Sunday, February 11, 2007
ABC, It's Easy As Do-Re-Mi
As I write this, the powerful, fear-inspiring Calgary Flames are down 3-0, 4-1, 6-1! to the Detroit Red Wings. Once they lose, it will be four in a row. I'm surprised, as Flames fans on this site keep telling me how dominant their team is. Huh. Whaddya know? And I was just starting to believe they were the second coming of the 76-77 Habs, too.
As for the Flames acquisition of Brad Stuart and what's-his-face, I'll just second what everyone else has already said. It's a great move by Sutter, and clearly indicates the team's desire to take a shot this year. It's also a smart move because it keeps Lowe from getting Stuart, as well as sets a price on the market that Lowe might not be willing to pay. As a Red Sox fan, I'm always cognizant and appreciative of screwing over your most despised rival. As for whether I'm choked about losing out on Stuart, I'd have to say no. If the price was Lupul/Torres and a defencemen or pick, I'm glad Lowe passed (mostly because I wasn't entirely sold on Stuart in the first place). What does irk the hell out of me, though, is that we have heard absolutely nothing all year long from Lowe on his management strategy/plan for this team. I blame Lowe for this, but I also blame the local media. I mean, what is the plan? What was the plan? Was this a re-building year? Was this a "go for it" year? Was it supposed to be both? Is the team not maxing out on the cap because it wants to wait and bid on UFA's this offseason, or the next? I mean, do we even know how Lowe feels about losing out on Stuart? There wasn't a story on it in the papers today (so much for access leading to public knowledge). We can make educated guesses about all of this stuff, of course, but the problem is that we have no other option but to do so. The team has told us absolutely jack squat. Should they? I certainly think so. As a fan, and a consumer, I'd like to know what kind of team/product the Oilers were/are planning to put out. I believe that's a reasonable expectation.
Should be a good game against the Thrashers tonight. I alway like seeing the Eastern teams. It happens so rarely. As for who to watch on Atlanta, it's not Ilya Kovalchuk, Marian Hossa or Slava Kozlov. It's Thrashers coach Bob Hartley. That guy is a greaseball. It's pretty much an absolute certainty that he gets one of his players to do something dirty each and every night. As for the Oil, it goes without saying...big game.
As for the Flames acquisition of Brad Stuart and what's-his-face, I'll just second what everyone else has already said. It's a great move by Sutter, and clearly indicates the team's desire to take a shot this year. It's also a smart move because it keeps Lowe from getting Stuart, as well as sets a price on the market that Lowe might not be willing to pay. As a Red Sox fan, I'm always cognizant and appreciative of screwing over your most despised rival. As for whether I'm choked about losing out on Stuart, I'd have to say no. If the price was Lupul/Torres and a defencemen or pick, I'm glad Lowe passed (mostly because I wasn't entirely sold on Stuart in the first place). What does irk the hell out of me, though, is that we have heard absolutely nothing all year long from Lowe on his management strategy/plan for this team. I blame Lowe for this, but I also blame the local media. I mean, what is the plan? What was the plan? Was this a re-building year? Was this a "go for it" year? Was it supposed to be both? Is the team not maxing out on the cap because it wants to wait and bid on UFA's this offseason, or the next? I mean, do we even know how Lowe feels about losing out on Stuart? There wasn't a story on it in the papers today (so much for access leading to public knowledge). We can make educated guesses about all of this stuff, of course, but the problem is that we have no other option but to do so. The team has told us absolutely jack squat. Should they? I certainly think so. As a fan, and a consumer, I'd like to know what kind of team/product the Oilers were/are planning to put out. I believe that's a reasonable expectation.
Should be a good game against the Thrashers tonight. I alway like seeing the Eastern teams. It happens so rarely. As for who to watch on Atlanta, it's not Ilya Kovalchuk, Marian Hossa or Slava Kozlov. It's Thrashers coach Bob Hartley. That guy is a greaseball. It's pretty much an absolute certainty that he gets one of his players to do something dirty each and every night. As for the Oil, it goes without saying...big game.
# posted by andy grabia @ 4:58 pm 
Comments:
I'm a little surprised with the underwhelming assessment of Stuart by Oilfans generally. Maybe I'm wrong but if he walks into the Oilers dressing room isn't he immediately the best defenceman on the Oil since Coffey left? And if the Oilers think the price was too high for Stuart what do you think Pitkanen is going to cost?
Andy, it's not nice to delete comments you disagree with. :p
I delete comments from people who are being rude. I'm under no obligation to put up with that. As for comments that I disagree with, they are littered throughout this site.
As to anonymous, good points. I'd say that Hamrlik and Niinimaa were as good as Stuart in their prime. He certainly hasn't lived up to his expectations. And of course there was Pronger. But yes, he would have been a good addition. The difficulty, however, is that he is a UFA at the end of the year. If they could have gotten him for those players, as well as signed him and kept Smyth, I'd be fine with it. Same goes for Pitkanen. The price I'm willing to pay for a rental is different than the price I'm willing to pay for a guy who will be on the roster next year. I mean, is Stuart or any single defensive acquisition even going to get the Oilers into the playoffs? I don't know. He'd help, but there's a lot of holes in the Oilers game this year. They still might not make the playoffs, and you've given up some young players and picks for naught.
Andy: Being rude? That's pretty weak.
All I'm doing is questioning why your posts are gradually becoming more anti-Calgary than pro-Edmonton -- and there is a difference. Every post you make now seems to be a swipe at Calgary followed by a tacked-on piece relating to the Oilers. There's a correlation to be made here, the farther away the Oilers playoffs hopes are, the more anti-Calgary you're becoming.
It's unbecoming of the site which used to be excellent, but I fear you're bringing down the quality on your end with your juvenile posts, such as the opening paragraph of this one. You can do better, so please try...
is Stuart or any single defensive acquisition even going to get the Oilers into the playoffs? I don't know. He'd help, but there's a lot of holes in the Oilers game this year. They still might not make the playoffs, and you've given up some young players and picks for naught.
I wonder what would have been said to the poster who had written those words, say mid-October?
I wonder what would have been said to the poster who had written those words, say mid-October?
Difference is that three months of hockey have been played since mid-October. And salary would have been a concern back then.
Dave, I'll leave your comment up, if only because it illustrates why I deleted your earlier one. But Matt and I will delete any comment we wish to delete. We'll also worry about the quality of our site, with feedback from those we know and respect. If you don't like the site, you are free to read your own.
Every post you make now seems to be a swipe at Calgary followed by a tacked-on piece relating to the Oilers. There's a correlation to be made here, the farther away the Oilers playoffs hopes are, the more anti-Calgary you're becoming.
As a Flame fan, and as someone who knows the future is unknowable, I'd like to reserve the same right for myself, so I think a little grace is owed to Andy et al.
If Andy wasn't anti-Calgary as well as pro-Edmonton, would it be the Battle of Alberta? No, no, I think not. Similarly, it's not like Matt's never taken a swipe at the Oilers. It kinda comes with the territory.
These two teams have a bit of a bizarre history for bad blood. The last two meetings have included a scorer-fight (Comrie-Kovalchuk) and a line brawl (see YouTube). Wonder what'll go down tonight?
Shit, 1-0 Thrashers.
Dave, I’d advise against telling Andy how to run the site. I unfortunately went down this road at one time, and have since realized how ridiculous it was to believe that I had any right to tell anyone else how to run their own ship.
And if Andy wants to take cheap shots, good on him. It's the freaking Battle of Alberta. Taking runs at Oiler fans is 3/4 of the fun.
The Oilers better watch themselves. Teams are baiting them, and they are falling for it.
Damn, Smytty almost had a second one there.
Calgary's ineptitude on the road really is something spectacular. There's probably some interesting analysis to be done there.
I'm planning on doing a simplistic 3-phase analysis of all the playoff teams once we hit April 10th:
1) Road record: any team that's going to win the Cup is going to have a good road record. I'm going to set the bar at .500
2) "Bowman Number": the sum of the rankings of the team in terms of where they rank for goals scored and goals allowed must be less than 25 (i.e. Say Buffalo finished fifth in goals scored and 12th in goals allowed...they would have a Bowman number of 17). There was some discussion on this on CalgaryPuck earlier in the season, and I thought it was interesting....
3) "Hitchcock Numbers": One thing I heard the guy say like 10 years back that always stuck was that your team wasn't about to be successful unless the sum of powerplay conversion percentage and penalty-kill percentage was at least 105%.
I figure that there will be very few teams that meet all three criteria, and the Stanley Cup winner is going to come out of that group. Simplistic, I know, but it's an experiment....
Ok, that hit by Sutton was reasonably clean, but I still think Stortini needs to feed him his lunch at the next opportunity.
And he will. The guy is quite willing to get dirty.
Simplistic, I know, but it's an experiment....
A very interesting one, I'd say.
It was a clean hit on Pisani. And I'd like to see someone run over Ilya. He's their star, and he's a cocky s.o.b.. Good enough reasons for me.
2-1, Oil. Big blast from MAB.
Bobby Holik....I haven't heard an announcer say that name in a long time. I actually did the double take when I heard them say his name.
Pouliot!!! Somewhere, Lowetide is dancing.
Oilers are going to romp from this point I think...Atlanta down two and (still) playing their second game in the past 24 hours, with a flight to boot.
Man...I'm thinking that maybe, just maybe, this EC roadtrip could be alright.
I'm thinking of starting a Jan Hejda fan club called "Don't Hejda The Player." I feel so calm when I see him on the ice.
Atta boy, Horc. I don't know why the broadcast team is surprised that these guys dislike each other. Hartley coached in Colorado, and every team in the WC hates him. Plus Kovalchuk never shuts up.
Four minutes? Cmon.
This game could get nasty in the 3rd if the score is lopsided.
The officiating sure is horse-shit when it comes to these scrums, that's for sure.
Oh, and Andy Sutton is a UFA this summer. I'd take him on the Oilers, without a doubt. I'm a fast fan. Good first pass, and a mean SOB on top of it.
Anyways, good 2nd period....Vaunt in da house!
mclea: Is this actually Grabia's site? The last time I checked it was Matt and sacamano's, and Andy is filling in for sacamano while he can't post for this season.
It's just a bit upsetting to me, because I used to really like the blog. It used to be more cerebral than it is now. Matt's post still are, he does analysis in his. Andy's are sounding more and more like the tsn.ca article comments instead. Compare and contrast Andy and Matt's most recent, say, 5 posts objectively...
I also find it amusing he deletes a post critical of his as "rude", while the very post he made calls someone a "greaseball". ;)
Kinger: Thanks, I am hurt.
Oh yeah...
Is it just me, or is Bergeron having possibly the best game he's had all year?
And I don't think Pouliot's going back to WBS anytime soon....
Pouliot!!! His mom and I are very proud! I think he got some PK time at the end of the period too, and even the pbp guy (Tim Dancy? I never pay attention) noticed his puck support.
That quack Greg Ross just said "the Oilers with a comfortable lead." Jackass. It's nice the Oilers are winning and all, but just how many of these players are MacT types? I know they wanted a buzzsaw offense and all this season but the coach seems to coach better with the gritty "in off his ass" types. Suspect next year's team will be a little gritter and less sexy (Lupul, Sykora, Hemsky).
Is it just me, or has Petr Sykora been Mr. Consistency for the Oilers this year?
Seems like he's always on the scoresheet.
Erm, Sykora? He was hot in the first 30 or so games, but he's had fairly long stretches of pointless games.
This game could get nasty in the 3rd if the score is lopsided.
Given the history of these two teams I already mentioned, I'd be surprised if it didn't.
Sykora's Gamelog. Okay, maybe it wasn't as bad as I thought, points-wise, but he sure has dried up on the goals.
Pisani with a mild concussion, according to Rod. Not the best of news before a lengthy road trip.
James: the whole "not scoring goals" thing is kind of a bother. He's certainly cooled off in that category.
As far as consistency goes, he's been pretty good... except that dreadful two weeks at the end of january/beginning of february.
Roloson is back in SpongeBob mode, everything shot at him ends in a whistle. Hope they take this version on the road.
Dear Dave,
The fact that I'm agreeing with mclea has to say something.
This site remains as great as any other free site with unpaid writers out there.
BOA, lowetide, COI, et. al, make being a fan of the Oil and a hater of the Flames so much easier.
Also, Brad Stuart is a pussy. Fuck him, fuck the Flames, fuck them all. Also, Dave, you're a dick. Oops, was that rude?
Soooooo....
What are we thinking for a "target" for this roadtrip?
Would anyone agree with me that four wins would be pretty good? Assuming that one of those was in the game against the Wild?
Hope Pisani is back Tuesday and Stoll within a week....
Would anyone agree with me that four wins would be pretty good? Assuming that one of those was in the game against the Wild?
Yup. I'd be pretty happy with that. Five would sure be swell though, no?
34 having a mild concussion means he has to miss at least a week right? And I'm thinking the earliest we'll see 16 would be in two Tues's in Ott.
So, this roadtrip will depend on Roli, the PP catching fire and the 14-71-15 threesome. The defense just isn't gonna get any better with guys like 47-2-5 onboard and a guy like 25 playing min that he shouldn't be. But when you look at 14-71-15 then you're looking at guys who we can legitimately expect more out of. And the same goes for the Oilers PP and Roli as well. I thought it was gonna be another here we go again game with the way Atl scored the first one but then LT's right because Roli just started smothering everything and he made a couple of wicked saves off a giveaway when the score was still 1-1.
And yeah it was a nice game by 78. He's a smart kid when it comes to covering his own zone and he made a zip pass to 34 in the crease early in the first period that not a lot of guys could make. I didn't think much of the shot that made his goal but hey who cares right?:)
Regarding AG, it's a friggin BOA site so who cares if he's addressing the Flames all the time. Isn't that to be expected? And Andy when it comes to the plan for this year's Oilers I think it was spend just enough money as not to arouse suspicion that you're going on the cheap for a rebuild. I mean that's the only way I can explain the Oilers not outbidding Bos for Stuart because Cgy didn't give up a whole lot. Bergy's close to Ference in terms of effectiveness and who the fuck is chuck kobesuck?:) Seriously, he scored 20 last year but he was back to disappointing this year before he was nailed with a couple of injuries. There's no way Lowe couldn't have matched that offer and made it worth the Oilers while. Maybe even did something to that point that Sturm came back instead of Primeau which wouldn't have been a bad idea given 16's current predicament.
So I'm thinking we didn't pick up Stuart because of the money remaining on his pact. No one in their right mind would compare Kobesew to Torres or Lupul so that could not have been a sticking point. As for the local media in your city, it sucks. Even a guy who's an up comer with a great nose for news and the hunger to make it happen, ie Guy Flaming, is being groomed in the vein of "Kevin Lowe is all-knowing and shall never be questioned." And that's from a guy that's a relative pup. Spector broke a huge story about the gate rev and the Oilers take for every playoff gate and days earlier Dreger said the Oilers want a 40 mill cap max. Put those two items together and you've got a helluva story that will elict some terse no comments from Lowe and the EIG. Which will make for an even better story.
Don't expect it to happen though.
Couple of notes on the EC Swing: I can't believe we're gonna roll into Buf, Ott and Det fighting for our playoff lives with a defense that includes all of Bergeron-Smid-Greene and Hedja. I think that tells you all you need to know about what the intentions were for this year.
Finally, we need to win in Min and in reg. We need 5 points combined from the Bos-Colu-TO games. Then we need to haul a win from the Buf-Ott-Det threesome.
Overall though we're gonna need a lot of help because with the team constructed as is there's no way we can get in by just being hot down the stretch. We need someone to pull a canucks slide ala '06
Dennis
Five would sure be swell though, no?
Hmmm....
@Bos
@Buf
@Tor
@Ott
@CBJ
@Det
@Min
I see wins in Boston, Columbus, Minnesota, and one of the Ontario games. Maybe snag an OTL point in there somewhere.
4-2-1 would make me pretty happy. Anything beyond that would be pure, thick, delicious gravy.
I mean, do we even know how Lowe feels about losing out on Stuart? There wasn't a story on it in the papers today (so much for access leading to public knowledge).
Am I wrong in thinking that the trade was announced late last night? I don't recall reading anything at all in the paper about the trade this morning. Not to say that they necessarily would have been all over it otherwise, but I think the verdict on access to Lowe's reaction should wait until at least tomorrow, no?
As for the game tonight itselft, I've been fooled before this season, but that seemed like an actual good game against a fairly decent team. Two questions immediately spring to mind: can it continue, and where the hell was this kind of game all season?
And was it me, or was Sutton's delay-of-game penalty (when he cleared the puck over the glass on the other side of the ice) forced by an ominous Stortini-shaped shadow looming over him?
I'd like to think that was the reason, anyway.
With all the talk last week being that the Oil needed to win two of every three to have a shot, they've won five of their last seven, and will need to do the same on the next road trip, given how well Minny's been playing (6-2 since the All-Star break), in order to make up much ground. They might be able to get away with nine points (i.e. 4-2-1), but certainly no fewer than that.
Whatever. The Flames serve up a turd and the Oilers win at home. Is it just me, or do the Oil get to play all of their games at home this season?
Oh wait, they are actually going on the road now? For SEVEN games? I guess we will know by Mark Messier night whether they will make the playoffs.
The Avalanche are 10 points out right now and I think we can now fairly strike them out of the top 8 come April. The Oilers are hanging around at 6 points back. I agree with the emerging consensus that 4-2-1 is the minimum they can escape with on this trip and still be in the conversation about the playoffs. Otherwise, this site will all be about Flames' seeding and matchups.
peter said...
Otherwise, this site will all be about Flames' seeding and matchups.
Assuming they even hang in there. That nice Flames home record is rapidly turning from a luxury into a necessity.
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I'm a little surprised with the underwhelming assessment of Stuart by Oilfans generally. Maybe I'm wrong but if he walks into the Oilers dressing room isn't he immediately the best defenceman on the Oil since Coffey left? And if the Oilers think the price was too high for Stuart what do you think Pitkanen is going to cost?
# posted by 
: February 11, 2007 6:05 pm
: February 11, 2007 6:05 pm Andy, it's not nice to delete comments you disagree with. :p
I delete comments from people who are being rude. I'm under no obligation to put up with that. As for comments that I disagree with, they are littered throughout this site.
As to anonymous, good points. I'd say that Hamrlik and Niinimaa were as good as Stuart in their prime. He certainly hasn't lived up to his expectations. And of course there was Pronger. But yes, he would have been a good addition. The difficulty, however, is that he is a UFA at the end of the year. If they could have gotten him for those players, as well as signed him and kept Smyth, I'd be fine with it. Same goes for Pitkanen. The price I'm willing to pay for a rental is different than the price I'm willing to pay for a guy who will be on the roster next year. I mean, is Stuart or any single defensive acquisition even going to get the Oilers into the playoffs? I don't know. He'd help, but there's a lot of holes in the Oilers game this year. They still might not make the playoffs, and you've given up some young players and picks for naught.
Andy: Being rude? That's pretty weak.
All I'm doing is questioning why your posts are gradually becoming more anti-Calgary than pro-Edmonton -- and there is a difference. Every post you make now seems to be a swipe at Calgary followed by a tacked-on piece relating to the Oilers. There's a correlation to be made here, the farther away the Oilers playoffs hopes are, the more anti-Calgary you're becoming.
It's unbecoming of the site which used to be excellent, but I fear you're bringing down the quality on your end with your juvenile posts, such as the opening paragraph of this one. You can do better, so please try...
is Stuart or any single defensive acquisition even going to get the Oilers into the playoffs? I don't know. He'd help, but there's a lot of holes in the Oilers game this year. They still might not make the playoffs, and you've given up some young players and picks for naught.
I wonder what would have been said to the poster who had written those words, say mid-October?
# posted by : February 11, 2007 6:26 pm
: February 11, 2007 6:26 pm I wonder what would have been said to the poster who had written those words, say mid-October?
Difference is that three months of hockey have been played since mid-October. And salary would have been a concern back then.
Dave, I'll leave your comment up, if only because it illustrates why I deleted your earlier one. But Matt and I will delete any comment we wish to delete. We'll also worry about the quality of our site, with feedback from those we know and respect. If you don't like the site, you are free to read your own.
Every post you make now seems to be a swipe at Calgary followed by a tacked-on piece relating to the Oilers. There's a correlation to be made here, the farther away the Oilers playoffs hopes are, the more anti-Calgary you're becoming.
As a Flame fan, and as someone who knows the future is unknowable, I'd like to reserve the same right for myself, so I think a little grace is owed to Andy et al.
# posted by : February 11, 2007 6:41 pm
: February 11, 2007 6:41 pm If Andy wasn't anti-Calgary as well as pro-Edmonton, would it be the Battle of Alberta? No, no, I think not. Similarly, it's not like Matt's never taken a swipe at the Oilers. It kinda comes with the territory.
These two teams have a bit of a bizarre history for bad blood. The last two meetings have included a scorer-fight (Comrie-Kovalchuk) and a line brawl (see YouTube). Wonder what'll go down tonight?
Shit, 1-0 Thrashers.
Dave, I’d advise against telling Andy how to run the site. I unfortunately went down this road at one time, and have since realized how ridiculous it was to believe that I had any right to tell anyone else how to run their own ship.
And if Andy wants to take cheap shots, good on him. It's the freaking Battle of Alberta. Taking runs at Oiler fans is 3/4 of the fun.
The Oilers better watch themselves. Teams are baiting them, and they are falling for it.
Damn, Smytty almost had a second one there.
Calgary's ineptitude on the road really is something spectacular. There's probably some interesting analysis to be done there.
# posted by : February 11, 2007 7:25 pm
: February 11, 2007 7:25 pm I'm planning on doing a simplistic 3-phase analysis of all the playoff teams once we hit April 10th:
1) Road record: any team that's going to win the Cup is going to have a good road record. I'm going to set the bar at .500
2) "Bowman Number": the sum of the rankings of the team in terms of where they rank for goals scored and goals allowed must be less than 25 (i.e. Say Buffalo finished fifth in goals scored and 12th in goals allowed...they would have a Bowman number of 17). There was some discussion on this on CalgaryPuck earlier in the season, and I thought it was interesting....
3) "Hitchcock Numbers": One thing I heard the guy say like 10 years back that always stuck was that your team wasn't about to be successful unless the sum of powerplay conversion percentage and penalty-kill percentage was at least 105%.
I figure that there will be very few teams that meet all three criteria, and the Stanley Cup winner is going to come out of that group. Simplistic, I know, but it's an experiment....
Ok, that hit by Sutton was reasonably clean, but I still think Stortini needs to feed him his lunch at the next opportunity.
And he will. The guy is quite willing to get dirty.
Simplistic, I know, but it's an experiment....
A very interesting one, I'd say.
It was a clean hit on Pisani. And I'd like to see someone run over Ilya. He's their star, and he's a cocky s.o.b.. Good enough reasons for me.
2-1, Oil. Big blast from MAB.
Bobby Holik....I haven't heard an announcer say that name in a long time. I actually did the double take when I heard them say his name.
Pouliot!!! Somewhere, Lowetide is dancing.
Oilers are going to romp from this point I think...Atlanta down two and (still) playing their second game in the past 24 hours, with a flight to boot.
# posted by : February 11, 2007 7:55 pm
: February 11, 2007 7:55 pm Man...I'm thinking that maybe, just maybe, this EC roadtrip could be alright.
# posted by : February 11, 2007 7:58 pm
: February 11, 2007 7:58 pm I'm thinking of starting a Jan Hejda fan club called "Don't Hejda The Player." I feel so calm when I see him on the ice.
Atta boy, Horc. I don't know why the broadcast team is surprised that these guys dislike each other. Hartley coached in Colorado, and every team in the WC hates him. Plus Kovalchuk never shuts up.
Four minutes? Cmon.
This game could get nasty in the 3rd if the score is lopsided.
The officiating sure is horse-shit when it comes to these scrums, that's for sure.
Oh, and Andy Sutton is a UFA this summer. I'd take him on the Oilers, without a doubt. I'm a fast fan. Good first pass, and a mean SOB on top of it.
Anyways, good 2nd period....Vaunt in da house!
mclea: Is this actually Grabia's site? The last time I checked it was Matt and sacamano's, and Andy is filling in for sacamano while he can't post for this season.
It's just a bit upsetting to me, because I used to really like the blog. It used to be more cerebral than it is now. Matt's post still are, he does analysis in his. Andy's are sounding more and more like the tsn.ca article comments instead. Compare and contrast Andy and Matt's most recent, say, 5 posts objectively...
I also find it amusing he deletes a post critical of his as "rude", while the very post he made calls someone a "greaseball". ;)
Kinger: Thanks, I am hurt.
Oh yeah...
Is it just me, or is Bergeron having possibly the best game he's had all year?
And I don't think Pouliot's going back to WBS anytime soon....
Pouliot!!! His mom and I are very proud! I think he got some PK time at the end of the period too, and even the pbp guy (Tim Dancy? I never pay attention) noticed his puck support.
That quack Greg Ross just said "the Oilers with a comfortable lead." Jackass. It's nice the Oilers are winning and all, but just how many of these players are MacT types? I know they wanted a buzzsaw offense and all this season but the coach seems to coach better with the gritty "in off his ass" types. Suspect next year's team will be a little gritter and less sexy (Lupul, Sykora, Hemsky).
# posted by : February 11, 2007 8:20 pm
: February 11, 2007 8:20 pm Is it just me, or has Petr Sykora been Mr. Consistency for the Oilers this year?
Seems like he's always on the scoresheet.
Erm, Sykora? He was hot in the first 30 or so games, but he's had fairly long stretches of pointless games.
This game could get nasty in the 3rd if the score is lopsided.
Given the history of these two teams I already mentioned, I'd be surprised if it didn't.
Sykora's Gamelog. Okay, maybe it wasn't as bad as I thought, points-wise, but he sure has dried up on the goals.
Pisani with a mild concussion, according to Rod. Not the best of news before a lengthy road trip.
# posted by : February 11, 2007 8:32 pm
: February 11, 2007 8:32 pm James: the whole "not scoring goals" thing is kind of a bother. He's certainly cooled off in that category.
As far as consistency goes, he's been pretty good... except that dreadful two weeks at the end of january/beginning of february.
Roloson is back in SpongeBob mode, everything shot at him ends in a whistle. Hope they take this version on the road.
# posted by : February 11, 2007 8:51 pm
: February 11, 2007 8:51 pm Dear Dave,
The fact that I'm agreeing with mclea has to say something.
This site remains as great as any other free site with unpaid writers out there.
BOA, lowetide, COI, et. al, make being a fan of the Oil and a hater of the Flames so much easier.
Also, Brad Stuart is a pussy. Fuck him, fuck the Flames, fuck them all. Also, Dave, you're a dick. Oops, was that rude?
Soooooo....
What are we thinking for a "target" for this roadtrip?
Would anyone agree with me that four wins would be pretty good? Assuming that one of those was in the game against the Wild?
Hope Pisani is back Tuesday and Stoll within a week....
Would anyone agree with me that four wins would be pretty good? Assuming that one of those was in the game against the Wild?
Yup. I'd be pretty happy with that. Five would sure be swell though, no?
34 having a mild concussion means he has to miss at least a week right? And I'm thinking the earliest we'll see 16 would be in two Tues's in Ott.
So, this roadtrip will depend on Roli, the PP catching fire and the 14-71-15 threesome. The defense just isn't gonna get any better with guys like 47-2-5 onboard and a guy like 25 playing min that he shouldn't be. But when you look at 14-71-15 then you're looking at guys who we can legitimately expect more out of. And the same goes for the Oilers PP and Roli as well. I thought it was gonna be another here we go again game with the way Atl scored the first one but then LT's right because Roli just started smothering everything and he made a couple of wicked saves off a giveaway when the score was still 1-1.
And yeah it was a nice game by 78. He's a smart kid when it comes to covering his own zone and he made a zip pass to 34 in the crease early in the first period that not a lot of guys could make. I didn't think much of the shot that made his goal but hey who cares right?:)
Regarding AG, it's a friggin BOA site so who cares if he's addressing the Flames all the time. Isn't that to be expected? And Andy when it comes to the plan for this year's Oilers I think it was spend just enough money as not to arouse suspicion that you're going on the cheap for a rebuild. I mean that's the only way I can explain the Oilers not outbidding Bos for Stuart because Cgy didn't give up a whole lot. Bergy's close to Ference in terms of effectiveness and who the fuck is chuck kobesuck?:) Seriously, he scored 20 last year but he was back to disappointing this year before he was nailed with a couple of injuries. There's no way Lowe couldn't have matched that offer and made it worth the Oilers while. Maybe even did something to that point that Sturm came back instead of Primeau which wouldn't have been a bad idea given 16's current predicament.
So I'm thinking we didn't pick up Stuart because of the money remaining on his pact. No one in their right mind would compare Kobesew to Torres or Lupul so that could not have been a sticking point. As for the local media in your city, it sucks. Even a guy who's an up comer with a great nose for news and the hunger to make it happen, ie Guy Flaming, is being groomed in the vein of "Kevin Lowe is all-knowing and shall never be questioned." And that's from a guy that's a relative pup. Spector broke a huge story about the gate rev and the Oilers take for every playoff gate and days earlier Dreger said the Oilers want a 40 mill cap max. Put those two items together and you've got a helluva story that will elict some terse no comments from Lowe and the EIG. Which will make for an even better story.
Don't expect it to happen though.
Couple of notes on the EC Swing: I can't believe we're gonna roll into Buf, Ott and Det fighting for our playoff lives with a defense that includes all of Bergeron-Smid-Greene and Hedja. I think that tells you all you need to know about what the intentions were for this year.
Finally, we need to win in Min and in reg. We need 5 points combined from the Bos-Colu-TO games. Then we need to haul a win from the Buf-Ott-Det threesome.
Overall though we're gonna need a lot of help because with the team constructed as is there's no way we can get in by just being hot down the stretch. We need someone to pull a canucks slide ala '06
Dennis
# posted by : February 11, 2007 9:44 pm
: February 11, 2007 9:44 pm Five would sure be swell though, no?
Hmmm....
@Bos
@Buf
@Tor
@Ott
@CBJ
@Det
@Min
I see wins in Boston, Columbus, Minnesota, and one of the Ontario games. Maybe snag an OTL point in there somewhere.
4-2-1 would make me pretty happy. Anything beyond that would be pure, thick, delicious gravy.
I mean, do we even know how Lowe feels about losing out on Stuart? There wasn't a story on it in the papers today (so much for access leading to public knowledge).
Am I wrong in thinking that the trade was announced late last night? I don't recall reading anything at all in the paper about the trade this morning. Not to say that they necessarily would have been all over it otherwise, but I think the verdict on access to Lowe's reaction should wait until at least tomorrow, no?
As for the game tonight itselft, I've been fooled before this season, but that seemed like an actual good game against a fairly decent team. Two questions immediately spring to mind: can it continue, and where the hell was this kind of game all season?
And was it me, or was Sutton's delay-of-game penalty (when he cleared the puck over the glass on the other side of the ice) forced by an ominous Stortini-shaped shadow looming over him?
I'd like to think that was the reason, anyway.
# posted by : February 11, 2007 11:18 pm
: February 11, 2007 11:18 pm With all the talk last week being that the Oil needed to win two of every three to have a shot, they've won five of their last seven, and will need to do the same on the next road trip, given how well Minny's been playing (6-2 since the All-Star break), in order to make up much ground. They might be able to get away with nine points (i.e. 4-2-1), but certainly no fewer than that.
Whatever. The Flames serve up a turd and the Oilers win at home. Is it just me, or do the Oil get to play all of their games at home this season?
Oh wait, they are actually going on the road now? For SEVEN games? I guess we will know by Mark Messier night whether they will make the playoffs.
The Avalanche are 10 points out right now and I think we can now fairly strike them out of the top 8 come April. The Oilers are hanging around at 6 points back. I agree with the emerging consensus that 4-2-1 is the minimum they can escape with on this trip and still be in the conversation about the playoffs. Otherwise, this site will all be about Flames' seeding and matchups.
peter said...
Otherwise, this site will all be about Flames' seeding and matchups.
Assuming they even hang in there. That nice Flames home record is rapidly turning from a luxury into a necessity.
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