Oilers v. Coyotes - Nahum 3:18-19
by Scott Reynolds on Nov 23, 2009 11:30 AM MST
in Game-Day Threads
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PrintO leader of the National Hockey League, you were caught sleeping;
the owners you chose years ago, you have now disgraced.
Coyotes fans are scattered all around
with no one to gather them.
Nothing can heal this wound;
the injury is fatal.
Everyone who hears this news readies himself
to clap his hands at your fall,
for who has not felt
your endless cruelty?
Phoenix Coyotes (13-9-1) @ Edmonton Oilers (9-11-3)
Rexall Place, 7:00 P.M. MDT
Television: PPV
More analysis after the jump...
Visiting Team Scouting Report: The Oilers have needed to deal with a lot of injuries so far this season but so have the Coyotes. Their defence in particular is banged up with their top three defenders out of the lineup (Jovanvoski, Michalek and Sauer). This may give the Oilers some extra chances in the Coyotes end of the ice but should also serve as a warning for those of us who would like to use injuries as a reason for the Oilers having troubles. Is it factor? Certainly. Is it unique? Despite the number of man-games lost I'd have to say no and some of the other teams that have experienced similar injury problems have managed to do better. Back to the Coyotes. They're a much better team than I'd given them credit for at the start of the year and I think some of that is likely coaching. The new man in the desert is Dave Tippett who's doing an excellent job coaching a lot of quality depth players who have more glove than bat (to use a baseball analogy). Or something like that. When you see the lineup and then look at the record, it just seems inexplicable. At any rate, with so many defenders out of the lineup look for the Coyote forwards to help the defence deep in the zone when (or, since they're playing the Oilers, if) they get into trouble, which could open things up for the Oilers defence to get in on the scoring.
Expected Lineups:
Edmonton Oilers (9-11-3):
Penner - Horcoff - Hemsky
Reddox - Brule - O'Sullivan
Moreau - Potulny - Cogliano
Jacques - Gagner - Stortini
Staios - Souray
Smid - Visnovsky
Strudwick - Gilbert
Deslauriers
Phoenix Coyotes (13-9-1)
Upshall - Lang - Doan
Prucha - Hanzal - Vrbata
Pyatt - Lombardi - Mueller
Winnik - Fiddler - Bissonnette
Yandle - Schlemko
Vandermeer - Aucoin
Lepisto - Heshka
Bryzgalov
Behind the Numbers:
- Shane Doan leads the Coyotes in scoring with only 16 points in 23 games. The Oilers have three players with 16 points or more (Penner, Hemsky, Visnovsky).
- The Coyotes are ranked 11th in the league in shot differential at +2.0 shots per game. No one has taken fewer shot per game and maintained a better shot differential than the Coyotes (28.9 shots for 26.9 shots against).
- The Coyotes record in regulation time is 10-9-4 and 4-5-1 over their last ten games. The Oilers record is 7-11-5 and 2-6-2 over their last ten games.
- The Prucha-Lang-Vrbata trio was together for a long time getting easier matchups and cherry starting positions (they had each taken about 20 more o-zone draws than d-zone draws), but they weren't providing enough offence so it seems that Tippett has decided to switch things up over the last couple of games. It will be fun to see how he matches up with Quinn's "roll them over the boards" strategy.
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Lines
Look more like this, I suspect:
Penner – Gagner – Hemsky
Jacques – Horcoff – Brule
Reddox – Potulny – O’Sullivan
Moreau – Cogliano – Stortini
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
Isn’t Horcoff on the wing right now because of his shoulder? And doesn’t it seem like if the guy’s shoulder is bad enough that he can’t take a draw, you should really be sitting him out?
by Scott Reynolds on Nov 23, 2009 3:52 PM MST up reply actions
He’s going to take draws, but I’ll be he gets the C assignment after Brule leaves the circle.
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
Oops, I guess the link didn’t work. It’s the first article on my blog. Again, I genuinely just wanted Benjamin to have a look if he gets a chance.
A plug? Well, kick his ass off the blogroll, Derek!
(I’m at work but will give it a read as soon as practical.)
by Benjamin Massey on Nov 23, 2009 2:19 PM MST up reply actions
A challenge for our faithful readers: name any Oilers pay-per-view which could possibly have fewer buys than “Oilers, fighting injuries, playing the backup goaltender, in the midst of a horrible cold streak, at home to Phoenix”.
by Benjamin Massey on Nov 23, 2009 5:57 PM MST reply actions
Hey, Florida’s got some exciting prospects, they’ve got a nice goaltender, and we don’t play the Southeast Division much. It would be a nice treat.
by Benjamin Massey on Nov 23, 2009 7:03 PM MST up reply actions
Hm. Phoenix has a bunch of players I like. Doan, Hanzal, Lombardi, Winnik, Fiddler…
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
Dude. Not only is there not a web video feed anywhere on the Internet but 630 CHED’s website is hiccoughing!
by Benjamin Massey on Nov 23, 2009 7:11 PM MST reply actions
There are seven thousand Coyote viewers – the odds that one of them would have a slingbox are low.
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
Hooray for my lab exam tomorrow.
SNN Sports - A theoretical Oilers blog (i.e. theoretically, I write stuff there). Link now 100% less broken.
PK
When the puck goes into Edmonton’s end it’s like they are on the penalty kill. Every time. How is that possible?
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
Beauty pass by Potulny. Any softer and Lepisto gets it. And harder and Moreau can’t catch it.
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
Nice bit of finish by Moreau, though. Credit to thecaptain.
Well, allegedly. Still not watching the game. All I knew was that HE SCOOOOOOOOOOOOOORES.
by Benjamin Massey on Nov 23, 2009 7:29 PM MST up reply actions
Did you plug your brain into PPV?
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
Jailbreak
Penner and Hemsky with the jailbreak. What was the defense doing?!
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
The O’Sullivan line is being run over.
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
Tyson Nash says “he’s got an absolute cannon” in reference to Hemsky.
Sure.
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
It figures that I caught every minute of that Saturday stinker but this game I can’t find a feed of.
by Benjamin Massey on Nov 23, 2009 7:39 PM MST reply actions
Nash on Horcoff
“He’s got a seven million cap hit playing on your fourth line.”
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
Tyson Nash gets all his hockey analysis from Overtime Openline on 630 CHED. This is hardly surprising.
by Benjamin Massey on Nov 23, 2009 7:44 PM MST up reply actions
Gagpensky
They are fun to watch.
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
And Staios promptly takes a crappy stick foul. Goddammit, why am I watching this?
by Benjamin Massey on Nov 23, 2009 8:04 PM MST up reply actions
EURO DANGLES! THAT’S WHY I’M WATCHING THIS!
WORK HARDER ALES!
by Benjamin Massey on Nov 23, 2009 8:06 PM MST up reply actions
Oh, now it’s Flyers – Avalanche all of a sudden. Well, I got a good five minutes of game action.
by Benjamin Massey on Nov 23, 2009 8:07 PM MST up reply actions
Bit of Boston – St. Louis now! And a… Taco Bell ad? Talk about around the league! This is probably more entertaining than the game!
by Benjamin Massey on Nov 23, 2009 8:12 PM MST up reply actions
That Gagpensky Line...
They charge like calvary
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
Deslauriers moves like a big man.
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
Tyson Nash, the phrase you’re looking for is “the ol’ can-opener”.
Figures that Tyson Nash wouldn’t think a stick penalty is a stick penalty.
by Benjamin Massey on Nov 23, 2009 8:16 PM MST up reply actions
4 on 4, and Quinn goes right back to Horcoff and Hemsky
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
Prucha
He had the best goal celebration song in New York.
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
Interesting that Quinn is running Gagpensky even strength but Horpensky 5v4, when if anything the evidence is that Gagner is as or more effective than Horcoff on the powerplay!
by Benjamin Massey on Nov 23, 2009 8:18 PM MST reply actions
Solely for the left-handed shot opposite Hemsky.
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
Come on fellas. Phoenix is obviously aware of Souray. Try something else.
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
If Jean-Francois Jacques is getting outmuscled by guys, I’m not sure what he’s for.
by Benjamin Massey on Nov 23, 2009 8:23 PM MST reply actions
No hook on Penner there prior to the turnover? Both his trailing arm and his trailing leg were taken from him.
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
What, the Oilers scoring a goal on the power play with no time left in the period? That’s a new one!
by Benjamin Massey on Nov 23, 2009 8:39 PM MST reply actions
What a bizarre play. I thought in real time it was a high stick, but it wasn’t close.
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
Coyotes booth guys didn’t seem to get it, though.
by Benjamin Massey on Nov 23, 2009 8:45 PM MST up reply actions
Nash is not good. He and Scott Oake should start their own hockey network .
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
The Coyotes are running a shuttle to their NHL games? Our local amateur soccer team did that. It was a good move. Of course, our local amateur soccer team isn’t a fucking NHL team that somebody wanted to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on to move someplace where people like hockey.
by Benjamin Massey on Nov 23, 2009 8:51 PM MST reply actions
For the record, our amateur soccer team filled a school bus. That Coyotes bus looked more the size of an airport shuttle.
by Benjamin Massey on Nov 23, 2009 8:58 PM MST up reply actions
If Horcoff doesn’t tip that, Penner is taking that slapper off of a body part.
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
Staios and Souray are struggling in this one
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
Hey, Souray’s scored and hasn’t gunned one into his own goal yet. I call that a successful night at the office.
Staios, I could not agree more. But the defensemen, by and by large, have been okay. Visnovsky’s been disappointing but even Grebeshkov Strudwick’s looked all right.
by Benjamin Massey on Nov 23, 2009 9:03 PM MST up reply actions
I’ve just noticed that those two have been pinned in a number of times.
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
Tyson Nash’s voice is quite nasal for a television fella.
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
Dammit, you’re showing faith in him! The more faith you show the worse he plays!
by Benjamin Massey on Nov 23, 2009 9:05 PM MST up reply actions
I love that he never seems to know where the puck is. I’ve spent the last 10 or so trips into the zone just focused on him and no one else. It’s … amazing. He’s exactly like Conklin when Conks was on the acid.
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
Goddammit, now Nash is trying to jinx JDD.
He sucks! His positioning is awful! He flails like a giraffe on a greased tile floor!
by Benjamin Massey on Nov 23, 2009 9:07 PM MST up reply actions
No, Nash actually thinks he’s great. And that Horc’s cap hit is $7,000,000 and that Hemsky has a cannon for a shot.
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
You know what? I still believe we can lose this game. We’re playing that way.
by Benjamin Massey on Nov 23, 2009 9:13 PM MST reply actions
I mean, Gagpensky just got worked by Yandle, Radim Vrbata, and David Schelmko.
by Benjamin Massey on Nov 23, 2009 9:13 PM MST up reply actions
The only line that’s been awful tonight is Reddox – O’Sullivan – Stortini.
The Souray – Staios pairing has been in some trouble all night as well.
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
“Deslauriers has just stood on his head and won this game for the Edmonton Oilers.” With six minutes left. You’re sure Nash isn’t deliberately gunning for the jinx?
by Benjamin Massey on Nov 23, 2009 9:22 PM MST reply actions
He’s rambling about top gun and skiing and Maloney and shakes and sweats…
He has no idea.
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
We have our first “getting him a shutout!” sighting from the Phoenix announcer! These are the sorts of guys who’d chatter about it for three innings if the opposing pitcher was throwing a no-hitter.
by Benjamin Massey on Nov 23, 2009 9:29 PM MST up reply actions
Jeff Deslauriers’s first shutout since 2007.
by Benjamin Massey on Nov 23, 2009 9:32 PM MST reply actions
Nice reverse-jinx, Ben.
SNN Sports - A theoretical Oilers blog (i.e. theoretically, I write stuff there). Link now 100% less broken.
After my last post-game post, it would appear that my hypothesis that Deslauriers plays better with less faith is correct. In fact, I believe my exact words were “now go pitch a shut-out”.
So the trick will be keeping the reverse jinx up the rest of the season before my Jeff Deslaurection forces me to go to the hospital.
by Benjamin Massey on Nov 23, 2009 9:51 PM MST up reply actions
Yes, you were quite excellent. You and Bruce for the goaltender prognosticating skills of the decade.
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
Bruce and I are so into goalies it’s like we work for Hockey Night in Canada.
by Benjamin Massey on Nov 23, 2009 10:02 PM MST up reply actions
Nah. I’m just glad that we won 4-cob like that.
by Benjamin Massey on Nov 23, 2009 10:25 PM MST up reply actions
By the way, since Bruce is handling the post-game thread tonight (you didn’t see Bruce in here? Precisely), my reverse three stars:
Eighteen through twenty: Staios. Reddox. O’Sullivan.
Ethan Moreau was second star in my books. Like, the actual second star. Just a magnificent game from the old man.
by Benjamin Massey on Nov 23, 2009 9:53 PM MST reply actions
Shot Charts
Whoa. That’s…record setting bad.
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
Ha!
Just reading these comments now, a few hours after posting my stats-based game report. There is a nice overlap between the last few comments above and the last couple of paragraphs of my recap, in which I complimented Ben on his shutout prediction/incentive in the last PGT, and then picked my own 20th star as follows:
Statistical candidate for the 20th star is Patrick O’Sullivan, who posted a Corsi of +3/-24 = -21 in just 10:30 of EV TOI. That’s -2 shot attempts per minute, for goodness sake. Liam Reddox, presumably a linemate, was scarcely better at +3/-21 = -18 in a shade under 10 minutes. Were these guys “keeping them to the outside” or simply getting Pwned?
Writer for The Copper & Blue and primary shareholder of Zorg Industries
by Bruce McCurdy on Nov 24, 2009 3:42 AM MST up reply actions
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