And with a 3-1 win over the Colorado Avalanche the Oilers clinch first place in the Western Conference*
What do you suppose we are supposed to make of that now huh?
Is it too soon for this video? Answer: No.
*After 10 games
And with a 3-1 win over the Colorado Avalanche the Oilers clinch first place in the Western Conference*
What do you suppose we are supposed to make of that now huh?
Is it too soon for this video? Answer: No.
*After 10 games
oilers first in the west?habby and dubnyk leading the way?the defence(sutton,gilbert,smid,potter)kickin butt with barker starting to fit in?an excellent penalty kill?a much improved power play?the kids leading the way with smyth and horcoff bringing it?doing good in the faceoff circle?(thanks belanger)and still waiting for hemsky and whitney to be healthy,this team is only getting better folks oh what a feeling!anybody else feel a major similarity to the 06 team?(this one is better,hall,hopkins,eberle)they are playing same style,making scoring chances count,getting outshot and shutting down other teams powerplay and a hot washed up goalie!I be thinking we are having alot more hangovers this spring!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I’m as excited as everyone else about our 6-2-2 start. BUT, we’ve been pretty badly out shot the last 3 games (granted, 2 of those games were against top tier teams). And most will agree our current save percentage isn’t sustainable…. Something has to give sooner or later.
Yeah, that may be the case, but bask while you can we haven’t had alot to celebrate here in oil country for a long time.
I’ve never been this happy since that time my hot math teacher bent over and I saw her camo thong and motivated me to attend math class atleast 2 out 5 times a week.
All we need now is to get hordichuk back to get past that 3 goal per game mark and beat the crap out of everyone. I love Andy frankenSUTTONstein but he’s not that good of a fighter he’s more like a movie fighter than a legit fighter
Ps hordichuk will lead us to the promised land
fair warning: i missed the game and I’m working off highlights
First: SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!! (i didn’t get to have mine last night) GOILERS!!!!
Second: what happened to Oiler Goaltending? did these guys forget to be middling to terrible? I just hope no one’s sent them the memo. Going to be hard for Renney to choose now. If the OIlers were a bad ROMCOM the plot would look something like this:
the boss has two beautiful daughters (nicola and devan) and young Renney is infatuated with both. Over the course of a year, he nervously courts both of them. Hijinx ensue as he tries to choose between the two (each time he thinks he’s made his mind up the other reminds him how green the grass can be on the other side); antics in full swing as he tries to keep them from finding out about each other. The tension builds as Renney starts to double book the young ladies (seeing both in one night), etc. etc.
third: secondary scoring. It’s about time the backend potted one. But did anyone expect both Barker and Sutton would score in the way they did? By a sweet backhand in tight (barker) and a tip-in crashing the net (sutton)? that’s awesome stuff… now let’s hope they can score from the point. Barker in the Cap game showed he’s got a rocket if he can get it off (hit the post). also Barker’s +/- is very impressive this far in but it is deceptive because he doesn’t play on the PK. still I think he’s starting to feel comfortable in Oilernation. I continue to be cautiously optimistic about him.
Pessimistic side: we expect those points from Smyth. and while the D woke up offensively… still no word from our third line. Mag still pointless. that’s troublesome.
fourth: that shot differential is not going away. that needs to be addressed, hopefully our boys can moderate that.
fifth: because i missed the game….can you guys tell me: how did Peckham look? did he bounce back from the Cap game? How bad was the Sutton check on Landeskog? will he get time? how was the tilt with Sutton and O’brien? any other eventful news from the game?
Oh man… I just looked at the schedule. Nov. is lousy with away games… forget the Van, Cap, Avs games… November’s going to the early test of this young team. If we can skate through Nov. at evens or better this team is legit, book it.
Same as every year. CFR = long road trip.
What is CFR??
Mostly old raisins hanging out in etown saying cacksucker a lot and spitting chaw juice on the street.
then theres bull riding and barrel racing and ride em pony and stuff.
Thanks… for those mental images…
I don’t live in the big E, so things not Oilers are tricky. I guess I could have googled it… which your comment made me do… apparently it is this:
http://www.canadianfinalsrodeo.com/
which I encourage you to check out (the website that is) because apparently “Blake has a message for you” also based on that picture and the font and italics, “you” are a teenage girl, swooning over Blake!
[edit] so, wait… this CFR deal takes place at Rexall every year bumping the Oil? I gather the new arena deal will change that?
For real I LOL’d!
Best. Description of CFR. EVER.
Khabbie and Doobie! Can we win TWO Vezinas?
Exciting FIRST place hockey? Whaaaa?
What is up with the kid line?!? They should have sent RNH down, that line can’t score. Start Dubie every game, he is better long term for the Oilers. Trade PRV and Omark for what ever defenseman they can get, and fire Tambillini.
Thank you,
This overreaction brought to you by Rexall drugs, selling Prozac to kids since 1996.
Love the fact that this team is actually exciting to watch and winning games.
The only thing I’m concerned about is the shot differential over the past 3 games. We were actually outshooting the opposition over the first 7 games. It seems like in all 3 games, once Edmonton captures a lead, they go on to get outshot by a ridiculous margin. Actually, in all 3 games, the shots were fairly even until Edmonton gets the lead.
This can’t continue. Great teams have the ability to continue to pour it on when they have the lead. Anyone remember when Chicago absolutely crushed us a couple of years ago (I think the score was 10-1), and it looked like they were on a powerplay the entire night. I’m not saying this Oilers team is “great” yet, but they have to play a better brand of hockey with the lead and not put all the pressure on their goalies to make 30 some saves over the last half of the game.
10 games in. I’ve watched every game and correct me if I’m wrong but were we not leading or at least even by the start of the 3rd. We are not an elite team yet, so getting out-shot heavily in the third is to be expected. If we were down in the third I’m sure the shot differential would be much different. Needing a goal means you need to turn on the offense and somewhat neglect defense. We are in the position of protecting and doing it quite well. Great team defense.
That was my point. We need to learn how to play with a lead better. “Great team defense” is not giving up a ton of shots and scoring chances. Washington was a goal post away from tying it up (probably less than a quarter inch from going in).
Getting outshot heavily is not the way to maintain leads is all I’m saying. Playing a puck possession style in the offensive and neutral zone will serve this team much better in the future.
This video really illustrates have shoulder pads have changed since the 90’s. Don Cherry should reference this video.
To add to my point, the Oilers goalies have a combined .953 save percentage. As has been well documented on this site, these averages are unsustainable.
If the goalies had a very good save percentage of .915, they would have given up 11-12 more goals so far this season. That means we probably lose some of the games we are winning. Of course going 6-2-2 every 10 games is unsustainable as well…we would finish with about 115 points on our current pace!
This is why I mentioned we are not an elite team YET. Got to give a few more years and our lead may be 2 or more goals AND out-shooting in the third. So far I’m loving it. We are doing well and this is just a peek at what we will do.
Yes. It was me. I predicted this. After the first month of the season, I knew Phil Kessel would be leading the scoring race, Khabbie would be the top goalie in the NHL, and The Edmonton Oilers would lead the league in defence and be on top of the Western Conference. In my crystal ball, I see the Eskimos signing Peyton Manning and winning the Grey Cup 5 years in a row, and the Edmonton Capitals winning the World Series in 2013. You’re welcome.
Omark is not good enough to crack the lineup with what he brings. You can’t take out good quality gritty players like jones and eager to bring in a guy that scores a goal every 10 games.