GDB VIII: Using Oil to drown an Orca
Jason Gregor
October 19 2009 01:10PM
It’s amazing what a few wins will do for a team. The mood at Rexall this morning was shockingly loose. Hell, even Brownlee was smiling, but I digress. The players seemed relaxed and having fun, but every player you spoke with insisted this team needs to be better. They realize that they have to limit the scoring chances of the opposition, and try to generate more consistent offensive pressure.
The best news for the Oilers, and their fans, is that Daniel Sedin isn’t dressed tonight. The Sedin Sisters have owned the Oilers the past few years, especially on the PP.
Henrik Sedin has five points, all assists, in the three games since his brother broke his foot, and has eleven points to lead the Canucks.
The Canucks are 3-4 this year, and might be worse if it wasn’t for their powerplay. The Canucks have been outscored 13-12 at EV, but they have nine PP goals in 29 opportunities (31%).
The Oilers, however, have been winning games due to their solid five-on-five play. The Oilers have out-scored the opposition 22-13, with Dustin Penner and Gilbert Brule leading the way. Penner has the 3rd most points in the league while EV, and Brule is 4th.
Hemsky game-time decision
After spending the weekend in bed with the flu, Ales Hemsky was on the ice this morning. Hemsky, who is normally the first guy off the ice after practice, stayed out late doing some drills, to see his body would respond. He will be a game time decision; if he plays Robert Nilsson will come out. Right now it seems 50/50 if he’ll play.
Steve Staios did some light skating by himself, but he is still day-to-day, while Sheldon Souray is much farther away. You can’t rush a player back, and considering the style of play these two play, I’d guess the training staff will be very cautious before giving them the green light to return.
The good news is that the Oilers are getting a chance to see Taylor Chorney. Chorney could be the key, if Steve Tambellini thinks about moving one of his offensive defensemen. If they feel Chorney is ready to replace one of their top guys, then Tambellini might be less hesitant to make a move.
Quotes of the day
“I think Don Cherry brainwashed me. I have all the Rock 'em Sock 'em videos and he was always saying act like you’ve scored before.” But if the best goal scorer in the league can celebrate maybe I will try one soon.”
Penner had a laugh when we were talking about goal celebrations. Penner is very subdued in his celebrations, compared to Brule or Sam Gagner. I asked him if he thought about jumping up against the glass like many do, “I’m worried I might go through it,” he laughed.
Penner also said confidence is the biggest difference in his game. “Last year I wouldn’t have carried the puck into the zone and made plays, but now I feel I can make those plays. I just need to find out how to keep it going”.
“I can’t even find one right now," Jason Strudwick laughed when asked about getting that first tilt out of the way.
What about Derek Boogaard asking him last game? “I’d fight him, but if I did I’d be going into it looking for a tie, and that is no way to enter a fight.”
“He has the fastest hands I’ve seen in a long time. Guys around the league will need to take notice or he’ll surprise them. He is very entertaining as a fighter,” Darcy Hordichuk on teammate Rick Rypien.
Rypien is not a former gold-glove boxer — his dad was. But he spent lots of time training with his dad and brother and it is obvious when he drops the mitts. Rypien is top-three middleweights in the league, and Louie Debrusk thinks Rypien is pound for pound the toughest guy in the league.
Final Thought
Khabibulin struggles more v. the Canucks than any other team, he is only 6-16-3 with a 3.39 GAA. He hopes to change that tonight.
I wonder if marchant was at practice today giving the boys tips
the dark warrior/batman should spend some uber millions on stick development........ 300 bucks for a POS.... almost as good a margins as prescription dope
At least he got a shot....
He was at the end of a shift. Gassed, not lackadasical.
@Jonathan Willis
hey jonathan.... is the ice as bad this year as last?
I'm not skating on it ;)
The boards are just as bouncy though...
Just poppin in to say da reffing has been absolute crap. No wonder neither team can get going
Just tuned into the game. So...11 shots each over 2 periods...
Oh well. I guess it's not how, but how many.
God damn, when did Mario Lemieux start wearing #27?
Whee! Nice goal, Gagner!
i hope the refs keep that whistle in their pockets
Ugly win
Indeed, but it is a WIN nonetheless. A real one, too!
Ugly or not I will take it along with 99.9% of oiler fans. Sorry pal a wins a win. We have lost alot of games by teams who have won ugly as well sooooo
Roloson who? Schremp what?? hahaha! Khabbi! Khabbi! And finally the Hockey gods aren't bein bitches by giving us that one at the end.
OnPPm another note MY GOD I don't know if Penner picked up any points but he played unreal. Smid has been awsome too. That Toe save was spectacular
Win is a win for sure, but that's one of the few positives you can take from this game. I hope they have better showing against Columbus.
I want to see the replay of Hemmer missing another open net... did he get all puck or was it a trip???
Strudwick looks terrible.
Yay, I called it!
@Lofty
i rewound and watched it a few times. Instead of backhanding it towards the net Hemmer tried to bring it to his forehand and used too much time as the diving Vancouver defenceman cleanly swept the blade of Hemmer's stick
Penner is like a bull that can actually work his way through a china shop. He is really starting to make Lowe look like a genious(sp)?.
Well good on the zebras to get it right... you would think that Hemmer would just bury it instead of messing around!
To have a PVR definetley gots to get one. I thought Hemmer had time though too. Quinn won't be happy bout that one
Was listening on the radio, driving home, hard to tell over Rod's stumble, bumbling play calling, but it sounded like Hemsky had one or two chances at the empty netter and bumbled the puck.
Cross the Fing Red line and shoot the F-ing puck already!
think staios would have let bellywood dangle with no time left? tackle? slash? crosscheck? trip?
Agreed! I go to one or two games a season when the Oil are in town, and the fans are brutal. I also teach High school, and one can visibly see the bandwagon jumping on a daily basis. It's harsh. Have great seats on Sunday! I'll be donning my old 99 jersey!
The Oilers suck chant bugs me. I hate when I hear the ___ sucks chant at Oiler home game. Lame and rude. More lame than anything. Fire up the Let's go Oilers instead. Much more catchy and effective.
That was a fun game! Second period seemed to be the best; it opened up with some nice back and forth. Every time 27 barged in I had to do a double take. The man is impressive and the crowd was cheering him on. I missed the first bit of the game so I didn't see them come out flat. Hemsky was no where near 100% but I had no problem with how Horcoff played. JF was unimpressive. Smid looked really smooth and calm.
It really, really didn't seem like they were terribly outshot or outplayed. Some beauty saves by Khabby!
I reiterate from earlier that I really despise the 'nucks and their fans. I hate that retarded Looouuu chant in our own building every time he touches the puck. Belligerent, sore losers. Seriously, who gets that drunk and picks fights on a Monday?!
Missed the first two periods, but caught the third. Win is a win. Nervous about Columbus....Habby was great, but we will have to see JDD soon.
Bingofuel,
In this new fancy site can you start a new section intitled 'Insults by Brownlee'? It would just be a list of classicly brilliant insults that he has dropped. Stuff like "'tarded sister-and-weekend-girlfriend" should not be forgotten.
There are always exceptions that prove the rule. That said I didn't see many exceptions last night on TV.
@Petr's Jofa
As a companion to 'Insults by Brownlee', maybe there should be a 'Screw Batman, Robin's the Man' link we can push which will summon him to lay the smackdown on trolls and ITGs.
Was anyone else petrified in fear after Hemmer missed the open net by dangling too much and then the puck trickled past the red line? Thank God the time ran out but I was having flashbacks to the flames game.
@Librarian Mike
That's a great idea. Instead of a flag post button, we can just have a little button with Robin's head on it.
I don't mind the idea but I'm slowly catching on that in some cases -- where the only point is to piss people off -- the comments are best ignored or quietly deleted. Spank-offs seeking attention get their twisted little wood because people react to them, even in the negative. I'm learning the intra-web good, eh?
@Robin Brownlee
Exactly. Don't feed the trolls.