The Devil Returns, 2.0

Tonight, the Devil 2.0 makes a visit to Edmonton finally. It only took almost five months to get him here. After letting the Oilers get all hot and bothered for a month, Heater refused to put out. He's a dirty tease, letting the Oilers think he was actually considering coming here. We all know the truth. He used the Oilers to gain leverage with Ottawa. He tried to drive up his own market value because he didn't like his options. Yes, options options options. I believe he repeated that ad nauseum this summer. Heatley believed he was entitled to more options, like he was a king sitting on a throne.

Let's not dwell on the past. Tonight the douche comes to Edmonton and yes, he's playing well. He does have Thornton on his wing so he'd better play well. This is why Edmonton went after him so hard; he can score. But the other players involved in the non-trade are having decent years themselves. Penner has transformed his game and is finally the power forward I knew he could be; Smid has developed into a very nice physical defenseman; and Cogliano, if he ever gets better linemates (Moreau? No one can score with the penalty machine on your line), he will be fine too.

However, the Sharks are coming into Edmonton when the Oil are not at their best. They are 2-6-1 in their last eight games. They've gone through a never ending stream of injuries and battled the flu for a month. They just keep mounting. Two important players will not play tonight: Khabibulin and Hemsky. Hemsky is awaiting results from an MRI. Let's all hope it is not serious. If he's out the season, lottery pick. No doubts. This team needs him more than any other player.

I have a good feeling tonight. I think the Oilers will play a hard game and could sneak out a win if Deslauriers continues his decent play. It's possible.

Update: unofficial from Oilersnation but Hemmer may need surgery and is out season. Let's all say it together, FUCK!!

The Rise of Dustin Penner

Dustin Penner has finally arrived. After a 2 goal, 3 assist game last night vs Columbus, fans are all a flutter in Edmonton over the play of Penner so far this season. Putting together Hemsky, Penner and Gagner last night, they put together one of the greatest performances in over 20 years. Penner and Hemsky had 5 point nights with Gagner putting up 3 pts. The last time Edmonton had two players with 5 points in one game each was back in 1988 (Carson and Anderson).

Okay, we should step back and be cautiously optimistic. It was one game. Let's say that again: it was one game.

It's no fun being cautious.

The play of Penner has been a lovely surprise. I did feel and was quite vocal over the past two years that Penner had great potential and was being majorly mismanaged last year. Some of it was his fault, no doubt about that. The mismanagement from last year has contributed to his play this year. He was shamed into getting into better shape, a new coaching staff wiped the slate clean and he has silenced all his critics. We saw glimpses of this Penner in the past where he'd drive the net, skate hard to the puck and use his size. He never did it consistently but I felt if he ever did, this was the potential.

Cautious, be cautious.

A big weekend for the flu-ridden team with back-to-back games on the road against Calgary and Vancouver.

Oilers hockey appears to be back. Damn I've missed it.

Hot Oil

Thank you ESPN and the parents of Sheldon Souray, Andrew Cogliano and Ethan Moreau for creating lovely specimens.

You can check out some other bodies here (note Chara of the Bruins is pic 4) but please, I'm quite content with the Oilers picture.

Moreau = hot OFF the ice

I still love Souray.

Little Cogliano....wow.

Oh yes, there was an Oilers game last night. Another shitty ending with the Lames tying up the game with 1.5 seconds to go. Moreau is wearing the goat horns (horrible pass) but The Wall could have had the tying goal. It was deflected but he was square to the shooter, but didn't flop nor squeezed the five hole. Come on Russian, you had a decent game up to that point.

There are good signs even with the loss. This is not the same team that was pushed around last year. They fight, they hit, they forecheck and play hard. I'm so happy to see the forecheck back. It feels like 2006. It's only been 3 games but I'm happy with the play of most of the team so far.

Defense....you need some work. I mean the entire team defense. They are giving up way too many chances in their zone. Close that up, and chances to tie up a game won't be there.

Now, let's look at that photo again.

2009-2010 Season Opener vs Celine's Calgary Lames

2009-2010 season finally starts for our Oilers tonight against the Calgary Flames. After a few off-season moves which include a new goalie (Nikolai Khabibulin - left), a new coaching staff, and the return of Mike Comrie, the Oilers are looking to rebound after underachieving last year.

The big issue is a 36 year old goalie coming off a very good year for Chicago but can he dublicate that performance? If the Bulin Wall can, this team should make the playoffs. Of course, you need the forwards to score some goals. Quinn has already put his stamp on this team with JF Jacques starting on the top line, Ryan Stone on the second line with Comrie and O'Sullivan and Gagner starting on the fourth line with Moreau and Stortini. Quinn has brought the crust, but is there any jam?

Many predictions out there are calling for the Oilers to miss the playoffs here, here and here. They're not getting any respect. Most are predicting them to finish 11th in the West (a couple bloggers at Oilersnation pick them 8th). That is wrong. I still think this is a playoff team: defense is strong, forwards are pretty good and as long as the goalie continues his strong play from last year, this should be a playoff team.

Let's take a look back at one of my favorite moments from last year, when Souray moved Moreau out of his way in a fight. Souray is important, the defense is not very physical so his body is needed.

The Duff Man Returns to Edmonton

After not being able to find a team willing to sign him, little Comrie ends up signing in Edmonton. What?? After the big bust up in 2003, did anyone ever think this would happen? No.

I won't get into a lot of heavy details about why little Comrie demanded a trade but he couldn't handle the pressure of playing in his hometown, couldn't handle any criticism from his coach/GM and yes, he was dicking around with Tommy Salo's wife and yes, Jason Smith kicked his ass. Other media refute this strongly, but it's true. My insider is legit and this is a true story. If not, Jason Smith should not go around telling the story!

Back to the signing, rumor is that it's for 1-1.3 mill and it's a one year deal. The amount is fine, the term is great but the player being signed is not. Although, one could look at his stats and make a case in favor of this signing. Is he better than Pouliot, Nilsson, Brule, and so on? Stats say yes. But the problem is he's a tiny little fella and this team has many of those already. So much for Tambellini's indict of getting bigger and stronger in the off-season.

Pat Quinn, you'd better coach your ass off this year......

So little 89 is an Oiler once again....oh wait, he is not 89 anymore. Our little Sammy Gagner wears number 89. I wonder which one Comrie will take? 666?

Not quite the end to the off-season we all expected, non?

Devil Speaks....

Well today Dany Heatley (aka The Douchebag or The Devil) will finally speak out. The funniest part of the whole thing is that he will not tell us anything we want to know.

His agent said, "However, out of respect to the Ottawa Senators and all involved, Dany is not getting into specifics...that will remain confidential."

So his part in all this gets to remain confidential, but not the names of those involved? Poor Penner, Smid and Cogliano didn't get confidentiality, did they? No, their names happened to get released. Why? It was leverage. Trade leverage to get him to New York.

So what's the point of this presser? Oh yes, he's working on his image. He has to appear contrite, sorry and spit out all the hockey cliches.

He's still a douchebag. He used Edmonton to drum up more trade talk. I despise hockey players like this. Man up!!

Anyways, just a few weeks until Oilers training camp. I am excited, especially since Heatley will not be an Oiler.

The sun is shining......

THE INMATES ARE NO LONGER RUNNING THE ASYLUM. Maybe.

The Oilers officially declared themselves out of the Heatley trade mess via a late Friday conference call. Nice timing Tambellini. An announcement late on Friday before a long weekend.

In any event, they can now focus on improving the team. Wait a minute? You are happy with the team and might not make any other moves? You think this is a playoff team? Oh my, it wasn't last year and the team is almost identical (switch a goalie, minus a couple nobodies).

You need at least one more centre......someone who can win a freakin' draw. Without Brodziak, you only have Horcoff. Gags and Cogs can't win many draws yet.

I am happy that Cogliano will be staying, and maybe new coaching will improve the team but there are changes to be made. How about that all elusive shooter you're looking for to play with Hemmer? Yeah you forgot? I'm not surprised.

In any event, good riddance Dany boy.

Give it up? They rarely do!

One bit of good news for Oiler fans this week: Denis Grebeshkov signs a one year deal worth $3.15 million and avoids arbitration. I don't mind this deal, but would have preferred a 2-3 deal deal instead. A one year deal is good news for Grebs as if he has another good year, he'll get a raise next year (again). Not so good for the Oilers. So far, he has progressed significantly each year and could get a big contract next year.

But let's enjoy the return of our favorite Russian. Sorry Bulin Wall, Grebs is the fave!!!

Well, I almost don't want to talk about this because it's freakin' embarrassing. The Oilers sent some videos to Heatley showcasing the benefits of being an Oiler. Aside from some Hemsky and Gagner magical plays, maybe some shower shots of Souray? That'd entice anyone, straight or not. Right?

Anyways, this whole fiasco is getting out of control. We're now over three weeks and it is apparent he's using the Oilers. He's a cock tease. All you guys know what I'm talking about, right? You've all dated someone like this: she keeps going out with you but won't give it up. She throws a few kisses your way and maybe a little over-the-sweater action, but the clothes stay on and the knees stay closed. She won't give it up.

Heatley is that girl who won't give it up. He needs to sleep on it, he won't reject the Oilers out-right, his agent says he's misunderstood, NHLPA chief says he would seriously consider the Oilers, and so on. He has the Oilers all hot and bothered, and they hope they can get to the promised land if they just stay persistent. If they keep on him, he's going to finally give it up and let them see him naked.

Really, does the cock tease ever give in? Rare.

Walk away Edmonton before you end up with blue balls. Heatley is just a tease.

It's clobbering time!

The NHL released it's 2009-2010 schedule and it's not bad for our Oilers. No two months on the road to start the season, few back to backs, no huge road trips (6 is the longest) and home and home series with all the Canadian teams. I'm quite okay with the schedule. One problem: only 4 home games on a Saturday and none after December. That's odd. Lots of Tues/Thurs again which is okay but I'd like to know why the Oilers never seem to get a ton of weekend home games. As a season ticket holder, I'd love to have some more weekend games.

I'll make due with another year of Sheldon Souray (got that Tamby?)!!

A douche to rival the douchery of Pronger? Thy name is Heatley

Dany Heatley demands a trade, then vetoes it. Make a decision. You've spent two days on the decision. You wanted more options. You think Ottawa didn't try hard enough to get a trade. You're blindsided that a deal with Edmonton is in front of you even though the Oilers have stated for a month they are interested and you claimed you would be interested in coming here. You think Ottawa should try harder. You you you you!!!

Walk away Edmonton. Two days ago, I was giddy as a schoolgirl about the prospect of bringing Heatley to Edmonton, but now his true colors are showing. He's a selfish, arrogant prick who thinks of no one but himself. He doesn't get why people are angry with him. He thinks he's being portrayed inaccurately, he's being crucified in the media....blah shut up!

Make a decision!

Say no to the douche!!

Draft Day 2009 - Rock on Oilers!

This is the Oilers first round draft pick from last year, World Junior Championship hero Jordan Eberle. This year the Oilers will pick 10th barring any trades up or down. The scoop is they are trying to trade up into the top 8. There are also rumors they are trying to trade for Ottawa's Dany Heatley (or Jason Spezza) and they are having discussions with Minnesota over goalie Josh Harding.

They still need to either sign or cut loose Roloson and Kotalik. If Roloson won't take a one year deal, he's outta here. Even a one year deal is not that appealing to me. He played well but Roli is old and is going to break down sooner rather than later. I would prefer the Oilers to find a nice young goalie of the future (JDD is not that guy yet). That's why I liked hearing discussions had started over Harding. I like him a lot.

Anyways, there could be a couple big blockbuster trades today or in the upcoming days. Heatley, Lecavilier, Kessel, Kaberle, etc.

Hockeybuzz is staying the Oilers are closing in on moving up to #4 pick. They're usually full of shit, but you never know.

Another rumor of Souray to LA for pick 5 and others. I love rumors!

Anyways, check out some of the draft day blogs and mock drafts out there. Some interesting stuff. Big story: who goes number 1? Tavares or Hedman? If New York is smart, they take Tavares. He's a bona fide scoring machine. Don't be dumb!!!

GOILERS!

Game Seven - Let's get ready to rumbleeeeeeeeeee!!

Puck in net.

Pens win.

Wings can suck it.

One more night of hockey.

Good.

Bring on the Oilers.

I'm tired of the crap playoffs

Finals have been boring.

Oilers go all the way in 2010!!

Butch and Sundance!

Please welcome your new Edmonton Oilers head coach, Pat Quinn, and his associate coach, Tom Renney.

I have to admit all of us in the Oilogosphere were taken a bit by surprise with this announcement yesterday. The Oilers kept this signing under wraps big time. They are very good secret-keepers (KGB-like). I believe most of us expected the announcement to come after the playoffs had finished; interview a few more people maybe?

This is a fairly safe hire. He went with experience. What makes this more interesting is he went with two experienced head coaches. That is going outside the box a bit, but staying safe. The more I think about it, the more I like it. Quinn is the motivator while Renney is the technician. Taking the safe path does not mean it's wrong.

What I do not like about this is the retention of Kelly Buchburger over Billy Moores and Charlie Huddy. In particular, I'm upset about the loss of Huddy. He has worked wonders with the defence and I think he's got a lot of skill. Keeping Kelly may work out though. He's a young coach; always been a hard worker and willing to learn. He's being mentored here!

Along with two new coaches, there will be some player changes as well this off-season. It shall be an interesting couple of months. The draft and free agency is about a month off. Get to work boys!

And did anyone see the Flames presser yesterday? Daryl Sutter sure thinks highly of himself. It was hilarious. Apparently, he's the fourth best coach in the league.

"All the best coaches in the league are under contract and I think there are three guys that are excellent... and then I'm fourth."

Wow what an ego. And he's sooooooo wrong, it's sad! But hilarious! Thanks Shames for being so damn funny!

Oh and someone told me the playoffs are still going. Whatever......hockey sucks without the Oilers!!!

They sucketh ass!

What a great playoffs it has been for the Calgary Flamers, aka Lames, aka Shames.

I completely forgot to make fun of the Calgary Flames for sucking ass this playoff season. Thank you very much Calgary. I was busy celebrating your dismissal from the playoffs to post.

Goodbye Celine!!! Have a nice off-season!!!

Swwwweeeeepppp!!!

With no Oilers hockey to watch these days, I've been watching a bit of the playoffs. The game is on in the background, I couldn't care less about most of the teams. There are several things I want: Calgary, Montreal and Washington out in the first round. After that, I want everyone to lose. Yes, I am cheering against everyone.

Montreal got swept....I'm happy.

Craig MacTavish is out!

Craig MacTavish has been relieved of his duties as head coach of the Edmonton Oilers. This was the right decision. It's time for a change for both sides and I wish MacT all the best. He couldn't get any more out of these players, was erratic all year long in his decision-making and did not have the respect of his team. Sure, the players are still just as culpable for the end result but you can't fire the entire team. Someone needs to be help accountable and today it is MacT. The team is better than their record this year and MacT just couldn't get them to play for him any longer.

You will be remembered for 2006!!

Fear and Loathing in Edmonton

Mactavish has two games left in the season and his Oilers coaching career comes to an end. He will find work elsewhere and that is fine. He is a good coach, not great, but good! His time in Edmonton is simply over, he made too many critical mistakes this year and did not handle his bench very well.

Back in October, MacT declared this team was good enough to compete for the division title. I think they were too but MacT put the pressure on this team and they were too scared all season long. The team was scared to make mistakes, scared from the drop of the puck and man did they grip their sticks tight all year long. This is on Craig's head.....he put too much pressure on this team. When a player had a bad game, he was in the pressbox (Nilsson and Penner in particular). When they played badly or maybe more accurately, when he perceived them to have played badly, he called them out publicly. The team was full of fear all year long.

It didn't help matters when it appeared certain players were off-limits to criticism. Moreau, Horcoff and Staios come to mind instantly. Other players were hammered for poor play, bad penalties, no intensity but MacT had his favorites and rarely, if ever, did he criticize their play. How do you explain to the rest of the team why Reddox or Moreau is playing with Hemsky? How is Strudwick on the ice in overtime or in the last minute of a game? You can't tell me this didn't cause a disconnect between some of the players and the coach. You can't treat the players with an uneven hand all year and have it not affect you. You can't coach a team that doesn't respect you!

The best example: MacT explains to the media several weeks ago that he has no explanation why the team won't shoot more. They go over it in practice all the time and in particular, they went over it that very morning. That night, they continue to not shoot when opportunities arise. A disconnect!

Another example is when Hemsky starts complaining about being made a checker, you know you're putting too much emphasis on the defensive side of the game. This is a player that never speaks out, so you know there are problems. During their last three games, MacT changed his game plan and started focusing more on the offensive part. Gagner, following the Vancouver game, gave a great interview to CBC where he explains the new system, how much he likes the new aggressive approach and how it's working better. It took MacT until game 78 to bring the system out. Oilers hockey has always been an aggressive, forechecking, skating hard type of system.....he forgot that this year.

MacT, you will always be remembered for 2006 but time is up! Good luck and good bye!

You have to stay!!

Craig's reaction after Katz's text message that he is not going anywhere.

Coming to the end of the road....

Do the Oil still have a chance? The fan in me hopes they do, and they do if they run the table on their remaining 5 games. But....will they? Can they?

Maybe MacT should try ask for a measurement on Thorton's stick tonight?

Anyways, check out this interesting article by John Mackinnon at the Journal regarding Mactavish's future and why firing him is not in the best interests of the Oilers. My favorite part of it:

"MacTavish is a first-class coach; the list of his betters is a short one, indeed."

He has 299 wins in 651 games (299-249-47-56 record, w-l-t-otl). He's made the playoffs in 3 of 8 (soon 9?) years and the only playoff rounds that were won were in 2006.

First class indeed! Not that many have better winning percentages, right?

No mention of any of his missteps this year, no mention of playing players out of position, no mention of stubborn treatment of certain players, no mention of mismanaging his goalies, no mention of certain veteran players that MacT played ad nauseum even though they were ineffective, no mention of any of that yet he brings up Penner specifically.

Enough! Penner is not the problem. He is more the solution than the problem. Put him back on the top line. The top line gets results when he plays there!

While I do think MacT is a smart hockey coach, he is certainly not one of the best out there and you can say he didn't have the bodies this year all you want but he thought he did at the start of the year. MacT stated they would compete for the division title. He believed the team was good enough. Sure, we'd all prefer that Lowe/Tambellini had provided another face-off man, signed only 2 goalies and had found a better shut down defenseman rather than Strudwick. But MacT had his voice in the decision-making. He played a big part of the past two years; make no mistake!

Back to tonight's game: to stand a chance, they need to kill some penalties (they went 25% against Anaheim, ouch) and score on the powerplay. AND, try not to be the dead walking in the second period. A full 60 minutes please!!

Last Chance

JUST DO IT.

WIN!

Денис Гребешков

Denis Grebeshkov and the Oilers are in Phoenix for another big game tonight. After shitting the bed against Detroit in the third period, they should rebound tonight in the desert. The Oilers played a fairly solid game against Detroit but once again, they got outshot terribly and tried to defend a 1-0 lead for the whole game. They upped their forecheck and put pressure on the Wings at times, but they will need more of that in the next two weeks.

Anaheim is one point up on the Oilers and they play tomorrow night. The next four games are crucial for the Oilers: Phoenix, Anaheim, Minnesota, and Anaheim. Ideally, win all four and then you don't need to run the table against teams like SJ, Calgary or Vancouver to finish the season. Win at least 3 of those games, then you only need a few points to finish the season. Make it easy on yourselves boys!!

One of the most important Oilers right now is Grebeshkov. He has been the best defenseman during the past few weeks (along with Souray). His mobility on the blue line is impressive, moving the puck quickly and cleanly. I really hope he is resigned next year and remains an Oiler. I think one of Souray, Visnovsky, Gilbert or Grebs gets moved this summer....of course that depends on Grebeshkov's contract. If they can bring him in a bit cheaper, they could all stay. If not, it's either Grebs or Gilbert that is gone. I'd prefer Grebeshkov over Gilbert simply for his puck movement and mobility.

Oilers vs Phoenix tonight.....must win and by many goals. I expect a blowout. Deliver boys!!!

Wing It

Wings are in Edmonton tonight, a potential first round playoff match-up. With 10 games remaining in the regular season, the Oilers are quite firmly in 7th place, 3 pts behind 6th place and a possible Battle of Alberta playoff series. So from here on out, I am cheering for Calgary to keep winning and stay ahead of Vancouver, and for Columbus to lose. We want 6th place so get the hell out of the way! Assholes!

The race is still tight and if the Oilers falter, there is still a decent chance they will miss the playoffs. However, they seem to be getting their game together lately, not withstanding the Minnesota game, and tonight will be a good test for the team. A bonus, most of the teams behind Edmonton are stumbling down the stretch so that is helping.

Roli will get the start again, his 29th consecutive start, and will need to be sharper than his last few games. Roli will be rode more than a lady of the night is during this stretch, at least until a playoff spot is locked up. Only at that point will he get a night off.

I'm calling for an Oilers win tonight. I have a good feeling about the Oilers rebounding from the Minnesota game. Oilers win 3-1.

Update: Interesting story about Hemsky and how he feels he's being under-utilized. Coach wants him to play more defensively, which is fine, but Hemsky feels this at the expense of his offensive play. He also wants more ice-time, wants to carry the load down the stretch and play a more important role. I like that Hemsky is speaking out and he wants more responsibility. Not all players must play defensively. Hemsky is giving up lots of turnovers recently. Is that because the coach is harping on him, making him self-conscious and affecting his play? Let Hemsky be Hemsky....you can't turn every player into a defensive-first player. Give him the freedom to dangle!!!

Oilers vs Avalanche

Oilers are in Colorado tonight, a 7th place team against the 15th. This should be a slam dunk for our Oilers but after blowing the game on Saturday against this very team, this game will be closer than it should. The Oilers lost three straight games in overtime and gave everyone some nervous moments in Tuesday's game vs St. Louis. They almost blew it in overtime again but held on and made it to the shootout. Beauty of a goal by Kotalik....more players should go high back hand!

Roli starts his 26th game in a row. He kept the boys in the game during the overtime session vs St. Louis so he'll need to be sharp again. Oilers played pretty good against St. Louis, a team on a 7-3 run. So I'm hoping this means they are finally turning it around. I think JDD gets the Chicago game, or it makes sense to give him a start. Roli, while sharp in the St. Louis game, has given up many questionable goals during the past few games. I think at least one stinker a game. He needs a night off, truly!!

I predict Hemsky will break out soon. He's due for a big game and I just feel he's getting close again. He has been flying all over the ice the past few games and with newbie O'Sullivan on his line finally, the first line will break out tonight!!

GO OILERS!

Downfall

This basically sums it ALL up!

Deadline Madness

Deadline madness begins now with 24 hours of craziness!! But what do our beloved Oilers do in the next 24 hours??

Who is traded? Cole is my bet and I'd be shocked if he was not gone. Why? He's an unrestricted at the end of the year, he is not resigning here and has been a bust. Sure he's played somewhat better over the past month but it's not enough. I say get rid of him for someone who can win faceoffs, kill penalties or a shut-down defenseman. He won't get you that winger for Hemsky.

Several big name players were put on waivers today including one Miroslav Satan, a former Oiler from the mid-1990s. He has 17 goals for the Pens so he might be a nice temporary fix for our top line. He's unrestricted after this year and his salary is $3.5 million so that might be about a $1.3 million hit for the Oilers. Doable especially if they unload Cole (or even not). According to nhlnumbers.com, Oilers have $2.1 million in cap space. Soooooo, maybe this works or is at least an option if you can't get anything else going?

I don't see the Oilers making a big splash at the deadline. They're not mortgaging the future in order to make the playoffs. If they can get a couple small deals, they're probably okay. They need some help in killing penalties. They're getting slaughtered out there. Satan would probably help the powerplay too, and they need help with that too!!

Who else might be leaving in smaller deals? Pouliot or Nilsson are two players that come to mind, but I'm not sure if they're going to cut them loose after all the time they're put into them. But it's possible.

A busy 24 hours are coming up. But how busy?

Big game for the Oilers tonight as they are in Nashville, trying to distance themselves from the pack which includes the Preds, who are only one point behind. This is a hard game to judge since the Preds are coming off an 8-0 victory over Detroit. They have also only won once in the last 11 games against the Preds so another mountain to climb!

Good news for captain Ethan Moreau as he won't require surgery to repair the damage to his eye. Even better news, Moreau is out for at least a week so we can be free of his awesome penalties for at least a few games. Glad you're okay dude, but also extremely elated that you are out of the lineup for a few games.

GO OILERS!!

Update: Apparently, the Oilers are not interesting in Miroslav. That's too bad; at the very least, his name would fit in nicely with this team and their Ladislav and Lubomir!!!

Fernando - The Return

Oilers welcome Columbus to Rexall tonight and Fernando Pisani makes his return to the ice after sitting out for 14 weeks with a broken ankle. Pisani will be playing with Cogliano and Moreau on the third line.

Will he be effective after such a long lay-off? I'm sure they'll manage his ice-time carefully tonight and he won't play big minutes. It would be nice to see a strong return and someone who can help with the power kill which still remains near the bottom at 28th spot (did I see that right on nhl.com? Detroit is 27th on the PK? Gives me hope if that's correct).

The Oilers need some scoring, even strength AND powerplay (20th is not good enough) to get the team into the playoffs. A big game tonight (they are all big from now on) as a win jumps them over Columbus into possibly 6th place.

Make this easy boys.....WIN!!

Battle of Alberta

This picture basically expresses my sentiments clearly, non?

One thing needs to be said: STOP TAKING PENALTIES MOREAU!! You are a moron!!!! Try being the leader of this team, instead of putting them a man down several times a game. I'm going to suggest something radical....be the captain!! Shocking eh?

Oilers have won 2 of the 3 games so far with the Flamers so far, let's make it 3 of 4.

Down one d-man

When Lubo came off the ice, we all knew it was bad. It has been confirmed that Visnovsky needs surgery on his injured shoulder and is done for the season. That is really too bad. He was having a very nice season. The only good news is that we have three other offensive and puck-moving defensemen on the team. I don't think the Oilers can move any of them now. If Lubo was not hurt, I think one of them was going to be moved for either a left winger or a center.

Montreal is in town tomorrow night and they are floundering right now, losing 8 of 10. They held a players-only meeting following their loss to Calgary last night (6-2) so the Oilers need to show up in the first period and play the whole 60 minutes. They are tied for 8th place after going 2-4-1 since the All-Star break. Miraculously they are still in the hunt but they need to be better.

I've just renewed my season ticket for next year and signed up for playoff tickets. Now, get to the promised land boys!!!! Edmonton needs playoff hockey....

UPDATE: Jagr as an Oiler?? Rumor is out there that he is close to signing a deal. His stats for far for Omsk is 51 points in 48 games (25 goals, 26 assists). Not bad. Have we finally found someone to play with Hemsky? Don't tease us Oilers, don't tease us!!!

UPDATE: Yeah not happening this year at least. Jagr remains in Russia.

Oilers vs Bluejackets

The Bluejackets are in town tonight in a big game before the all-star break. The Oilers are tied for the 8th playoff spot with Minnesota but a win tonight could vault them into a tie for 5th with Anaheim and Vancouver. Yes, the west (as usual) is that frickin' tight so this is such a big game. A loss does not mean they are out of it but we'd sure like to see them make things a bit easier on themselves. Like everyone else, I'm tired of the Oilers taking the bumpier road. Get on the paved road boys!!!!

Hemsky returned on Sunday in the game against Phoenix. First, what a great night for Glenn Anderson and his sweater retirement ceremony. It took way too long for that man to get into the Hall of Fame. I believe many of the Oilers were sporting cheesy 'staches in honor of him. They were some of the ugliest 'staches in the history of the 'stache! It was awesome!

Back to Hemsky, he made his return on Sunday and damn, what a game from our star player. He scored 2 goals, one was another highlight reel goal. Moreau got a hat trick (no, that is not an error)....first of his career. But it was Hemsky who was the game-breaker. Everytime he was on the ice, he made something happen. He rejuvenated his linemates, and Penner had one of his best games in weeks, maybe months. He was tough on the boards, fighting for the puck and actually skating to keep up to the play. Wow, I wish he'd play like that every game.

This team is all about Hemsky. So watch out for Torres who returns to Edmonton for the first time tonight. We don't want to see a high hit that takes Hemmer out for another 10 game spell. He's too important!

Sabourin has been waived and will probably end up in the AHL.

Oilers vs Capitals

Edmonton travels to Washington to play the Caps tonight. Edmonton just finished a home stretch where they went 3-2. They didn't play great but got a few wins out of it. They now head into a town where they have not win since 1997. The only good news is that Hemsky is traveling and skating with the team. That is good news and maybe this means he could play on the road trip. That 'mild' concussion has kept Hemmer out since Dec 28th. The team has not looked good during that period so his return will be very welcome!

With such a mediocre stretch of hockey, the Oilers are only TWO points out of the 8th playoff spot. The Oilers play two teams they are either tied with or ahead of them in the standings on their three game road trip. After Washington, they head to Minnesota and Colorado. While we expect the Oilers to be in tough for a win against the Caps, they have a good chance against the Wild and Avs. These are two games they MUST win.

It'll be a tough game tonight, especially since they haven't won there in over a decade. Plus, they have the Ovechkin factor. If I were to ever like anyone else (I'm an Oiler-only fan), this is the guy I would go for. He's physical, gritty and wow he's got skill. But is anyone else getting annoyed with his goal celebrations yet? Celebrate great goals, yes. Celebrate game-tying or winning goals, yes. But going crazy for the 5th goal in a 5-1 win is ridiculous and not even borderline disrespectful. He's being an ass. Stop. You're getting into Crosby territory (with his fake-dying). If you do that again, I want Souray to one-punch you unconscious!

Since the Oilers haven't won in Washington since '97, let's go out on a limb and say they win. They almost got the W last year. Remember when it went into a shootout. I can't remember how long it went, but it was something like 10 players each?? Crazy.

GOILERS!

Update: Horcoff is fighting the flu and will be a game-time decision!

The sharks are circling....

Let us remember the good old days!