2013 LMHF Game Report #3

EDMONTON 4

VS.

COLORADO 1
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I know people love the dramatic victories and games with crazy endings or bizarre incidents. I get it. It also inspires some of the more interesting Game Reports. The thing is, I much prefer a game like tonight. I'm the kind of guy who wants to win the Cup in 4 games, not 7, and have a 6-0 lead going into the third period. I like to watch my hockey team win, win well, and win going away. I like to see players do what they're supposed to do. I like to see a team exhibit control of the pace and the puck. This type of hockey removes a lot of drama from the game...but I'm not there to see a play...I'm there to see hockey. Tonight we played hockey.

I accept that the crowds that attend these games are not full of hockey nuts who pride themselves on analyzing a game. This is one of the only reasons I'm able to have even the limited amount of tolerance I do for the people yelling SHOOT all the damn time. I'll spare you guys the annual rant for now. I will say however that it is very unsettling to hear people getting all agitated when we're busy dummying the Avs on the powerplay. These hockey players know you only need one shot to score. They know you're looking for a great chance. I'm very thankful that they remained patient almost the whole game tonight. It is a big reason why we came out on top.

We were also patient 5-on-5. I know this is a point of concern for a lot of people right now. The thing is, at least for tonight, we controlled the puck and dictated the pace save for about five shifts. The chances were there and we put good pucks to the net all night long. Constrast that with the Avs having to shoot from weak angles and the outside of the ice. There was a reason they looked impotent and were not drawing penalties as we were. When we play in this manner, we'll win games whether we score all our goals 5-on-5, or on the powerplay. The first line alone could probably have scored at least 5 tonight. While the fact that they didn't is not great, the thing is that they were controlling the puck, keeping it a LONG way from Dubnyk, and not getting frustrated.

When it came to how we scored the goale, they were beautiful plays to watch:

1. After a beautifully controlled powerplay, the Oilers get two forwards near the net (including Hemsky who I've always said should play down low and close to the net). A well executed, low and tippable shot comes in through a lane, a screen turns into a little bit of digging for the puck and then #83 pops his stick on a loose puck and we're in business. Good all-around goal.

2. Hall takes a nifty little pass from Whitney, makes another nifty play to Eberle who cuts in and rifles it home like only he knows how to do. They even bang in the rebound for good measure after the shot whips back out of the net. Perfect rush play made at that same angle we see so often from that line. They're just tremendous at making that forward play off the wall as opposed to the more common completely lateral play.

3. After another controlled series of plays. Hopkins makes a lovely read through the seam on a half-shot/half-pass to Hall, who tips it off Horcoff and in. Again we had patience, puck control, created a lane, got two guys towards then net including one down low and to the side, and they score. It isn't rocket surgery. That positioning + that skill equals goals all day long.

4. Brilliant effort by Sam Gagner to get to a loose puck and battle the Colorado defenceman to the ground. Yakupov flies in out of nowhere and makes absolutely no mistake on the empty net so that he comes out of an iffy night in the black. Well done.

Colorado was certainly lacking some players tonight and they did well on the shot clock, but aside from a few shifts they were not threatening and did not push us too hard. After the Avs scored their only goal we almost immediately responding by generating strong scoring chances. That's exactly what good teams do. If we continue the efforts we saw tonight for the most part, we're in the money most nights.
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Dubnyk
- The goal he allowed was itself weak. He got caught defending his post badly and couldn't recover from an initial shot. Aside from that and a couple ugly rebounds, he was excellent. Definitely a bounce-back performance after the Calgary game. I just wish he could find a way to stop all the bouncing in the first place.

Whitney-Potter
- They were on for the only goal against and certainly guilty on that play. Whitney got caught a step away from the play and Potter got lost in the corner. It wasn't all on them and the play was a little awkward but they definitely could have handled it better. Whitney made a stronger effort tonight. He still struggled to get into position at times, but the nice play to Hall and a couple solid shots at the net served him well. He's not the dominator out there anymore, sadly, as tonight would've been the kind of night where he'd dish out a couple nasty hits in the past, but he did enough. Potter made some passes and generally had a quiet game. They don't really need him to jump in this year so on nights like this he certainly fades into the background. He did use his size fairly well to keep the Avs to the outside though.

Smid-Petry
- Plenty of physicality from Smid tonight and I'm noticing that he's improved the way he uses his size to separate guys from the puck when he can't land a big hit. There were a couple of specific plays in the third where he did this. For the most part he just kept things quiet which is pretty much his job. Petry got caught out of position a couple times and made an ill-advised pinch or two (including an awkward attempt to keep the puck in during the third period that nearly resulted in a dangerous rush) but aside from that it was a normal game from him. Lots of skating, solid positioning, good passes. This pair is pretty boring in a pretty great way when they play well.

N. Schultz-J. Schultz
- Justin didn't light up the scoreboard tonight, but was a steady presence on the powerplay once again. I've seen few guys able to go side to side and stop the puck so calmly as Schultz does. He also doesn't force shots or telegraph his passes. This is key as the Avs tried to be aggressive up top at times and were fooled by Schultz + the forwards most of the time. He managed to get in his usual couple drives to the net (which are so fluid and effortless they might as well be poetry) and unfortunately couldn't finish a really great chance he had, but if that's a fairly normal night for a rookie Schultz, we've done enormously well. Nick wasn't so smooth but didn't make any mistakes that cost the team. He threw a few errant passes and got caught out of position at times. He also left himself vulnerable to hits which is something you really have to watch against Colorado. They aren't the greatest forechecking team in the world tactically, but they do love to go for the big bomb every now and again. You have to watch your head. Same warning to Hemsky, Paajarvi and some others as well. Get an elbow up.

Paajarvi-Belanger-Hartikainen
- This line was a vast improvement over previous units and did some really nice things as a group. They drew penalties, protected the puck and forced the Avs to work hard in the defensive zone. Teemu needed a good game tonight and he delivered. His domain was the wall of the opposition's end, where he either controlled the puck or forced 2 additional Avs to come get it from him. Absolutely the way he needs to play the game and that was great to see. The crowd appreciated it too. Magnus drew a penalty with a nice little rush up the boards and cut to the net in the second. It was a shame Belanger couldn't score on this and a couple of other plays Magnus generated. He also managed to dodge a nasty hit that was headed his way and improve his board work as well. The only thing he was guilty of again was getting a little out of position at times and trying to skate too much. It will come with some line stability. I can't help but feel the Belanger we thought we were getting would have scored at least one tonight. He always seemed to be good for a greasy one on nights where his line played like this against us. Not so tonight despite a couple really nice chances. With that said, he skated hard and provided solid positioning support to his young linemates. Good enough. The 4th did their job tonight.

Smyth-Horcoff-Petrell
- These guys were better than they have been in that they were gaining the zone and directing some pucks toward the goalie while playing a fairly solid defensive game. In a sense that's all you need but they should be capable of more, especially after the competition they got from line 4 tonight. Smyth wasn't as far behind the play or away from his checks as last game, and he didn't make any goofy mistakes or take bad penalties. Error free is okay I suppose. I could do without the bad shooting and weak wraparound attempt when you have open teammates in the third period trying to close out a game though. Horcoff was okay. I do recall seeing him skating away from the puck as it headed toward the net, which was incredibly odd but I think that was on the PP. He just kind of ho-hum did his job 5-on-5. The thing is, he seems to have slowed down some and is not really getting in on the forecheck effectively. We need that from him. He might be more suited to playing with Paajarvi and Hartikainen actually, as they are puck retrieval and zone-gaining kind of guys while he could provide positioning support. We'll see how things shake out. Petrell was pretty silent and got pushed around a bit out there. I'm surprised he hasn't been tougher this year.

Yakupov-Gagner-Hemsky
- Both Sam and Ales were on and going tonight. It is unfortunate that they didn't generate more goals. I really liked how they bounced back from that unfortunate miss at the side of the net that Hemsky should have cashed (and has to cash) in the third by pressing really hard and getting another first rate chance where Hemsky completely dummied a Colorado defender and fed Gagner who had an open net and missed by half a step. That, thankfully, was one of the only times #89 was behind the play all night. He was really moving while at the same time staying in strong, supportive positions. He made good shooting/passing decisions and that was reflected in generating scoring chances. His extra effort to secure the empty net goal was the cherry on a very nice night for him. Hemsky scored a nice, fundamental goal, made some nice passes and went around a bunch of Avalanche defenders. If Yakupov would have had a better night, Hemsky sets him up for multiple goals with the moves he completed. Does this mean he didn't turn the puck over? Of course not. There is inherent risk in trying to beat a defender with a move at the top of the offensive zone. The thing is, if it works (and it did numerous times) your likelihood of a scoring chance is really high. Your team also has no excuse for not being in a supportive position at that stage and it should be fairly easy either for the trailing forward to scoop the puck (something the Oilers have never been good at but seem to be learning) or the defence ready to defend (as they haven't needed to join the rush yet). #83 worked hard and didn't get frustrated or impatient which is very important. Nail had a bit of an off night, losing his position at times and making a couple errant passes. He also did some nice things and unfortunately didn't get the puck enough in the offensive zone. But, Krueger sat him down then unleashed him when he had a chance to succeed and the kid did. Love #64.

Hall-Hopkins-Eberle
- Their best game of the season so far. They controlled the play really well, drove Colorado backwards and generated a ton of chances. Hall did what he always does on his best nights: rather than blindly drive wide and fail in getting to the net, he started cutting in high in the zone and looking to pass. The man is a much better passer than he gives himself credit for. He also did well for himself when he got stick at the point on the powerplay. Sometimes this is a really awkward spot for Hall but tonight he made it look pretty easy. He drove the play and also played well positionally in terms of choosing when to drive the net, when to peel off and when to float looking for a chance. These aren't things he always does well but on the nights he does, we win. Eberle was just magic. Great shot for a lovely goal, several more chances and a beautiful passing display. You can't do it much better than he did and to only come out with one point was certainly a shame. Hopkins almost seemed to be outsmarting himself tonight. In the third a puck came towards his stick and his foot lept out at it. He had time to take his deadly wrister and instead backhanded the puck. He over-read a couple of the offensive zone plays that should have resulted in great scoring chances. He's so damn close to busting out with a five-point game where he looks completely unstoppable...I just hope I'm there to see it. Great decision on the Horcoff goal as previously noted. As a line, the thing I noticed most was how many touch plays these guys tried for tonight. You could tell they were feeling it when the little flick passes and timing plays started to show up. It was a pleasure to watch. They're going to do something ridiculous in short order.

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I'm guessing there will be some who aren't as positive as I am about tonight's game. That's fine. I think what we saw though, was what we're used to having good teams do to us. We played well, didn't quite get the execution right, and allowed a bunch of bad shots. How many games do you remember going like that where were beaten by such teams? I remember a lot of nights seeing nothing but wristers into the chest from the goal line...I'm sick of them. This is so much better.

2013 LMHF Game Report #2

EDMONTON 2 (or was it 4?)

VS.

LOS ANGELES 1
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From sad display of futility to an utterly epic adventure ending in triumph. All in two days. These are your Edmonton Oilers.

It took forever. There was every emotion you could imagine at a hockey game, right down to the stupid drunk girl attempting to underhand lob a full, lidless beer from the second deck onto the ice and doing nothing but soaking everyone in sight. Everyone except her stayed. We all hoped. And it happened.

I've seen a lot of games over the years now. A lot of things have happened. Never so many utterly strange and baffling occurrences in one game. I believe that was the worst refereed game I've seen live. Possibly not by a little bit either. The only game live or on TV I can compare it to was a playoff game in Dallas years ago where one of our arch-nemesis refs sent us to the box for no reason all damn night. Even that probably wasn't so bad. There are always games with utterly unbelievable calls, sometimes even ones that violate the rules of the league (there was at least one of those tonight and possibly another). This is never accompanied by two teams being completely stymied on the PP. It is never a group of young guns taking on the Stanley Cup champs after getting absolutely waxed two days earlier. You never see a game where both coaches could have legitimately charged into the refs' room and laid down a beating and had it make sense.

Well, until tonight.

A word on Johnny Quick - What a goalie. There was absolutely no chance you were beating him clean tonight. He was on his game, focused as hell and that made the victory all the sweeter.

Los Angeles also made it very very difficult to get to him. Our top six threw pretty much everything they had right at them all night long and the Kings blocked shot after shot, pass after pass and lane after lane. It was clinical. It was beautiful frankly. The thing was, they needed to put forth that effort.

Our top six had trouble getting things done tonight. Make no mistake, they were far from perfect. The thing is, they never quit. The coach kept throwing them over the boards and they charged, and charged and charged. Whatever else happened tonight, we may have proven that even a Stanley Cup D and top end goalie cannot stop this top six from getting the 'W' when they put their mind to it. If we bring this effort against a lesser squad, we're going to blow them out big time. Whatever else they did tonight including mistakes with the puck and missed chances, I am so proud of the effort they put forth. It won us the game more than anything else. Add in the adversity the striped team we were also playing against provided and that was nearly impossible. Yet we did it.

Greg Kimmerly has been an embarassment to this league for some time now. I don't know much of anything about the other guy but assuming their old rookie-vet system, it would be appropriate that the rook get fired/fined. You cannot allow that type of officiating to taint your game the way tonight's embarrassment did. It was bad enough that they made a bunch of ticky-tack calls. It was bad enough when they gave Smid an instigator period...much less two of them (can anyone actually find whether that is legal?). Then they blew the whistle early three times (two on the Oilers and one on the Kings). Then breaking the rules of the game on Hopkins' goal. I swear I thought they were going upstairs on Yakupov's goal...

On a sad note I've just discovered that my PVR cut the game short...of all the games to run really long...anyone know if there's a re-run?

Please share your stories from tonight's game...whether you were there or watching on TV. This is one of those we'll remember. A regular season game yes, but just like the Atlanta game for instance...but with high drama. Beautiful. On to the players...

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Dubnyk
- After some early help from his best friends, #40 settled in and got back to doing what he does best. He made some really excellent saves; especially in the second and third periods. It took a nasty turnover and a great move from an excellent player to beat him tonight. That will get him a 'W' on most occasions. Well done and a huge bounce-back. I hope he takes this one to heart.

Fistric-Whitney
- Fistric played a very solid first game as an Oiler. He chased one hit and got out of position which nearly caused a goal, and also played a puck into the slot but was otherwise excellent. Good PKing, laid a number of very solid hits and drew a couple penalties with his aggressiveness. That's exactly why he was acquired and exactly what the team needs. What was rather unbelievable was watching him having to cover for Ryan Whitney. While #6 was better later in the game, he spent much of it once again crusing around in no man's land, mishandling the puck, needlessly skating behind the net and generally making mistakes. It looked at times tonight like he couldn't make it from the faceoff do to the corner...that's really really bad.

Smid-Petry
- I know there will be some criticism of Smid tonight, likely relating to his penalties mostly. For one, it was abundantly clear that he asked and was answered rather than jumping his opponent which is not taking an instigator. Then the weird visor thing...and that new "smothering" rule is just terrible. The thing was, he came out of all of that really pissed off and fired up. For the rest of the game, he hit, moved the puck, defended like crazy on the PK and was a big part of this win. You have to love a guy who gives that kind of effort and finds a way even when things go squirrely. As for Petry, for much of the night he was the picture of poise. He skated the puck confidently and cleared the zone. He could have made slightly better passes (though I'm starting to wonder if the ice is even worse than last year) but was really really solid.

N. Schultz-J.Schultz
- The "brothers" had some pretty iffy moments tonight. In addition to Nick's misplay at the blue line and Justin's failure to cover up on that play, they got their signals crossed on which check belonged to which Schultz on several occasions. Justin was also a little shaky at times at the point on the powerplay. You certainly couldn't argue with the results at the end, even if his shot got blocked on the Yakupov goal. These two can be better than they were tonight.

Hartikainen-Belanger-Petrell
- Belanger had a weird game. In the end he won an important faceoff. Earlier he had a couple great chances to score but didn't happen to think the black rubber thing bouncing around had much to do with the game being played. It was baffling. He also had a shift in the second where he took some abuse and got really annoyed. He probably should have gotten a penalty on this shift. Still absolutely no extra effort from him. He was clearly good along with Petrell on the PK though. Lennart was mostly invisible, missing a good scoring chance and not laying hits when he could have. This is unfortunate but he also didn't hurt us. Hartikainen did what he could in limited ice time, including a couple really nice drives to the net from the corner.

Paajarvi-Horcoff-Smyth
- It is not a good sign when once again the non-vet was the best player on the line. Magnus made some mistakes including either bobbling the puck or turning it over on a couple of occasions, but generally travelled with a lot of speed and got back defensively. Let's put Horcoff and Smyth's PKing aside for a moment. These guys should be able to compete 5-on-5. They are not. Smyth got roughed up early and then decided he was going to be a grumpy old man for the rest of the night. This meant a bad penalty, being way out of position, losing battles in the corners and giving the puck away on numerous occasions. He was not good at all. Horcoff was okay (but just okay) 5-on-5 and lost a ton of important faceoffs on the powerplay. Both Smyth and Horcoff were ineffective at tipping the puck and screening the goalie. These guys need to put in some extra work to catch up with the rest of the squad.

Yakupov-Gagner-Hemsky
- These guys really struggled to get going at times. Partially this was due to being pulled off the ice at inopportune times, but also each of them made mistakes with the puck. Hemsky was taking too much time on a line that is now a timing line. Yakupov was chasing too hard and getting out of position. Gagner was trailing too far behind the play. On the PP, at first they got too locked into having Yakupov down low where the Kings could lock out the pass. They adjusted later but did not come through. I still maintain they are the #1 unit and should be played first...but I'm not the coach yet. What I said at the beginning of the post applies big time to these guys though. They kept going. They kept pushing. They did not quit or try to do it alone or anything of that sort. They attacked the zone all night and finally broke through. Very proud of the way they kept going. What a goal by Yakupov. The most dangerous player I've seen in an Oilers uniform live. This guy is going to score 50 goals in a season. And soon. Krueger has to get him more PP chances. He will score a ton.

Hall-Hopkins-Eberle
- No line was asked for more by their coach tonight. At any point when there was a question, these guys were Krueger's answer (even when maybe they shouldn't have been). They were having a hell of a time getting to the center of the Kings zone. This is where they do their real damage and taking it away can shut them down for the evening. It is true that Eberle had at least 3 pucks go right through his stick tonight and again should have had at least two goals. This reminds me in some ways of the beginning of last season in that he struggled a little bit while still putting out a solid effort. Hopkins was, as he has been in the first two games, just barely missing on absolutely everything. You know he's going to bust out very shortly. I loved the way that he made sure he would make a difference in this one via his backchecking. You can really tell it is something he prides himself in and it resulted in shutting down a couple dangerous Kings chances. Hall did the same by asserting himself physically and I think his speed up the wing did eventually wear down the Kings to some extent. His desperation play to set up Yakupov's massive goal game after a night when everything he threw at the net got blocked or tipped wide. You could see how frustrated he was when the goal was disallowed...then violently signalling that the Yakupov goal had to count when the officials were looking like they were going to have another "conference". What an effort by these three.
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Does anyone have this recorded? Keep it. Wow. I still feel great. What...A...WIN!

2013 LMHF Game Report #1

EDMONTON 3

VS.

SAN JOSE 6
-------------------

Soooo....wellll......yeah. Welcome to the first LMHF Game Report of the 2013 season (I refuse to say 12-13 because we didn't play in 2012). Needless to say, that was not the experience I was expecting during our home opener. Even in recent years, it has at the very least tended to be a fun game with some memorable moments and some wins to boot. That was not in the cards tonight.

For those familiar with the format, they will know that tonight's Report is a little off. For those unfamiliar, usually I will speak broadly about the game then run through each player individually. After games like this, things usually get a little more condensed as there is simply no point in going player by player through garbage.

I have to start tonight by observing two things related to coaching. Keep in mind I'm not trying to sewer Krueger right off the bat or anything silly like that. Just because he's the new guy doesn't mean he isn't on the spot every game just like everyone else. In the first period, Oilers defenders to a man were chasing behind the net on the PK and two-man chasing below the goal line. This created many of the odd man situations that led to SJ's quick offensive outburst. Your entire defence does not forget its fundamentals and do something like this without direction. I have to conclude that Ralph had some strange defensive scheme that he thought would stifle SJ's cycle game. How wrong he was. To not adjust immediately when he saw what was going on was a huge mistake and played a part in us losing tonight.

The second thing I must address is something we have talked about before and that is knowing when to pull your goalie. Anyone who was paying close attention could see even after two goals had gotten past Dubnyk that he was not on tonight at all. The pucks he did stop were shaky saves and he had absolutely no control of himself or his game. At this point, or 3 goals, or 4 goals, pulling him was an absolute no-brainer. That our coaching staff sat there and waited out the period so that a goalie who couldn't stop a beach ball could end any chance of a comeback is on them and completely unacceptable.

We also had issues with the breakout (SJ shut down the boards and we didn't change tactics), line adjustments (barely any) game management (time outs, and no Ralph, the TV time out doesn't count) and other areas. This was a monumental failure from the word go.

Everyone in the building was simply shocked. To have to boo our team off the ice in the first home period of the season (and hopefully our worst period of the season) was the last thing any of us expected. Maybe the young guns were going to come out and hang six on SJ then coast in for an easy win...or gut out a close one, but not THAT.

As usual, the promotions were okay. I must say the first period ruined my appetite though. Didn't win anything and couldn't get into any of the Oilers stores without dodging a mass crowd and then waiting to pay. No thanks. The players tossed their sticks into the crowd at the end of the game which was a decent touch I suppose.

Anyway, seeing as this is the first one...maybe we will run through all the players. I'll at least give it a shot.

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Dubnyk
- I know many will say that he had very little chance to make saves...the thing is that goalies must make one or two of these at the beginning of most games. #40 had absolutely nothing tonight. He couldn't control rebounds, was too far back in his net, made himself small on shots where he had trouble seeing, and even hesitated and retreated on an easy puck retrieval behind his own net. In a lot of was I blame the coaching staff for not pulling him earlier, but come on man...you've got to learn to bounce back. If these brutal games are part of his make up, and he can't handle a little bit of hype or pressure...he won't be our goalie in the long term.

Danis
- Rock-solid. Maintained his positioning. Wasn't tested that much but was equal to what was presented. Couldn't ask for more. Where Dubnyk looked frazzled from the first, Danis looked utterly comfy.

Whitney
- This game frightened me about Whitney's future as an NHL defenceman. While the passing is still there to some degree, he is lost positionally in his own zone right now. That is truly all you've got when you're a dman with limited mobility whose offensive skills are in free fall. He was horrible on the PP and disrupted otherwise good possessions on several occasions. He even bailed on keeping a puck in the offensive zone during the third period when it looked like he couldn't use his left foot to stop properly...Bad news.

Potter
- The penalties need to stop. I don't know where this is coming from to be honest. Last year he was at many times a guy capable of being physical but not paying for it. Need to get back to that if he's going to stay in the lineup. I'd have him ahead of Whitney right now even with the suspect play. Missed too many offensive chances as well.

J. Schultz
- Hard to judge him on this game. There were a couple defensive mistakes and he got chasing just like everyone else. When the score was so lopsided he properly took more chances than I think we will see him take in the future. Above all he did show his ability to pick a spot, get to the slot and give an option. He's also not afraid to forecheck in the corners which is great. His goal was a well placed slapper that he probably needs to use more in the NHL. I worry some about his wrister's effectiveness...his release is almost too smooth and slow to beat an NHL goalie. Great for a tippable point shot...but not a goal scoring machine. Eager to watch him in a closer game. Definitely Pitkanen-esque in his ability to skate up and then back into the play seamlessly.

N. Schultz
- We basically want him to be invisible, right? Well, after the initial shelling, he basically was. Would love to see a more physical approach from him but don't think we'll get it.

Smid
- Certainly ran around more than I'm used to seeing him do. Tried to force it after the goal barrage in the first then settled back into his normal game. Definitely not a game that played to his strong suits.

Petry
- Flashes of brilliance followed by stretches where kind of wound up in the middle of nowhere. Weird game from Petry. Would like to see either he or Potter given a shot on PP#2 (actually I want Schultz there and that unit elevated to #1, but we all know that won't happen).

Smyth
- Another guy whose game tonight worried me. He abandoned his check several times. He dumped the puck to absolutely no one more times than I could count. He was slow as molasses. He didn't have his usual ability to tip the puck. He took a stupid penalty. Just all around horrible tonight for #94. He's usually not able to sink that low.

Horcoff
- Kept getting thrown out of the faceoffs for jumping in too early. I don't know what that was about. On the PK he was running around like a panicking chicken. I don't know how much of this was due to whatever the defence were doing...but you still have to be a calming influence when you're a Horcoff-type player. Bad night for him.

Hartikainen
- Not the night I wanted to see from him certainly. I saw more positives than either of his linemates, as #56 at least hit a couple people and got possession on a few occasions. He did make some errant passes, get lost no knowing what to do with the puck, and didn't get open enough though. I don't think this line combo is going to wind up working out. The thing is, it really isn't Teemu's fault so I hope he isn't blamed and demoted.

Paajarvi
- Certainly a decent enough game for Magnus. While he still didn't turn the corner on the defencemen, he did make some memorable backchecks, attack the opposition blue line with speed, and get open for passes. That's really the three things you need from him. A good effort in a sea of garbage.

Petrell
- Didn't really see much of anything from him tonight. Not terrible, not good. Really needed to throw a hit or two.

Belanger
- One of the most common lines of the net was "what the hell is Belanger doing?". He seemed to be out for a Sunday skate...sometimes aware of the puck, sometimes not. It was plain awkward to watch. No signs of any difference from last year, especially with the puck.

Yakupov-Gagner-Hemsky
- You can see that these guys will work before too long. There are still some kinks but it is coming. Establishing a more dynamic breakout will be the first part of the equation for them. As players they are capable of leaving the zone with incredible speed and that will come. While they did get caught in their own zone more than once tonight (I specifically remember a play where Nail should certainly have gotten the puck that ended in our net) I'm much more inclined than usual to put this on the defencemen and their passing. When these guys got a puck on the tape they were off to the races. When we talk about Yakupov, sure he's a little chaotic, all over the ice and likes to press too hard to do it himself. There were times tonight where this cost him. Sometimes he actually gets in trouble by trying too hard on the back check. The thing is, he will realize he role is more simple than it seems at present. This is a guy who could score 3 or more in any given game. His first will probably be one we see many of over the years, a great timing read and easily rifling home a smooth pass from a teammate who knows all he needs to do for an assist is get it to Yakupov (beauty delay, drag and feed by Gagner on that play btw). He had another one in the third get away from him in the slot. He nearly had a breakaway just seconds after his first goal. This guy is ready to go nuclear at a moment's notice. We didn't have that before. Now we do. The coaching staff is already faced with the need to deploy him more on the PP because all you need to do is feather a puck his way and it might go in. I'm not sure they should continue using him on the point though...again, his role was a little too complicated. At this stage, he's Stamkos. "Stand here kid" is all they really need to do with him. Both Gagner and Hemsky had mixed games. At times they were getting the play flowing quite well and at others the passes were going all over the place and nothing was working. Really mixed bag. Still, don't trade #89 for Luongo...please.

Hall-Hopkins-Eberle
- Hall's goal was a really nice shot in a one-on-three position that we don't see from him too much. I hope we see that kind of shot more often. Prior to the third, Hall was playing a weird game in that he was rushing up and down the wings, not accomplishing much, then not finishing he checks and then getting frustrated. It was quite strange. Hopkins seems like he's an inch away from a 4 or 5 point game but just can't get things going. He's just that little bit off...but it is the most important little bit. Eberle did not play as well as he usually does tonight, though often because he was forced to go it alone on rushes or puck battles. He also missed the net a couple times which was just weird. I'm sure he'll be better next game.
-----------------

Well, 1 in the books with hopefully 23+ to come. I know I'm looking forward to it despite what happened tonight. There is some real optimism around this crew and I'd love to see them rack up a few wins in a row and see what happens from there.

This season of Reports may turn out a little different than past ones, as my wife and I are expecting our first child on March 1. I'm lucky in that she wants me to keep going to games and am hoping the kid is on time and thus concurrent with the long road trip! hahaha! So, if a Report is delayed or unavailable, that probably has something to do with why.

Anyway, let's have a fun year guys. We seem to be climbing in the right direction...right??!?

LMHF Report - Game #41

EDMONTON 2

VS.

ANAHEIM 3
-----------------

And so, mercifully, it ends.

While it was hard for my fellow fans and I to watch what was going on down on that ice tonight (I dare not call it hockey), we stuck it out and were there pretty much to the bitter end. Many even sat around much longer to wallow in the sadness of another lost season, and dream of what might be come next September. Of course, the thing is that we won't get near as excited as we did this past September, when a young team appeared to be ready to take a large and important step forward, but was left without reinforcements and quickly began taking on water under the assault of the more veteran and experienced squads they were facing. It didn't last and we were again stuck in the mud.

Tonight was sad for another reason. It is customary for the home team to acknowledge the home fans, even if very briefly, at the conclusion of the final game of the year. Our team, whose fans cheered through all the junk games where no effort was given and were loud for every goal that was scored, rarely booing, waltzed to the dressing room without so much as a raised hand or a nod. It doesn't bother me too much, as I believe they'd deserved a hearty booing reserved for those who feel so secure in their jobs that they spend the whole time doing them badly, but many others were quite offended by the fact that the team didn't stay around for even a small encore. Not a smooth move from either the players or the coach, who should have been directing such an effort. The excuse that they were upset after losing is not valid, as then they would have cared during the actual game and put forth a much stronger effort.

I was glad to be there for what may be the last time we see Teemu Selanne in Edmonton. Along with Pavel Bure, he was the guy that shaped in my young mind what a pure goal scorer was, ripping through defences and terrorizing netminders with a blazing shot. He wasn't able to find the scoresheet tonight, which is surprising considering he regularly lit us up like a cheap pinball machine over the years, but he was still there, finding the lanes and firing away. I'll be sad for the people of Winnipeg if he doesn't give it one last go in Manitoba next year, though I will certainly understand if he concludes things and sails off into a long-since-earned sunset. He's always been a fabulous player and by all accounts I'm aware of, a gentlemanly one as well. That I got to see one of the best at putting the puck in the net so many times is something I really appreciate.

There were no such legendary stories to tell about our team tonight. It was obvious from the get-go that this was a team that knew its season was over and didn't feel the need for even friendly competition. You'd think a home team facing another team with nothing to play for could at least put on a show, try some things and maybe entertain. When Eric Belanger came out to take a defensive zone faceoff in the third period with absolutely no relevance to the season, I was utterly bewildered. The lineup decisions and no alterations to any of the game plan were less inexplicable, but still very strange to me.

I'm honestly surprised no one tried to grab the spotlight. Our two goals were interesting but not really when put into context. Both were scored off the rush as we tend to do. One on a recovery from a miss and one by possibly the finest breakaway deker in the game. We were beat on a play which, due to its simplicity and finality, was one of the saddest plays I've had to watch. I can't help but think we may have witnessed the metaphorical end to another career on that play.

I know a lot of this isn't specific to the game that just happened, but you tend to reflect at the end of the season and this is as good a place as any to share those reflections. Please add any if you have them and wish to share.
----------------

Dubnyk
- Well, I suppose there wasn't much he could have done on the second Ducks' goal. I have a problem with the Bobby Ryan shot, even though Sutton was screening him because Dubnyk went and made himself small again. That should have been a simple, positional save. One thing that Dubnyk will have to learn is how to avoid the deer-in-the-headlights look he has on breakaways like Getzlaf's to close it out. I loved his aggressiveness to stop Bobby Ryan's chance in the first, and he was solid most of the night. Just some small, yet important mistakes. Then again, he would've had to throw up an SO for us to win the game. Not happening.

Hartikainen-Hopkins-Eberle
- The line of the future? At least one of them? Quite possibly. Despite what was a sort of off-night from Eberle and Hopkins, these guys looked like they fit together quite well again. #14 and #93 still need to get more used to passing to #56, but other than that they add up fairly well. Eberle's goal was indeed a beauty, and came after a shift with #83 taking Teemu's place on the wing. They had strong chances earlier that shift and the one after. It's possible THAT is actually the line of the future...though maybe just at crunch time. Eberle almost deked himself out before vanquishing Deslauriers. Amazing. And a good play by Hemsky followed by a great pass by Hopkins. Aside from that, I thought Eberle and Hopkins looked a little too much like guys who know the season's over rather than a couple guys trying to get each other some hardware. While this doesn't mean they played badly, they were missing that little extra step. Hartikainen was one of the few who did in fact play like he wants a job. I hope management is watching because I have a feeling more of them than the coaches will be around next year. Teemu drove the net, hit people, took a couple really good shots and did a very solid job of identifying and picking up his check on the back-check. Very mature plays from a young guy. He has to make this team next year.

Jones-Gagner-Hemsky
- Flawed from the start but they tried to get something done. Jones, aside from driving the net and a couple hits, was a passenger yet again and got caught staring at the play multiple times. I honestly hope he's traded in the offseason. Going forward it is important to have leaders, but they have to be good enough hockey players to be part of a championship squad. He's just not. Similar to when Jones played with the kids, this arrangement allowed the opposition D to key on Hemsky and Gagner. The result was somewhat odd. Despite scoring a solid goal on a follow-up play (I'm surprised Hemsky didn't get an assist as well, as he made a little play near the net to set it up), Sam got boxed in by defenders all night long and often stopped skating. This meant it often fell to Hemsky to go one-on-two and one-on-three all night with no passing options. The result wasn't great but the effort was there. He made a very nifty spin pass in the second to set up a chance, and really flew when he got bumped up to play with #s 14 and 93 as noted.

Smyth-Horcoff-Belanger
- I said during the game that I've never seen a line of veterans with decently proven track records who are so incapable of scoring. Sure, Smyth is on a tier above the other two because he's actually gotten a few things done this year and especially 5-on-5, but even he has to be a lot better to remain on this team. I counted a couple tips and a couple chances generated from plays below the red line as positives for him. I could see him not coming back this year though, as the early season fairy tale gave way to sloppy, tired play late in the season. If a coach can figure out how to deploy him and not pay him more than 3 mil, you think about it. Otherwise the story book doesn't end happily. Belanger somehow got out with Gagner and Hemsky, and missed one of the easiest chances I've seen a while. This man is the epitome of how comfort can be a bad thing for some players. We heard before the season about how he was so happy to have security...apparently he needs to be constantly playing for a contract because there were so many nights this year like tonight, where not only was he bad offensively, but he made key mistakes such as on the second Ducks' goal. He and Horcoff both blew that one terribly. I don't think Belanger can bounce back for this team. I'm not sure Horcoff can either. Aside from some small sparks early in the year, the fire was totally put out this year. He had absolutely nothing to give in the offensive zone and tonight was no different. No speed. Constant missed chances. Bad passes and bumbled pucks. It was tough to watch.

Petrell-VandeVelde-Hordichuk
- #37 laid some hits and played his position as usual. I don't suspect he'll be back next year as a new coach won't see him in the same way this one did. I hope for his sake that he's able to catch on in the NHL, as there's a balanced player there but not one that we need sadly. Just not quite good enough. Hordichuk did his job I suppose, engaging Parros (who is as we know actually a half-decent player) and having a fight as well as throwing a couple hits. I still hope he's gone. VandeVelde didn't do anything of note.

Whitney-Schultz
- Is this the end of Whitney? I've gotten to thinking that it is possible we should deal him for next to nothing and take our chances spending some dollars in the offseason. Watching a guy who was a Norris trophy candidate on a horrid team for a decent part of last year, not even come close to being able to hold off Getzlaf in OT was just sad. I'm not sure he could have played a worse game if he tried. I get that it is hard to bring max intensity, but you'd think he'd want to accomplish SOMETHING. I'm supposing that Schultz got a star for not allowing multiple goals while lugging around a boat anchor. I didn't see a ton from him, but he plays a quiet game. So sad about the state of Whitney. I want to hope, but I'm so damn tired of hoping rather than seeing and knowing.

Barker-Sutton
- Yikes, scary! Sutton was weak on the puck all night, didn't move it effectively and didn't really hit that much. Barker couldn't seem to remember where the opposition blue line was and kept neglecting his duty to hold that line when we needed an offensive chance. I'd really love it if both were gone before the start of next year, but it appears we're stuck with Sutton.

Teubert-Petry
- At this point I realize I'm not sure if Petry played with Teubert...oh well. It is hard to watch D at the moment. I liked the physicality that Teubert was able to bring and really want him to be able to take the next step in terms of using his talent by the fall. We could use a #7 next year like the player he is capable of being (better than Andy Sutton in most ways). Didn't get his shot through, which is too bad because he had chances. Petry was okay. He joined the rush and made some solid defensive plays.
------------

Well, last one for the year. I don't know where we're going from here, to be honest. I thought last year was as low as it gets but maybe I was wrong. This year was horrible to take, because we saw what could be from time to time. There is so much that needs to change around this team right now and those that can't see that should be turfed. The journey from losing to winning is a tough road, and it doesn't seem as though we've even begun. What the future holds? Who knows. I just can't see how this all will be worth the pain without a repeat of the show we saw in the 80s. Those things don't happen anymore. Why is this necessary?

Let's end this on a positive note. Thank you to everyone who took the time to read, comment and otherwise participate in the game reports this year. The readers are what keeps me going during these darkest and loneliest of evenings as a fan of the Oilers. You make this worth doing. Thank you very very much.

LMHF Report - Game #39

EDMONTON 1

VS.

DALLAS 3
---------------

Well, I could see the narrative coming in this one from some time before the game. The Oilers, in a coach-led quest to avoid being "pushed around" as Renney incorrectly believed they were early in the season in Dallas (they just stunk is all), iced a lineup designed to avoid this sort of fate. Problem? Well yes, because the crew on the ice tonight was left with very little in the way of scoring options.

It is blatantly obvious that every time you've got 28-93-14 on the ice, a half-way intelligent coach will stick 3 players to 93 and 14, then simply challenge Jones to get open and the remaining 2 to get him the puck in a position where he can't screw up. This is a really difficult way to play hockey. 56-89-83 was okay and at least consistent. 37-10-94 is a disaster of epic proportions from the get-go, because there is almost zero chance they will get in behind the D, almost zero chance they'll win a cycle game and very little chance they will score from anywhere else (long Petrell shots, Smyth crashing the puck through the goalie and Horcoff using his face to bash one in remain possibilities). The fourth line is so bad I might just exclude them from the break down. Completely and utterly useless.

BUT, you say, our powerplay is the key to our success! And right you are...unless you have a coach who has no idea how to deploy his slightly altered lineup. A mightily struggling and possibly still injured Horcoff remains plastered to 14 and 93. Jones gets time even though he showed more talent in taking his idiotic holding penalty than he did at anything else all night. Hemsky, despite having strong shifts with 14 and 93, never finds himself with them on the PP. 89 can't win a faceoff? Send him out there AGAIN! Hartikainen is driving the net, winning draws and hitting people? Pine young man! Old man Smyth is having a rough night? Meh, he'll figure it out.

Seriously, what the hell???

Another great example of things I just can't understand from our coach was the PK at the end of the game. Down 3-1, the only sensible thing to do is get your talented players out there, cheat some, and try to force a break. Did we see any of this, even in a game where Jordan Eberle generated a SH breakaway? Nope.

By the end of the game everything was on blend and double-shift and bench and spinspinspin around...it was weird.

I could go on. The point is, we were set up to fail tonight. Of course we didn't score against the Stars...we barely had a hope as things were arranged. Throw in a really rough night in our own zone for the defencemen and some average goaltending and you've got yourself an easy loss. What a waste.
---------------

Dubnyk
- He was okay tonight, but just okay. Bit hard on the first Ryder goal but it never really should have gotten that far. The Ribeiro goal would have taken a highlight reel save and he almost got it. The second Ryder goal I'm not sure. The thing I noticed most tonight was that Dubnyk was missing pucks everywhere. Whether that was knocking them down with his stick behind the net (whiff!), blocking them at the side of the net (ooph!), or trying to catch them in his glove (bamph!), he failed at this everywhere. Lack of focus? Lack of confidence? Lack of skill?

Smid-Petry
- Yikes. Ya know, these guys have been so good for such a bad D group for so long, I've got to give them a pass tonight. Petry made a couple ugly, ugly plays on the Dallas goals, but it was bound to happen. This is one reason why Stauffer shouldn't be talking about how he's already ascended to the ranks of a top-2 dman. He's a long way from establishing himself there. Smid pushed the issue offensivelv in the third, which was good to see because it reveals some of the "take your team on your shoulders" mentality that most really good defencemen have. They'll be better against the Kings for sure. I wouldn't want to be one of the forwards that has to face them all night.

Whitney-Schultz
- Whitney started off the game quite well, but as things wore on he either got tired or lost focus. From the middle of the second, his passes were ugly, he didn't hold the line in the offensive zone and he kept bobbling the puck. There was a footrace in the third that revealed most of what we need to know about how his feet are doing...he wound up getting the icing, but what should have been a nice coasting skate turned into holding the Dallas player off with all he had. Not good. Schultz had another quiet game save for the one foray into the offensive zone during the 2-on-1 he took part in. He got a shot on net, but peeled away far too quickly as he could have gotten his own rebound very easily. Aside from that, he was not bad but not great either.

Sutton-Potter
- Potter was to blame on one of the Dallas goals as well, but otherwise played an okay game. He wasn't asked to do a lot and got a couple of shots through. Sutton struggled with the puck tonight and gave it away on a number of occasions. He also screwed up the chance he had to create an odd-man rush coming out of the penalty box.

Hordichuk-Belanger-Eager
- Yeah....no. Not worth the effort.

Smyth-Horcoff-Petrell
- Ill-conceived answer to a problem we didn't have combined with generally poor efforts. Horcoff's game was by far the worst of the three and likely left everyone wondering why he was allowed to play tonight. Some of the effort was there, but he lost the puck on a number of occasions, made bad passes, couldn't get shots away and took a couple dumb penalties. Really unacceptable game from him. He even did a double-spinnerama behind his own net...Smyth was better, though not great. He needs to play a support role for a line where players are attacking, which is something he did late in the game with a combo I can't remember. He can't be the attacker anymore. The most useful thing he did was the big ugly slapper he took that hit Lehtonen in the chest that impacted his reaction time and allowed Hemsky to score a tiny bit later. He struggled with the puck some but didn't make a lot of mistakes. Petrell did his job. Landed some hits, moved the puck forward, skated hard. The thing is, that is a fourth-liner's job description, not the guy playing against some of the other team's best.

Hartikainen-Gagner-Hemsky
- Aside from a point in the second period where they struggled with giveaways to some extent, I liked what this group brought. They consistently moved the puck up the ice and at least created some offensive opportunities. Gagner wasn't able to pull the trigger tonight, Hemsky didn't get a lot of shooting lanes and Hartikainen drove the slot well but couldn't knock anything in. The thing about Teemu is he always moves the puck to the net. Whether it is his oddly accurate and evasive shot that somehow always finds its way through, or bulldozing through defencemen (he owned Souray on a number of occasions and should have drawn multiple penalties), the guy just gets it done. He even won every draw (I don't agree with the 1 loss he was credited with) he took. Ales got boosted up to play with Eberle and Hopkins for a time, and they looked dangerous other than the fact that Eberle looked uncomfortable on the left-hand side. It was a fairly medium game from #83 though, as he was getting by the initial Dallas line but not the secondary line. Gagner as I noted couldn't pull the trigger and didn't utilize the complementary parts of his game enough. Still, these guys were at least decent.

Jones-Hopkins-Eberle.
- Jones was terrible. Seriously, for a guy receiving no defensive attention to not be able to get open, keep up or avoid taking stupid penalties (that hold at the end was clear as day, on the PP and a couple hundred feet from our net and he whines?!?!) is brutal. He's got a really easy job playing with those two and showed no signs of being up to that task tonight. While Hopkins and Eberle weren't exactly dynamite either, they were at least doing the right sorts of things. Hopkins had the puck on a string and made the Dallas D look silly. He also fired unexpected shots on a couple of occasions and was just off the mark. Eberle generated a breakaway where he made a great move and simply didn't get the puck over the pad. He also made a play in the third where normally he would have faked the shot and backhanded to Hopkins for an open goal, but Dallas actually read it. I was impressed because that move has worked all year. 14 and 93 never quit tonight, and I think it would have been at least 3-2 if not for the penalty late.
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I heard some of the post-game comments talking about effort and even though they were from the players I don't really agree that was their downfall tonight. Bad planning at every turn (including Kelly freaking Buchberger diagramming the play with the goalie out...) led to their loss and their effort led to 32 shots (though not great shots) and a number of powerplays generated.

Bad plan + no execution = loss. Simple.

LMHF Report - Game #34

EDMONTON 2

VS.

SAN JOSE 3
-------------

You could tell very early on in this one that unless the Oilers got some exceptional individual efforts, this one would be a loss. It looked so much like so many of the games this team has lost this year from the very beginning that I was not exactly optimistic.

I hear Tom Renney went off the situation in the dressing room after this game. That's a BS cop out there coach. A bunch of this is YOUR fault.

Two things doomed the Oilers from the get-go tonight: their pathetic, PeeWee style breakout scheme, and the fact that once in the offensive zone, their attack from the beginning of games is geared toward the perimeter and rarely ever changes other than when rush chances create something else. Any coach worth his salt can see when these schemes isn't working and either has an alternate scheme to run that his players know, or asks for the leaders to show some creativity and lets the horses run so-to-speak. Renney only knows how to keep banging his head against the wall.

It would have taken very little to throw the Sharks off in terms of the breakout. If on just a couple of occasions the defenceman would have skated up the middle and the forwards would have changed their skating lines to accomodate, or try a breakout where the wingers skate different paths and the center is the one looping outside or across the zone...any of these little nuanced changes could have opened up the boards so that our somewhat challenged defence core would be able to make passes up the wings again...no changes came and the playbook in our own end stayed the same from the beginning to the final buzzer. Absolutely brutal.

On the offensive front, the Oilers have been utterly stymied by every single team they have faced this year that puts all five defenders in a collapsed pentagon on the inside portion of the ice. They absoutely refuse to skate through this grouping, and change nothing to make it shift to another side. Because our defencemen have not proven to be capable offensive weapons at 5-on-5, they are not a concern. Suddenly we're trying to score from behind the damn net. That's very easy to defend against. The teams that own us do it in this manner. It is absolutely brutal to watch because you see it from the very first shift. The only line that had any success against it was the Omark-Gagner-Hemsky line, who didn't score tonight because their primary triggerman (Gagner) had a pretty rough game. Then they get broken apart for playing the coach's system and have the pleasure of Belanger joining #s 83 and 89 for the shifts during the most important part of a game where you're down 1 goal...absolutely unacceptable. The kids haven't figured out how to break down this D set up on their own yet, and have to rely on powerplay chances or rush offence in order to contribute. Their supposedly experienced coach should be able to help them get Eberle open in the middle of that grouping and either force SJ to shift or allow capable passers Hopkins and Hall to find #14...but he doesn't have anything. Perhaps I'm being too harsh on a guy that has Kelly Buchberger running his forward group...NAH, he's got Krueger if he wants and could always take it over himself. That's his job.

Can the excuses Renney. You've got a ton of weapons up front and the fact that you can't help scheme them scoring chances is a shameful mark on your coaching ability.

Back to other topics...

The crowd was pretty blah in this one. I think the subpar play at home lately has finally taken the wind out of those who were still cheering this season and because of that it was very quiet (even for a Monday game against a non-rival). Really sad but at least it wasn't the Dallas game.

The goals we scored were both on turnovers and didn't really reflect any control of the game. I don't think there was any lack of try from the lineup tonight though. San Jose is a decent team that didn't exactly come in and dominate, but it still takes more than effort to break through and beat them.

-----------------

Dubnyk
- Aside from that one stellar save in the second period, he was pretty bad. It is one thing to have an iffy defence in front of you playing an inferior system, but you cannot be giving up obscene rebounds at every turn and unable to use you glove hand. That catcher is going to cost him the chance at being a #1 goalie in the NHL. The fact that he couldn't even come close to getting it on Thornton's shot was shameful. He had time and Thornton telegraphed. The first goal was horrible in that Dubnyk lost the puck despite 3 separate chances to cover up. When your goalie's idea of defending the net involves making himself small and spinning in a circle, then complaining to the ref, you don't have much hope. The third goal was another classic example of Dubnyk playing too far back and not facing the shooter aggressively. In short, I thought he was horrible tonight and the good saves he made were largely only possible due to his own poor rebound control (the 'ol save percentage boosting "Roloson Special"). Yuck. If we'd had a capable goalie, I would've pulled him after the first one. Not ready to play.

Petry-Smid
- The bright spot of the game for me. You might as well start coming up with a nickname involving bodychecking and punishment for these guys, as they dropped bombs on the Sharks forwards all night. You expect it from Smid, and he was at his best in terms of the hitting tonight, but Petry had himself locked on and with Smid defending from strong positions, decided to take runs at various Sharks. Absolutely wonderful display of making the opposition pay. Where I will dock Smid a bit is that he didn't exactly move the puck as well as he usually does and I didn't see any productive sojourns into the offensive zone. Petry on the other hand was excellent in the first and early second in terms of moving the puck, and jumping into shooting lanes in order to hammer the puck. He needs to keep doing this. In the third, he took a little too much on himself and actually messed up the forwards on a few occasions...oops. Play of note was a nice little recovery Petry made in the second on the rush where Smyth batted the puck into the netting...he made a nice defensive play there. Little things showing big improvement.

Whitney-Schultz
- I didn't notice Nick Schultz at all tonight. This can be a good thing for a defensive player...but why do I get the feeling that it was he who was feeding a bunch of those pucks up the wings to no one or a covered winger? I can't confirm so if anyone noticed that please post. Whitney scored a really nice goal by joining the rush, deciding to shoot, then changing his angle in Eberle-esque fashion and letting a ripper go. It was a beauty that some of our forwards could really learn from. Defensively, I didn't think he had nearly as good a game and didn't play the physical game he needs to in order to succeed against San Jose.

Sutton-Potter
- Rough game for these guys. My favorite sequence of Sutton's was his adventure into the offensive zone where he rightly held the puck in a position where his linemates should have been able to get open and receive a pass...the thing was that they never really did. Too bad as it could've been very pretty. That was one of the few times all night when an Oiler was in a threatening position with the puck in the Sharks' zone. Potter probably had the worst moment of the night, with a horrible giveaway after a bit of a desperation play in the third period. Not good and at a time when he needed to be making offensive moves with the puck. In the defensive zone these guys were pretty bad all night and Sutton had a ton of chances to hit people but backed off. From a guy with a limited skillset who really needs to be physical to contribute, this is horrible.

Eager-Belanger-Jones
- Eager made an excellent play on a high pass to glove the puck and generate a rush for himself in the first; only to miss the net. He simply didn't have any room and didn't make a angle-change that would have given that room to him. Disappointing that he couldn't convert on that as it looked like a great chance and he was moving with speed. Aside from that I didn't see a lot from him during the course of the game. There was a little bit of physical play but not much and he didn't get under anyone's skin that I could see. Jones had a couple solid hits, but did not get in behind the SJ defence at any point and didn't contribute to the attack. Belanger as has become usual did a whole lot of nothing. His promotion to a scoring line was a slap in the face to the other members of the team.

Smyth-Horcoff-Petrell
- This combo didn't really work for anything by making it a little bit harder for SJ to score. I know in many ways this is their primary purpose, but we cannot afford to spend so much of the game with very little chance for offence. Unfortunately, Smyth was moving slowly again tonight (aside from some hits and general meanness) and Horcoff is unable to deploy his speed at present because he is so bad with the puck. He singlehandedly screwed up several chances in the third, and it is embarrassing that he is out there when we've got 6 skaters going for the tying goal. I know this isn't his fault, but he could at least get out of the way and let the talented guys perform. His job in that situation is to win draws and get to the net. He did neither. I didn't notice Lennart except for a couple of hits and it should be noted that the bottom six combos fluctuated somewhat throughout the game.

Omark-Gagner-Hemsky
- As I noted above, this crew had most of the few effective offensive sequences in terms of actually getting to the front of the net. Hemsky and Omark worked the boards and the offensive side of the neutral zone very efficiently in the first period and this probably should have generated a goal or two. Unfortunately for whatever reason, #89 didn't have much go tonight. It almost appeared as though he was sick or just a bit off, because he wasn't in the right spot on many occasions and made some utterly perplexing plays with the puck. Aside from a big slapper on Niemi, he was pretty ineffectual. Hemsky and Omark both tailed off somewhat after the first, and when that was combined with the breakout strategy (which doesn't play into the style of this line AT ALL), it led to a pretty weak offensive push. They did have moments and Hemsky certainly could have scored on a couple of occasions, but in the end you need results. Still, not having these guys (at least two of them) out at the end is a mistake. There is no argument for 10 and 94 over any of these 3 outside of faceoffs. I'm not sure this is the right combo, but it can work if another line is pushing hard and wearing down the D. These guys will control the puck and people will get open...but you have to convert.

Hall-Hopkins-Eberle
- Honestly, probably one of the poorer efforts I've seen from these guys. If any group was going to break free of Renney's idiocy and take over the game, it would be these guys who could then open the door for line two, but they did not. They seemed content to stay on the perimeter and hope for a rush chance. Hall got his and made no mistake. I sure hope he learns the power of his shooting ability and stops doing that stupid backhand-fivehole garbage soon. Eberle couldn't seem to find an opening with the puck or contribute in his own zone all that much which is unusual. I still see Hopkins as being off of his peak earlier this year, but he was more dynamic in the center of the ice tonight and that is a positive sign. He also got shots away from some places that none of his teammates were able to, which is a plus.
---------

So, another disappointment. And to top it all off, I have to miss the next three games for a work trip and when I came home I stepped on an inch long pin that was sticking out of the floor for some reason...talk about stabbing you when you're already down for the count. Oh well...hopefully this leads to massive firings of Oilers coaches and management...a guy can hope.

LMHF Report - Game #32

EDMONTON 1

VS.

DALLAS 3
-------------

What a giant pile of garbage. My friend who accompanied me tonight has come to about 1/4 of the home games each season for the past 3. She figures that's the worst game she's been to. I'd be inclined to agree. Even in blowouts and bad efforts there's usually something that is even mildly entertaining. Tonight's game was the definition of boring.

A lot of people at the game we saying that they didn't see a lot of effort tonight and I'd disagree with that sentiment. It was not that we went out there and had no try, but much moreso that we went out and tried really really stupidly. I'm not sure I've seen such a confusing and awkward effort from our team in a long time.

Our passing game wasn't great against the Blues, who put on a clinic in terms of keeping their passes short and crisp while closing gaps on the Oilers as they tried to advance the puck. Dallas wasn't near as good at either aspect of the game but still managed to keep the Oilers bouncing the puck around the ice to no one in particular. If we could have connected on even a half-decent amount of the passes we attempted in the first and second period, we win this game going away. Instead, players were hesitating, second-guessing, re-routing, bobbling and basically doing everything possible to screw up. It was amazing.

One exceptionally weird thing about this game was that it probably should have ended 0-0. Both meaningful Dallas goals were horrible, they added an empty netter and then we got one in garbage time. It is not every day that you see a game played that sloppily.

Don't get me wrong, the Oilers had chances. The amount of times Ales Hemsky hit a player with a pass in a dangerous shooting area tonight had to have been at least 8-10. Hall got the puck in his office multiple times in the second period alone and couldn't do a bloody thing for some reason. Though I am usually in favor of shaking the lines up in such a game, I thought it was a mistake to take Hall off of the line with Gagner and Hemsky. They hadn't connected yet and were having some confusing/frustrating ventures into the offensive zone, but they were also generating enough chances that eventually one would have bounced in or finally come off Hall's stick smoothly. It was only a matter of time. The other lines I wouldn't have minded, but not that one. Then again, this is the price you pay with 91, 23 and 56 on the farm. All the bottom sixers you could elevate on nights when people go cold are in OKC.

I'm really sick of talking about how bad the officiating is, but I will say this; if it is true that the Oilers are getting after the officials vocally I understand, but if it isn't doing anything you might as well snap a little bit, REALLY get their attention and maybe scare them some. If you're going to passively complain and get treated the same or worse, you might as well crank it to 11 and really get something going. What's the worst that happens so long as you keep it short of physical contact? They've been patient enough with this BS all year. They play a disciplined speed game that should draw a ton of penalties, yet are grabbed, hooked, and interfered with by the Detroits, Vancouvers and Calgarys of the world and don't get a thing. Time to change the approach.

As I got into above, I didn't really mind the top line so much. They didn't connect but the chances were being generated and the puck was moving the right way. They were a couple connections off from being money. A couple of times, they hit the line with speed and went offside. Just so you know how I see this, the puck carriers job is to make sure his line hits that blue line with as much speed as possible, and he needs to make sure that puck gets to the blue paint quickly. This sometimes means extending and always means having the puck fairly forward. Gagner and Hall didn't do this and it cost the Oilers two very nice looking rushes. Hemsky was the one hitting the line at break-neck speed both times. Another time, Hall made a great back pass, opening up a lane and Hemsky was a step too late getting there. All of these guys slightly miscued and it cost the Oilers some glorious chances. These plays could have been the game. It is not good that they whiffed on them, but at least they had the opportunity to begin with.

Our second line was a bit of a different animal because Petrell played on it. While Hopkins and to a lesser extent Eberle both had opportunities, they were largely individual efforts, not including passes or even using teammates as screens or picks. This meant there wasn't much ice to play with and kept these guys from being really effective tonight. I'm torn on what to say about Lennart. In a sense, he did what he does best in terms of being positionally safe, landing some good hits and getting to the front of the net. Indeed he had a couple of really solid tips that could have gone in...but the thing is that he so messed up the dynamics of the rush attack that the odd-man situations both Eberle and Hopkins thrive on were not created. Lennart isn't good enough to do his own thing, so the Stars could effectively double team both of the other guys. That's not going to end well and it didn't tonight. One really cool thing I noticed Hopkins doing, is that he keeps making really small passes to himself on the rush. It is something I've never really seen from a hockey player and keeps the opposition very off-balance. This appears to be why he's so effective with the puck. I will say though, that he has not been the same player since coming back from his first injury.

After those two groups, it was pretty sad. The mishmash of the remaining six players does not have enough talent to make up a single line capable of putting goals on the board. This won't serve you well over any kind of averaging-out period. When some of the best passes on the night are made by Darcy Hordichuk (credit to him, in the second he was patient, kept his head up and made some truly sound decisions out there), you're not going to succeed. I maintain that without Paajarvi's speed to change the dynamic of the third line, no sustained attack is possible. Opposing checkers can simply play back and wait for the Eager, Smyth, Horcoff (or similar) combo to make a mistake with the puck. They always will if you don't let them get behind you. Horcoff was doing a whole bunch of skating and creating a whole whack of nothing all night. His choices with the puck were weird even for him. Smyth kept thinking he could make a play behind the net and the Stars shut him down easily. Eager didn't have that extra jump he needs. I will give credit to Jones as he did a good job of driving in on Dallas and always made sure to finish his check. I already mentioned Hordichuk's most meaningful contributions to the game. Belanger needs to be sat. He contributed absolutely nothing to this game, and his attempt at checking Dvorak on his goal was absolutely embarrassing. What is wrong with this guy? Seriously?

I have a hard time harping too much on our D tonight. I liked the balanced combinations and the fact that they really didn't let Dallas beat them aside from the odd Trevor Daley rush and the unfortunate run-in Corey Potter had with Khabibulin. For the most part, these guys did their job. If I had to pick one area though, I would criticize their decision-making as they approached their own blue line. Many times tonight, Dallas simply backed off and let the D rush the puck up. For whatever reason, guys like Whitney, Potter, Petry and Schultz especially decided that this meant despite the speed they were carrying, a forced pass would be necessary. I'm quite sure that at least one D man could have generated a goal with a solid rush up the middle tonight as Dallas was standing still. Whitney was especially guilty of pass-forcing, but I was certainly glad he showed initiative with the puck at times. He got set up for a fabulous chance by Hemsky and couldn't finish...odd...two games in a row where Gilbert probably would have scored...

For a guy who is defensively skilled and doesn't show much offensive potential, Schultz sure jumps up in the rush a lot. He actually does it quite smoothly (I'm sure a function of his sound skating) but just can't seem to add any pop to the finishing effort. This is really too bad. One nice thing we have going for us right now, is that both Petry and Smid are playing a mean game on D, dishing out some abuse. I just wish #5 would stop doing that side-block (he's going to get hurt) and maybe drop the gloves from time to time (he's got a nearly unblemished record there).

As for Khabibulin, did it really matter what he did tonight?

I think I had more fun tonight eating dinner, driving home, and writing this report than I did watching the game tonight. Yuck.

Call up 23.

LMHF Report - Game #31

EDMONTON 2

VS.

ST. LOUIS 5
-------------

I felt pretty good headed to the game tonight to be honest. This seemed like the kind of night where we might really storm out of the gate. I was actually surprised when that didn't happen. Silly me.

We had a whole lot of nothing going on in the first period. I'm sure some of this can be credited to the fact that STL is a good hockey team. but in the first period you also saw the Eager-Horcoff-Jones line get an absolute ton of shifts. There's no reason for this. The line isn't great defensively, has very little offensive capability, and despite the fact that all the players on it are "quick", can't keep up. This combo was a mistake by Renney that I'm sure was somewhat aided by management sending Paajarvi down (which we can debate the merits of separately) and hurt our team tonight. The lines that need to be out there in the first getting us the lead did not get enough icetime to impose their will on the Blues and break them out of their system (which is a good one).

The Blues seemed to enjoy a bunch of success pushing our breakout to the left wing with strong pressure. This ability waned as the game went on but in the first period it appeared to be quite obvious. One thing I've noticed over the course of the year is that our team always lags behind in terms of adapting its breakout. Often times, it will take until the second or third period for us to change when another squad has us shut down. That's unacceptable. Tonight it was obvious that the boards were effectively closed off and it took forever for us to try a passing game geared more towards the middle of the ice. Once we did that we were much better for a time.

This one got away from us for a lot of reasons. There were several occasions where the momentum seemed to be headed our way only to be stifled.

Smyth's major was an obvious one. It looked very clearly from the live POV that Smyth's stick got caught which pushed Polak off balance, then Smyth let up quite a bit but still managed to take his man into the boards. I can't see why this should have been a major outside of local minor hockey and there certainly shouldn't be a suspension. The thing that bothers me most though, is the way the refs refuse to make a call, and instead stand around staring at the injured player as if they're taking their cue from that. That is no way to officiate a sport.

Then we had the Hall/Hemsky collision. The game may already have been done due to the fourth goal, but this shift was really buzzing when Eberle left to be replaced by Hemsky. Ales saw Hall with the puck and read that he'd probably loop back and tried to hit a lane to the net with speed where Hall could get him the puck. Obviously this didn't work out, the puck went the other way and a penalty shot resulted. Pretty crummy turn of a events and a mistake (though one based in trying to make the right play) from Hemsky. The thing is. Renney's understanding of this was different...and completely incorrect. He seemed to blame Hall for being out on the ice too long and said something to the effect of "he should have dumped it". What idiocy. The guy has the puck on a string all shift and you're losing...you have to try to create there and the best way to do that is for your best players to have the puck on their stick.

There were many other little things that didn't go our way, including multiple chances for defencemen to score. Between Whitney (3), Barker (2), Schultz (2) and Potter (1) at the very least, all of these guys could have been on the scoreboard. I don't know why they were jumping in so much, but the pucks came to them and they couldn't finish. It doesn't surprise me from Schultz (other than that he jumped in), but it does from the other three.

St. Louis' finest efforts were reserved for the front of their own net. They made several pokes, stick lifts and positional plays at just the right times to squelch the scoring chances of guys like Eberle, Hall and Eager. Pietrangelo and Colaiacovo led the way in this department (Carlo especially).
--------------

Dubnyk
- You know #40 is going to have a bad night when he's not coming out of his crease. Tonight he played well back in the net and got burned repeatedly because of it. More than this, he didn't look into the game at all. No focus, very slow and unreactive (at least three other pucks hit him without him even looking in their general direction), and just bad positionally as well. One of his poorer efforts and he should have been pulled after the second goal. Renney is bad for leaving his goalies in. The Nichol slapper was completely embarrassing and if that isn't an obvious sign that a goalie is off, I don't know what is. The MacDonald wrister was nothing to write home about either. He had clear looks at both. Brutal.

Danis
- I suppose this was part of the reason Renney didn't use the hook earlier. Danis made a couple decent stops but also played like you'd expect an AHL goaltender to. This is no Martin Gerber. Both goals scored against him were moving quite slowly and went past the left pad. I'm not saying I expected him to stop them (especially the penalty shot), but that doesn't mean I'm not disappointed in the quality of goals he allowed.

There is almost no point to going on. If you get goaltending that bad, you probably shouldn't win. Still, we had moments...and OTHER moments.

Barker
- I feel as though I should start with the positive no matter how limited it may be. I remember one solid pinch up the boards, a couple strong drives to the net that could have resulted in goals, and a lot of unpenalized crosschecks that surely wore on the Blues backs and patience. Aside from that, he was horrible and the major reason outside of shoddy goaltending that we lost this game. Perhaps tied for that honor in fact. He pinched horribly on multiple occasions (some of which led to goals), took a bad penalty that led to another, and generally made more work for his poor defensive partner all night. There is no way #13 should see the ice next game and I'm still perplexed as to why he played tonight.

Potter
- Made the best of a bad situation. He fumbled the puck a couple of times at the opposition blue line, but tried to play physically and did his best to cover for Barker's defensive gaffes. He did okay at this. The thing is, when you play Potter with a guy like Barker, he can't use the strengths of his game such as skating with the puck, jumping in, making plays and making some daring passes. He still managed to get to the net a time or two, but his effectiveness was limited in his role tonight. Great shot on the goal. He picks corners well.

Whitney
- Made some interesting things happen, especially offensively. The slap-pass he made to Hall in third, though likely too late, was sublime. It seems to be the one play he has in the repertoire that has not been impacted since he was at his best. He also drove the net, sometimes at strange points (such as a rush with Hemsky and Hall where he overtook Hopkins...why?) but he was unable to get a strong puck at the net to capitalize. Defensively, he was just okay as he missed his check on a few occasions and didn't really impose his will physically.

Schultz
- Very interesting first game from our new recruit. I wasn't expecting him to go to the net aggressively and get a couple chances but he did, which was nice to see. I don't see a lot of close-in shooting or finishing ability though as he kinda flubbed both. Defensively he relies mainly on skating it would appear. In 50/50 races, his quick start and smooth stride serve him very well and he won just about every one of these that I recall. I can only remember one "pass to no one" up the boards as someone had mentioned might be a problem. and even this one was likely due to miscommunication. He doesn't really look for the hit, but that also means he's in good position a lot of the time. I look forward to seeing more from him...though I think his ideal partner may have been Gilbert...crap.

Smid
- One of #5's weaker games in a while. He missed his check on a few occasions, including the fourth St. Louis goal. I also didn't see a lot of work on the opposition blue line, much physical play or skating strongly with the puck. I'm sure he'll rebound.

Petry
- He was also a little off tonight, but not as much as Smid. There weren't a lot of times where he skated the puck up, but there were still a couple. He hammered a shot off Halak's mask after making a nice little play that was very impressive. He also maintained his hitting for puck separation style of play, and used his size well in tonight's game. This guy's certainly improved a bunch this year.

Petrell-Belanger-Hordichuk
- I sometimes wonder if Hordichuk doesn't fall on purpose when he goes for the first punch in a fight and misses. He fell after such an effort tonight and it looked a little too easy. He landed a couple of hits but didn't really do too much. That assist he got was, I suppose a solid hockey play anyway. The shift that resulted in that goal was a good one for the team, as was a shift near the same time that drew a penalty, so they were effective in this way. Petrell did a bunch of solid work on the PK, got in well on the forecheck and made an effort but couldn't get a decent shot off. Belanger wandered around the lineup as the game went on, never really doing much of anything other than very very slowly getting a shot or two on net. Blah.

Eager-Horcoff-Jones
- I noted some complaints about this line above. Eager was probably the best of the three, as not only did he give a good effort in the offensive and neutral zones, he broke up a couple dangerous looking St. Louis rushes including one where he was the last man back. Impressive stuff from a player like him. He couldn't get any offence going tonight, but I'm mostly going to lay that at the feet of Jones and Horcoff. Jones hit a couple people, but had the chances to do more of that and backed down. He couldn't provide a spark and couldn't use his speed to get in behind the St. Louis D. Because he was not pushing for offence and Magnus is no longer on the line, this group looked like it was playing in mud half the time. Horcoff once again struggled mightily with the puck, overskated his check more often than usual, and just didn't make a lot happen. This line was boring and not particularly great and getting the puck headed the other direction.

Smyth-Gagner-Eberle
- Smyth was struggling from the get-go tonight, as he was not winning any races and was forced to rely on an outstretched stick to try to make plays. As those of you who play or have played hockey know, this rarely works. He also wasn't passing the puck in a particularly effective manner. Gagner was a little better but not much. He wasn't getting the puck as much as he usually does and seemed to be out of position for some reason. There was just no pop to his offensive game. Because of this, Eberle essentially had to get the puck and get himself to scoring position rather than go to that position and get it from Gagner or Smyth. This is hard work and the Blues took advantage by impeding him well and often taking the puck. Eberle still could have scored, and probably should have at the end of the second. This would have tied the game and I'd guess we would have had a very different third period. Twas not to be tonight. Good to see Eberle on the PK as well.

Hall-Hopkins-Hemsky
- This line was oh so close to having an amazing night. There were too many dynamic little efforts to count by all three of these guys and for whatever reason the finish wasn't there. Hall missed a half-empty net in the first after great passes from the other two. Hopkins was making little flick saucer passes to himself and the others all night long as well as getting shots of his own on. Hemsky was cruising the open lanes and filtering the puck to the front of the net for both his linemates and the defence. The only thing they got to show for these efforts was pretty but not enough. Hopkins skated to an open spot at the Blues blue line and just missed a solid pass effort from Schultz. He didn't peel off but instead headed to the net. Hemsky was first in, and knowing Hall was directly behind, lifted the STL defender's stick and kept him going out of the play, Hall then swooped in for the puck and fed a wide open Hopkins who made no mistake on the roof job. Beauty goal. I'm going to say here that you cannot play Potter and Barker (emphasis on the Barker) with these guys. I've never understood why coaches match 3rd pairing D with first pairing forwards and tonight was a perfect example. They had zero support on the opposition blue line and that meant the three forwards had a much larger area to control. It just didn't work out. The line broke up for a short time after the Hall/Hemsky mix-up, but got back together and looked good. I would strongly consider Gagner with these guys, or the crazy part of me would recall Paajarvi and try Hall at C. Try and keep up with those freaks. So, despite the minus-2, I think they were right on the cusp.
-----------------------

Disappointing but understandable loss. Inconsistent goaltending, shoddy D and missed chances will get you every time.

LMHF Report - Game #30

EDMONTON 2

VS.

PHILADELPHIA 0
------------

Ya know, I should really be happy after a win like that. We went out and pretty much shut down the highest scoring team in the league through a combo of great goaltending and some really nice play in all aspects of the game, but I'm just angry right now.

Part is that because I've had an angry day for some reason. Seems like just about everything that came up today was positively rage-inducing. If the Oilers had lost I don't know how I would have made it home without screaming or breaking something (not valuable and my property rather than anyone else's).

But we did, and if this had been a game during a playoff race and we'd put forth that effort I would have been absolutely overjoyed. From top to bottom tonight that crew knew they could win and went out and did it. That was plain great.

I am really angry at the lack of reaction to the Scott Hartnell play though. That damn coward ran and hid on multiple occasions, dodged shifts and evaded any kind of justice for the cheapest of cheap plays. Let there be no doubt that knee was in response to a hard hit earlier by an Oilers player (Potter I believe). Where were the Oilers when #91 got hit? Where were they when he left the penalty box and never should have made it to his own bench? Why did Ryan Whitney let the refs intervene? Why did the coach clearly keep Hordichuk off the ice? Talk about a horrendous reaction to a horrible play that could cost a young man who was really getting his game going, significant time and possibly serious damage. You do not let that go unanswered and if you don't want to go after Hartnell, you go slam Voracek or Schenn or someone else. You take a shot. You don't take that garbage sitting down. We are not marching to the playoffs here and to let that go because you're scared of taking a penalty is complete and utter BS.

Most of the rest of the net the Oilers actually handed the Flyers playing style quite well. They gave Simmonds the business even as he tried to hide behind that jaw guard and wouldn't shut his yap. They defended against the speed players, push the defence and managed to score on our old pal Ilya despite the fact that he appeared to be on tonight.

It is obvious that if we're able to run multiple effective lines out there, and get a decent effort from the defence, we're probably going to do well. The recent changes that we've seen in Calgary and that stayed in place tonight (until Magnus got cheapshotted) appear to be working. We're able to attack routinely with two effective offensive units and are getting strong efforts from most of the support players below them. That third line could be better, but we'll see who they call on to replace Magnus. I suspect it will be Jones in which case we'll be back to having an ineffective third line as the dynamic just doesn't seem to work there.

Lastly, and almost as rage-inducing as the Hartnell situation was the officiating. What an absolute joke. I'm surprised Taylor Hall didn't skewer a linesman and get himself suspended. He was abused more than I've seen just about any player get in that building in a long time. There were hacks, slashes, tackles and plenty of other BS all night. Nothing. Our goalie got whacked in the head and crosschecked in the back. Nothing. Multiple players tripped, blocked, held, everything you could thing of. Nothing. Blown icings (which are totally inexcusable). Blown offsides. Total and utter BS. That crew should be fined for that effort, and our coach should've gotten himself fined talking about them (he didn't).

I was distracted by some personal stuff a couple times during the game tonight, so I apologize if I miss something (predominantly in the second period) and please fill in any crucial stuff you noticed.
--------------

Dubnyk
- Fabulous effort. His positioning was great, he didn't wander and he never overplayed the shooter. His reflexes were good and rebound control was much stronger than usual. The only time I saw him waver a little was at the end of the game when he appeared a little distracted and missed a couple easy to retrieve pucks. One of his best efforts.

Petry-Smid
- These guys were tough, skated the puck well, passed well, held their positions and got just a little bit of retribution on the Philly players tonight. I'm still not sure exactly why this pair is working (though it might be because Smid has become the kind of guy who can play with anyone) but it certainly seems to. They did a great job of tilting the ice in their team's favor pretty much all night. My favorite thing about Petry lately are his confident rushes and that continued tonight. He protects the puck quite well when he makes these plays. I only wish Smid had dummied Hartnell by the end of this. Seemed like a job for #5 if the coach wouldn't let #16 off the bench (though I'd have had no problem with Hordichuk taking a 10-game at the end when Hartnell couldn't get away).

Gilbert-Sutton
- If one pair struggled for the Oilers tonight, it was these guys. Sutton struggled with the puck some, lost track of his position and added absolutely no toughness whatsoever. You'd think he'd drip into the rage stash tonight but then I remember that's not who he is. I'm wondering if he comes out for Peckham one of these nights...but I don't know they seem to really like him there. Gilbert was better than Sutton but also got caught wandering and wasn't as effective with the puck as he can be.

Potter-Whitney
- Something observers might not notice about #44 is that he can be mean. When he gets angry, the hitting steps up, the sticks slash across people and the gloves go into the face. This is when he's in many ways his most effective and we saw that tonight through hits, toughness in front of the net, several scrums and other sequences as well. He wasn't perfect with the puck, nor did he create as much offence as he could've, but it was a good effort. Seeing this play from Whitney is a much more common sight. Aside from his under-reaction to Hartnell, he played really tough, stuck it to the Flyers and chipped in with solid offence from the opposition blue line. He was commanding the puck, which is something you haven't seen from him as much since his return. Another positive night for #6 is always a good story.

Hordichuk-Lander-Petrell
- I didn't see much at all from #s 57 and 37...they were quite invisible to me to be honest. I remember a Petrell hit or two and a PK shift or two from Lander but maybe I missed something. Hordichuk did what he could with the limited time he had. The effort against Shelley was a decent one and I can only imagine his frustration at being plastered to the bench in a game like that.

Eager-Belanger-Paajarvi
- These guys seemed to be going along pretty well until the BS play on Magnus. #91 used his speed well on both the forecheck and several backchecks, Eager was getting open in attack lanes and getting scoring chances (unfortunately he didn't cash on two that were pretty simple-looking), and Belanger was moving solidly in a support role without getting in his linemates' way. Things didn't look near as smooth after #91 left because of the loss in speed, but the efforts of the other two were still pretty solid.

Hall-Horcoff-Hemsky
- There's no question in my mind that Hemsky's game has come around in a big way. Once again tonight he was moving quickly with the puck, dangling, making plays and going to the net. The only thing I find alarming is that he doesn't seem to be finishing the plays he usually does; specifically the play where he drives the net and backhands around the goalie. Perhaps he's just being defended well but for whatever reason he couldn't score tonight. Hall's speed and better than normal reading of the play as the Oilers headed into the attacking zone resulted in some chances from some rather mundane-looking sequences which is always impressive. It was also impressive that despite take the abuse I noted above, Hall didn't get frustrated to a large degree, kept after the game and didn't give an inch until the final siren. He showed the competitor that he is tonight and I just wish he could have got an empty-netter or whistled a puck by a ref's ear to let him know he's there. On the goal he did score, I'd been bemoaning the fact that Hall was stuck at the point and the dangerous passes kept winding up on Horcoff's stick, then Hall slides down and buries one from the office. Classic. Horcoff was decent in a supporting role 5-on-5, but missed out on a ton of chances due to iffy puckhandling and bad shooting decisions. To his credit, he did actually have Ilya moving on the penalty shot attempt, I just wish that he and Hall would abandon that damn move that sacrifices all the strength and advantage you have on a goalie. It almost looked like he changed his mind half-way into the penalty shot. He's got to bear down and finish some of the chances he's getting as a result of the plays by #83 and #4. To his credit, the positioning and work are there, but he's just horrible with the puck right now.

Smyth-Gagner-Eberle
- I've pretty much run out of superlatives to describe Eberle, who had another night where he showed you that he is the best Oilers forward. He was excellent in all areas, scored the second goal and led the absolute domination that is the Oilers PP. With this guy on the ice the game is just under control and if not for superb Philly efforts to stop him, he gets three or four tonight. Smyth was strong-ish. More okay than good. He did a lot of hustling, but was making some plays quite slowly (the pass to Potter at the side of the net after the brilliant Eberle feed springs to mind) and didn't get a lot of effective pucks to the net. He also didn't really make mistakes though. Gagner couldn't seem to get much going but the good news I suppose is that he didn't need to. There were shots directed at the net and a few nice passes, but not the hyper-dynamic game we've seen from him lately. Nothing wrong with these guys tonight, just didn't pop your eyes out. Gagner was pretty good on the PP though.
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Unfortunately I have to face the reality that tonight's game may have been the last time I see Ales Hemsky at Rexall in an Oilers uniform. I will be missing the PHX game and thus tonight was it. I was hoping for magic, but I also believe it would be a massive mistake to let him go when the asking price in terms of a contract seems so reasonable compared to the open market. I truly hope my next piece of writing won't be a tribute to the guy who inspired my name, and that I can just continue writing about him in these game reports, but I guess only time will tell. I just hope that sanity, which has been so lacking with regard to this team for many years when it comes to their best players, prevails in the end. We've had too many good ones ripped or thrown away. Let it end here.

Hope you all enjoyed tonight's game. Imagine it was part of a playoff race or us chasing the division crown. Would have been an utterly amazing night. I'll take good...but amazing beckons.