Yesterday at practice, coach Renney--who is not the hardest line matcher who ever walked a turn at Shawshank--shuffled his lines again.
- RNH-Gagner-Eberle
- Horcoff-Smyth-Hemsky
- Belanger-Eager-Jones
- Lander-Paajarvi-Hordichuk
The veteran line is back together and will no doubt face a lot of own zone starts and some of the Avs best. The RNH line is also likely to get a push in zone starts, although coach Renney doesn't appear to like line matching lately (after working like a demon to get it earlier in the season).
And they appear to like Gagner at what I'd always felt was his weakest position--LW. Are they giving him a push for trade or do they really feel that line could damage the soft parade.
--
Gagner's 5x5/60 number has corrected in a hurry. He is now 1.61/60 and has improved plenty in one week so maybe the coach sees a chance to add a bat in the lineup. Still, Gagner is in the Hall position now and that means something has to give when the phenom returns.
--
Jim Matheson was speculating about Linus Omark in an article yesterday. The item is here, and this is interesting:
- A report in a Swedish paper says Omark, who will get the cast off his broken foot Dec. 29, has talked to management from his former Swedish Lulea club team. Omark has said he doesn't want to spend the whole season in the AHL.
The Expos used to be like that. They had so many outfielders guys like Gary Roenicke couldn't find a job, yet ten years later they're asking the Blue Jays if Mitch Webster can come out to play. I don't know that Linus Omark can outscore opponents, but do know that a roster that includes Lennart Petrell, a young Anton Lander, Ben Eager and Darcy Hordichuk should be able to find room for Linus Omark.
How we got to this place (Omark in OKC and Paajarvi's sideburns) tells us about the kind of team Tom Renney thinks he can win with moving forward. With that in mind, if they're going to trade Sam Gagner--and please understand I think it's a mistake--I'd like to suggest the Oilers ask after Zack Kassian.
If you're going to employ big physical players, try to get ones who can play. Surely that's the lesson of J-F Jacques.
I would love to see Paajarvi, Lander, and Petrell as a line... in OKC. At least for a month or so. The Oilers have forward depth, what's wrong with using it? Even with the Swedish Flash and the Finnish Crash injured, there's players there that have earned a cup of coffee.
ReplyDeleteThe problem with Omark's status is that he's ahead of some of these guys as a player but still has waiver slide ability.
ReplyDeleteThe Oilers inability to make a decision, added to Petrell's PK aplomb and the likelihood he would fly back to SML if he didn't make the big club--spelled the end for Omark.
It's a big deal because they're not going to max the asset. Linus Omark wants to play in the NHL, and someone will give him a shot once he wriggles away from the Oilers control.
So, we'll see. Linus Omark is looking for an opportunity the Oilers apparently have no intentions to offer him.
So, everyone moves on. The answer is out there.
Would still love to see the all swede line. Our current 3rd line (Eager-Belanger-Jones) is a great 4th line. Shelter the swedes and run with it. Obviously can't do it for a bit, but if offense is lacking (which is starting to happen), you need both Hall and Omark. Add Hartikainen and you have some solid top 9 contributors. That does make one of gagner and Hemsky available, and maybe we should look at that in order to shore up our D. Add potter back and a top 4 two way dman and we are a much better team.
ReplyDeleteTo be fair, Omark's primary problem isn't his waiver status but the fact that he got injured at the wrong time. I don't have much doubt he'd be on this team at present if he wasn't in a cast. By the time he comes back, we'll see.
ReplyDeleteAnd is Petrell really being kept here for his PK prowess? He bleeds at evens on the fourth bloody line and the PK hasn't been stellar of late. I think he's just here to make up the numbers at present.
I suspect the lines are an attempt to wake up Hemsky and to give Gagner a chance to really take off. I don't understand Magnus Pääjärvi with Hordichuk - at all...
ReplyDeleteDoes Pääjärvi have an out clause that they are trying to force him to take?
Whats with Renney and his abandoning of line matching? Are the Oilers 'throwing' the season again? A part of me believes that the goal is to finish no lower than 25th, but no higher than 20th so that they can pick up one more young player. I could be wrong, but maybe that is why the team looks as though it is coached by Mr. Magoo these days.
I think its tragic asset management if they lose Omark and get nothing for him.
Go Oilers...Yay.
I hope they win 9-2 so that we Oiler fans can swing back to the overly optimistic side of our mania! The doom and gloom side of things depresses me.
hope they win 9-2 so that we Oiler fans can swing back to the overly optimistic side of our mania! The doom and gloom side of things depresses me.
ReplyDeletebook!e, I could not have said it better myself. It is a seesaw ride that I'm getting sick of.
word verification: pyleds - often used to describe the Oilers D in the defensive zone
Despite being above .500, I have hit my annual "Can't be bothered with them" stretch with the Oilers. Renney is rubbing me the wrong way and I am taking a break from all this nonsense.
ReplyDeletePakleds. That's the Oilers defensively. "We're not smart."
ReplyDeleteAstonishing the difference Taylor Hall makes. The little man that lives inside my head told me the second Hall went down in that Avs game that the Oilers would stink without Hall, and I have to tip my hat to the little creep for being 100% right.
ReplyDeleteOilers fans can expect another run to the playoffs come February/March; without Hall it's no better than a lottery team.
Smyth and Khabibulin were running on adrenaline for the first 20 games, but realistically cannot hope to keep up their respective pace forever.
No pity from fans around the league anymore thankfully, as they see our young punks tearing up the league, developing their games while the GM one presumes intends to land a big ticket defenceman this summer.
Oilers I half-expect to land that Nashville defence guy in July. Oilers with a guy like that are instant contenders.
I'm greedy enough to want Nail Yakupov, but Hall will return, so Oilers end up drafting no better than 10-7th
No one in their right mind wants to endure yet another death march to the lottery, lol.
"Pakleds. That's the Oilers defensively. "We're not smart."
ReplyDeleteNow that there is funny. Nice LT, nice.
Wrong Hunter. Steve Tambillini would love another march to the lottery. Nobody is calling for his head so he might as well stock up on blue chip players and take credit for "turning" the Oilers around.
ReplyDeleteThis is OT, but thought I'd post it here instead of yesterday's Roy thread.
ReplyDeleteWhat does everyone think the Oilers do next year with their goaltending?
Re-sign Danis (or an equivalent), move Roy to the AHL, and play bunz in the ECHL?
Of just go with Roy and Bunz in the AHL, and if they can't handle, sign/trade for someone at the AHL level at some point into the season and demote on of Bunz/Roy to the ECHL?
It would be unusual to have your two AHL goalies as 20 and 21 yeara olds, but I think WSH went with a situation something like that and their AHL team was still pretty good?
my hope next year is that they move bulin to a contender, call up Bunz and let him run with it. I think he's got a chance to be something special, and here's hoping the WJC goes well for him.
ReplyDeleteOur roller coaster ride of a year seems poised to continue all year, and I doubt the "make the playoffs" idea at headquarters is still being talked about. If it was they would make a move to add a better top 4 d option. i think and hope that come January we make some decisions.
Kassian would be exactly what this team needs, but it would take more than 89.
ReplyDeleteI think lowetide nailed it concerning Renney. This is all bad, bad, news for oiler fans.
ReplyDeleteNow lowetide just needs to put up a post on this at oilersnation. I realize that his gig there seems to be prospects and history but that place needs a talking to in sense and reason and lowetide is just the man for the job.
"Oilers I half-expect to land that Nashville defence guy in July. Oilers with a guy like that are instant contenders."
ReplyDeleteI agree. I'd rather have the Oilers do well this year and attract a Weber instead of trying to Fail for Nail.
I don't mind these lines at all.
ReplyDeleteIf Jones was on Lander's line then we'd be calling that the 3rd. But the truth is that PRV is defensively responsible but too easy to push off the puck. Lander is capable but still needs development. Both of these guys need shelter so put Hordichuk with them and put them against the dregs.
Belanger and co can hold their own.
Hopefully some chemistry develops and when the savior returns then Gags replaces Hordichuk with renewed offensive confidence for that line.
I suspect all this Omark talk from Matty is non-sense. I don't think he is anywhere near as connected as he once was, and even if he were, he is simply mentioning (note: not citing) a Swedish report. What are the odds that it's the same report Lisa McRitchie cited (note: not noted) at KK two days earlier? If so, that's the same report that dofOhs at SwedishOil debunked as a case of mis-translation. Properly translated, thanks to dofOhs, Omark actually said:
ReplyDelete"My injury was unfortunate. I felt really good (about how I was playing) before it happened while playing in the AHL. I have had talks with Edmonton the whole time but there isn’t much to do about it at this moment. They’ve told me I am a NHL-player and should play in the NHL. They want to keep me and they’re worried I might go back to Europe. I just have to get healthy and get back to playing again. I’ve been the easiest guy to move (demote) in a team who started winning with me in the press box. They wanted me to play more games and that’s why they sent me down (to Oklahoma City Barons). I haven’t even stared looking back to Europe yet. My agent have told me there are lots of teams who are interested in me, but I wanna play in the NHL (and I haven’t really thought about either one of KHL or SEL)"
If Matty is relying on "basement dwelling bloggers" to find him his scoops, not properly citing the original source of the report, and using Google Translate to develop a story, then he's truly more senile than we thought.
Of course, this is the same man who, in jumping on the bandwagon to run 83 out of town on a rail, posted the following tweets in succession on Wednesday night:
"At what point is Ales Hemsky going to grab a game by the throat like he's done in the past. His game against the 'Canes was pedestrian"
"Scout watching Oil lose to Canes: "Whitney looks lost right now after being great last year." Comeback from injury a slow process."
He's totally lost it.
OT, but who had a chance to see Steve Simmons rant on Burke this week. Whine all you want but saturation Leaves coverage is what keeps the rag in business, and buddy, Buddy! they're paying you to write an article about pretty much Any subject except yourself. Isn't that Rule No. 1?
ReplyDeleteEnjoy, or despair - your choice!
http://tinyurl.com/73aovne
Given the line structure, I'd guess that Renney may actually try to use his home ice advantage to match lines.
ReplyDeleteLast game of dismal 6 game home stand and Renney might actually wake up. Good timing sir.
94-10-83 Tough sledding
28-20-37 2nd toughs
89-93-14 Ozone starts out the wazoo
91-55-16 Spotting in soft spots and hopefully 83 and 14 taking 16's spot 80% of the time.
Playing 91 with 20 against better NHLers isn't working.
I've always been of the opinion that your 4th line should have your up and coming kids who can:
-hold their own/out score the dregs
-bring "energy" in the form of trying to hold an NHL spot, so they work their ass off
-bring "energy" in the form of if they are working their ass off, the coach can move them up the lineup in-game if others in the top 6 are dragging their ass/hung over, get nicked during the game
I'd rather see Harski or Omark in Hordi's spot, but they aren't options right now.
Also,
BUF has the same problem as the Oilers. All their skill is small. No way they give up Kassian.
Harksi has the possibility to be the Oiler's Kassian. As does Pitlik in time.
Harski is closer to Kassian in terms of results in the AHL, but I'll give Pitlick the benefit of the doubt for the first half of this season as its the 3rd year in a row as a rookie in a different league.
I think that besides Renney shitting the bed on using his home ice advantage, the other main reason for the dismal home performance has been lazy play by most Oilers, especially the forwards.
The Oiler players have said as much as well.
They stopped coming back and supporting the D. We've seen it every time they won a few games this year.
The second an Oiler D was even near the puck it was a jail break out of the zone for all the F.
When the Oilers were winning, or at least being competitive, there were 3+ passes before they crossed the center line, and certainly at least 2 passes before the crossed the blue.
They are expecting marginal passers to make 80ft tape to tape passes at high speed while under a pressure forecheck.
Simply ain't gonna happen.
True to form the Oilers will win tonight.
They lose when you expect them to win and win when you expect them to lose.
5-3 Oilers. Jones with the EN goal.
Book it!
Go Oilers!
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteWG,
ReplyDeleteThe passes out of the D-zone are a great point. Early in the year the C was coming down way low and the winger was right down to the hash. At times there were two passes before the hash marks.
It was Detroit like.
If the D is under pressure why make him attempt a 25 ft pass when he can make a low risk 5-10 ft chip/pass to a C who has more time and is likely better with the puck anyway. It's alot of skating for the forwards so when they get lazy as you say it all fails.
The Oilers twitter said that both Hall and Potter participated in the morning skate today with full equipment. Hopefully they are close to returning.
ReplyDeleteVerification word:entickl
Remember when Grebeshkov shattered his entickl?
WG,
ReplyDeleteNice post.
I'm sure we will get even more objective reporting now that TSN owns the Leafs.
ReplyDeleteLander-Paajarvi-Hordichuk
ReplyDeleteDon't actually mind this too much, simply because we're likely to see some double shifting when hordichuk is in the box, so Lander and Paajarvi should see some time with Eberle and Hemsky, which might generate something.
I'd see Woodguy made my point in his more thorough post
ReplyDelete"thouths" - line matching against the best, with a lisp
Say what you want about the Oilers. At least Pierre Gauthier isn't our GM.
ReplyDeleteCheesy porn mustache by Gagner- check
ReplyDeleteSpectacular photos on Oiler nation
and I do not mean the rookie photos
-check
An Expo reference to Mitch Webster.-check If Ellis Valentine and Vlad the Impaler had the best outfield arms in Expo history Webster would make a very very small list as to the worse. He was so bad throwing that he made Rondell White look like he had a ++ arm.
What did Paajarvi do so throughly piss Renney off?
Kings put Ethan Moreau on waivers ..
ReplyDeletevia LA Kings Twitter feed
it will be interesting to see if Oil run Wilson.The guy likes to hurt and after Hall i am sure RNH will be in his sights.Will Renney turn the other cheek again!!!
ReplyDeleteWoW.
ReplyDeleteKaberle has just been traded 30 games after his signing for Jaro Spacek (hometown favorite I believe)
Anyone recall someone getting traded that fast after being signed on the UFA Market?
@ the Other John
ReplyDelete"What did Paajarvi do so throughly piss Renney off?"
Nothing.
As much as I'd like to see player of Kassian's ilk in our top 9 I don't know if Buff is a good trade partner option right now LT. They certainly have some pieces (Kassian, Stafford) we could use but unless theres significant $$ coming back this way they're in tough.
ReplyDeleteLeino might be a piece they'd prefer to move based on his performance/contract but he doesn't do much for us that we don't already have.
One way or another, somethings got to give re Hemsky, Gagner by trade deadline latest.
Don't mind Eager making the move up so much and 100% agreed with WG re the D passes. Losing Potter and Barker (ppl can say what they like about him), has hurt that aspect. Barker's issues weren't making a decent first pass.
Also wonder if Regeir holds a grudge.
ReplyDeleteI've wanted to trade Gagner for a longtime, my first suggestion was for Martin Hanzal, that boat sailed longtime ago.
ReplyDeleteWhat about Nikolai Kulemin for Sam
"They are who we thought they were"!! Not the players but management. Not a clue on how to develop players. Not a fucking clue!
ReplyDeletePaajarvi with Lander, even on the 4th line, is better for both of them, than Paajarvi with Belanger, and Eager with Lander.
ReplyDeleteLander has some offensive skills if the puck is in the offensive end, and Paajarvi has lug the puck up the ice and get it there. And all those two need is for Hordichuk or Petrell to crash the net.
Eager as an up and down winger should fit in a lot better with an up and down centre and RW in Belanger and Jones.
If Paajarvi and Lander get tied together at the him, they will be the third line by March.
@flamingpavelbure
ReplyDeleteWell, not quite the same, but the Sharks traded Setoguchi to the wild literally the day after they signed him to a multi-year extension.
Also, captainethanmoreau being put on waivers may have just made my week.
a little OT, but what's with everyone railing on 83 lately? The guy comes off major reconstructive surgery, posts a 2.31 P/60 backed by a .877 on-ice SH% while facing the toughest competition and posting a REAL Corsi of 8.46(!!) and a relCorsi of 16.8(!!), and the MSM are trying to run him out of town on a rail. Why? Because he outscores the toughest opposition 5v5 and has been relegated to the 2PP. He's posting some truly amazing results 5v5, and if he'd put pen to paper, now is the best possible time to sign him to a mid-term deal, say 3-4 years at similar money to what he's making now. Our 1-2RW is then solidified for the foreseeable future.
ReplyDeleteRenney
ReplyDelete-Khabby will start
There is a lunar eclipse
viewable from Western Canada tomorrow morning for those interested-not sure if this is related to Moreau being put on waivers but I doubt it.
and the MSM are trying to run him out of town on a rail. Why?
ReplyDeletePerhaps:
1) they don't keep track of Corsi on the scoreboard. The team is a losing streak, people are looking for changes and a vet in his last year is a good target
2)Hemsky looks like a slack-ass most of the time. Few hits, lots of casual turnovers, not a lot of time in the blue paint. He's no Smyth.
3)Hemsky doesn't Shoooot! nearly enough for most people
4)He gives the cold shoulder to the MSN at every turn. He is aloof and seems pouty.
5)he is the last on the ice for practice and first off
Penner was kind of in the same boat last year. He had good advanced stats but looked lazy. He went to LAK and promptly got criticized by the GM and media there. I don't see anyone here complaining about that trade now.
I don't have a huge problem with Hemsky staying on a value deal, but I am concerned that he seems to lack any overt leadership on the ice or in the locker room. It would be nice for him to face the media after a stinker rather than a kid like Eberle.
I think Kris Kristofferson said it best on Omark:
ReplyDelete"You are the only one that you are screwin'
When you put down what you don't understand"
Didn't Sutton meet with Shanahan yesterday? Ominous that there hasn't been any word yet...
ReplyDeleteI don't see anyone here complaining about that trade now.
ReplyDeleteGetting Smyth probably helped negate that a little.
Thanks Stevezie for helping us understand the casual uninformed fan's opinion of this issue.
ReplyDeleteHis hearing's tomorrow, per NHL.com.
ReplyDelete@Bar Qu
ReplyDeleteJust to be clear, I share Lowetide's opinion on Omark and management's perceived handling of him. So if that was a genuine compliment, thank-you, and if it was an insult, at least I'm in good company.
If what Ironsight cited is true, maybe the team isn't bumbling this as badly as it seems.
Just to be clear again, this is Stevezie who didn't realize he was signed into his old lady's google account.
ReplyDeleteGood point from WG about the lack of support as of late. There were lots of times when I'd count three passes before they broke centre and it was nice to see all the teamwork.
ReplyDeleteOn 91: I don't know what to say anymore. Renney won't let him PK and he won't let him play with talented players so 91's expected to flourish by driving the success of his own line and in the process you don't even attempt to develop a secondary skill like the PK.
In thinking about G1 of SCF in '06 the other day something struck me that just perhaps lightly brushed me a couple of Sat night's ago when the Oil lost at Col; and now with news of Moreau being on waivers and perhaps on the quick boat to the end to his career I will break this out.
When 5 scored that goal into a vacated net to open the game's scoring 13 days ago, I thought of the flukey goal Moreau scored to make it 3-0 in the opening game of the SCF. Heading into that game the Oilers had won 10 of their last 13 games and their Conn Smythe blueliner had just scored on a PS - which would be much more talked about if Edm had closed the deal - and now they just pushed a floater through Cam Ward and they were banging on all eight.
So, this is a light comparison but Fri, Nov 25th the Oilers finally slayed the Minny beast and they are 12-7-3 and coming off two fine road wins vs playoff-calibre team and they have one road game remaining before it's back to Rexall where their red-hot early start had been BAPF - bought and paid for.
The upcoming homestand contained mostly tomato cans and on the in-game front, we'd see a win at Minny where 4 meshed well with 10 and in particular 83 so that along with 94 propping up the kids meant that perhaps real balance had arrived and they were about to take off.
But with that one not-really-but really ENG by 5 everything started to slide. 4 gets hurt and it's been nothing but endless bags of shit ever since.
I really don't know what to make of the club anymore. Let's see just how ready 4 and 44 are when they return and it's not my original point but 6 could be at the beginning of the end as a player. If he's not gonna improve drastically then all the injuries have caught up to him,
Gotta get a little plug in for the hometown of Miramichi,NB as not much comes out of there ;). Brad Malone, Ryan's cousin just got called up for a sniff with Colorado. And the big head trainer dude, Matt Sokolowski, from there as well...well done gents.
ReplyDeleteCheck the crushing hit Malone delivered last year playing NCAA ....keep your heads up young lads.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBp10hz6rzw
Gagner has 2 goals, 3 points in a 6-3 Oiler win.
Schitzo: There were quite a few hearings queued up before Sutton. I imagine that he is down the list of priorities since he is likely to receive 8+ games.
ReplyDeleteGiven the recent nature of his last suspension, his remarks about not changing his game following that suspension, and the blatant infraction forming the basis of this hearing, I wouldn't be surprised if he gets 12.
They lose when you expect them to win and win when you expect them to lose.
ReplyDeleteThis has long been my experience as a fan (since about 1990 it's held true), although now that I am aware of this and I now expect them to win because I expect them to lose, does this mean I should expect them to lose because I now expect them to win?
Psychic metaphysical systems theory is hard!
Great thread. The discussion here is so good most days. I snorted green tea ginger ale in my left nostril at "pyleds" and in my right at "pakleds", Woodguy checks in with some great insights, and then Gerta Rauss gives a link to tomorrow morning's total lunar eclipse.
ReplyDeleteIt seems to me Renney went away from the hard matching / zone-starts somewhere around the time he split up Horcoff and Smyth. Had a vet on each line then. The one trio he totally protected was the one with three young players.
It'll be interesting to see how he treats 93-14 with Gagner in Hall's/Smyth's spot. Does he shelter the shit out of them? Or is Gags his "reliable veteran" presence?
It would be unusual to have your two AHL goalies as 20 and 21 yeara olds
ReplyDelete@speeds: In '82-83 the Oilers' two NHL goalies were 20 and 22, and they went to the SCF. The next year they went back and won it, with the 21-year-old winning the first two games of the Finals and the 23-year-old the last two.
Like Bunz and Roy, Andy Moog and Grant Fuhr were drafted in consecutive years. Each made an NHL impact the year he was drafted, and while both needed a little subsequent AHL seasoning they were soon back to stay.
That team was unreal young, right from the crease on out.
Stevezie/Sheilagh(Tootsie?)
ReplyDeleteI was being a little snarky, which doesn't really fit me, b/c I'm irritated when it gets tossed out there about Omark being selfish or entitled or whatever. Sorry, it was undeserved. But it's a Friday aft teacher issue.
I agree with book!e that I have no idea what to expect tonight, and with Bruce that we got a good thread going on. Nice to see astronomical related info popping up here too.
we await the night of the long knives. to quote loxy, le sigh.
ReplyDeletehttp://blogs.edmontonjournal.com/2011/12/09/its-time-ales-hemsky-shows-why-oilers-should-keep-him/
@Stevezie: I for one always enjoy a song lyric that puts a different spin on things.
ReplyDelete@BarQu: Watching that full Moon rising right now, soon to take a bath in Earth's shadow, reminds me of that delightful night six lunations ago when the Moon got eclipsed and the Canucks got egged in Game Seven of the SCF. :)
Couldn't agree more. If I hear one more person suggesting that we're better off without Omark then I'm going to post yet another comment disagreeing with them. You've all been warned.
ReplyDeleteLT
ReplyDeleteIt's that damn stick of his.
Fussy britches updates that 83 has requested his agent start negotiating a contract extension.
ReplyDeleteInteresting 'leak' from 'garfield' considering Mathesons article posted earlier.
Well I'd love to see it. Two years even, I'd be happy with that.
ReplyDeleteI picture Bruce writing loveletters using the term "six lunations."
ReplyDelete"Twas six lunations when last our loins met."
Stuff like that.
Reading through Matty's piece, interesting that he breaks out a specific figure; also interesting and disappointing to see Renney speaking like a GM when talking about how the team fits together in the future.
Expectations have to be tempered for 83 if he's not the primary PP option and if he's playing the toughs; and I think that's his new role.
I think his current sag is some bad luck and him trying to get comfortable with the malady but I don't worry about his compete level going forward; and I don't think it's sensible for anyone else to do so, either.
That was a silly quote from Renney about Hemskys stick. What the heck would he know.
ReplyDeleteI'm wondering what came first now...The contract extension talks, or the knives.
Hmmm Renney's comments are a bit cryptic on Hemsky.
ReplyDeleteJob description changing?
Maybe he's having a tough time getting used to playing 3rd or 4th fiddle.
Whatever the issue is I'd like the old Hemsky back - whoever he is - it's been so long since I've seen him.
To state the obvious - should be another interesting measure of this team tonight. Renny going back to his 'body of work' story line, so perhaps a return to team defence and a nail biting one goal game per the start of this season would be nice.
ReplyDeleteThe warts and weaknesses on this team have been obvious and pointed out round these parts for some time. The GM has done many good things in stocking the cupboard, but dangerous decisions lie ahead - starting with Hemmer. Buckle up.
LT - what's up with new site?
We're tweaking but my time getting used to it is done. Danny and I are going to mull over some things and then the entire blog will move over sometime in the next few weeks.
ReplyDeleteThe Pakleds are not smart but they know the Oilers PK has a problem:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WmGvYDLsj4&feature=related
@Dennis:
ReplyDelete'Twas six lunations ago
If 'nucks won it really would blow
But once they dropped puck
Vancouver was fucked
They picked a fine time to no-show!
I get a smirk everytime I hear that Adele song, 'rolling in the deep' as it kind of became a theme song for CBC to roll their Hughsonucks hilites during the playoffs last season.
ReplyDeleteIt reminds me that good things can happen every now and then.
Watching that full Moon rising right now, soon to take a bath in Earth's shadow, reminds me of that delightful night six lunations ago when the Moon got eclipsed and the Canucks got egged in Game Seven of the SCF. :)
ReplyDeleteI think that was the glow from the fires on Robson street Bruce.
Thanks LT - we'll adjust, just tell us when.
ReplyDeleteWatched Boys on the Bus the other day which I had not seen in 20 years. Back when my brain had to do the work of You Tube, I held a few different recollections, starting with probably being too young to realize Gretz had likely had one too many glasses of wine during his dinner table scenes - very funny stuff. The other is the way the coaching staff dealt with players and slumps in those days. Wish Al Gore had been born 25 yrs earlier and we could have had all access to Slats post game pressers. Stark contrast to the pablum we're fed today.
Brilliant thread!
ReplyDeleteGood analysis, WG,on the breakouts. Short passes=puck possession.
Apt insight into the bipolar nature of we fans Book¡e (the technicalities, of course, lie in some of the finer nuances of psychic metaphysical systems theory--maybe DMW could elaborate . . .:)
Anyone else notice the overcommitment by D-men on coverage? It seems to me that the man-to-man structure has left nothing but sheer discombobulation in their own zone precisely because there is no attempt at a zone-system/hybrid. How many times have we seen Teddy (and others) flying past the wingers chasing a much more skilled puck-carrier?
That was such a soft hit by Gilbert. It won't even mKe Shanny's highlight reel!
ReplyDeleteOT, but do I bring in a lot tree right away or let it sit outside to fall?
ReplyDeleteI am loving watching Gilbert hit people this year, it's awesome.
ReplyDeleteAtta boy Gags!!
ReplyDeleteBQ
ReplyDeleteDon't let it sit outside til Fall :)
Nope. That's what happens with the Xmas lights.
ReplyDeleteIf the Eric Belanger that has showed up in the second half of this period is the one we have signed for the next 3 years, I like this contract a lot more.
ReplyDeleteAs for Jones, great positioning on the board. Maybe not the best play with the puck, but he kept in it. This Jones, the one with solid positioning, has not been there the past few year. Glad to see him show up this season.
That said, 94-10-83 look a bit behind things tonight. Hopefully they pick things up in the next two periods.
GOILERS!
Doubtful that MPS digs that puck out of Varlamov's glove and gets the goal. Score one for the coke machines.
ReplyDeleteCaught the last 3-4 minutes of the first period, looks like River Hockey out there.
ReplyDeleteOr Road Hockey, lol.
Fun to watch NHL level players hacking away at each other like 10 year olds.
Eager's goal all but guarantees he's on the 2nd powerplay unit until February.
ReplyDeleteRenney always liked players who meet his previously set in concrete expectations.
Lowetide: Finally Gagner starts scoring. Hopefully he gets 19 or more this season, or else I'm really afraid he's trade bait.
ReplyDeleteRNH is ridiculous.
ReplyDeleteThe most gifted talent Edmonton has seen since....
Off-topic question to the Lowetide faithful:
ReplyDeleteIf RNH keeps this up, does he make Team Canada in 2014?
a 3-0!
ReplyDeleteIf RNH isn't on the 2014 Team Canada, Steve Yzerman will be introduced to a world of inconvenience
ReplyDelete#zamboniparkedbehindhiscar
For once Oilers are clearly the superior hockey team.
ReplyDeleteAvs look like the Oilers when they had Nillsson/Cogliano/POS as marquee talents.
Oilers look badder, lol.
Must be payback time for Taylor Hall night. Great to see these shmucks learning something about playing hockey.
Credit to Gagner, playing like he understands that unless he steps up before Hall returns, he's back to getting buried somewhere terrible in the lineup.
ReplyDeleteIf they played Hordi with the Nuge for 4 home games we could trade him (hordi, of course) for Weber, straight up.
ReplyDeleteYou can tell Sam is feeling it. He only tries his "signature move" when he is in a good mood.
ReplyDeleteTed seems to be having a good night tonight. Did anyone tell him it was HNIC by accident? (I really, really hope not, as I want to watch him put on a show once I can actually see him live)
ReplyDeleteRe: 89 - Maybe all Magnus needs is the same move to the opposite side.
ReplyDeleteMaybe this is a small sample size too :-)
Magnus doesn't get a turn with RNH. His sideburns are too fucking long.
ReplyDeleteI'm drinking a nice Belgium dubbel this evening and it may be the beer, but I like these Oilers better than the other Oilers.
ReplyDeleteFor those of you who appreciate a fine beer, I highly recommend Maredsous Brown. It seems to make the Oilers better.
What's the joke with the sideburns? I must have missed that one.
ReplyDeleteI'd be on board with giving MPS a push, but the guy really needs to face his demons and start doing some things that are lacking in his game. Maybe being a 4th liner until he figures that out is the right way to do it.
ReplyDeleteI used to think he was freakishly defensive aware for a kid. Now I watch closer and see he's usually peeling away from the rough areas.
Every time a puck goes around the boards, MPS peels to the outside, let's his man chip the puck first, and MPS lays a hit as the puck is being cleared.
Don Mattingly's sideburns drew the ire of Mr. Burns.
ReplyDeleteJM... It's a Simpsons joke. Mattingly, shave those sideburns.
ReplyDelete@ Jonathan MacLeod:
ReplyDelete"Mattingly, shave those sideburns!"
Was that a joke when Mr. Burns was coaching the Oilers? I don't think I visited this blog much back then.
ReplyDeleteFussy britches just tweeted, MPS was being sent to OKC twice but injuries intervened each time.
ReplyDeleteI like that Tuebert runs them in but never goes high, he won't take all the Sutton style penalties.
ReplyDeleteI remember when he was a throw-in, but I'm happily surprised.
Eager's best game by a hundred miles.He can help this team if he plays like this every night.
ReplyDeleteTeubert played good on the penalty killing. Looks like a real prospect Tambellini the riverboat gambler got from that sad sack in Los Angeles, who has Penner on IR in return.
ReplyDeleteOutstanding to see Oilers finally beat up another team - haven't any recollection of Oilers doing THAT since game 6 of the 2006 Hurricanes series.
It's exactly how they need to go forward, so tomorrow go for the brace and show the Flames they're washed up as a viable NHL team.
"Gagner has 2 goals, 3 points in a 6-3 Oiler win."
ReplyDelete^
me again..2 out of 3 aint bad (2 and a half if you count the diff....;) )
ty, tyvm
@Bookjie: Sounds like nice beer drinking, me am on German Lager earlier - just switched to English Real Ale.
ReplyDelete@Jake70: I was thinking of you when they changed that assist to Gags on the dummy play. They must have figured he just touched it on the way through.
ReplyDeleteGutsy call for a guy with one goal all year to get two in one night, though. Hat tip to you on that one!
Oh boy if we could pull this effort off tomorrow night, (Eager),(3rd line), GAGS!, I will believe in this right now instead of the near future as I have been holding on to.
ReplyDeleteYeah I tipped a couple tonight .. whatever.
RNH is ridiculous.
ReplyDeleteThe most gifted talent Edmonton has seen since....
Robbie Schremp - right?
It seems like everyone starts playing well when they're on the RNH-Eberle line. Maybe they ought to cycle people through that line, one player per game. Next up should be Whitney.
ReplyDeleteThe thing that really irritates me about Omark is that the organization isn't giving him the same chances as the other young players, and it seems it solely due to his attitude. I.e. he's headstrong and not falling into line and saying "yes sir".
ReplyDeleteHe's going to be an excellent NHL player, but likely somewhere else because management doesn't know how to or won't handle him the right way.
Also, before the Oilers start going after those elusive big players with skill, they really, really, really need to do something about the defense.