Oilers down Minnesota 3-1

So tonight the Oilers stepped it up and brought their cojones to the game. The defining moment of the game was a devastating hit Steve Staios had on Stephan Villeux, causing Clutterbuck to immediately drop the gloves on a questionable instigator non-call. The first period was full of hits and for the most part the Oilers dominated offensively. Moreau and Staios definately stepped it up and brought the x-factor that was lacking in the Buffalo game.

The 2nd period was bit different, we started off okay, but for the latter half of the 2nd and the 3rd period I felt the Oilers let up on the gas pedal, allowing Minnesota to get chance after chance. If Roloson plays like he did against Buffalo, we would of lost the game. I don't know why they let up either, the physicality was working awesome and I wonder if the hit on Hemsky late in the 1st was a deterrant to the physicality.

Overall, I think the Oilers played a decent game. The goals were for the most part not the greatest, Hemskys was a lucky bounce, Moreau's was a must save for Backstrom (pulled in his last 3 in Edmonton), Visnovsky's goal was a thing of beauty though.

A couple of negatives to the game:

I love Horcoff and his work ethic, but tonight he was terrible. He had too many giveaways to count, all on soft passes or failed attempts at the cycle. Personally I think MacT should have him next on his call-out list.

Souray, really he's been quickly declining into Staios territory of defensive ability. I cringe most times he gets the puck while being pressured in the Oilers zone.

MacIntyre vs. Boogaard was a big let down. It was like watching 2 nukes collide only to get a small little poof. Hopefully it was just round 1, I would really like to see them get into a true fight.

Going Downhill Fast

Yikes.

Zach Stortini, that must've hurt. I refrained from putting up an image of Stortini injuring his leg because I'm a big Zach Stortini fan and seeing what happened makes me kind of sick to my stomach.

But in other news, Sheldon Souray is injured as well. On top of the Hemsky and Pisani injuries, and with Horcoff playing hurt (and probably Staios too), this team is going downhill and downhill fast. Not because the team doesn't want to win and it's not like the whole team isn't performing. But the team has not played as an entire unit since the Nashville game and scarcely before that.

Stortini may not shoot out the lights, but he's the kind of guy on your team that is willing to do all the things that nobody else is willing to do. Who else is going to take out the trash?

Don't take this the wrong way. I love MacIntyre and Strudwick. But Huggy Bear is a very character guy who actually shows up every damn shift and he's not somebody you're worried about playing against the other team's more skilled players because he's good at getting the puck out of the defensive zone as well.

Out of lineup: Souray, Hemsky, Pisani, Stortini
Playing hurt: Horcoff, Staios

The Oilers better do something and do something fast.

Somebody call Tambellini. Let's make a move. If we don't do something quick, we might as well give up on the season and pack it in for John Tavares. The Islanders already have a head-start on us. Crap.

Whacky Kovalchuk Trade Rumours

The Ottawa Sun dredges up more Ilya Kovalchuk trade rumours, which prompted an immediate and vehement denial from Thrashers GM Don Waddell. The Edmonton Journal chimed in, though, wondering if the Oilers would give up Shawn Horcoff, Tom Gilbert, Andrew Cogliano and a first-round pick to get him. <Link>

Seriously? I think that's a slight overpayment and a bit unrealistic. On a team with too many young skilled forwards and goaltenders, would you move your top centerman, one of your top 3 D-men, and your 2nd line centerman? For a team that already has problems winning faceoffs or finding guys who show up at the rink with intensity, losing guys like Horcoff and Cogliano all in one go would be a tremendous blow to this team. Losing a smart D-man like Gilbert would mean Staios would have to pick up some of the offense. The Oilers would have to give up some roster players, but giving up so many guys off your top pairing and lines would not be a feasible deal.

Ottawa Sun, you fail.

A more feasible deal (not that I would do this) would go along the lines of this:

ATL Cap room: 9 million
EDM Cap room: 0.5 million
Needed salary dump: 8.5

NHLNUMBERS.COM

Salaries Approximate

To Edmonton: LW Kovalchuk, C Reasoner, D Exelby, 3rd round pick 2009 (Tot. Salary = 7.5 + 1 + 1.5 = 10)
To Atlanta: LW Penner, C/LW Nilsson, C/LW Schremp, D Gilbert, D Smid, D Grebeshkov, G Roloson, 1st round pick 2009, 2nd round pick 2009 (Tot. Salary = 4.25 + 2 + 0.65 + 4 + 1 + 1.5 + 3.5 = 16.9 or 17)

I realise this is a huge deal, but I could see the salary being moved as being very very important considering how tight Edmonton is to the cap. 17 - 10 is still just 7 million but if you consider that Gagner will not reach his bonuses, and that Peckham, Roy, MacIntyre, Jacques, Brule, Schremp, and Sestito are not earning their full dollars, you will make up for that 1.5 million discrepancy.

Atlanta needs skilled forwards to make up for their current needs, and the loss in Kovalchuk that would occur. They also need a younger D core, something Edmonton can provide since we have guys waiting in the wings. Plus, they have some extra cap room and could use a veteran guy behind Lehtonen.

Below is the perfect deal, in my mind:

To Edmonton: Kovalchuk, Little, Lehtonen (Tot. Salary = 7.5 + 1 + 3 = 11.5)
To Atlanta: Cole, Penner, Gagner, Nilsson, Gilbert, Schremp or Brule, Pouliot, Chorney or Grebeshkov, Staios, Garon, 1st round pick 2009, 2nd round pick 2009 (Tot. Salary = 4 + 4 + 1.5 + 2 + 4 + 0.7 + 0.8 + 1.5 + 2.5 + 1.2 = 21.2)

Either way, a lot of salary has to move before such a deal could even be possibly made.

Both scenarios I proposed were unlikely, though the first one is more likely considering the salaries involved.

I predict that if such a move were to occur in bringing Kovalchuk to Edmonton, Tambellini would have to dump some salary elsewhere first in order to make it happen. Nilsson, Staios, Grebeskhov, and Roloson are the obvious bets.

Goaltending, Getting Outshot, and "Scoring at Will"

Since last season (even before the shoulder injury), Shawn Horcoff has found a new home on the right side faceoff circle where he one-times everything Ales Hemsky throws at him. And apparently, he's pretty good at it.

It's mid-November and by now we're familiar with the fact that the Oilers get outshot in most games. Our goaltending has not been a problem this season thus far but the goaltending rotation has been - with 3 guys raring to prove their worth to the organization and each having played well and played poorly in separate stretches.

Will Garon start against Detroit in the rematch? Roloson has been playing well as of late and he will undoubtedly want a chance at redemption but traditionally when you play a team twice in a short time span you alternate goaltenders.

But now I must pose the question of whether getting outshot all the time is a "good thing" for the Edmonton Oilers, or whether its a "bad thing."

Good goaltending and timely goals
VS
Good goaltending and scoring at will

Edmonton @ Columbus - 11/18/08 w/ 7-2 WIN
The Oilers handed the Blue Jackets their own livers on a plate yesterday night when they beat them 7-2. Regardless, we were outshot 39-19 in this game - a total of 20 shots difference. This is an example where we simply outscored the opponent and featured superior goaltending. Penner was unleashed and the rest of the team including Pouliot and Gilbert came around and played great hockey.


Colorado @ Edmonton - 10/12/08 w/ 3-2 WIN
This game was considerably closer and the Oilers beat the season opener against the AVs with a heckuva performance from Penner. Garon played great in this game and simply kept the Oilers in it, being outshot 33-19. The secondary scoring was not around in this game, as Penner and Garon singlehandedly won this game.

Edmonton @ Detroit - 11/17/08 w/ 4-0 LOSS
The Oilers were outshot 41-21 - a total of 20 shots difference, in this game against the Red Wings, the night before the Columbus game. Except in this version, they don't score 7 goals - in fact, they don't manage one. Perhaps getting shut out by Conklin was enough, or whether the ass-whooping itself was enough to let set the team free. Who knows. The fact is that Roloson was hung out to dry against the defending champs in this game.

Two other links:

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=256461

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=256416

Conclusions:

The Edmonton Oilers are outshot in most games

The Edmonton Oilers play better when Dustin Penner has a good game

The Edmonton Oilers have good goaltending (given consistency as a prerequisite to personal success)

The Edmonton Oilers cannot afford to allow the Detroit Red Wings the space to outshoot them by 20 or more

Good goaltending doesn't always win games

That being said, there is still no answer as to whether the Oilers have been scoring timely goals or whether they are starting to finally "score at will." The next game against the Detroit Red Wings and subsequent games, whether or not we outshoot or get outshot by our opponents, will determine the answer.

Let's hope that this Columbus game is a sign of things to come.

GOILERS!

Oilers Training Camp Update

After watching much of the Oilers' training camp, including rookie games and Joey Moss Cup, I thought it would be appropriate to think about some fun ways to refer to our players. Thus, I have some Oilers' jokes and nicknames.

Newest Oiler jokes:

1. What did the coach say when he wanted the rookie to be a better team player?
Answer: Make like the Cogs in the machine!

2. What did the coach say to the player heading to the press box?
Answer: Don't make me Paukovich!!!

3. Who in the Oilers' organization has the least funny name?
Answer: Phillipe Cornet

I have come up with some nicknames for some of the Oilers and Oilers' hopefuls:

David Rohlfs - Rohlfcopter (or ROFLcopter, for those of you familiar with Internet Lingo)
Erik Cole - The Slaw (as in Cole Slaw)
Geoff Paukovich - The Headhunter, or Highlander
Marc-Andre Bernier - A.L.I.A.B (At Least I Aint Bergeron!)
Toby LaFrance - The Revolution, or Viva Toby, or Wine and Cheese, or Cup of T, or French Fry
Phillipe Cornet - The Comedian (see Oilers' joke #3)
Glenn Fisher - The Apostle (refer to the gospel)
Ales Hemsky - Hemmertime
Shawn Horcoff - Tuberculosis (I don't want to explain this one... but jesting and jokes aside, I believe Horcoff is the future captain after Ethan Moreau)
Sheldon Souray - S-squared
Lubomir Visnovsky - V-Nov

...

I'm out of ideas.

Just a thought: If Gilbert Brule were female, and he married Tom Gilbert, wouldn't his name be Gilbert Gilbert?