SB Nation - Edmonton Oilers

Edmonton - Minnesota post-game: Backstrom + Nolan = Death

Bruce McCurdy — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 07:47:49 -0000

Fists of Stone: Edmonton Oilers' Ryan Stone, left, pulls the jersey of Minnesota Wild's Clayton Stoner up over his face during a first-period fight in an NHL hockey game Wednesday, Dec. 23, 2009, in St. Paul. Minn .(AP Photo/Jim Mone)

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Well that wasn't much to write home about. A decent effort from the Oilers, but for the first time in a dozen games they were held to under 2 goals, wasting a pretty good game from Jeff Deslauriers in the process. Even though they have lit the guy up here in Edmonton a couple of times, Oilers can't score on Niklas Backstrom in Minny. Tonight was more of the same with Backstrom stopping 30 of 31 shots, while another Oiler-killer of long standing, Owen Nolan, notched the winner.

Oilers had the better of the shot clock but gave up far too many odd-man rushes for my liking. The minus machines known as Shawn Horcoff and Patrick O'Sullivan played OK by eye, but were on the ice for all three Minny goals. These guys are just getting killed out there these days, especially when playing together. O'Sullivan was unlucky not to be awarded a penalty shot when slashed on a clear cut breakaway in the third; bad luck seems to be the only kind the former Wild draft pick seems to get.

The Wild have now won the last 11 straight games between the two clubs at the Excel Energy Centre.

A few stats after the jump:

Faceoffs (3 or more)

Penner 2/3 = 67%
Gagner 7/11 = 64%
Stortini 3/8 = 38%
Potulny 5/14 = 36%
Brule 1/5 = 20%
O'Sullivan 1/9 = 11%

Oilers 20/53 = 38%

* * *

Corsi by line (listed in order of EV TOI)

Penner +12, Brule +8, Potulny +7
Gagner +2, Cogliano -1, Moreau -4
Horcoff -8, O'Sullivan -10, Jacques -13
Nilsson +4, Stortini +3, Stone +2

Souray +9, Gilbert +9
Visnovsky +3, Smid -3
Grebeshkov -4, Staios -12

Oilers +1

Next up: at Vancouver, 20:00 MST Saturday (Boxing Day)

Not much of a Christmas break for the boys, the minimum time off with a road trip at either end.

Happy holidays, everyone!

Minnesota Wild vs. Edmonton Oilers: Game Recap

nathaneide — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 06:15:43 -0000

More photos » by Jim Mone - AP

about 13 hours ago: Minnesota Wild's Nick Schultz, left, and Kyle Brodziak, right, congratulate Guillaume Latendresse, center, after his empty-net goal with seconds to go against the Edmonton Oilers in the third period of an NHL hockey game Wednesday, Dec. 23, 2009 in St. Paul, Minn. The Wild won 3-1. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)

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Minnesota Wild 3-1 Edmonton Oilers

The Wild needed this game. They needed to get a team they had beaten in 10 straight games at the X. They needed a team against whom Niklas Backstrom is unbeaten at home. They needed a team looking up at them in the standings. They needed to get aggressive, forecheck with authority, drive to the net, look for rebounds and get a power play goal.

Against the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday night, the Wild did everything they needed to get a convincing win. Sure, it was only 2-1 going into the last minute of play, but the game never felt like it was that close. Nice goals tonight for Andrew Brunette on the power play off a rebound of a bomb by Marek Zidlicky (Martin Havlat was the one who kept that play alive with a nice move down low to get the puck up top to Mikko Koivu who sent it across to Zidlicky). That was followed late in the second period by a seeing-eye backhander by Owen Nolan. The Irish God of War found the tiniest crack with that shot. Then to cap it off, Guillaume Latendresse was awarded for his great effort tonight with an empty netter.

What did I like tonight?

The forecheck. Edmonton was chipping the puck out of the zone all night rather than skating it out and taking the blue line with speed. That was all a result of the aggressive two-man forecheck. Cal Clutterbuck, Kyle Brodziak, Guillaume Latendresse, Andrew Ebbett and Mikko Koivu were making it very uncomfortable for the Oilers tonight. That trend must continue for the Wild's new system to work effectively.
Martin Havlat - Andrew Ebbett - Guillaume Latendresse. This is the line I've been waiting for since the first time Ebbett and Lats took the ice for the Wild. Havlat's a playmaker, ok, we can handle that. Ebbett is an energy guym can chase the puck down in the offensive zone and Latendresse isn't afraid to shoot, will plant himself in the low slot and can work the puck in the corners without losing it, because he's just that strong on his skates. Havlat needs to continue to work with these two, get comfortable, make that pretty toe-drag and feed it to the big man to finish.
Clayton Stoner. Sure, his "fight" with Ryan Stone was nice (that was a whooping), but more importantly, the kid shows what can happen with proper AHL seasoning. He's poised, makes smart plays, gets into the offense when he sees a chance, but always gets back to play his role. It's nice to see Chuck Fletcher and Todd Richards fixing the Colton Gillies issue by leaving him in Houston. Hopefully he can learn what guys like Stoner and Earl have learned with their time in the AHL. Too bad James Sheppard is stuck paying for the sins of Doug Risebrough.

A couple negatives tonight though:

Shoot the puck. Sure, it makes me sound like the drunk idiot yelling SHOOT every time their on the power play, but seriously, they were passing the puck around the Oilers like they were facing a squirts team, then when they actually took a shot, the Oilers had gotten back into position. The Wild were almost always two or three passes past when they should've shot. I'd like to see the number of shots the Wild have had blocked in comparison with the rest of the league. I think it would be telling.
The power play in general. Yeah, they got a goal, but they spend so much time chasing the puck in their own end because of blocked shots and deflected passes that they have a hard time getting into a rhythm.
FSN's crew. Guys, his name is lah-TAWN-dress, not lah-TAHN-DRESS. Bob Kurtz gets it right, just ask him.
The officiating crew. Robert Nilsson slashes Havlat all the way down the ice, Havlat gives him a shot back, Nilsson loses it, then Steve Staios jumps in and takes a couple shots at Marty and the calls go to Nilsson and Havlat? Then on the next stoppage Clutterbuck hits Shawn Horcoff at the whistle, Dustin Penner takes a shot at Clutterbuck and Kyle Brodziak pulls Penner off, but both Clutterbuck and Brodziak go and Penner stays out of the box even though he pushed a ref? Really? This is ridiculous. Then again, it's the same league that didn't suspend Sheldon Souray for punching Craig Weller with a cast last season, so go figure. Oh, speaking of which, Sheldon Souray drops gloves with Owen Nolan? Really? That's just pathetic.

Please read the game recap over at The Copper & Blue

Hockey Wilderness Three Stars

Owen Nolan (1 G)
Andrew Brunette (1 G)
Guillaume Latendresse (1 G)

Questions to Answer

Can the Wild get back on track by beating a team below them in the standings? Yes. From the opening drop, there wasn't a question as to who was going to win. This game was complete domination, even when it was 1-1.
With the flu going around the locker room, is chicken soup on the menu for the pre-game meal? The team looked relatively healthy tonight. They had much more energy than they did against Colorado.
Will Niklas Backstrom get back on his game, or are we seeing a long-term problem? Well, the goal was on a huge rebound, and he had three or four other big ones, but he stuffed Patrick O'Sullivan on the breakaway in the third period and looked more comfortable than he did in the previous two games.
Derek Boogaard has been on the verge of scoring all year, will tonight bring a Christmas miracle for #24? I thought he had it tonight, but the puck just trickled off his stick wide of the goal mouth.
Will snowmaggedon and the weather terrorists end the Wild's sell-out streak? 18,250. Guess it remains.

Flames Game Day: Batteries Recharged?

Robert Cleave — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 22:26:30 -0000

More photos » by Larry MacDougal - AP

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Calgary Flames vs. St. Louis Blues

Pengrowth Saddledome

7:30 PM MT

Opposition: St. Louis Game Time

TV: TSN

After a brief respite from the bustle, the Flames return to hostilities this evening against the Blues. The last couple of days have allegedly been spent brushing up on "details" that, in the eyes of the coaches, have escaped the team's attention as of late. They looked like they needed a mental break, if not physical rest per se, and tonight's match with a team that has played well the last couple of games should give all of us a clue as to whether the Flames' poor results as of late are simply fatigue related.

St. Louis, like Nashville, doesn't always play things straight P v P, so one might think that Jarome Iginla could find himself with a chance to continue scoring. He'll go with Boyd and Jokinen from all reports, and the one thing that stands out is that Boyd might be given the actual center role. Anyone playing with Jokinen usually ends up covering for him down low under normal circumstances, so this may simply be a de facto recognition of how matters will unfold. If the Flames aren't going to split the big two, I suppose that Boyd deserves a chance to have a go on a regular basis. They've run nearly everyone but Noodles McLennan out there with them, so why not? I don't see Boyd being ready or able to carry those two, but I'm having a hard time imagining anyone on the current roster that can do so. Actually, there are nights where I wonder if there's anyone on any roster that would be up to that task, but that's another matter altogether.

The Langkow line had a stinker against the Preds, and with the unpredictable nature of the production coming from Iggy and co., the Flames are about at the point where Dawes-Langkow-Bourque have to score for the team to be decent or better. That shouldn't really be so, but that's the situation that Calgary finds itself in. The lines in the Herald piece suggest that Eric Nystrom will center Glencross and Moss, which is, uh, interesting. That move would push Craig Conroy to the fourth line with Sjostrom and someone, depending on how the spirit moves Brent Sutter.

The D appears to be intact, with Adam Pardy healthy enough to continue working on the third pair. No matter who plays with whom, I think the days off will have been of benefit to Bouwmeester in particular. The Flames need more out of him on the rush, and he looks a bit off to me as of late. I don't know if Sutter has any specific instruction for him to hang back, or if he's just in conservation mode to handle his workload, but he's just doesn't seem to be part of the attack, particularly at EV.

Miikka Kiprusoff will go. His game against Nashville wasn't openly terrible, but he was a beat behind, like a few other people in red on Saturday afternoon. The Flames likely need him to be a-one almost every night, since goals have been hard to come by since late October, and that doesn't appear to be changing in the immediate future.

St. Louis laid a whipping on the Oilers Monday, unloading 4 PP goals on the way to a 7-2 drubbing of the last place Oil. Alex Steen, nearly given up for dead when these teams met a week ago, scored a goal and added two helpers, and Patrik Berglund put up a goal and an assist in the rout. David Backes scored a couple of goals on Sunday in Vancouver as well, so a few of the guys that provide secondary scoring for the Blues might be waking up. Chris Mason gets the start in net for St. Louis.

The Flames were even with St. Louis last Tuesday through two, then proceeded to get outshot 10-4 in the third on the way to a 4-3 loss. The Blues are still pretty meh in terms of out-shooting at EV, and Monday night aside, their PP has been poor this season. They do kill penalties at a high rate, so hopefully the signs of life in recent games from the Calgary PP aren't false. The hope has to be that the days off will give the Flames a bit of bite, especially in the later stages of the game.

Game time is 7:30 MT on TSN, as the back-end of a double header, with the juniors leading off in their last pre-tournament outing against the Czechs.

Oilers vs. Wild, 12/23/09 - Looking up at the rest of the conference

Derek Zona — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 18:29:01 -0000

via www.sportslogos.net

SBNation's Oilers vs Wild coverage

Hockey Wilderness

For a glimpse into the world of Minnesota hockey life, visit SnagFilms at the "Pond Hockey" link, or watch the movie below.

Hockey Wildnerness takes on the near-putrid Abel2Yzerman and enrages the natives. Ugga bugga boo. Then HW lays into their gods and really annoys them.

In an "it ain't your year" sign, the Wild lose their equipment. Cal Clutterbuck's panties go up in smoke.

Apparently the NHL is punishing the Finns, because they've chosen the Wild vs. Hurricanes matchup for the Finnish game. Poor, poor Finns.

Derek Boogaard is a useful player. Alright, he's a good guy to have around. Okay, he's useless.

Minnesota Wild Injuries

Probable

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Guillaume Latendresse	other-excused	12/23/2009

Questionable

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Martin Havlat	other-excused	12/23/2009

Out (IR / Out / Suspended / Physically unvailable)

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Brent Burns	concussion	11/19/2009
Pierre-Marc Bouchard	concussion	10/04/2009
Petr Sykora	concussion	11/09/2009

Brule's Upcoming Negotiations

Derek Zona — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 04:30:13 -0000

More photos » by John Ulan - AP

6 days ago: Edmonton Oilers' Gilbert Brule, left, battles with Nashville Predators goalie Dan Ellis during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Edmonton, Alberta, on Thursday, Dec. 17, 2009. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, John Ulan)

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Gilbert Brule is in the midst of a resurrection in Edmonton. His development was botched something fierce by Doug MacLean in Columbus, as MacLean rushed him to the NHL as an under-sized center, not physically ready for the game. Brule couldn't handle the NHL game and it showed. He was only able to tally 12 goals and 20 assists in 146 games, for a replacement player scoring rate of .219 PPG. For comparison's sake, Liam Reddox, much-maligned in his time in Edmonton last year, has mustered a .25 PPG rate in his time in the NHL.

Kevin Lowe rescued Brule from his hockey hell on July 1, 2008, sending Raffi Torres to Columbus in exchange for the young center. For Brule, it must have been like taking the red pill in 'The Matrix'. Free of the franchise that gutted his brightest developmental years, he was coming to a club that was willing to trade away a tough-minutes left wing for him. However, after taking a look at him in training camp, Craig MacTavish decided he wasn't NHL material and sent him to Springfield for the year. Brule didn't show much in the AHL, posting 24 points in 39 games against middling competition.

To begin the 2009 season, he had a mediocre training camp under Pat Quinn, but because of his waiver situation, was assured a roster spot from the day camp opened.

As the season began, Brule found chemistry with Dustin Penner, though it seems that everyone finds chemistry with the big winger. Brule ranks second among Oiler forwards in goals and total points behind Dustin Penner, it's this never-before-displayed scoring touch that has won Edmonton over. He's quickly become a fan favorite as evidenced by the consensus of the commentariat from various Oilers sites and blogs. Fans have expressed love for his "big shot", his "physical play", his "gritty play" and his "one-shot scoring". Fans are also ready to lock Brule up for the long-term wishing for a Nilsson-like contract from Steve Tambellini and Kevin Lowe.

That's where things get scary. Kevin Lowe has shown a propensity to buy high (see: Pisani, Fernando; Moreau, Ethan; Nilsson, Robert) and Steve Tambellini has shown a propensity to go overboard when he finally decides to make a deal (see: Khabibulin, Nikolai; Heatley, Dany). The two are an awful combination when it comes to contract negotiations.

What might Brule's deal look like? What is he actually worth?

Let's take a look at the underlying stats:

	GP	Corsi	RCorsi	RCorsi RK	QC	QT	CD/15	CH RK	OPct	ZS RK	EV +/-	+/- RK
2009 - Gilbert Brule	33	-2.48	-.4	7/12	11/12	7/12	-.652	7/12	43%	9/12	.07	6/12

The underlying numbers aren't as great as the traditional stats would dictate, especially given his qualcomp ranking, but given his Zonestart, perhaps we can look at these numbers in a softer light.

What is more concerning in looking at these statistics is Brule's with and without Penner splits.

	ES GF	ES GA	CF	CA	CD	G	A	P
2009 - Gilbert Brule	23	21	138	157	-19	9	.13	22
2009 - Gilbert Brule w/o Penner	10	11	44	77	-33	4	6	10
2009 - Gilbert Brule w/ Penner	13	10	94	80	14	5	.6	12

Brule is -1 without Penner and +3 with Penner. He has 11 points with Penner and 11 points without. This looks balanced at first glance, but the scoring chance data shows that the bounces are being slightly kind to him. His chance numbers show that he should be something close to -5 without Penner and +2 with him. Thus far in the 15 month history of tracking scoring chances, the predictive chances-to-goals rate is about 7 to 1 - Brule's non-Penner rate is 4.4 to 1, meaning he has scored 4 more points than is sustainable. He's also turned the trick of scoring points on all 10 goals in which he's been on the ice without Penner.

Vic's fantastic Corsi combination tool isn't working this year, so we're not able to drill down and see the Corsi splits, but given that Penner has been even to slightly positive all year, Brule's without Penner Corsi split is likely much, much worse than his number above.

The counter to the above argument is that the Oilers have few other bonafide NHL forwards other than Penner, so eliminating Penner from the argument is unfair. At some point during his upcoming contract, Brule is likely to play with other bonafide NHL forwards, right? The likelihood of playing with other forwards of Dustin Penner's caliber is something that shouldn't enter into the negotiations from the Oilers standpoint, but it's likely they will.

Brule's team would probably start the negotiations in Colby Armstrong territory - Brule is on pace to have similar traditional stats this year. Armstrong is making $2.4 million this year and it was his second contract. Given this management team's predelictions, it wouldn't surprise me to see a three-year agreement in the $2.25 million range.

Loyal fans will likely call these "Pisani's dollars" and talk about what a nice replacement Brule is making for Fernando Pisani. However, a contract like that for an unproven player like Brule can be nothing but trouble for cap-stressed team like Edmonton. Brule is restricted this year and has had one worthwhile stretch in his entire career. The Oilers should stand firm on this one and drive the price down. There is no reason, nor need, to overpay a player with no proven success, currently riding the extremely large coattails of your all-star forward.

Thanks to Dennis King, Gabe Desjardins, and Dobber Hockey for the data for this post.

Edmonton's Problems aren't on Offense

Derek Zona — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 22:00:19 -0000

More photos » by John Ulan - AP

4 days ago: Edmonton Oilers goalie Jeff Deslauriers watches the go ahead goal from Washington Capitals' Tomas Fleischmann, not shown, enter his net during the third period of an NHL hockey game in Edmonton on Saturday, Dec. 19, 2009. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, John Ulan)

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CBS Sportsline had some fellow named Wes Goldstein write a column in which he makes a Christmas wish for each team in the NHL. Apparently, Mr. Goldstein has yet to watch an Oilers' game or even take a look at the stats thus far in 2009-10. Rather predictably, Goldstein writes:

Edmonton Oilers: Another scoring threat to take some of the heat off Dustin Penner. Edmonton has too many players with embarrassing stats.

He's parroting what many other MSM-types are saying, namely that Edmonton's problems are somehow related to goal-scoring, and that, once again, they lack players to play with Ales Hemsky. It's the same thing that has been said since Ryan Smyth was traded, but this year, it's just not true.

Edmonton ranks 26th in the NHL in points per game. That has little to nothing to do with offensive output. Edmonton ranks 6th in the west in goals per game at 2.86. That's good enough for 10th in the NHL. That's good enough for the playoffs, and with some above average goaltending, maybe a home playoff series. I feel like I'm stating the obvious here, but it needs to be said. For all of the talking heads, the intermission panelists, the newspaper writers, the fans, the bloggers and the commenters blaming team offense - look at the numbers. You're wrong.

The issue this season is team defense. Edmonton is surrendering 3.22 goals per game, 14th in the west and 27th in the NHL -- that's draft lottery territory. A lottery defense to go with a playoff offense.

	Per Game	Western Rank	NHL Rank	Last 10 years
Goals for	2.86	6	10	2
Goals against	3.33	14	27	10

The breakdown is even more obvious when you compare offensive output from this year to the last ten years. This year's version of the Oilers is on pace for the fourth most prolific offensive output of any Oilers team over the last 10 years.

Season	GF	GF/G
2005-06 - Cup Finalist	256	3.12
2000-01 - Playoffs	243	2.96
2007-08	235	2.87
2009-10 (projected)	235	2.86
2008-09	234	2.85
2002-03 - Playoffs	231	2.82
1999-2000 - Playoffs	226	2.76
2003-04	221	2.70
2001-02	205	2.50
2006-07 - 24th overall	195	2.38

When it comes to goals against, this is the worst team of the last decade. Full stop. The Oilers' problems this year rest solely on the backs of the team defense. As we've have harped on since last season, this team lacks forwards that can play the game, and the goaltending situation is a mess. It's been the same story for fifteen months and it's never been more evident than now.

Season	GA	GA/G
2001-02	182	2.22
2003-04	208	2.54
1999-2000	212	2.59
2000-01	222	2.71
2002-03	230	2.80
2008-09	248	3.02
2006-07 - Sam Gagner	248	3.02
2005-06	251	3.06
2007-08	251	3.06
2009-10 (projected)	273	3.22

This team needs to get out from under a bunch of contracts, bring in an entire line of Wes Walz', and find new on-ice leadership. Until then, 8th place in the conference is a mirage.

EDIT: I've updated the stats in this post to include the last two games. The story was written last week, but not published until today. My apologies for the confusion.

Tuesday links: Holy jumpin'! Seven goals! edition

averagejoe — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 11:00:20 -0000

Seven goals? Since when does this team score in bunches? You know what, I'll take it. Seven goals is awesome. Best part? It was on the road so Towelie didn't get to do his shtick.

Blues news

in case you missed it: Blues 7, Oilers 2. [St. Louis Post-Dispatch]
For everyone who got two down after the losses, don't get too up with the wins. Remember, this team is struggling. [Belleville News-Democrat]
Hey look, a goalie controversy. Those always work out. [St. Louis Post-Dispatch]

Hockey news

Last night's results. No game featured more than seven goals. Except for, you know, the Blues game. [Yahoo! Sports]
Just three games tonight, and one feature the Blues. [Yahoo! Sports]
Martin Brodeur picked up shutout No. 104. He is now alone at the top. [Puck Daddy]
With the shutty record, is Marty the best EVER? [In Lou We Trust]
Dwayne Roloson made two crazy saves. [From the RInk]
Jamal Mayers: Goal scorer? What? [Toronto Sun]
Mike Fisher is engaged to Carrie Underwood. Welcome to the tabloids. [TSN]
Brian Boucher left Monday's game with an injury. Not a good time to be a goalie in Philly. [TSN]
No pressure Ryan Miller, but you're gonna need to carry Team USA to gold. [ESPN]

Other links

It's official, John has lost it. Poor, poor Garfield. [Pic]
Kids like costumes. If only I had a picture of me as Egon from Ghostbusters to submit — by the way, wanting to be Egon pretty much tells you all you need to know about me. [Growing up Heroes]
Celebrities, for the most part, are fucking dumb. [Buzzfeed]

Video

This video is for Gallagher.

Wednesday links coming tomorrow. Wanna help out? gametimelinks(at)gmail.com

Edmonton - St. Louis post-game: suite & sour

Bruce McCurdy — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 10:56:57 -0000

More photos » by John Ulan - AP

A common sight at Rexall Place on Monday night: Devan Dubnyk peeks over his shoulder at another puck that has found its way behind him, an Oiler defenceman looks on in vain some distance away from an unattended Blues' goal scorer, with another Blue at the edge of the frame ready to pounce in the unlikely event the first shot was stopped.

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Well that was fun, except for the hockey game part.

I accepted the kind invitation of David Staples to join him and some other bloggers in the Edmonton Journal's executive suite for tonight's shindig between two Western bottom feeders. It was quite a treat, especially the "meet other bloggers" part. I had met our genial host at one previous such group outing, an entertaining and hard-fought 5-3 win against the Wild in the stretch drive of '08, and it was a pleasure for my wife and I to renew our acquaintance with David. Tonight I also had the honour of meeting BlueBelle of HF Boards fame (at least I understand that she's famous ... I never read HFB, but having now met the irrepressible BlueBelle I can't imagine her as anything but a sensation in any forum), as well as Smokin' Ray of Oilers' Jambalaya. And it was my distinct pleasure to meet the founder of the Copper & Blue, our very own (though shared these days with The Score's Hockey or Die and OilersNation) Jonathan Willis. I can't say for certain but it may well have been the first time any 2 of the 5 of us on the C&B team had met in the flesh. It's quite astonishing when you stop to think about it.

Anyways, it was a good thing we had each other to keep each other engaged (if you follow me) because the game ~~positively~~ negatively sucked. The Oilers were flat-out brutal at times in the first 30 minutes and pretty much continuously throughout the last 30, crashing 7-2 to the offensively-challenged St. Louis Blues and finishing a devastating four-game homestand without a point. 0 wins, 4 regulation losses; 9 goals for, 20 against. Three of those games were against teams that had played in Vancouver one night previous, then spent two hours in the air and lost a third on the clock flying against the time zone. Yet the Oilers wilted in the last 5 minutes against Los Angeles, got blown out in the final 20 against Washington, and tonight mailed in the last 30 against lowly St. Louis. A shocking and frankly unacceptable performance on a crucial homestand that began with some promise.

Tonight I, reformed optimist, sat in my free and cushy seat and felt bad not for myself and certainly not for many of the Oiler players other than poor Devan Dubnyk. I felt bad for people like BlueBelle, who drove 3 hours up from Calgary where she bravely wore copper & blue at work all day, and now has to get up in the wee hours to make the drive back only to face the music when she gets there. I felt bad for JW making a 7-hour trip on winter roads each way from Fort St. John only to see a piece of shit game like that. And I felt really bad for the people in the stands who may have paid $200 or $300 or even more for a pair of seats only to see the team play stupid hockey before giving the game up entirely as a lost cause. Which it most definitely was, but that's unacceptable. The 5000 or so fans who remained by the game's sorry conclusion gave a pretty hearty boo and while I didn't (don't) participate, I nodded in silent agreement. A real stinker at the end of a real stinky homestand. And a Merry Christmas to you, and don't forget to stop in the Oilers' store on your way home.

The Oilers actually dominated big sections of the early going. Despite an absolutely dreadful first-period powerplay in which they coughed the puck or lost it in a one-on-one battle no fewer than 7 times in 2 minutes (the "extra man" being nowhere in evidence anywhere near the puck at any time), the Oil twice battled back from one-goal deficits to tie it up, and by the game's midpoint the shot clock stood at 20-7 Oilers. Which was fine, except 2 of the 7 were bang-bang plays inside the blue paint after both defencemen abandoned their posts simultaneously. On the first Visnovsky and Smid got sucked behind the net leaving David Perron alone on the doorstep, and on the second it was Gilbert and Souray who got sucked over to the same side of the ice as Andy McDonald outraced Penner for the tap-in. Or as Pat Quinn put it in his always frank and entertaining post-game presser:

"The kinds of goals that we allow and the freedoms we allow around our net aren't a goaltender's job all the time. Afterwards you say 'geez maybe he should have had that' but gee, how many times does he have to bail these ... guys out when they don't do a job around the net?"

... with the ellipsis actually provided by Quinn himself as he paused to seal his lips at a moment where most of us would say "fucking". (Even on nights like this, the man can make me laugh.)

So, 2-2 on the scoreboard but 20-7 on the shot clock, Oilers seemingly with better legs against an opponent that in theory should be tiring. Then Sheldon Souray took a bonehead roughing penalty on Brad Winchester of all people, and the game absolutely disintegrated from that point. It wasn't ten seconds later that the Blues got their first powerplay goal of the night on another bang-bang play in the blue paint. The good news was that Smid didn't abandon his post this time. The bad news was that he hammered Brad Boyes' centring pass home with such authority that I was thinking maybe he should replace Dustin Penner in front of the other team's net on our powerplay. An own goal of such stunning ineptitude it had me noticing for the first time really that Ladi Smid wears Steve Smith's old #5.

There was no coming back this time. Not after that. The next shift after the goal was a fire drill, a sequence of Blues shots and Oiler giveaways that ended in an unneccesary penalty against Visnovsky who had been out there the entire 93 seconds. Another powerplay, another powerplay goal, this one on a double deflection by Patrik Berglund and David Backes who were unchecked in the high and low slot respectively. (I have both of them in my pool, so it's not all bad.) Seconds later Souray got burned yet again on a bad neutral zone pinch, Jay McClement walked in 2-on-1 without any challenge from Gilbert and roofed one from about 8 feet out. And just like that it was 5-2. "That's the worst 5 minutes of the season" I said to Jon, making a mental note to check later to see if the beancounters up top had possibly seen that stretch as bad as I did.

So I just now reviewed the official play-by-play, and it shows that between 13:03 and 18:24 of the second, the following stats were recorded:

Stat	STL	EDM	Remarks
Goals	3	0
Shots	9	0
Corsi	16	0
Faceoffs	8	1	Blues 6/6 in Oilers zone, 2/3 in neutral** zone
Giveaways	0	4	All 4 in Oilers defensive zone
Penalties	0	2	Neither of the "good" variety

... which may be not only the worst ~5 minutes of the season by the Oilers, but of any NHL team in 2009-10.

(** Bear in mind that those 3 neutral zone faceoffs all occurred after Blues goals. The only way the puck got over the Oilers blueline was if the linesman was carrying it back to centre.)

By the third it was all over, but rather than a show of resistance for the faithful the Oilers simply assumed the position, mustering all of 1 shot through the 13-minute mark. By then the shot clock had gone from 20-7 just twenty minutes earlier, to 22-25. That's 18 shots to freakin' 2.

In theory, the trailing team should be driving the play. In theory, the rested team should be driving the play. In theory, the home team should be driving the play. In reality, the rested home team was trailing for good reason: because They Sucked.

St. Louis added two more goals in the third, both on a previously anemic powerplay that came into the game ranked 29th in the NHL and left it ranked 23rd, having jumped by 2.5 percentage points in a single game, halfway through the season for heavens' sakes. 4 for freakin' 5.Oilers killed their first penalty early in the first, but the other four all ended with the Skate of Shame for one veteran after another: Souray, Visnovsky, Horcoff, Moreau.

Oh yeah, Ethan Moreau. I'm used to thecaptain taking stupid penalties in the offensive zone, but this one was beyond stupid and beyond offensive. In the dying minutes T.J. Oshie cranked Moreau with a clean open-ice hit, and thecaptain retaliated first by tripping Oshie, then crosschecking him in the back of the head. I don't mind that he hates to lose or even that he doesn't like to be hit in a game where he's playing out the string and expecting the other guys to be doing likewise, but there are ways to make your objections known that aren't quite so ugly, and he was lucky to get off with just one minor. Then, after the Blues scored yet again to release him from the box, Moreau was given one more shift in which he needlessly instigated a fight with Darryl Sydor, an honest veteran renowned for minding his own business. What was that all about? That's the sort of shit Shayne "Shame" Corson used to pull off late in bad losses. An embarrassment to the Oil Drop.

I have long resisted the melodramatic calls to "rip the C off Moreau's chest" but tonight I think it might be appropriate to do just that, if only to replace it with a D-minus.

But that's a fair grade for the whole team on this night. No point in singling out more players or getting into stats. The $22 MM Defence wasn't worth 22 cents, the forwards were by turns ineffectual and negligent, and the poor young goalie making his first NHL start wound up cracking and letting in a couple of weak ones in the third after being all but blameless on the first 5 GA. I guess if he was Marty Brodeur he could have got his stick on one or two of those goal mouth passes, but he was left eyeball to eyeball with NHL scorers time and again, and they weren't missing. An awful debut for the kid, who can now relate to how sacrificial virgins must feel.

As for the teammates who deserted him -- during a sixth consecutive home loss, lest we forget -- they're lucky I'm not their coach, or the bastards would still be skating.

Retribution It Is; Blues Score Touchdown In Edmonton.

gallagher — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 05:00:26 -0000

by John Ulan - AP

"Oh no, get ready for the hard hugger."

View full size photo »

The annoucers tonight spent a good amount of time talking about how play like tonight is "how you get into the playoffs" and about how great it must be for management to see this when they showed such patience with the current lineup and about how "some" have been questioning coach Andy Murray's tenure with the team and how it's great to see his team respond.

Slow down.

The Blues just beat the 10th place team in the West (Vancouver) and the 15th place team in the West (Edmonton). I'm as excited as any Blues fan, but seriously, let's not declare the inconsistent efforts to be a thing of the past just yet.

That said, Wah-fucking-hoo! It sure was nice to see the Blues score goal after goal (after goal) against the Oilers, especially after I had to watch in person as the Oilers whipped the shit out of our boys on home ice 10 days ago. It was especially satisfying to watch their fans sitting in quiet frustration as the Blues celebrated after each score and to hear them booing their team off the ice.

Comes around, goes around, ya'heard?

Some random notes for your discussion:

We've spoken before about Alexander Steen and the flashes of skill we see from him. When he gets a little space to wind it up, the guy has a lazer of a shot and he knows how to put it under the bar. You can see why he was drafted in the first round when he unleashes that thing. It also now makes sense why he's seeing time on the power play. On the point, he has the room to operate and set that thing up. A goal and three assists tonight? That dude nose how to score. (You're welcome.)
Yet another example tonight of a guy (Ethan Moreau) overreacting to a perfectly legal hit by going after a guy and trying to start a fight. Yes, I know the Blues do it to, I just don't understand it. Why not just line the guy up later and give it right back? I liked seeing T.J. Oshie, victim of the attack, telling one of his teammates to not go after the guy. He knew they got the power play called and knew it was simple baiting.
Chris Mason: another one amazing save/one soft goal given up night. I'll leave it at that tonight, but seriously, it's an issue when the Blues are scoring their normal two or three goals and not putting up seven.
People are starting to get on Erik Johnson for his play and I can see some of that, he is not a sacred cow, of course, but I'm willing to let a lot of that go. Persoanlly, I like seeing him being creative and going where he needs to go to make plays. He gets back to cover for the most part, but the big benefit is that unpredictability offers offensive chances - it throws off the opposition when they don't know what he's going to do.
Thank you, Ladislav Smid. Thank you very much.
Nice to see the TechnoViking looking confident again. Welcome to Flashback City, Population: Us. Let's hope the IceBerg can keep it going and earn back some more of that playing time. I liked his line tonight with David Perron and B.J. Crombeen, as it gives them some playmaking, some shooting and some grit out there at the same time. Can we see that together a little longer, Coach? Please?
Speaking of lines, also a fan of Paul Kariya playing with T.J. Oshie and David Backes as they did to start the game. Kariya and Frosted Tips have a similar passing ability and their chemistry is apparent. Coach? Hmm? Please?
I've been a big fan of Silent Jay McClement for some time now and watching him score is always a bonus. He strikes me as the kind of guy who can hang around St. Louis his whole career, play a solid, neutralizing game for year after year and never really get a ton of attention. Then, when his career is all about over, everyone is gonna go, "Damn, that guy was really good, wasn't he?"

The Blues are back at it on Wednesday against Calgary, a team that (as I like to say), has like three good players. They're seveth in the Western Conference, but have struggled lately, going 4-5-1 in their last 10. Can the Save And Murray Tour continue to succeed?

Finally, a celebration for a nice night from Patrik Berglund:

Minnesota Wild vs. Colorado Avalanche: Game Recap

nathaneide — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 04:47:17 -0000

More photos » by Jim Mone - AP

2 days ago: Colorado Avalanche's John-Michael Liles, right, blocks Minnesota Wild's Derek Boogaard's attempt to score on goalie Craig Anderson in the third period of an NHL hockey game Monday, Dec. 21, 2009 in St. Paul. Minn. The Avalanche won 4-3. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)

Browse more photos »

Minnesota Wild 3-4 Colorado Avalanche

Well, that got interesting at the end. Kinda makes you wonder what would've happened had they not had a couple massive mental mistakes, like a turnover at the blue line and giving up another shorty.

The Wild fought off a horrible second period marked by bad power play chances, poor goaltending, sloppy defensive mistakes and a seemingly apathetic effort by bouncing back in the third with goals from Owen Nolan and Martin Havlat, but it wasn't enough as Matt Hendricks' shorthanded marker in the second period gave the Avalanche a 4-1 lead and it was just too much for the Wild.

This game was going to be a bit of a test for the club. There was enough time since the fire on Friday to get more comfortable with replacement gear, they were back in the friendly confines of the Xcel Energy Center and in front of the Team of 18,000 and were playing a team they had beaten once in regulation in the past 15 games.

Even so, the hole in the second period was too big to overcome, though the Wild gave a valiant effort in the third, outshooting the Avalanche 13-4 and putting together possibly their best period of the season.

Let's hope Backstrom and the defense pick it up against the Oilers on the 23rd.

Please read the game recap over at Mile High Hockey

Hockey Wilderness Three Stars

Martin Havlat (1 G)
Owen Nolan (1 G)
Cal Clutterbuck (1 G)

Questions to Answer

Will Niklas Backstrom look more confident in game two of "Operation break-in the new gear"? Well, as I learned, it's not new equipment, but he just doesn't look comfortable out there. Maybe Josh Harding needs to come in and give Backstrom a spell.
How will Owen Nolan look in his first game back with the club? Great to see Nolan get a goal. This team needs to to play well and provide leadership on the ice.
Can Martin Havlat continue to build his game? Another game, another goal. Havlat's on a roll. Looks like he finally has his feet underneath him.
Does Jon DiSalvatore get to keep the frequent flier miles he accumulated today since he didn't get to actually play? I'm still not sure he even got on the plane!
Why do the Wild hate me? I get an HDTV and none of the games have been in HD!!! Seriously, this is uncool. I'm having shoulder surgery tomorrow, and if the rest of the games this week aren't in HD, there's going to be hell to pay!