Oilers v. Canucks - They're All Professionals Now
by Scott Reynolds on Sep 22, 2011 4:30 PM MDT
in Game-Day Threads
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PrintTonight marks the Oilers first game on national television, and they're icing a lineup that's ready to impress with both first overall picks in the lineup. In fact, by my count, fourteen of the twenty men dressed tonight are very likely to make the final twenty-three man roster even if no one is injured to start the year (fat chance). And since the Canucks aren't exactly icing the team that was playing in the Stanley Cup Finals a few short months ago, it's reasonable to expect the Oilers to come away from this one with a victory. A win against the Canucks? I'll gladly take it (and brag about it at work), even if it is just pre-season.
Vancouver Canucks @ Edmonton Oilers
Rexall Place, 7:00 p.m. MDT
Television: TSN
More analysis after the jump...
Expected Lineup:
Edmonton Oilers:
Smyth (94) - Nugent-Hopkins (93) - Eberle (14)
Hall (4) - Gagner (89) - Pitlick (68)
Paajarvi (91) - Horcoff (10) - Omark (23)
Hordichuk (16) - House (60) - Petrell (37)
Smid (5) - Gilbert (77)
Peckham (24) - Petry (58)
Chorney (41) - Plante (48)
Dubnyk (40)
Danis (34)
Notes from Camp:
- The Oilers cut four players on Wednesday (Jeremie Blain, Tyler Bunz, Brandon Davidson, and David Musil), and in their announcement told us that the roster now stands at fifty-four. By my math, that's the forty-eight players currently under contract plus Drew Czerwonka, Ryan Martindale, Ryan Lowery, Kirill Tulupov, Travis Ewanyk, and... is Kelly Buchberger making a comeback? Or is Jason Strudwick back in action? And which of those is scarier anyway?
- Derek wrote today about being tough to play against, and it reminded me of Darcy Hordichuk's interview after playing against Minnesota. In his comments, he talks about why teams have heavyweights, and then completely undermines any idea of them being useful: "Every night I go in the lineup, I know there's always a tough guy on the other side. It's a matter of me fighting for a reason. Every game I'm going to go out there and run around, and that's why every team has a heavyweight. It was a good job on [Kassian's] part to try to slow me down, but at the end of the day, I still think I had six or seven hits." In other words, every team has a heavyweight to prevent guys like Hordichuk from running around, but guys like Hordichuk remain completely undeterred.
- Ben Eager was a late scratch on Tuesday because of a concussion. It was interesting to hear Tom Renney state, "He does have a concussion" so unequivocally after all of the dancing that the organization did around Colten Teubert getting punched in the mug. I can understand the dancing though. Teubert's value declines if he has a concussion, and that's not good for the team or the player, so treating something like a concussion without calling it one until you're absolutely sure is understandable.
- Tom Gilbert plays beside Ladislav Smid tonight on what I had assumed would be the Oilers first choice for shut-down defense pairing this season, which seems like a better use of the defensemen available than pairing Gilbert with Cam Barker. Another feature of this defensive lineup? All six guys playing their natural side.
- Tyler Pitlick and Tanner House are in interesting spots here. House has the inferior linemates, but he also stays at center (on a line we might see at the nadir of injury season). Pitlick is playing with the big boys, but he's shifting over to the wing to do it. There are a whole lot of forwards heading to Oklahoma City, so it will be interesting to see where all of these guys land. Pitlick's positional versatility may end up being a tremendous asset.
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I bet you..
..that the Oilers management and web crew forgot they have Motin at the camp. Sure ain’t heard much about him since TC started. Wrote a piece on Motin today btw..
hello?
anyone here?
Nucks Misconduct writer, queen of inter-blogging etiquette, Twitter rambler.
I know a little bit about everything, and a whole lot about nothing.
you do know there’s already been 2, right?
Nucks Misconduct writer, queen of inter-blogging etiquette, Twitter rambler.
I know a little bit about everything, and a whole lot about nothing.
Yea. The Peckham one ateast had a slight hocky reason for it.
The Hordichuk/Fedoruk one was set b4 the game even started.
well, after the first fight, I predicted that the next fight would be Hordi vs Oreskovich. i was partly correct.
Nucks Misconduct writer, queen of inter-blogging etiquette, Twitter rambler.
I know a little bit about everything, and a whole lot about nothing.
if Hordi doesn't fight in at least one pre season game
Your coaches will not have anything to distract from just how awful he really is.
<3 Boobies!
#WinitWithManny
notafullcolon CS: Well obviously I meant we were snorting blow off hookers at the time of the goal
by Canuckles on Sep 22, 2011 8:19 PM MDT via iPhone app up reply actions 1 recs
Great signing. Great signing. Energy guy, lifts spirits, protects guys. Great signing.
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
keep telling yourself that
It’ll make you feel better about all the stupid penalties he’s going to take.
<3 Boobies!
#WinitWithManny
notafullcolon CS: Well obviously I meant we were snorting blow off hookers at the time of the goal
Those are easy to kill penalties because they’re aggressive penalties. Hordichuk makes the Oilers tough to play against. Great signing.
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
Yeah, it’s great. I hope they keep it up. This is great for hockey.
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
Nice Ferraro already mentions “if they can keep them all”
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
Alex Plante is being overwhelmed by a bunch of never-wills on this Canucks team.
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
I felt bad for Plante when Tambellini said they weren’t inviting FAs to training camp so as to keep Petry, Chorney and Maracin believing they had a real chance to make the team. It really underlined the stasis in his development and how far he’d fallen off the radar. This game is only confirming that sentiment.
I dropped him to 31 on the Top 25 Under 25 because every time I see him he looks like this. Combine that with his status and numbers in OKC and there’s nothing there right now. He’s a tree, so I guess you stick with him and hope he figures it out soon, but everyone who steps onto the ice in OKC is passing him.
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
Tremendous feed down low by Petry to Eberle. If Eberle had some hands, that’s a goal.
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
Yeah Hordichuk! Go start another useless fight! You’re so awesome!
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
Did you see how quickly he moved from the blue line to the middle of the circle once Hopkins gained the zone? That was faaaaaaaast.
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
Petry
Nice hold at the line, Peaches.
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
i’m almost half expected you to hate the Eberle goal, considering the previous two sarcastic comments….
Nucks Misconduct writer, queen of inter-blogging etiquette, Twitter rambler.
I know a little bit about everything, and a whole lot about nothing.
So has anyone seen anything that tells you RNH should play in the NHL this season?
TSN keeps talking about it… but I don’t see it.
It’s all pre-ordained. Just watch the show.
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
They are just really pushing the envelope on him. I haven’t noticed him at all, which is good and bad…. or just normal.
TSN makes him sound like he is Gretzky-lite.
Confirmation bias? Selective Perception?
Bollocks, I say.
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
Usually I agree with 90% of what you say Derek, but I think you’re off on Nugent-Hopkins.
There are a number of elements in his game that suggest he should be in the NHL this season. About a month ago I was talking with an Oiler friend and I was commenting how RNH is a lock to make the squad. Not on merit of course, but rather because there is just about no chance this management team would choose function over flair.
Since then I’ve watched him pretty closely and I can say with confidence that he’s better off in the NHL than back in Junior. There are elements to his game that are not only NHL ready, but well above average.
Positive::
- Good in traffic
- Great vision
- Surprisingly good with his stick in the neutral zone
- Moves the puck well
Neutral:
- His skating, not great but it won’t hold him back
- Own zone presence – this one surprised me the most, he can win battles despite his size
- General decision making (eg: when to dump and chase and get off)
Bad:
- Faceoffs
- Down low – offensive zone
- Size
- Hard on the puck
I love how you can have confidence in this while having only played AHL competition while on the same line as Eberle and Smyth….
by DarrenV on Sep 23, 2011 7:20 AM MDT up reply actions 1 recs
I love how little substance you put into your reply, DarrenV.
by imkinger on Sep 23, 2011 12:16 PM MDT via mobile up reply actions
Why yes DarrenV, I certainly was stating my opinion.
However, I don’t see how the context of RNH’s ice time applies on a factual basis to the following points:
His skating
His general decision making
His vision
His stick in the neutral zone
His size
Seems pretty clear that we were both expressing our opinions. Mine – articulated and well thought out. Yours – a pot shot.
The problem is that you are basing your confidence on a small sample size against AHL opposition or NHLers who are only attempting to get their fitness to game levels.
Nothing he has done so far suggests he should be played someone like Anton Lander, who has atleast stood out amongst the rest. You can’t say RNH has stood out without atleast some argument.
“The problem is that you are basing your confidence on a small sample size against AHL opposition or NHLers who are only attempting to get their fitness to game levels.”
Remember your original question: “So has anyone seen anything that tells you RNH should play in the NHL this season?”
Considering the context, don’t you think your criticism is a little ridiculous?
“Nothing he has done so far suggests he should be played someone like Anton Lander, who has atleast stood out amongst the rest. You can’t say RNH has stood out without atleast some argument.”
I thought that was what I was doing, making an argument that RNH had stood out.
DarrenV is seeking truth through evidence.
You are seeking influence
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
Remember, this line: “So has anyone seen anything that tells you RNH should play in the NHL this season?”
I made a fairly in depth reply, based on what I had seen, that illustrated why I believed he should play in the NHL. In turn, I was accused of not taking into consideration the quality of competition and line mates (obviously if I had “seen anything” it would be within this context). I then defended my comments and pointed out that some of the evidence was independent of these factors. Now I’m being accused of not “seeking truth through evidence”.
As I said Derek, I read all the analysis and was firmly in the camp that he belonged back in Junior. I’ve watched him closely in the rookie tournament and the CHI/VAN games and my opinion has changed.
However, I do agree with the presence of selective perception and confirmation bias, not just on the part of TSN though.
I’ve really liked Hall-Gagner-Pitlick though.
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
He seems to be a pest on the forecheck and in the defensive zone, but this Canucks team has no one playing tonight.
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
I don’t know if there are enough pucks on the planet for Hall and Paajarvi. Those boys love their attempted shots.
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
Owen Nolan ...
What are you doing, man? Trying to make this team as a camp invite? Have some dignity. Spend the year getting your pilot’s license or go play hockey in Switzerland. At least Modano knew the jig was up.
I don’t know if everyone on the ice is just small, but Paajarvi looks big.
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
Maybe it’s best Lowe traded Smyth when he did. If Smyth had stayed, Tambellini would have traded him last year.
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
Smid just carried the puck into the offensive zone, very weird.
The Edmonton Oilers - All we do is win!!
I thought it was Petrell at first.
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
Gilbert in the crease. That’s fun to see.
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
Maybe Omark will finally get some respect from the refs this year.
The Edmonton Oilers - All we do is win!!
FFS the Oilers are going to lose the game to a bunch of has-beens and never-will-bes!
The Edmonton Oilers - All we do is win!!
Yeah, but it was exciting young guns hockey!
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
Gagner dominant in the circle against nobodies.
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
good game oilers fans :)
I figured we’d be killed when Legace went in considering he was very unimpressive on Tues
looking forward to our match ups in the reg season :)
I got people to complain at me on Twitter for complaining about staged fights, so I won.
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
Quick count… Oilers had 3 shots in the first 3 minutes of the 3rd period.
Hordichuk puts them shorthanded while sparking the team with a fight and the Oilers get one shot in the next 7 minutes.
In theory, there is little difference between practice and theory, but in practice there is!
by dawgbone98 on Sep 22, 2011 10:20 PM MDT reply actions 1 recs
that’s because everyone was too busy reflecting on how easy it was to kill the aggressive penalty to shoot
by Bananahammer on Sep 22, 2011 10:43 PM MDT up reply actions
I assume
You saw this one too?
“Dealing tough guy Hordichuk may have been mistake for Canucks”
Yeah, not dealing him sooner was a mistake
"Playin hurt, baby that don't faze me. I don't got time for pain. The only pain I've got time for is the pain I put on fools who don't know what time it is!"
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