Oilers Update - Oilers Stomped - Plante Planted.

Back from Italy!

After a brief break for the Christmas holidays the Edmonton Oilers embarked on a 7 game road-swing last night making their first stop in Vancouver.


Despite yet another loss for the Oilers the hockey world is talking about "the hit" on Alex Plante in the second period.  Vancouver's Dale Weise finished his check on Plante, sending the OKC Barons' call up face first into the boards.  Planted remained on the ice with blood dripping from his face and never returned to action.


"It was a tough hit. said Oilers bench boss Tom Renney.  "There should be a little sabbatical.  He came pretty hard, he had a pretty good head of steam up and hew was after on thing and that was to hit and hurt the kids. If Planted is up against the glass, or up against the boards, then the maybe nullifies  the issue quiet honestly.  But he's about four feet away from the boards and Dale came in and hammered him pretty hard with on objective."


"I respect the call" said Weise who was sent to the showers for the game misconduct. "I think every hi in hockey, if they go by the definition, could be called a charge, but things happen really fast.  I made the decision to finish my check.  You've got to protect your players."  


Plante was asked after the game about the nasty knock and the disheveled defenseman could only muster "I'm OK," to a crowd a reporters. 

On the ensuing 5 minute charging major, offered an opportunity for the Oilers to make a comeback after being down by 3 goals.  Eberle broke the ice  to make the game 3-1 when he tapped in his 16th goal of the season.  However, moments later the Canucks' super pest Alex Burrows was left unattended in front of Nikolai Khabibulin to post the games first short handed goal.  Less than a minute later, veteran Ryan Smyth put the Oilers within two after receiving a simple feed from Ryan Jones.  


In 3's!


3 minutes into the 3rd, Burrows found a swooping Ryan Kesler to punctuate another Canucks victory but this game appeared to be over in early in the first.  At the moment of puck drop, the Canucks came out hard and Andrew Ebbett opened the scoring in the first 3 minutes of the game.  The Canucks went to post two more before the end of the 1st frame.


"We can't play catchup against those guys.  They've got too much firepower." said Jordan Eberle after this 2 point performance.


"We definitely came out slow...that killed us. But getting that power play and then giving up that short handed goal hurts.  We have to find a way to score five-on-five.  That just goes back to shooting the puck, we have to shoot more.'


Ryan Whitney sat out the game as a precautionary measure due to some tendonitis while Ales Hemsky became an healthy/un-healthy scratch with nasal infection. 


The Oilers will now face the Minnesota Wild in St. Paul

Oilers Update - When in Rome - Roam

Reporting from Rome, Italy


Hello readers.  My apologies for not keeping up to date with the Oilers for the past couple of games.  I won't make any excuses, except...I'm in Rome.


I will find more time to do some updates so please hang tight.


Antony S Scandale 
Oilers Update

Oilers Update - Oil Burn. Flames Win 5-3

Reporting from Rome, Italy

They probably should’ve won in the first two minutes of the game…but after a Calgary time-out the bad guys from Southern Alberta saw red and burned another 2 points in the win column and defeated their foes of the North.

Last night on Hockey Night in Canada, the Edmonton Oilers lost to the visiting Calgary Flames at Rexall Place.  The Oilers who had a 2 goal lead early in the game, couldn’t handle the pressure of the Calgary Flames’ offense led by Olli Jokinen’s two goals. 

5-3 Flames.

“It could’ve gotten away from us there.  They were really rolling. I thought we wer going to get a beating.  Fortunately we took a timeout and calmed down and camre right back with a goal on the power play and got out feet back into us and back into it. said Jokinen. “It wasn’t the start we wanted to have” he admitted.  “We needed to get back to our game and play good defence agains this team.  They are probably the most skilled team in the National Hockey League.  They have a lot of offence.  If you try to play their style, you are going to lose 10-0.”

After Lennart Petrell and Sam Gagner fooled Mikka Kiprusoff with some fluky, early goals the Flames’ bench boss prompted a Calgary time-out.  The time-out worked.  Less than 4 minutes later the game was tied and the Flames held the Oilers at bay for the rest of the game.

“We need to ride the momentum better.  We’ve been like that all year.  When things get high, teams come right back at us, we don’t ride the wave that well.  When we learn to do that we’ll bury team.  We won’t give them a chance.  We can put a team down we just have to keep them down.” said blue collar forward Ryan Jones about his teams lack consistency.

The Oilers coach would agree with Jones, but would add that the team just needs to compete a little harder.  Highly skilled teams CAN compete better.

“Calgary found a way to fight their way back into it” said Tom Renney  “We’ve just got to compete, and harder than we have been lately because it hasn’t been enough.”

The Oilers and Flames will face each other once again in Calgary next Saturday

Injury report.

The Oilers were once again without the services of Taylor Hall who is out with a shoulder injury for a couple of weeks or more. Also Anton Lander who still has an infected hand but could be back in the line-up soon.  

Oilers Update - Keeping Up with Jones. Jackets downed

Reporting from Castel del Piano, Italy


Led by Ryan Jones' hat trick in the third period the Edmonton Oilers went on to down the Columbus Blue Jackets by score of 6-3 to snap a 3 game losing skid.


Jones who was playing in his 202 nd NHL game scored his first ever hat-trick in his entire hockey career.  The blue-collar forward decided to bring his top game on a night when the Oilers organization saluted Hall of Famer Grant Fuhr, just prior to game time.


"I've never scored two in a game, so just to get the two is pretty special." said Jones of his trick.  "I don't know if you could ever expect that, especially a guy like me just grinding away.  The goals don't come that easy.



After being down 2-1, Jones picked up a kicked pass from Ryan Smyth and then wrapped around his 7th goal of the season to tie it.  6 minutes later Jones hammered a one-time from Eric Belanger's stick to put the copper and blue up.  Finally, with 37 seconds left in the game and with Curtis Sanford out of the net, Shawn Horcoff intercepted an errant pass at centre and unselfishly fed Jones to earn his 3rd of the night.  After the ice was showered with hats, the crowd began to chant "Jones-y Jones-y" to honor the one of the most humbled member of the squad.


"On a night like tonight, especially when we needed them it was something special.  It's one of the highlights of my NHL career so far."


Jordan Eberle, Ladislav Smid and Ales Hemsky also contributed to the slaughter.  Nearly a minute into the first period, the Oilers went on the power-play and Jordan Eberle wasted no time finishing a perfect pass from Ryan Nugent-Hopkins from the half boards.  Smid, rifled his second goal of the season with a blistering slap-shot, while Ales Hemsky, made his mark when walked around Sanford to earn his 3rd goal of the season.


Ryan Nugent-Hopkins' assist now brings his total to 28 points.  The Rookie is now 5th overall in the league for points and is now 4 behind league leader Phil Kessel of Toronto.


The Edmonton Oilers will now host the Calgary Flames for the Battle of Alberta tonight on CBC!


Will be in Rome Italy next folks! 

Oilers Update - Oilers lose to Preds / Hall Out 2-4 weeks

Reporting from Castel del Piano




Last night the Edmonton Oilers suffered a 2-1 decision to the visiting Nashville Predators at Rexall Place.



The only thing great about the game was the brilliant spin move by Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who then fed the biscuit to Jordan Eberle to open the scoring.  Another, highlight was when Ryan Jones was sent off for 5 with an elbow to the face of Blake Geoffrion.  Other than that...the game was a real dud for the Oilers.


"I thought our compete level had to improve.  As a team we passed up opportunities to put pucks on net and create havoc on rebounds.  It was way too easy for Nashville tonight. said Tom Renney,  "It's the NHL shoot the puck."


They were too cute and as Jordan Eberle put it the Oilers "were being too pretty" with the puck.


Though the worst news came just prior to the game when it was announced that Taylor Hall will miss up to 2-4 weeks with a shoulder injury.  Hall couldn't really describe the details about the injury, because its "too complicated".  However, he sees himself using lots of rubber bands to strengthen the shoulder but will be able to keep up his cardio during his re-hab.

Oilers Update - Avalanche Covers Oil / Hall Out

Reporting from Castel del Piano, Italy


Less than 24 hours after the Oilers quashed the haunting curse in Minnesota, the club took to the ice in Denver and were man-handled by the Av's.  


"I think maybe fatigue caught up to us, probably cost us the game at the end of the night.  We were on fumes in the third period" said Oilers coach Tom Renney whose club allowed for the Av's to drive home 4 un-answered goals in the third. 


Granted, fatigue may have been the main reason for the loss; and Oilers fans alike may take that as a reasonable excuse.  But, aside from the loss, what about the loss of Taylor Hall?  The kid was blindsided heavily into the boards by Ryan Wilson.  After the awful hit Hall stood up, shook it off like "a good-Canadian-kid" and returned to the ice.  Few shifts later Kyle Quincy decided to cross-check the youngester in the shoulder which then ended Hall's night.  


But where in the HELL was the back-up on both plays!!!??  


"Hordi, is always ready, willing and prepared to do that any time" said Renney.  "The bottom line is we're winning a hockey game and you have to be careful how you go about that, not to suggest we wouldn't do it in the future."


Excuse me.  What?????


From what I could re-call, Darcy Hordichuk just skated around the ice, spouting expletives towards Wilson, and the pair did nothing!  What is even worse, in the end, the Oilers went on to lose the game and their star forward.


"I chased him around for a couple of shifts, but he obviously didn't want to go." said Hordichuk.  "It's one of those things where you can only do what you can do...unless the game is out of hand you can go after the guy."


Did you hear me?  Allow me to repeat!  What???


So...here is a question.  Why didn't anybody stand-up for Taylor Hall?  Had Devan Dubnyk or Nikolai Khabibulin taken a few shots from Wilson or any other player in the league...would the Oilers just stand their and watch????? 


And what about Hall's condition?


"We'll see how bad it is." said Renney, "We'll step back from the ledge, first of all and just relax and see what the MRI and the medical staff tells us."


Perfect! Don't worry Oilers fans.  Just relax, inhale, exhale and perhaps take a Rexall Chill-Pill because everything will be ok.  The calm and collected mind of Tom Renney wants you to not worry.  


Nevertheless, the Oilers were downed 5-2 and Ryan Jones and Ladislav Smid had the two goals.  Smid finally rattled the twine when he bagged home his first goal since 2009.  


The club will now head back to Edmonton to face the Predators tomorrow.

Oilers Update - Curse Shattered. Oilers Tame Wild.

Reporting from Castel del Piano, Italy

Cursed Shattered.  

The Edmonton Oilers finally defeated the Minnesota Wild on their home turf for the first time in 17 tries.   The last time the Oilers earned a "W" in St Paul's was back on January 6th 2007.

Led by Taylor Hall, Shawn Horcoff, Ryan Smyth and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, the Oilers routed the Wild with a 5-2 victory.  Rookie, Nugent-Hopkins collected two goals and an empty netter to extend their win streak to 2.

"We really wanted to win this one, we wanted this streak to end and it sure does feel good.  I haven't been around for all 17 of the losses, but you can tell that every time we came in her we wanted badly for this to end. said Taylor Hall.

Recently, consistency has been a struggle for the Oilers and there were questions if the Oilers would fall into the same old patterns versus the Wild. Not so. Taylor Hall summed up the evening to suggest that his club played a nearly perfect game. 

"There has been a lot of question about how we're kind of an inconsistent team.  Tonight, we played three pretty consistent periods.  We knew we were bound to break out offensively at some time.  It's great that it's happening now.  We just have to maintain that every game."

And that is exactly what needs to happen and scoring first will usually grant you a win.  Nugent-Hopkins and Smyth put the Oilers up to two in the first which seemed to deflate the Wild.

"Right from the start we were ready for this and weren't gointo be denined. said Oilers Captian Shawn Horcoff.  "It's a different feeling this year.  We know we have the horses.  We have a confidence that when we play right we are a tough team to beat.  We can play with any team in the league."

With that being said,  the Oilers will now test their racing legs against the Colorado Avalanche tonight at the Pepsi Centre, on CBC.

Welcome Back

Defenceman Ryan Whitney stepped onto the ice to rejoin his club after missing more than a handful of games with an injury.  

Oilers Update - Preds sink in Oil.

Reporting from Castel del Piano, Italy


They combined for 7 points!  The Kids made the Preds fall by of score of 6-2, and it only took 3 goals within a span of 6 minutes of the 1st period to put the game out of reach for Nashville.  Shawn Horcoff opened the scoring when he pounced on the rebound executed by Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.  Nearly 2 minutes later, the gritty Ryan Smyth found a streaking Ales Hemsky who went glove side on Pekka Renne to pot his 2nd of the season. Late in the first, Jordan Eberle, picked up the loose puck and found the back of the net after Taylor Hall was flattened by Jordin Tootoo to make it 3 bagel Oilers.  After the 3rd goal, Pekka Renne was given the hook.


"I didn't want to continue to subject Pekka to the way we were playing. said Predators coach, Barry Trotz.  The goaltending change didn't help the Predators, which paved the way for the Oilers post another 3 more goals including; one marvelous goal by Jordan Eberle. 


"We had a game plan and we just didn't do it.   "We went in with what we wanted to do and in the first period we did zero of that.  We did absolutely none of what we set out to do!"


"That's what teams that are able to make the playoffs do." said Captain Shawn Horcoff who also added his second of the night with a late third period goal. " You're going to lose and you're going to play bad games but you have to be able to come back the next game and find ways to win.  This isn't an easy place to play, they come at you hard but we got it done." 


Devan Dubnyk put up a solid effort for the win and made 30 saves.  Devan was real good.  said Tom Renney about his back-up goaltender.  "He played real big, strong, sqaure.  He looked really dialed into the puck."


Ales Hemsky, played in his 500th game also added an assist in the game.  

Oilers Update - Oilers Capped in Dallas

Reportig from Castel del Piano, Italy


You gotta fight for your right to party!  


Clearly something the Edmonton Oilers couldn't do last night when they played the rough and tough Dallas Stars in Texas.  


The game plan was simple for the Stars (which has been the same for the last couple of seasons) hit, hit, hit.  The Star destroyed the Oilers skilled players with some heavy hits which kept the young guns off of the scoring sheet. 


"With our assets there are ways to beat teams who come after us that way.  We have to make sure we play as physically as we possibly can.  When we're healthy we have enough to push back too, but there are ways with speed and quickness to intimidate teams too." said Head Coach Tom Renney.  


So...where was the push back? 


"They played more of a road game than we did.  They were physical, they got in on the forecheck, made us turn pucks over.  Just wore us down."  said Jordan Eberle who was creamed in the first 3 minutes of the game.  Shawn Horcoff, Theo Peckham and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins also felt the wrath of the Dallas physical play when they were all embarrassingly flattened.


After Ex Oiler Toby Peterson opened the scoring for the Stars, Oilers Ryan Smyth nearly tied the game when he missed on a wrap-around opportunity.  After, his failed attempt the Stars picked up the loose puck somehow found the back of the Oilers net, when Mike Riberio found Steve Ott in slot to make it 2-0.


The Oilers came back when Nugent-Hopkins collected a pass from Jordan Eberle and then precisely placed the puck to earn his 8th of the season.  However, less than a minute later, the Oilers were looking to close the gap to 2, but a collision between Theo Peckam and Ales Hemsky, allowed for a 3 on 1 opportunity for the Stars and Micheal Ryder made no mistake to beat Nikolai Khabibulin on the ensuing play.


Radek Dvorak scored an empty netter to seal the victory for the Stars.


The Oilers will now face the Nashville Predators this Tuesday.

Oilers Update - Blackhawks downed. Oilers Snap 4 game losing skid

Reporting from Castel del Piano, Italy




It was embarrassing for the visitors as the Chicago Blackhawks were thumped 9-2 against the Edmonton Oilers last night at Rexall Place.


"It's personally embarrasing, I want to play better than that.  We have to remember how bad this feels because we don't want it to happen again." said Chicago's goaltender Ray Emery who let in 7 of 9 goals before being replaced by Corey Crawford.  


Leading the charge was sophomore Taylor Hall who recorded his second career hat-trick, while rookie Ryan Nugent-Hopkins earned a career game high by collecting 5 assists during the thrashing.  


"It definitely gives us confidence, it's great we won all three periods.  It's easy to let off the gas pedal, but we didn't." said Hall after his club snapped a four game slide.   


 And why ease off the gas pedal after scoring 5 goals in the 1st?  It was clear that the Oilers needed to press hard with offense in order to put to rest a tired Chicago team, who one day earlier lost to the Flames.


"The way we won, I think everyone chipped in.  And on an individual note you always want to focus on how your own game is going and to score three goals coming out of a slump like that definitely gives me some confidence." said Hall.


The Oilers who have been struggling to find the back of the net received points from the usual suspects with Jordan Eberle who had a goal and three assists while, Shawn Horcoff, Ryan Smyth and Ryan Jones found the score sheet.  Even Tom Gilbert decided to post post four points of his own including a goal.  Last night's contest eerily felt akin to those magical days when  #17 fed #99 to light the lamp for imminent win.


But after their 4 game slide, what stimulated the sudden change in play?


"We had a couple of good days off and just re-grouped.  We knew we needed to be better and that's exactly what we did.  Games like that are definitely fun when the puck is bouncing your way and everybody is flying. said Nugent-Hopkins.


Nikolai Khabibulin was solid once again for the Oilers as kicked aside 34 saves to earn his 8th win.


The Trick


Two of Hall's goals were on the power-play where he pounced on both rebounds.  His third was a beauty when wristed a shot between the wickets of Steve Montator to find the top shelf.  The last time Hall scored a hat-trick was back February of last year vs the now defunct Atlanta Thrashers

Point Leaders.


Smyth and Nugent-Hopkins each now have 19 points while Eberle is two points behind the aforementioned players with 17.  Hall's trick boosts scoring 14 points.


The Oilers will now face Sheldon Souray and his Dallas Stars in Texas this Monday.

Oilers Update - Sens trounce Oilers 5-2

4th Straight Loss.


The Edmonton Oilers couldn't find a way to snap their losing streak as they were steam-rolled by the visiting Ottawa Senators last night in Edmonton 5-2.


Nikolai Khabibulin started the game but was then yanked in the second period after letting in 3 goals on 7 seven shots.  Devan Dubnyk replaced the Russian net-minder, but the change in goal wasn't enough to rally a comeback.  Though, the loss didn't really phase the Oilers Head coach who understands the nature of process and that it can be a long one.


We are in for another long season Oilers fans.


"We had a good first period going and then it all went kaput."  said head coach Tom Renney.  "You can get mad, but there's a lot of hockey to be played.  This is coaching, the fun part, is trying to extract what you can out of your team and finding ways to win."


Sophomore forward Taylor Hall wasn't as relaxed as his coach after the loss. The blames is squarely pointed to the fowards and their inability score, but there are other things which need to be solved in the next few games if the Oilers want to have any sort of success this season.


"It was like after they scored those two goals we said 'screw it' and decided to follow our own game plans'.  There are holes in our game we need to fix and fix fast.  Losing streaks can define you.  said Hall.


The only bright side was when rookie Anton Lander scored his first goal of his career.  Lander roofed a short-handed goal past, goaltender Craig Anderson.


"Right now it's hard to feel too good about it since we lost, but I know I'll remember the goal."
 said Lander.

Coming up "Oh I remember that!"

Oilers Update - Blown away in the Windy City

Reporting from Castel del Piano, Italy



The Chicago Blackhawks blew out the Edmonton Oilers last night by a score of 6-3 at the United Centre.  The Oilers have now lost 3 straight and are sinking fast in the standings as Head Coach Tom Renney pointed the finger towards his young club for their dreadful performance.  


"I don't think they realize yet what it takes to win on a nightly basis.  We have a couple rungs to go and it starts in your own head.  We understand the depth of the people we're playing and the experience they've had with winning and we're still working on that.  But there's no excuses.  We needed to man up tonight and we didn't do it." said Renney.


Be Quick or Be Dead.


After two quick goals by the Hawks' Towes and Montador in less than 5 minutes of the opening face-off, Tom Renney called a time-out to settle his troops, but it appeared as though that the damage was beyond repairable.  


Ryan Smyth continued with his hot hand by scoring his 10th goal of the season to earn his 17th point in 17 games.  His tally cut the lead by half in the first, but Montador extended the lead for Chicago when he tipped in his second goal of the night.


22 ticks into the second frame, Towes put his team up by 3 when he tucked home is second of the night to seal the victory.


Jordan Eberle and Shawn Horcoff each had goals but it wasn't enough to stop the relentless Hawks.  


The Edmonton Oilers ended their 6 game road trip with an 2 and 4 record and will now fly home to face the Ottawa Senators this Thursday.  However, the club will face the same Blackhawks this Saturday for a Hockey Night in Canada tilt.

Oilers Update - Detroit Rocks Oilers

Reporting from Levanto, Italy

It really took one goal to beat the Edmonton Oilers as they lost to the Detroit Red Wings in Michigin.  A tired, battered group suffered their second loss in row after getting blanked 3-0. 


Goaltender Jimmy Howard was the hero for his club as he managed to stop all 24 of Edmonton's shots to earn the victory; while Drew Miller, Niklas Kronwall and Valtteri Filppula each had goal.  

"I don't know what happened.  We didn't create that many chances ourselves." said Ladislav Smid.  " We didn't play smart.  We didn't shoot the puck when we had the chance.  Tough one.  Tough on." 


And to think that Khabibulin was going to bail them out.  The Bulin-Wall who has been the surprize top goaltender since the season started began to show some cracks in the mortar.  Though how could one blame the loss on just one player.  Where is the offense?

"He was the same he's been all season. said Head Coach Tom Renney of Khabibulin.  "I think we gave the Red Wings all they could handle for a about half the game, then we had a hard time keeping up with them once they got rolling with some momentum."

The Oilers will now face the Chicago Blackhawks at the United Centre which will be their 4th game in six days on the road.  

Oilers Update - Ruined by Bruins

Reporting from Levanto, Italy.


2 days after the Edmonton Oilers held off the Montreal Canadiens, the Oilers found themselves in Bean Town to face the Champs. Though it didn't go so well.  The Oilers were destroyed by the physical prowess of the Bruins falling to a 6-3 decision. 


Brad Marchand put up 2 goals while Tyler Sequin earned an assist to help give the Bruins their 4 straight win.


After being down by 2 goals in early in the game, Ryan Smyth and Nugent-Hopkins scored 29 seconds apart to tie the game but the Bruins stormed back in the second with 2 goals to seal the win.


"Maybe we sat back a gave them too much respect off the start.  said Smyth who now has 14 points.  "We can respect them but we can't fear them.  After the timeout, we showed some character but tis' difficult to play catch-up agains the Stanley Cup Champs."


Ales Hemsky added 2 assists, while Deven Dubnyk set aside 22 shots in the loss.


Tonight, the Edmonton Oilers will head to the Motor City for a tilt against the Detroit Red Wings.

Oilers Update - Oilers defeat Habs.

Reporting from Milan, Italy


After having their 6 game winning streak snapped by the Phoenix Coyotes, the Edmonton Oilers rolled Montreal for a tilt against the Canadiens and defeat the Habs by a score of 3-1.


Edmonton's Ryan Jones opened the scoring in the second period when he picked up a loose puck and went in all alone on goaltender Carey Price  and slipped home his 3rd goal of the season. 


In the third, defenceman Tom Gilbert's wrister from the point ricocheted off Hab's defenceman Josh George's stick to put the Oilers up by two.


Moments later, the Canadiens finally found a hole in the Bulin-Wall when Matt Pacioretty fooled the Russian net-mind with a backhand. 


2-1 Oilers.


With the net empty for the Hab's, Ryan Smyth found his 13th point of the season when found the open cage to seal the victory for the Oilers.


All about Khabby.


Once again the deciding factor of the game was the play of Nikolai Khabibulin. The 38 year-old kicked aside 29 shots and the win boosts Khabby's  SV% to .964 (2nd in NHL) and is tops in NHL with GAA of .098.

"Great goaltending gave us a chance.  Khabby's been playing superb all year.  In the third they (the Canadiens) had some chances but we found a way to hold on.  It was a good road win. said Smyth about his goaltender.


Smyth wasn't the only player to notice Khabibulin's brilliant play.  Former Oiler, Erik Cole and Co., couldn't solve Khabibulin despite some point blank chances late in the third. 


"We had a lot of opportunities to score, but Khabibulin played well and we weren't able to cash in on a lot of really good opportunities." said Cole.


"They have the best goals against in the league." said Jacques Martin.  "They  are a good team with a lot of speed and talent, but we dominated them in scoring chances.  You're disappointed with the score, but it wasn't a lack of effort or execution."


The Oilers will now head into Bean Town for a game against the defending champions, Boston Bruins.

Oilers Update - Streak Snapped - Oilers fall to Coyotes

Reporting from Milan, Italy

The winning streak dried up in the desert as the Edmonton Oilers were doubled up by the Phoenix Coyotes last night in Glendale AZ by a score of 4-2.

“We really had to muster everything to get ourselves back in the game which we did, but at the end of the day they were a little more precise than we were and we flirted with the puck too much.  That cost us the game."  said coach Oilers coach Tom Renney.

With the Coyotes up by two goals, rookie phenom Ryan Nugent-Hopkins found the back of the net with a tip-in to earn his 6^th goal of the year.  However, the Coyotes stormed back 2 minutes later (which appeared to foreshadow an imminent win for the Desert Dogs);  when Gordon slipped a backhand past Devan Dubnyk.

Oilers Defenseman Theo Peckham earned his first goal of the season to bring the Oilers with-in one for the second time of the game.  However, with Dubnyk on the bench for he 6^th man, Coyotes Ray Whitney sealed the win with an empty netter to help snap the Oilers 6 game winning streak.

Mike Smith held for the fort for the Coyotes as he kicked aside 24 saves and also added an assist during the victory.   At the other end, Deven Dubnyk managed to keep his club within striking reach by absorbing 26 saves.

Jordan Eberle and Ryan Smyth added helpers in the loss.  Smyth now has 12 points in 13 games for the copper and blue. 

Struggling, Swedish forward Magnus Paajarvi finally posted his point of the season after going 12 games with out a tally. 

The Oilers will continue their 6 game road swing as they will face the infamous Montreal Canadiens next Tues in Montreal.

Oilers Update - "Oh I remember that!" Ryan Smyth Returns

Reporting from Milan, Italy.

Sorry folks.  It has been 2 weeks since the last time I did the weekly "Oh I remember that!" but what can I say...I have been busy traveling and having fun in Germany and I simply haven't had the time.


Without further adieu here is the latest installment featuring Ryan Smyth!


Why?


Well primarily because "Captain Canada" has been one of the most impressive players for his club since the start of this season.  At the present moment, Smyth is now tied with fellow teammate Ryan Nugent-Hopkins with 11 points in 12 games. Since coming back to Edmonton a couple of months ago, #94 has showed more than just "heart n' soul". 


Welcome Back Ryan Smyth.


Here is a video montage of Smyth's return to Edmonton!

Oilers Update - Check Mate. Oilers defeat Kings

Reporting from Milan, Italy


Make that...6!?  

Ryan Smyth entered Staples Centre for first time since he demanded a trade back to Edmonton only a few months ago and during his return to LA LA Land, Captian Canada post a goal to help his "orginal club" to a 3-0 victory over the L.A .Kings.  Since returning to Edmonton, Smyth has been one of the most impressive players for the Copper and Blue. 

After playing 12 games this season, Smytty currently shares the club with 11 points along side with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.


"The difference I see on a daily basis is the dig in for each other.  We are relentless for each other." said Smyth after the game.  "The team dug in and played a gritty game.  Obviously, Khabby played excellent and shut the door."


Location Location Location.


Smyth's play up to this point has been nothing but brilliant yet, make no mistake the recent resurgence of Ryan Smyth can be squarely pointed to his love-affair with the city of Edmonton; as noted by coach Tom Renney.  Perhaps one can say that the frequency of Edmonton matches Smyth like a glove to a stick.


"With all due respect to L.A. and Ryan's time here, which was great, he's an Oiler.  He loves Edmonton and he loves the people of Edmonton and he loves his tenure there previous to this.  But has nothing but great respect for the L.A. Kings and the organization and what they were able to do for him.  At the end of the day, he's an Oiler and he's a leader because of that.  He means an awful lot to us." said Renney


Another brick in the wall.

The Bulin-Wall put up a his second shut-out of the season by making 19 saves of the evening, besting Kings goaltender, Jonathan Quick's 24 save performance.

"I definitely feel a lot better.  After the surgery last year I was sore and achey and I thought that was a the I was supposed to feel.  But a year away from the last September, I feel so much bvetter now overall and that is helping a lot." said the Russian Netminder.

Lennart Petrell scored his first goal as an Edmonton Oiler when he beat Quick with a backhand to put the Oilers up by two after Smyths tally.

Corey Potter also added his name to the score sheet in the third period after hammering home a pass from Sam Gagner.  Potter now has two goals of the season. 


Game Streak  to 6!  


After last night's win the Oilers are now sitting 3rd over-all in the league with 18 points - just one shy point behind the Pittsburgh Penguins and first place Toronto Maple Leafs. 


The last time the Edmonton Oilers put together a long winning streak happened on March 14th 2002.  In that year, the club posted 9 wins in a row.  

The Oilers will now head to Phoenix to try to improve their winning streak 7 as they face the Desert Dogs this Saturday.


http://oilers.nhl.com/club/gamevideo.htm?id=2011020176

Oilers Update - Mile High Win

Make it 4 straight wins for the Edmonton Oilers who waltzed into Colorado to defeat the Avalanche by a score of 3-1.  The red hot Oilers received goals from the "unusual suspects" such as Cam Barker and Andy Sutton who both potted their first points of the season.  Ryan Smyth also found the back of the net, but the man of the match was the goaltender Devan Dubnyk with his 40 save perfomance.


Good Defence Makes for Good Offence


While it has been all Nikolai Khabibulin in the collecting the wins for the Oilers, Dubnyk simply took over the reins and remained solid for 60 minutes.


"I saw some shots, quite a few shots, but I maintained my focus and kept playing my game.  The guys up front did an amazing job of blocking shots.  It made it easier for me.  Whenever the puck got past them to me, I was ready to make the save. It is noticable how hard our defencemen played. said Dubnyk.


Cam Barker lit the lamp with a tick left on the power-play clock.  The defenceman jumped into the played a received a soft pass from Sam Gagner and then shoveled a brilliant backhand past Av's Semyon Varlamov to make it 1-0 in the second.  


With 6 minutes left in the second stanza, Lennart Petrell earned his first point as rookie for the Oilers when his point shot blast was tipped in by Andy Sutton.  Both Sutton and Barker went 10 straight games with goose-eggs in the stats section.


27 seconds after the Av's buried their own tally, Ryan Smyth drove the final nail into the coffin when the "King of Muck" swooped in on a loose biscuit to secure the teams 4th straight victory.


"Leave it to the "King of Muck", he was pretty much on his belly and swinging at it."  said Tom Renney about Captain Canada.


The Oilers will now head to St. Louis this Sunday to face the Blues for the first time this season.

Oilers Update - Can't Cap Oilers

Who are these guys??


The Edmonton Oilers managed to snuff the visiting power house Washington Captials by a score of 2-1 last night at Rexall Place.  Once again it was the kids and Nikolai Khabibulin who led their squad to their 3rd straight win in 5 games.  The win catapults Edmonton to 3rd in the Western Conference and they now sit 1st in the North West Division. 


What? 






Here's why..


1st period. 


Moments after squandering an opportunity to capitalize on the power-play, defenseman Karl Alzner rifled a shot past Nikolai Khabibulin to make it 1-0.  


From the sin-bin, Roman Hamrlik helplessly watched the Oilers orchestrate a blinding tic-tac-toe play to tie the game at 1 a piece.  Corey Potter's slap pass to Jordan Eberle then found Taylor Hall's stick on the other side of the crease to beat a sprawling Thomas Vokoun.  


In the second, Troy Brower also had the opportunity to witness the Oilers convert on his infraction, and once again the tandem of Corey Potter and Jordan Eberle brought the fans to their feet.  Eberle hammered Potters rebound to earn his 10th point of season.


Late in the third, Alexander Ovechkin had a chance to send the game into overtime but his shot rang the cross bar and flew into the crowd.  The Capitals leave Edmonton with no points but were handed their first loss of the season.  


"It was a good test.  We really wanted to see where we're at.  So it feels good to beat one of the best teams in the league."  said Nikolai Khabibulin who climbs to .97 GAA with a .976 Save %.


http://video.oilers.nhl.com/videocenter/console?hlg=20112012,2,134


Where are these guys?


Sure.  It's only the 9th game of the season for this club and quite frankly, any Oilers fan wanting to prepare a parade on Whyte Ave in the summer...please think again.


While this club is on a roll, one has to remember that hot goaltender and a semi-rookie line-up will not bring home hockey's holy grail.  In fact, the focus now has to be brought to attention to the other players who haven't made much of an impact in under 10 games.  2nd and 3rd line scoring is an absolute must if any team wants play in the post season. Players such as Paajarvi, Lander, Belanger, Omark are now teetering towards some time in the press booth.


What about RNH?


After playing his 9th game of the season while collecting 9 points, the verdict is still out for rookie phenom who leads the club with 5 goals.  Tom Renney has given no notion about the fate of Ryan Nugent-Hopkins just yet, but if the kid plays his 10th game against the Colorado Avalanche this Friday, consider the kid a keeper. 

Oilers Update - Oilers Hold On For Win vs Canucks

3 goals in a span of 5 minutes was all the Edmonton Oilers needed as they went on to the defeat the Vancouver Canucks 3-2 last night at Rexall.


Once again, Nikolai Khabibulin was the hero of the match as he set aside 37 shots to help the Oilers record their 2nd straight win.  At the other end, Canucks net-minder Roberto Luongo was pulled in the second after letting in 3 goals on 14 shots. After it was all said and done, it was the kids who were responsible for ending Luongo's night, who combined for 5 points. 


"It was a frustrating night for me.  I felt I was moving well and seeing the puck well in the first period and then in a five minute span they got three quick ones and that was all she wrote." said Luongo.


The Oilers now move 2 games above .500 but most importantly pick-up 2 points against their divisional rivals which could pay dividends come April.


"It was a statement game.  These are the games that good teams win, the games that really matter in the standings at the end of the year.  These are the games that, if were are the team that we think we are, that we have to win." said Taylor Hall who scored his second of year.


Over in 5 minutes.


2 minutes into the second, Taylor Hall peeled off the half boards and found Jordan Eberle alone on the high slot as he made no mistake to earn his first of the season.


4 minutes later, Luongo misplayed the puck behind his net and Ryan Smyth collected the loose biscuit and dished it off to Shawn Horcoff to make it 2-0.


1 minute later, the kid line struck again and it was Taylor Hall who narrowly slid the puck past Luongo to earn his second goal of the year.  Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Jordan Eberle each collected helpers on the goal.


The Canucks finally managed to break Khabibulin's goose egg when they received tallies from Cody Hodgson and Alexandre Burrows, but it wasn't enough as the Oilers held on for the win.


During the win the Oilers lost Ryan Whitney to a knee sprain.  The veteran defenseman finished the first period but did no return to the line-up.  According to Oilers Head Coach, Tom Renney - at the moment Whitney is now "listed as day-to-day".  


The Oilers will now host the Washington Capitals this Thursday at Rexall Place.


Photo www.edmontonjournal.com


  

Oilers Update - Oilers defeat Blue Shirts

Reporting from Munich Germany.
Last night the Edmonton Oilers skated to a 2-0 decision versus the visiting New York Rangers at Rexall Place all thanks to Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Jordan Eberle's 2 point performance.   However the real hero of the match was Nikolai Khabibulin who earned the shut-out after turning aside 19 shots.  Khabibulin added his 44th career shut-out and at the moment the Bulin-Wall has a .972 save percentage. 


"I didn't expect anything from myself other than a good effort from myself and to fight for playing time.  It's nice to that it started this way.  It's nicer to start well than to not start well and to be trying to catch up all year."  said the 38 year-old net minder.  The net minder set the tone of his game early when he made a tremendous save off of Ruslan Fedeotenko's point blank shot in the slot.  Fedotenko, pounced on Ryan Whitney's cough up which nearly put the blue shirts up in the first.


Late in the first, Magnus Paajarvi had a glorious opportunity to find his first of the season when Ryan Smyth gave the sophomore a behind the back pass.  Lundqvist, was able to stick his toe out to make the save on the Swede to keep the game scoreless in the first.


In the second, Nugent-Hopkins posted the games first goal after firing a wrister past Herik Lundqvist.  The play started when Taylor Hall raced down the right wing with his blinding and then gave RNH a perfect back-hand saucer pass. 


In the third, the Oilers went on the power-play and defenseman Corey Potter cashed in on his first goal of the season using his booming slap-shot to seal the game for the Oilers.  Both Jordan Eberle and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins collected assists on the goal.  


Soon after the goal, Lundqvist left the game due to some "equipment problems" thus paving the way for Martin Biron to end the match with three saves. 


"It was botherig me the whole game, we tried to fix it during the intermission.  In the end it was just too painful.  It's a little sore now but tomorrow I will be fine." said Lundqvist




Who is hot?


RNH continues to be hot for the Oilers who now has 7 points in 7 games and leads the Oilers in points.  




The Oilers will now face the Vancouver Canucks this Tuesday at Rexall place.

Oilers Update - Wild Shock Oilers

It wasn't supposed to end the way that it did.  With less then two seconds to go in the game it was for certain that the Oilers would chalk up another W for the season...until that no-good and much hated Dany Heatly tied it to force overtime.


But, how many times has this happened before in the past where the Oilers simply lose their marbles in the last few seconds of the game?  Nevertheless, the Oilers spoiled it for themselves and couldn't add the finishing touches to clinch their 3rd win of the year.  


"I thought we played well, but it came down to tenths of seconds.  I have nothing but confidence in the this team.  They're a pleasure to coach because they want to badly to the right thing." said Head Coach Tom Renney after the loss.  


However, if there's any sort of consolation, our foes from the South also fell to the Rangers with one tick left. But, don't say that to Eric Belanger.  The newly acquired centre managed to ring the post in the shoot-out and probably feels that part of this loss rests on his shoulders.


"We have to start closing games. We're playing well but we need to finish." said Belanger "I feel good I am working hard but soon things are going to go in I can't get down on myself."  Belanger also missed a chance to put the Oilers up by two on a partial break-away earlier in the game.


Late in the first, Ryan Jones put the Oilers on the board with a tip in off of Ryan Smyth's shot.  Jones now has 2 goals in the last 3 games for the Oilers.


Next up the Oilers will face the New York Rangers on CBC this Saturday.