GDB 17.0: OILERS V HAWKS
Wanye
November 13 2011 02:10PM
Everyone who is a mega star now, was at one point impossibly young and just happy to be in the big leagues. Two of the youngest guns in the NHL meet tonight in Chicago. It might be argued that tonight's game is the first between the Hawks and Oilers that has been of any note whatsoever in years.
It could also be argued that these teams will have important matches against one another for years to come.
Only time will tell.
STANDINGS
The Hawks are in first place in the Western Conference with a 10-4-3 record. The newly Mighty-for-Realsies? Oilers are third in the West with a 9-5-2 record. It should also be noted that Columbus has only seven points, which is amazing when you stop and think about it. Thank heavens they did not tank this hard last year - they might currently employ the Nuge instead of good ol E-town.
On a road trip where a .500 record would be considered to be a complete success the Oil are coming into Chicago having lost two games in a row. Being blanked by Detroit after losing in Boston ain't no particular thing, especially if you can take down the Conference leaders on your way back home.
The Oilers confirmed as much with a tweeted quote from Ryan Jones earlier today:
"Any time you can go .500 on the road is usually a success, especially a trip like this." - on aiming for a W in Chicago tonight.
LINEUP
No lines were ran at practice today in Chicago but the Oilers have confirmed that Nikolai Khabibulin will get the start against his former team. Ryan Smyth impossibly leads the team in goals and points and second to him is the Nuge.
Did we happen to mention RNH is five whole years younger than Jonathan Toews? Take that uppity Hawks fans who think they have the youngest guns in the league.
HUSTLE HARD
Let's get after this one fellas. It could prove to be a big win.
If you love him so much why dont you start a site about your love for him. Gotta love the man on man love for wayne from the sheep. Cue mating call- squeeeeeeeee
Ebersquee!!!!
BLANK!!!!!!!!
Weak clearing attempt by number 10 there
Khabbie's looking shabby! 5 goals... terrible
deja vu to last season.wtf
WTF!!! It didnt take long for the wheels to fall off this wagon.I just hope we are not headed for ELPHA again.
@Johnny Gunn
Oh, we're just kidding JG... we want you back... for good:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2ICtCO8TCw&ob=av2e
And this is what coming back down to earth looks like. Gods this road trip can't end soon enough.
I blame brownlee.
looks like we're cooking up another stellar PP boys! the chicago announcers are baffled by Belanger on there... have a point.
Thought Renny was keeping players accountable... Horcoff right out after that soft play to get the puck out... like come on, Renny someone needs to make you accountable for those mistakes. On a lighter note actually Gagner is having a decent game.
Gagner's got nothing. if your going to enter the o-zone with no muscle you better move with some speed...
Gagner/speed are not 2 words I associate together
Just the tonic our team needs in this time of trouble. Another Hawks power play...
on a sidenote,there should be a ban on male nipples on this site.Either that or LT is allowed to post the odd female nipple in his articles.
C'mon ref... what's with the quick whistle??
NUGE-VISION!!!
WHIFCOFF!!!
After the no whistle that ended up in our net on the Khabi trapazoid gaff I was about to lose it... then there was releif. Should be a 4-3 game right now though without that brutal Horc clearing attempt
Gagner should be stapled to the bench for the rest of the game , downright awful.
Props to you kind sir. (At least I was right about the Oilers continuing to struggle defensively)
*angered that an a$$hole friend texted me the real score...
Still gonna watch the game when I get home anyway.
ten min. in petrell has the best chance of the period... I guess the boys forgot there were only three periods and they are down two... how about some effort guys?
that was a brutal shift. horc misses a ebs pass, gets beat the other way, misses a hit and then peckham takes a penalty!!
what was that?? nice team management coach!
Bite me Canadian Finals Rodeo.
ELPH:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=447yaU_4DF8
Seriously.. mgmt needs to get off their ass and make a trade.. defense has been terrible last 4 games... it is starting to show.. as has Khabby's fluky play...
I'd love to know what Renney sees in Belanger to keep throwing him out there. Baffling....
I am not convinced having hemsky on wing with hall and nuge. Allstar players makes the other ones around them better and for most of the night it seemed like nuge and hall were alone making playing. IMO they need some grit on that line. I would prefer jones over Hemsky. Hemsky's a good player but he needs to make the players he's with better and also jones would help the defense lapses on that line due to them being offensive juggernauts. I hope Renny puts the kids together again and drops hemmer with PRV and Gagner.
The only reason I can see is that he wants someone who can win a face-off on each PP unit. Aside from that he has no business on the PP.
NK's numbers clobbered. Balloon back to earth. As you were, nation, we've got a ways to go.
Because you are afraid we may not win the cup this year otherwise?
No... because the ugly truth is finally showing its self in that they were winning early strictly because of Khabby`s strong play but the last several games have clearly shown that:
1) The Oilers D is as bad as everyone feared it would be at the beginning of the season and until Whitney returns there is no relief in site and a trade is still needed to fix it. 2) Khabby`s strong play is falling back to normal from last year. Everyone knew it would not last.
Gagner is not good enough for this team and Omark sucks defensively. Package them together and get a top 4 dman that we need and get Hartski up here playing. He has the size we desperately need...
Okay, here are my thoughts on this:
First, I'm glad that the balloon has come down a little. My fear was that this team would show better than I think they really are in the regular season and then management might start to move pieces or accelerate the rebuild in order to take short cuts. If we take the rebuild metaphor a little further, I want to make certain that the foundation has set before I start framing.
Second: I wonder if sending Paajarvi and Lander down to play in OKC for a dozen games and calling up Green and Keller might not be a good idea. Let the Tre Kronors get some traction and chemistry in the AHL and let some veteran players who can handle being sat come up and fill the roles. I look at it this way, we want to model on Detroit, and if Paajarvi were in the Detroit system he'd have played last year and probably thus far this year in the AHL. I don't want to see Magnus "demoted", and in Oil Change Renney and Tambellini mention that they want to change the perception that going to the AHL is a demotion, but rather as an opportunity to work and improve.
Anyway, better hope we stay out of the penalty box against Ottawa, they're PP could bury us.
@RexLibris
I could see Lander and MP going down... at this point I think MP needs it more... he needs ice time and the chance to get his confidence going. Lander needs to go down if he is going to be HS'd for more than a couple of games. i think it was a big mistake to sit Omark for 5.
point of order: is Keller even on a two-way? and why not Cornet? or Hartikainen? or any of the other guys down there? just curious about your thinking.