Ryan Garner wrote a pretty good article about Claude Lemieux's on-ice antics which is rare coming from a Hockeybuzz.com reporter. Nonetheless, it pretty much summed up what I was thinking when I was watching the game Tuesday night.
What the video doesn't show is Lemieux rubbing his visor helmet into Peckham's face while he was in the doggy pile, which is akin to a headbutt with a visor on ... which isn't cool.
As I posted on David Staple's Cult of Hockey Blog, here is my opinion on Gagner's struggles and what MacTavish should do about it.
There is all this talk about Sam Gagner not being worried about not getting any goals or not playing up to expectations. All this talk about him being composed and mature about it.
All the while this Peckham fellow seems to be performing above expectations.
You know what I think? I think Gagner should be worried. Because the poster boy is human too and if I were Craig MacTavish, all these goal-causing errors would mean simply two things:
1) Bench his ass for a couple of games.
2) Send him to Springfield for a week.
There's a time to tolerate sloppy play from your future franchise player, but there's a time to pull a Mike Keenan and send the message "if you still plan on being the future franchise player you better play like it."
It's not only Gagner's job to lose right now, it's also MacT's. And he should do something about it.
I think it's pretty simple. There's always talk about whether the kid line should stay together and Gagner is the weakest link right now. Nilsson and Cogliano are versatile enough to play different roles and Gagner's play so far has not shown that he is even capable of switching on either his offensive or defensive awareness.
Composure? Maturity? I'll believe it when it shows up on the ice, not in the interview.
Let's see how the team plays with the kid line split up and with both energy guys MacIntyre and Stortini split up.
As the topic on topic on the Oil blogosphere regarding the need for a 3rd line C has been exhausted, I won't go into the details. On this list of potential Oilers is Scott Nichol, Mark Smith, Bryan Smolinski, Todd Marchant, Samuel Pahlsson, John Madden, Bobby Holik, among others who are not officially tied to the organization but would do the job amiably.
Sending Gagner down to Springfield for the weekend would mean bringing up a good faceoff man. I know O'Marra was pretty invisible for most of the September training camp but a defensive 3rd line centerman isn't supposed to be flashy - he's supposed to win draws and dump and chase. I think we should get the right-handed O'Marra come up for a week and see what he can do with his 1 million salary in the big leagues.
If O'Marra were recalled or a 3rd line C were signed, I'd have to change the potential lineup to:
Whatever the case, the Oilers need guys who play with Hemsky and Nilsson to shoot more, because they are built like passers. That means Horcoff, Penner, Cogliano, or potentially Brodziak need to start firing every pass they see in the high slot and hoping for a rebound. more assists = more goals
because
more points = more confidence = shoot more = more goals
And we've already seen how this works beautifully with Hemsky so lets try it with Nilsson too.
-------------------------------------------
It's interesting that the Phoenix Coyotes acquired Alexander Nikulin, considering they are already filled to the brim with young talent. Gretzky definitely believes in the play 'em while they're young theory, and has followed through with the Turrises Porters and Muellers.
But this is interesting not because of the young talent they have put onto the ice so much as the young talent that they couldn't. This is because Phoenix had to trade Blake Wheeler, a guy who couldn't crack the depth chart in Phoenix but is now finding success after demanding a trade out of Phoenix to go to Boston.
Unless it's some sort of organizational problem in Phoenix, I don't see why Wheeler would've wanted to leave except for not figuring into the long-term math in Phoenix in terms of who was next up to fill the roster spots. He took less money to go to Boston and obviously wanted out badly.
What does that mean for the disgruntled Alexander Nikulin. Is he a different case? I hear he refused to report to the Ottawa Senator's AHL farm team, which makes him a tough nut to crack himself. I have a feeling he will demand another trade, making him a blacklister in terms of NHL circles, but who knows, maybe he'll come around with a little coaxing from the Great One.
Perhaps Phoenix or Boston want Mikhnov because we shouldn't let an asset go to waste. He's a guy who refuses to come over and start in the AHL because his KHL contract is proof to him it's not worth it to come over, make less cash, and not be guaranteed the NHL roster spot he didn't play well enough to keep.
Who knows, Phoenix has had some success with those kinds of players and same with Boston. I say trade Mikhnov and his buddy Bumagin to Phoenix and maybe we can pick up Steven Reinprecht to come play on our 3rd line.
Okay Penguins online webmaster... you didn't win by that much.
I know the criticisms. The Oilers dropped the ball and started slow in another 1st period outing and let the game get out of hand. Falling behind 5-0 is 2.5 times worse than falling behind 2-0, so it is understandable that the Oilers couldn't repeat what they did in Columbus. Just when I thought I couldn't take it anymore, when I was about to rip my shirt up and kick some unlucky inanimate object that was nearby... the Oilers woke up.
And then they won me back. To see them come back from 5-0 took a lot of guts.
Maybe they need some red bulls or cold showers or something, but whatever MacT is doing to motivate them before the game, it aint enough. Whatever he said between periods or perhaps the realization that this team finally made that it is leaving Roloson and Garon out to dry on most nights... perhaps that is what woke them up.
Whatever the case, it will be interesting to see how the Oilers fair in New Jersey. It has been an interesting week for both teams: New Jersey lost their goalie god and the Oilers are realising that Garon and Roloson are neither of them omnipotent. Both teams have been average offensively but Edmonton is in the opposite ballpark in terms of defense - giving up 41 goals in comparison to the Devil's 30.
We redeemed ourselves this game. We didn't win, but we sure made them work for it. Hemsky and Gilbert are keeping up the good work (sick goal by Hemmer) and MacIntyre continues to improve his overall game.
And also, if Tambellini is listening: Peckham's a keeper. Now let's get someone who can win a faceoff already!
(1) Liam Reddox has turned out to be exactly the kind of player Craig MacTavish likes. He can play offense, forechecks like a demon, and is all over the ice. He's not shy to get involved in on-ice contact despite not being an overly physical player. This one's a keeper.
(2) As I had predicted, Rob Schremp came out and proved why he's well known to be a shootout specialist. He's not well known the way Sam Gagner is (nor as much of a well rounded player) but I think Schremp is at the point where he has enough assets to make the team. As excited as I am to see Gilbert Brule join the team, I think it's the right time for Schremp to come in on the 4th line, and earn his stripes. If an injury crops up, he will be available for 1-2 line duty.
(3) Jeff DesLauriers is looking like a legitimate NHL goaltender. A few tweaks here and there and we have 3 NHL goalies on the squad. That is a terrible situation. It's great for the goalies (competition) but bad for the team (taking up an extra roster spot). With the way Dwayne Roloson played at the end of last year and so far in training camp, it's difficult but one would have to say that he is most probably the odd-man out.
(4) Theo Peckham is a monster. 'Nuff said.
(5) The era of the Oilers' shootout domination - is it already over? Or is it too soon to proclaim anything? Or is it just that Gagner isn't around? Personally, I think Nilsson and Pisani should get as many looks on the shootout as Hemsky and Horcoff do.
(6) Who is going to end up in Stockton? Perugini, Fisher, Pitton, or Dubnyk? A combination of these?
shouldn't Steve Staios be s-squared as well?
I have an Oilers joke, albeit incredibly lame...well it's more like a random thought than it is a joke...
If Mellon Arena is called the Igloo and is home to the Penguins, shouldn't Rexall Place be called Fort McMurray then?
Get it? Fort McMurray. oil sands. Oilers...haha
Random idea from a comment left by the user Marion. Not bad, maybe we should refer to Rexall as Fort McMurray. But then would we have to rename the Oilers the Oil Sands (or Tar Sands)... maybe we should call it The Refinery?
If you wish to be on this list, email me. If I've forgotten a link it's because I just updated this new layout. Give me a shout if you disappeared off the new list.
