All Entries Tagged With: "dustin penner"
The dawn of a new era in Edmonton
After selecting franchise-player Taylor Hall with the first overall pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft last Friday, the Edmonton Oilers have indicated they will buy out the contracts of former captain Ethan Moreau, Robert Nilsson and Patrick O’Sullivan tomorrow after putting them on waivers at noon earlier today, effectively turning the page on a [...]
So how bad was it?
With a 7-2 loss last night to Ducks the Oilers finally wrapped up their 2009/10 season; a season that was easily one of the worst in franchise history. When a team finishes 30th out of 30 teams it’s hard to imagine a season much worse. But just how bad was it?
My 2010 All-Star rosters… if there were actually a game
Below you will find my potential all-star selections if there were actually a game this season instead of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics.
Each is comprised of 13 forwards, seven defensemen and three goalies. Every NHL team has at least one representative at the game; therefore some players had to be left out of the [...]
Game 50 review – Heartbreak against Big D
Just like Wednesday night Oiler fans at Rexall Place last night thought that the home team might just pull out a win and end their losing streak, but it just wasn’t meant to be and the streak continues – the Oilers have now lost 10 straight games.
Game 45 review – Another lousy effort, another loss
It was the same the same old story for Oiler fans last night at Rexall Place. The Oilers play, the Oilers lose. Last nights decision – a 5-3 loss to the Predators – marked the tenth loss in the Oilers last 11 games on home ice. With a record like that it’s only a matter of time until the Oilers manage to sit in the basement of the NHL.
Tuesday Top Ten: Biggest Winter Olympic Snubs Of 2010
Welcome to the pilot installment of the “Tuesday Top Ten”, where every Tuesday presents us with a look at the ten biggest (insert topic)’s of the week. As expected, the countdown will be of relevance to current stories and headlines in the World of Hockey.
Olympic hockey, the crown jewel of the international hockey scene. [...]
Game 44 preview – I guess somebody has to win
With just two points separating them in the standings tonight’s matchup between the Oilers and Blue Jackets is a huge four point game. Well it would really only be huge if you were looking at the bottom of the NHL standings and not the top. In fact this game is really a battle for 29th place, with the loser grabbing that coveted spot. The winner will rocket past the Leafs and into 27th place.
Game 43 review – At least it’s a point
The loser point might not be what the Oilers wanted when they worked so hard to tie it up but when a team has just two points in their last ten games I’d be willing to bet that they’ll take points wherever they can find them.
Looking at Penner for Team Canada
Tomorrow morning Steve Yzerman will unveil the roster for the Canadian Men’s Olypic Hockey Team. One of the players that will almost certainly be left of that list will be Dustin Penner. But Penner is having a hell of a year on a pretty bad Oilers team and his numbers look pretty good when compared to the 25 forwards that were invited to the Olympic orientation.
Candidates for Team Canada’s roster for Vancouver 2010
Steve Yzerman, Team Canada’s GM, is planning on making the announcement of Canada’s final roster on December 30, 2009, a little more than a week from now. Yzerman will name his 23 man roster during the World Junior tournament in Saskatoon, Canada.
Below you will find the three groupings for the 2010 Olympic hockey tournament:
GROUP A: [...]
Game 29 preview – Looking for a rare win in Big D
Based on history a win today in Dallas won’t be easy for the Oilers. Since The North Stars packed their bags for the Lone Star State the Oilers have not looked forward to road trips that stop there at all. The Oilers have a 4-22-2-2 record all time in Dallas, that’s a 0.200 winning percentage. On home ice the Oil have fared slightly better but overall the Stars have had the Oilers number for quite a while.
Are the Oilers just good enough to not suck enough?
It’s been a week since I posted anything here one Hockey Independent. Was I battling swine flu because the Flames got a vaccine meant for me? No. Was I staying out of the public eye after crashing my Escalade into a fire hydrant? No. Was I distraught because the Roughriders can’t count to 12? No.
Short Canada trip gets Sharks to 40 points first
It’s not exactly the record pace they set last season, but the San Jose Sharks again find themselves at the top of the NHL standings. With a 5-4 shootout victory against Edmonton on Friday and a 4-2 win over Vancouver tonight the Fins became the first team to reach the 40 point plateau.
The Edmonton game [...]
Thoughts on booing Heatley
It’s going to be a loud night tonight at Rexall Place. For the most the noise won’t be the fans cheering for the home team as much as it will be the fans booing Dany Heatley each and every time he steps onto the ice.
Game 25 preview – Oilers receive a royal visit
It’s back to business for the Oilers tonight as they host the Los Angeles Kings. This will be the first meeting of the season for these two teams but of last season the Kings have really gave the Oilers real problems. In the four games between the two clubs last season the Oilers won just one, thanks to the loser point though they did manage to get a single point in one of the other three.
Game 24 preview – It’s time to start winning
This week could very well define the Oilers season. As a fan it hurts to think that on the 23rd of November but it likely is reality.
Game 22 preview – Looking to stop the slide
Back at the friendly confines of Rexall Place the Oilers will look to get back on the winning track tonight against the Avalanche. With just two wins in their last 12 games the winning track is something they need to find very soon.
Game 21 review – Close but no cigar for the Oil in Columbus
Last night was a good news/bad news kind of night for the Oilers. The good news was that as a team they looked good and did manage to come away with a point. The bad news of course is that they couldn’t hold a third period lead that would have gotten them two points.
The Oilers At The Quarter Point
It seems like only yesterday that the Oilers were getting ready to faceoff against the Flames in their first game of the year and here we are now 20 games deep into the 2009/10 NHL season. With the season a quarter over I thought we should take a quick look back at the season so far and hand out some quarter season accolades.
Anze Kopitar’s Torrid Start And The Magical Fourth Season
Los Angeles Kings’ forward Anze Kopitar is off to a torrid start this season, but it does not come as a surprise to many fantasy hockey pundits. After 19 games, the 22 year-old centre, has already scored 14 goals and notched 16 assists for an exceptional 30 points. A 1.58 point-per-game pace that would be [...]
Game 19 preview – Just keep doing what you’re doing
Tonight in Buffalo the Oilers play their third game of a five game road trip. The key to success is to just keep doing what they’ve been doing – simple offense and lots of shots at one end of the rink and limited second chances and good clean breakouts at the other end of the ice. It’s obviously a lot easier said than done.
Game 18 review – A night of goals that were barely goals
For a change the Oilers outshot and outchanced their opponent last night. Too bad for them the result wasn’t a win but a 4-3 shootout loss to the Senators.
Game 18 preview – Edmonton Falcons visit Ottawa
The good news for the Oilers today is that the Heatley trade didn’t happen. The bad news is that their already depleted lineup looks more and more like the Falcons lineup by the minute. Tonight you can add O’Marra to the mix, he’ll join Falcon teammates Reddox and Potulny in the Oilers lineup tonight.
Game 16 preview – Living without Horcoff
Shawn Horcoff will be out of the Oilers lineup for the next 7-10 days with a shoulder injury that he suffered on Monday night against the Islanders. Horcoff hasn’t pissed a drop this season offensively but his presence will be missed although certainly not on the score sheet. Even when he brings nothing in the offensive zone he is solid defensively, he wins faceoffs, and he sees a lot of ice time on the penalty kill. Those are hard things to replace.
Game 15 preview – Sick and tired of being sick and tired
Thanks to the flu the Oilers have been undermanned and overwhelmed for more than two weeks now. I don’t want to yell and scream that the team is terrible and that trades need to be made now to save the season because they’re sick and I’m sure that it’s tough, or near impossible, to play at a competitive level when you feel like garbage. But do you know when the Oilers last played a good game? October 16.
Game 14 review – The lack of scoring continues
With yesterdays 2-0 loss to the Bruins the Oilers have now dropped four of their last five games. And considering how the other game went they’re luck to have won even one. But as bad as things have been I’m not hitting the panic button – not yet at least.
Game 13 review – Thank God for Penner and Hemsky
“A fire hydrant could score 40 goals playing with Wayne.” – Glen Sather
Right now it seems like a fire hydrant would score a lot of points playing between Penner and Hemsky. That hydrant wouldn’t win many faceoffs but neither do the Oilers so I guess there wouldn’t be a big difference there.
Game 13 preview – The Kid Line returns
In an effort to jump start the offense Quinn is going to move Horcoff back onto the top unit with Penner and Hemsky. Gagner will move down and play with Cogliano and Nilsson, reuniting the Kid Line. Breaking up a line that’s been playing really well to insert dead weight seems a little sketchy to me but when you haven’t scored in seven periods you’ll try anything I guess.
Game 12 review – Another game without a goal
Do you remember a week ago when the Oilers were 6-2-1? The sun was shining, birds were singing, people smiled at each other on the streets, dogs and cats lived in peace, it really was a great time to live in Edmonton. Six days later it’s the team has lost three straight, hasn’t scored in seven periods, it feels like winter outside, nobody has anything nice to say about anything, and I think most of the people on the train last night hoped it would crash just to put them out of their misery.
Game 12 preview – Oilers host conference leading Avs (???)
Hands up, who out there would have looked at the last week of the Oilers October schedule and said “The Avs and the Wings, one tough game and one you’ve got to win”? Of course everyone would have. Now who would have thought that the Avs would be the tough team to beat? Put your hand down you did not.
Game 11 review – Luongo blanks the Oil
Last night reminded me in a lot of way what I watched with the Oilers last season. The game that they played wasn’t terrible overall but they never really seemed close to a win.
I’ve Never Been So Frustrated With Dustin Penner!
Despite Dustin Penner’s early season success, he continues to focus on negatives moments with Craig MacTavish, instead of understanding why he’s playing well now. The answer lies in his play, work ethic and athletic shape more than new coaches.
Game 11 preview – Getting right back on the horse
Following last nights loss to the Flames in Calgary the Oilers hopped right on a plane headed to Vancouver. Between the late puck drop in last nights games and the flight I’m sure the Oilers would have liked to have had a day off to work on their game and to let some of the [...]
Game 10 review – Another loss to the Flames
The games played in the Battle of Alberta are some of my favorites out of any season so you can imagine the pain that it’s causing me to see my beloved Oilers with a 0-2-1 record against the Flames. That all those losses have come in a short 22 day stretch is the equivalent of rubbing salt into the wound.
Game 10 preview – Battle of Alberta round 3
There really aren’t must win games in October. No team has ever won the Cup in October and no team has eliminated themselves either. But while there might not be must win games there are really would like to win games. Tonight in Calgary the Oilers are playing a really would like to win game.
Game 9 review – In Penner we trust
Fans in Edmonton are tripping over themselves to be heard saying “I always thought Lowe was a genius for signing Penner”. Of course very few people actually thought that and fewer still ever said it out loud. Now though, if Penner asked to have Rexall Place renamed the Dustin Penner House of Dominance nobody in this town would turn him down.
Game 9 preview – There is literally nobody left
Between injuries and the flu the Oilers are rapidly running out of players. In addition to Souray, Pisani, Pouliot, and Staios who are out with various injuries you can now add Stone and Brule to the list of Oilers unable to play.
Shut up about Horcoff making $7 million
Please, please, please will everyone shut the hell up about Shawn Horcoff being a $7 million player. Yes that’s what he makes this year – his contract decreases going forward by the way – but his cap hit is $5.5 million. I don’t care what he makes I care what his cap hit is. In a salary cap world nothing else matters.
Game 7 review – Penner leads the way
Last night was not the typical Oilers-Wild game, it was actually entertaining. Well it maybe wasn’t great right from puck drop, it took the Oil four and a half minutes to register a shot, but eventually it got there. From games I’ve seen the Wild play in the past that is about the best you can hope for.
Game 5 review – Oilers win big in Nashville
I’m still not sure what surprised me the most about last nights game. Who am I kidding, Stortini scoring two goals would be the most surprising. Aside from his mother, I don’t think there is anyone on the planet who thought he would score two goals in a game ever. Maybe the most surprising of all was that the goals weren’t ugly, they were actually decent.
Game 4 preview – Some new lines and no Souray
For the second time in as many weeks the Oilers will host the late game on Hockey Night In Canada. But don’t get used to it Oiler fans, it’ll only happen another two times in the remaining 26 weeks of the season. Tonight the Oilers are shuffling the deck up front and on the blue line Souray is out.
Game 3 preview – Is Quinn fooling with Calgary
So the geniuses that make the NHL schedule have the Oilers and Flames facing off for a second time this season tonight in Edmonton. I like the Battle of Alberta as much as anybody but twice in the first three games seems strange.
Game 2 review – The bounces go for the Oil this time
I’m not sure the reason – it could be karma, or cosmic balance, or even some sort of universal justice – but it seems to me that the sports world has adopted a policy of “what goes around comes around”. I know this might sound strange but stick with me for a minute.
Game 2 preview – No Moreau tonight
The Oiler blogosphere and twitterverse have been on fire this morning about who is in and out of the Oilers lineup tonight as they host the Stars. I’ll save you the time and effort of following everything and boil it down to this, Moreau is out of tonight’s game and Nilsson is in.
It’s only one game but I’m liking Penner
Penner, to say the least, hasn’t been the most popular player in Edmonton over the last two seasons. His numbers haven’t been bad – second on the team in goals and fourth in points – but far too often his play has been.
