I must say it was thoroughly refreshing to play against a Minny team that was both missing many of its best and no longer playing the style we suffered against for so very long against our coach who refused to change the way we played hockey against Minnesota (Nashville bugged me the same way too).
There were also at least 2 completely classic hockey plays tonight. I'll cover each before I even get to the player reports. Both involved Dustin Penner of course.
Classic Play #1
Starting out in the defensive zone where O'Sullivan gets whacked by Boogaard on a brutal play as they're leaving the zone. Instead of being intimidated or hurt, O'Sullivan jumps back up, skates into the play where he hits Boogaard to start the play, then grabs the puck, carries it patiently around the net and makes a absolutely beautiful pass through 3 Minny defenders and a goalie to a perfectly positioned Dustin Penner who concludes it with a goal. Were this the only half-decent play that occurred in the entire game, I'd still have been fairly entertained because it was truly exceptional. Boogaard's play had backfired; O'Sullivan not only brought it in a serious way on this play, but was motivated for the rest of the game.
Classic Play #2
Dustin Penner grabs the puck in the Oilers zone and immediately begins barreling down the wing; he makes a perfectly timed pass to Sam Gagner, keeping the play onside while avoiding having to go through the Minny D-line with the puck. He however continues charging right through the D, drawing a penalty in the process, while heading straight to prime scoring territory in front of the net. A money finish from Penner and it looks like we've got an elite power scoring winger on our hands. Amazing play. Just stunningly beautiful for a hockey fan.
Two plays like this in one game is not something you often see. We added to this with some great goals, some near misses, a solid goaltending performance and a big win back at home. Great way to spend a Friday evening despite the fact that the seats seemed to be more empty than usual this night.
PLAYER REPORTS
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Comrie
He scored an excellent goal on a play that started and ended with him. He showed his athleticism, shifitiness and nose for the net in a matter of several seconds. He also hit a post and had a few near misses the rest of the game. He slid into the spot with Horcoff quite well and they seemed to be very effective in reading off each other. I wouldn't be surprised to see him with Horcoff and Hemsky when Ales is healthy again. This line could work. Comrie didn't make defensive mistakes and even hit some people. I enjoyed his game and he contributed once again.
Horcoff
He played a better game with Comrie on his wing. They support each other fairly well and both take a while to accelerate so they seem to match speeds. Horcoff took a couple of weak shots and I truly don't think he'll ever get his shot back at this stage, but was positionally effective most of the evening. One area he's getting trapped in right now is the offensive corners. He doesn't seem to be using his body effectively. He's either turned away from the play, or paying too much attention to it and leaving the puck loose. Ideally Horcoff is not doing much of the puck-handling along the boards, but sometimes it's just necessary I suppose.
Nilsson
I really felt that he was not at the same level as Comrie and Horcoff early on. He was hanging onto the puck for a long time; and not out of patience but out of fear and indecision. He got a little better towards the end of the game and surely made an excellent play on the Comrie goal, but when Robert is on his game he fires the puck. Tonight I didn't see that instinct from him. Its understandable being that he was just jumping out of the PB, but if he's playing at all going forward, he needs to do this. There are some smaller players on the team right now who are bringing Nilsson's passing and playmaking, but also adding in physicality and/or shooting prowess. This means that even with production, he's likely jobless again quite soon.
Penner
Wow. Just wow. That'd be enough to describe his effort but I'll go into more. My only concern at all with him right now is that I wonder if he's not all that happy. I hope he starts smiling on the ice; maybe he just doesn't but I hope he's feeling it on the inside and realizes the performance he's giving right now. He's driving with the puck, keeping D off with his lead hand, creating separation, taking advantage of his oft-underrated passing ability, and driving to the net like a crazy person, then finishing like a champ. If he can keep this up we are simply on another level as a hockey team. Tonight he even got in Boogaard's face after he was taking liberties. If he'd have dropped them and pounded on the guy, he would've had one of the best nights I've seen anyone have in an Oilers uniform. We may have not only turned the corner with this guy, but ripped around it in a sportscar and hammered on the gas. He's creating a second offensive unit for us (and there also happen to be guys creating a third too!)
Gagner
If anyone had a bit of an off night up front, it might have been him. I just didn't think he was moving or firing the puck like he can. There's no doubt he made an excellent play on Penner's goal, but I thought his effort on the PP was less than inspiring. I'm willing to give him this one because he was statistically productive and we didn't need him tonight, but I know he can be better.
O'Sullivan
Were it not for Penner, I'd be ranting and raving about O'Sullivan's game tonight. The guy was excellent. He got under the skin of Boogaard and the Wild without losing any of his impressive cool; made some absolutely sick plays including a wonderful pass to Penner for a goal, and made an all-world backhand play in the first period that somehow stayed out. He had no room and no angle and somehow beat the goalie flat clean and made it look easy. This guy is just so damn good. Quinn is getting exactly what we need out of him; a complete game with offensive contribution consistently.
Brule
And if I hadn't been bragging about Penner and O'Sullivan, I'd be bragging about the contribution this guy is making. Confidence is absolutely everything in just about any sport. Gilbert Brule is riding high again and providing an amazing effort regardless of where he's lined up. Tonight he was done no particular favors and still managed to drive the net and score two wonderful goals. He kept up his pesky hitting game, looked excellent with the puck, and skated to all the right places. What a player to have in the bottom six. AGAIN, if he keeps this up, boy are we ever laughing. Play him more on the PP! He will keep scoring.
Stone
How exactly he did it aside from driving the net very effectively and positioning his body for ample distraction (especially on Brule's second goal) I really don't know, but he sure got it done. The guy's making simple plays and using his positioning. It's all he's got but he's getting the absolute most out of it. I imagine teams just hate him already. What a beautiful thing to have a guy teams hate to play without him being dirty in the least. The distraction he contributed on Brule's goal was just textbook; can't get over it. Poor guy got his first NHL goal ripped away; but I think he'll get it soon.
Jacques
He did his job and made a couple really excellent power plays using his body. I thought he could've been more physical, but it's okay when he helps his line stay offensively effective. I have a harder time picking up his effective games, so if anyone would like to add I'd really appreciate it here.
Cogliano
He skated very well with the puck until he got to the tops of the circles in the offensive zone. From there he either needed to cut to the middle and shoot, or burn wide and make a great pass. He was going to the middle and giving the puck to Minny. Not a fan. That said, he didn't hurt us.
Stortini
I like that Quinn clearly sent him after the good Minny players after the Boogaard hit. I also liked that he obliged and delivered. He didn't need to do anything crazy, but he helped make the point. No spurts of offence tonight, but that's okay.
Moreau
Honestly, I barely noticed he was playing.
OUR FORWARDS - Just an excellent team effort tonight. Period. Top to bottom. They stepped up with Hemsky ill.
Khabibulin
Again, only really beaten on kind of goofy plays. The guy was excellent when he had any kind of view of the puck. He wasn't overly tested as the shots were not great and in no way indicated that Minnesota was outplaying us (because they were not), but he did his job and again made it look EASY. Love watching this guy play goal.
Chorney
I didn't think he was as good as on the road trip because he didn't make the offensive contribution, but you could certainly have fooled me with regards to him being NHL ready. He skates with absolutely no panic in his stride when being chased. If you're a d-man you know what I'm talking about.
Strudwick
Yuck...out of position leaving his partner attempting to defend two men AGAIN. I think he may have lost a bit in the offseason. Let's hope they keep Chorney when Staios returns. He's better right now. I'm sure Peckham's better too.
Visnovsky
Offensively he was good if unspectacular tonight. What I enjoyed most was that he got really angry at Boogaard and was not afraid to get in his face at all. He's the number 1 right now and he easily asserts it. Very few pucks going the wrong way with him on the ice.
Smid
Covering defensively for Strudwick to the best of his ability. I still cannot believe he can't learn an offensive zone pass or shot to complement his excellent rushing ability. He had a couple great ones tonight and just doesn't know what to do after he gets in the offensive zone. Someone needs to teach him.
Grebeshkov-Gilbert
I honestly didn't notice either much aside from one Grebeshkov messup in the offensive zone. I'm therefore assuming they were pretty solid defensively and overshadowed by a superlative forward effort offensively.
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What started out as a boring game became incredibly enjoyable. Not something you could say often vs. Minny.
My 3 stars were same as the game. Penner-Brule-O'Sullivan. Great night.
And why shouldn't Brule be capable of elite production? He was a 6th over-all, after-all. Because we think we know? Maybe the guy is finding his next level and he's ours. He's fun to watch when he's on.
And tonight Dustin Penner wore the 'A' for the ill Hemsky.
In the post game interview when Penner was asked about recognizing his leadership because he was wearing the 'A', he responded something about there were six players wearing letters.... (Since it changes due to injuries).
I loved the way he implied that leadership on the team is not related to a letter on the sweater.....
O'Sullivan is everything that Horcoff is supposed to be minus the faceoff prowess. There I said it.
Penner was superb out there, he is well on his way to being one of our top players and being a bargain at $4.25 million for this season and 2 more.
Brule is on a roll, he has confidence, isn't looking to try and topple guys way bigger than him when they are ready for his hits, except for some less than stellar passes, he is doing very well.
Chorney looks comfortable out there, he has made great strides since last season, he'll be banging loudly on the door with Peckham for an NHL roster spot.
Khabibulin, best goalie that we've had since Cujo IMO. Very impressed by his play so far this season minus the opening night debacle.
And why shouldn't Brule be capable of elite production? He was a 6th over-all, after-all. Because we think we know? Maybe the guy is finding his next level and he's ours. He's fun to watch when he's on.
If he's truly found that I-was-a-highly-drafted-pick-watch-me-now gear, the opposition's going to be in a world of hurt for the rest of the year.
And why shouldn't Brule be capable of elite production? He was a 6th over-all, after-all. Because we think we know? Maybe the guy is finding his next level and he's ours. He's fun to watch when he's on.
He needs to improve his passing efficiency, stay healthy, keep building on his confidence, and then he could become that player.
Didn't watch the game so thank-you muchly for posting this. Seems like we had a hell of a game today!
No problem! It was slightly delayed due to some car trouble involving my good friend that came to the game with me. Thankfully we were able to relax with some Cherry Coke and pass the time.
It didn't start off amazingly well, but we hammered on it later.
In the post game interview when Penner was asked about recognizing his leadership because he was wearing the 'A', he responded something about there were six players wearing letters.... (Since it changes due to injuries).
I loved the way he implied that leadership on the team is not related to a letter on the sweater.....
Excellent. I still think the symbolic gesture would make a difference for a guy like Dustin.
Let's hope this is more of what's to come for Penner and Brule. As for Dustin smiling, he had a huge grin on the bench after his 2nd goal. Guy has got to be loving this.
No problem! It was slightly delayed due to some car trouble involving my good friend that came to the game with me. Thankfully we were able to relax with some Cherry Coke and pass the time.
It didn't start off amazingly well, but we hammered on it later.
Trip to the states couple months ago; brought back 180 cans of different kinds of pop I can't get here. Cherry Coke, Wild Cherry Pepsi, Cherry Zero, Diet Cherry Pepsi, Hawaiian Punch, A&W Sparkling Vanilla Cream Soda, Diet Cherry Vanilla Dr. Pepper, Pibb Extreme, Pepsi Throwback, Vanilla Zero, Diet Barq's
Penner was superb out there, he is well on his way to being one of our top players and being a bargain at $4.25 million for this season and 2 more.
Brule is on a roll, he has confidence, isn't looking to try and topple guys way bigger than him when they are ready for his hits, except for some less than stellar passes, he is doing very well.
Chorney looks comfortable out there, he has made great strides since last season, he'll be banging loudly on the door with Peckham for an NHL roster spot.
Penner: It's amazing how much better someone plays when their coach isn't roasting them in public. Sure Penner came into camp out of the shape in the first season, but maybe tearing him to shreds a few months into a 5-year deal wasn't the best thing to do, eh Mac-T?
Brule: I was really surprised that he didn't stick with our roster right after we acquired him. I didn't understand how Pouliot got a roster spot before this guy. He isn't big, but he plays a very tough game, he skates hard, he's got a great wrist shot and he's a great fore checker. If we hold onto him I think he'll be one of our best penalty killers up front before you know it.
Chorney & Peckham: I really like Peckham's style of play, but Chorney has way more upside when he's playing a decent 2-way game. If he can show us that he's ready for the responsibility of top -4 minutes before the trade deadline, I'm pretty sure we'll see one of our top 4 guys gone. There's gonna be tons of teams out there who're gonna be desperate to get a good puck mover for the playoffs. In return we can hopefully nab a good left winger and some stuff to improve our pool of prospects... and maybe..... they might even eat some salary... can't get my hopes up too much, though.
Trip to the states couple months ago; brought back 180 cans of different kinds of pop I can't get here. Cherry Coke, Wild Cherry Pepsi, Cherry Zero, Diet Cherry Pepsi, Hawaiian Punch, A&W Sparkling Vanilla Cream Soda, Diet Cherry Vanilla Dr. Pepper, Pibb Extreme, Pepsi Throwback, Vanilla Zero, Diet Barq's
Stupid lack of consumer choice here...
Damn it. Yeah, they had cherry Coke in Canada for a while, probably almost ten years ago now, then they got rid of it again. So annoying. Vanilla was okay too, in a weird way. Now I drink the diet lime mostly.
I tried diet cherry Coke in the UK, it was super disgusting. I'd like to try cherry Coke Zero.
Wow. Just wow. That'd be enough to describe his effort but I'll go into more. My only concern at all with him right now is that I wonder if he's not all that happy. I hope he starts smiling on the ice; maybe he just doesn't but I hope he's feeling it on the inside and realizes the performance he's giving right now. He's driving with the puck, keeping D off with his lead hand, creating separation, taking advantage of his oft-underrated passing ability, and driving to the net like a crazy person, then finishing like a champ. If he can keep this up we are simply on another level as a hockey team. Tonight he even got in Boogaard's face after he was taking liberties. If he'd have dropped them and pounded on the guy, he would've had one of the best nights I've seen anyone have in an Oilers uniform. We may have not only turned the corner with this guy, but ripped around it in a sportscar and hammered on the gas. He's creating a second offensive unit for us (and there also happen to be guys creating a third too!)
Not me . I'll take the serious Penner .
What does he really have to smile about anyway after the coach , management and fans threw him under the bus bigtime last season while free passes were handed out left and right for the coach's toadys . I hope he remembers that and plays pi$$ed off everynight . And I hope the coach has the sense to keep him far far away from any line with Horcoff on it .
O'Sullivan's shift where he owned Boogaard was ****ing awesome. That's how a hockey player plays the game. He showed that buffoon how the game is played. The best part was seeing Boogaard skate back to the bench and the Oilers bench just giving it to him.
Penner is the man. What a treat it is to watch him play the way we all hoped he could.
__________________ "How many Twix does that make for you today? Like eight Twix?!"
Chorney & Peckham: I really like Peckham's style of play, but Chorney has way more upside when he's playing a decent 2-way game.
Peckham has a style & purpose that every team needs. A defenseman who does not cost their team defensively yet can & will kill any opponent who touches their team mates.
Chorney is just a different style of Gilbert /Grebeshkov / Visnovsky / Smid - nobody on the Oilers is a clone of what Peckham brings.....
Peckham has a style & purpose that every team needs. A defenseman who does not cost their team defensively yet can & will kill any opponent who touches their team mates.
Chorney is just a different style of Gilbert /Grebeshkov / Visnovsky / Smid - nobody on the Oilers is a clone of what Peckham brings.....
Something to consider......
I'm sure Quinn will consider it . Chorney is doing OK but no point having him here with the ( healthy ) top 4 the Oilers can ice . Peckham on the other hand brings a different element - one that I think a coach like Quinn appreciates . I think Peckham had six fights last year in the NHL and won them all . Plus he just snapped on a few guys ..... think I'll drop by hockeyfights right now and watch the beating he gave Cooke one more time . Some things never get old .
He needs to improve his passing efficiency, stay healthy, keep building on his confidence, and then he could become that player.
He's just got to stop chasing the puck around and playing timbits hockey... he's done that. More often than not, when the oilers turn the puck over in the offensive end, he jets outside the zone, resets and waits for the play to come, then attack.
In the past, he'd chase the puck all over the zone while the other team broke out, throwing himself into the boards several times in the process.
Aside from the chinese fire drill that line had on the first Minnesota goal, they really did a good job of waiting for opportunities instead of chasing them.
__________________ http://afterthegreenlight.blogspot.com
TheSpecialist - MacT thinks he was that good of a hockey player when in actuality he was no better then a Louie Debrusk.
My only concern at all with him right now is that I wonder if he's not all that happy. I hope he starts smiling on the ice; maybe he just doesn't but I hope he's feeling it on the inside and realizes the performance he's giving right now.
FWIW, Penner was smiling and lol'ing on the bench tonight.
