nice to be tied 1-1 but the Wild couldn't play any worse than they did in the first 20. You know the Wild are going to step it up.
I expect an ass kicking in the 2nd period in the same fashion as GSP over Penn. Or Brownlee over Dennis.
Lord Bob: Exactly. Moreau does it with zeal, baby! No showing off either, just hustling down low for a hook or racing into the offensive zone to trip a guy.
ReplyDeleteE-F-F-O-R-T=E-T-H-A-N!
Baby.
Minny RTSS guys have the hit count at 14-2 Wild.
ReplyDeleteBrodziak 2-6, 25% in the circle.
Jesus Ethan!! Get the puck out! Ahhhhh! He plays LW like my table hockey guy when I was a kid.
ReplyDelete...you don't really have a lot of other smart fans to talk to so you hang out on Oilers boards and hope for the worst:)
ReplyDeleteThe GDT comments around here are some of the most entertaining and informative I've seen.
Wow 89-12-26 are sure generating chances
That whole sequence was fucked up LT. Everyone seemed to get about three feet ahead of where they wanted to be, hoping that the pass would somehow end up on their stick.
ReplyDeleteOilers are bleeding chances now and #44 is in the box. 2-1 soon.
ReplyDeleteThat was a risky clearing attempt... skate behind your net then throw it up the middle!
ReplyDeleteI don't think you could assemble twelve forwards that put themselves in worse positions to take passes.
ReplyDeleteIt's like me playing basketball in phys-ed ten years ago, just hiding behind the defender because I don't want to have to take a shot.
I miss Bergeron more than I ever missed Poti.
ReplyDeleteJesus Ethan!! Get the puck out! Ahhhhh! He plays LW like my table hockey guy when I was a kid.
ReplyDeleteWhat's the NHL version of pulling a guy off the little metal peg and replacing him with one from another set because he's luckier?
...oooh, my, can't help wondering why I blew it again...
ReplyDeleteThere is not one chance in hell Edmonton gets the next goal. Book it!
ReplyDeleteHemsky is butter-soft on the puck today. Early this period he got stripped on a nothing play along the boards in the neutral zone when the play was to dump it in and finish the change. Instead, Minny got a quick 2-on-1 while the defencemen were completing the long change.
ReplyDeleteButtercluck with 5 hits, Edmonton with 3.
ReplyDeleteTom Gilbert has probably just been added about another few thousand people on FB.
ReplyDeleteWow that feature on Gilbert - hard hitting journalism at its best.
ReplyDeleteWhy does Rob Faulds keep saying Ovechkin?
ReplyDeleteI never thought I'd say this, but I am stoked on actually moving back to Edmonton, just to be able to watch games. I have a shit internet connection so I can't stream regularly, and it's getting harder and harder to determine how high the team's level of suck is when forced to listen to Rod and Bob. We could be totally shitting the bed and Rod would call the game with so much passion and zeal that you'd swear the Oil won 8-3 yesterday. I just can't even tell anymore... LT, Bruce, Dennis, I trust you guys... regardless of the score, how bad is it?
ReplyDeleteWell if they would just take a level and even the ice surface it'd be fair. :-)
ReplyDeleteMinnesota is taking over the game. It doesn't bode well.
That's twice Nilsson has used the body to make a play. If I were Kenta I'd order that blood test.
ReplyDeleteOh, Samwise. Another pass into coverage.
ReplyDeleteBoogaard-Stortini coming to a screen near you.
ReplyDeleteDoogie: I've been noticing that too. About four passes in the first period that might have had a chance if they had any mustard on them, but Sam is way too cute and nothing is getting through.
ReplyDeleteAll kidding aside I like Stortini, no fear.
ReplyDeleteAnd Penner seems to be having a quietly effective game.
I'm going to go against the grain and say that they might steal this one. Wild on Jack Lemaire is as bland and non descript as the Oilers are.
On the Boogey-Stortini topic: Bruce, I don't doubt that Storts isn't afraid of him but that doesn't mean that Boogaard couldn't do bad things to him.
ReplyDeleteTwo times this period where the Wild get their only line out against the Oilers 4th line and both times they get chances.
ReplyDeleteAT the very least why can't we just double-shift someone in 33's place on the 4th line?
Shep: nothing much's happening either way this period.
I think Ladislav Smid wants a new goalie!
ReplyDeleteMC: That's true. Boogaard whupped Zack pretty soundly in their second encounter late last season, definitely the most one-sided loss on Zofg's extensive resume which includes almost all of the biggest and the toughest.
ReplyDeleteThe difference so far is that Roli's let in a shit goal and Backstrom hasn't.
ReplyDeleteWhat we really need is one of those 50 foot wristers from 18 to find twine.
Y'know, I haven't been as in love with the Oilers this year as I've been in the past; they just don't seem like that interesting a team to me. Too many mismatched parts forced into the wrong hole. I've just figured that at some point it's going to blow up and we're going to be ten points out of the playoffs.
ReplyDeleteAs Pat points out though, this kind of looks like one where they might steal a point or two. Their season kind of reminds me of a Wild game or a Sabres game from bacl in the day; it's not pretty but they keep hanging around, hanging around, hanging around...some bounces and maybe they get in.
"Zofg" entered the witness protection program after that second Boogey fight.
ReplyDeleteBut to his credit, he's not shying away from him today. Too bad Sportsnet completely missed the hit in the neutral zone, sounded like a good one.
Hey, guys: has Brodziak gone beyond the hash marks in the offensive zone once this game? He seems very nervous like he's trying to keep it on the perimeter and not make a huge mistake.
ReplyDeleteWe'll know once Dennis posts the chances for this period and I agree wtih LT that the ice is slanted but it just doesn't feel like the Wild are getting a ton of chances. That doesn't help much when Roli lets in shit goals but still.
ReplyDeleteBackstrom just stoned Sheldon Souray from the same spot that Roli couldn't handle Eric Fucking Belanger.
ReplyDeleteYeah Ty but the elevator shaft is coming. I could see them going 0 for 5 after today quite easily. And they have no clearance on anyone now, only St. Lou. They really wasted that pre break run.
ReplyDeleteLA coming hard.
Dallas past.
Only good news is Mason has mono.
Fuck you, Mr Stripes.
ReplyDeleteGuys: They're not winning this game.
ReplyDeleteI told Mason that open-mouthed kissing Marc Pouliot would come back to haunt him.
ReplyDeleteNext time, Sam, don't dive over him, just take his fucking head off. You're going to get a penalty anyway, get your money's worth.
ReplyDeleteFuck you, Mr. Stripes.
Why is Moreau stealing the puck from Hemsky?
ReplyDeleteWhat the heck is a "Duplication Error"?... Anyways...
ReplyDeleteI say the Oil win this one if they can score more goals than Ole PM Bouchard gets in on. He has at least one coming. Minny looks sleepy today.
shepso: Yes.
ReplyDeleteLT's gone negative, guaranteed win!
ReplyDeleteI've only caught spurts, mostly the second half of the period but it looked pretty even out there to me. Two mediocre teams who don't like each other much, lots of turnovers both ways, no finish for either team.
Why is Moreau stealing the puck from Hemsky?
ReplyDeleteCuz that's what Ethan does. And cuz today, anybody can steal the puck from Hemsky.
@LB: Thought so. Not giving up, just getting progressively more bitter. If I didn't have so much crap to do, I would most certainly be drinking by now...this team is getting harder to love on a daily basis...yet here I am, still...
ReplyDelete2nd period chances: 6-5 Edm; 6-3 EV; 2-0 ST Min
ReplyDeleteOil had the period's last three chances and the three of them were good chances as well. Of Min's three EV chances, two of those came when Lemaire got his 1st line out against out 4th.
Hits after 40: MIN 24 EDM 7
ReplyDeleteMinny ranks 27th in the NHL in this category, btw.
Minnesota's got more hits tonight than Top 40 radio.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, who actually listens to Top 40 radio?
I say it's looking good!
Hits are a bs stat Bruce
ReplyDeleteSoemthing is not right with Ales.
Concussion related?
Power play, and surprise surprise, it's 26 drawing it. Big Goal time, boys.
ReplyDeleteThat was pretty.
ReplyDeleteExcept for the part where it was shorthanded.
The atdhe feed over here is going to hell. Is it safe to assume that Zod Stortini scored a magnificent end-to-end goal?
ReplyDelete@LB: Sure, if "Zod Stortini" is code for "the Minnesota Wild penalty kill." I think all four guys were in on that.
ReplyDeleteBig Goal time, boys
ReplyDeleteYup.
Is that Jayman "Oilers bring passion to hockey" commercial primarily ironic yet?
ReplyDeleteHits are a bs stat Bruce
ReplyDeleteWell, Schultz levelling Gagner 4-on-5 and the other 4 Oilers standing around like a bunch of pussies whiole Minny takes the puck down and scores is bs too. But it all started with a hit, and an utter lack of response.
Steve Staios just got torched on the outside by James Sheppard
ReplyDeleteSend that man to the glue factory already.
I can get used to this "Marc Pouliot as a centre" thing.
ReplyDeleteWhat line is Penner - Pouliot - Stortini these days? The second line?
ReplyDeleteAnd Mr. Puck Poise is injured.
Ok, now it no longer seems dirty to abandon the game in favor of the Pro Bowl... Good day kids, I'm out. This is just retarded... If Sammy can't bury an empty net and then gets hurt, we're even more doomed then previously suspected.
ReplyDeleteI'm gonna dig up my old Bruin's jersey (circa when I was 12) and be a bandwagon jumper. I've been a faithful Oilers and Dolphins fan, but I can only endure so much ineptitude across the two sports I love in a 3 year period. I can build on the Fins 11-5 season, their first winning season since the start of the decade, but the Oil can't/won't build on this.
I'm done here, at least for today.
Why can't we get a shit goal? Why?
ReplyDeleteI like this Grebeshkov character. Every so often I think he's a real keeper.
ReplyDeleteand to clarify, the Bruin's thing was only in the 1992-93 season...I have been a die hard Oiler fan since 1981, the year of my birth...lived through the dark ages as a season ticket holder, and now I am force fed this...at least in those days we were marketed as a shitty team, not a contender.
ReplyDeleteClutterbuck plays that 1 man on 4 forecheck to a tee, doesn't he?
ReplyDeleteNo excuse to cough it up there.
Shep,
ReplyDeleteNobody with mirrored aviators was born in '81 - that photo is so '74. As in '74 Mustang II. Fess up, man!
SAMWISE!@!!!!!
ReplyDeleteYes, the Oilers are alive! Nice play Smid!
ReplyDeleteYes!!!
ReplyDeleteThat's the Bobby Smid we know and love ;)
Bruce - not srguing with your point - pussies is a good way to describe this club
ReplyDeleteI just don't like that statistic at all.
Smid is on fire.
Ladislav Smid's on fire. Trade him while he's hot ;)
ReplyDeleteWhat this team needs is more hustle. Do you think Kelly Buchberger would be interested in lacing them up again?
ReplyDeleteI'd say "great minds think alike", Pat, but that isn't terribly complimentary to you.
ReplyDeleteI'd bring up my Tommy Albelin comp but it's probably best to wait a few games. :-)
ReplyDeleteThe Smid-Gagner combo isn't something you can count on but was certainly timely.
BDHS: It's definitely a FWIW stat. To me it means something more than nothing, it's the only thing that even attempts to measure the physical side of the game, which is tough to do by any measure.
ReplyDeleteNice play by Nilsson and Smid to open up the defence. Huge goal.
Nilsson's been shit on a lot this year, both by MacT and by fans - good to see him driving the bus a bit in Hemsky's abscence.
ReplyDeleteSeriously, wtf. Will the real Ales please stand up?
Why does that bald midget on Minnesota own us like he does?
ReplyDeleteRoli looked beat on that one. Not just the fact that it hit the bar, but the way he turned around. Looked very Gilles-Gilbert-in-'79.
ReplyDeleteI'm actually that badass and do own mirrored aviators...to be fair the photo is a partial fake, from this website involving pretend yearbook photos. The original was a beauty taken during mustache march '07 and imported into the fake yearbook thing. But I was in fact born in '81, I just wish I was a child of the 70s sometimes.
ReplyDeleteAnd just as I was about to quit, we score, so I am back in the game... Fuck the Bruins, Go Oil
Bruce:
ReplyDeleteWhat about aggressive penalties? They measure the physical side of the game AND they're easier to kill off :-)
If Moreau had been called on that blatant interference penalty, would it have qualified as "aggressive"?
ReplyDeleteAnyone else think the Oilers should hire somebody to piss in LT's cornflakes every morning?
ReplyDeleteThen again, every so often Denis Grebeshkov reminds me that he's what's known around these parts as a "chaos" defenseman.
ReplyDeleteGO FOR THE JUGULAR!!!!!
ReplyDeleteGod and Sally Field love us!! Are you freaking kidding me? AND it's PM Bouchard!!
ReplyDeleteHAHHAHAHAHHAHA
If they score a shorty this blog is going religion.
Nice work by Moreau.
ReplyDeleteAnd a nice reminder of why Penner's so valuable. He might have scored if Sam hadn't gone for the shot.
Penner Lives. I love seeing him angry.
ReplyDeletePM without his auto-point?...dum dummm dummm....
Love this Bobby Nilsson guy - can't believe they've kept him down with the Falcons most of the season.
ReplyDeleteWhy the FUCK is SteveStaios out there in the last minute. Be still my heart.
ReplyDeleteThat Roloson guy is just fine, folks.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, is there any reason at all for Steve Staios to touch the ice after about the 10:00 mark of the third?
Steady Steve all over the ice.
ReplyDeleteLets see if Mact's strategy to get to the shootout pays off.
ReplyDeleteAlways playing the percentages that guy.
Hey look - Dustin Penner taking critical faceoffs - it only took 50 games!
ReplyDeleteNilsson, Gagner, Hemsky?
ReplyDeleteDon't be so hard on Staios now, he only wiped out twice. Completely unaided.
ReplyDeleteWillis:
ReplyDeleteTo be fair, we had Horcoff to take them in the other 50 ;).
I'd go:
ReplyDelete1. Nilsson
2. Gagner
3. Hemsky (or Reddox)
:-)
Right now, guys in the away dressing room are highfiving each other and yelling "a point! a point!"
ReplyDeleteSteve Staios whiffed on a high five and punched Ales Hemsky in the face, though, so he's out for the season.
MacTavish going unorthodox with Gagner, Nilsson, Hemsky. Who knew?
ReplyDeleteTime to light up the christmas tree....that's what they're jerseys are, right?
ReplyDeleteWho goes 4th?
ReplyDeleteCogliano would be my pick, followed by any of:
Pouliot/Cole/Grebeshkov
Or Gilbert. Whatever.
Well, son of a....
ReplyDeleteSonofagun.
ReplyDeleteGilbert? really?
ReplyDeleteCan't anybody on this team raise the puck?
ReplyDeleteGilby's home town... bleh.
ReplyDeleteThe worst part is that you know next game MacT is going to send out Moreau, Staios, and Strudwick because of this.
ReplyDeleteWell they're tied for 8th place with Vancouver if I'm reading this correctly (VCR has a game in hand). I'd feel way better about the postseason if a team like ANA fell from the sky but this team is a buyer now through the deadline.
ReplyDeleteIf he's going to stir it up a bit, why not grebs or poo?
ReplyDeleteIt's a crapshoot anyway, but still.
down by 1 with 10 in the third and Penner is not with Hemsky..... had 10 minutes to think about it so he did get them together for OT.
ReplyDeleteAnd then Moreau over Cole in OT? Say what you want about holes in our roster. Our use of the roster is WAY worse.
had a game and then some to get Cogs to the top line.
Solid effort despite coaching.
What did happen to Brodziak? I missed that.
ReplyDeleteFaceoffs:
ReplyDeletePouliot 3-0, 100%
Penner 7-2, 78%
Gagner 11-8, 58%
Brodziak 7-9, 44%
Cogliano 1-7, 13%
Oilers 30-29, 51%
Nice work by Penner. Gagner seems to be improving, but I'm about to give up hope on Cogs. He's one of the worst I've ever seen.
Falcons taking on Martin Gerber and friends here...
ReplyDelete