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The Edmonton Oilers continue their Canadian Finals Rodeo road trip this week, and show signs that they are indeed not infallible, and remind fans that there will be losses and bumps in the road this season. Despair not my friends, no need to oscillate between playoff hopes and top ten pick dreams just yet, there are still many more games left this season.
Tuesday night, the Oilers played their first of four original six teams on this road trip. As per usual, the Oilers were able to walk away with two points from the Montreal Canadiens. The Ryans led the scoring and the final score was a convincing 3-1 win. Thursday night, the Oilers played the 2011 Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins. The Oilers would taste the bitterness of a 6-3 loss, but the most interesting aspect of this game was the media attention on the Taylor vs Tyler. Taylor Hall and Tyler Seguin will be compared throughout their careers and will always be measured against each other. Seguin made himself unavailable to the media on game day, but following the game did have something to say about Ryan Nugent-Hopkins; "Yeah, I mean it was fun and then there were some, you know, that new first overall kid. I don't know why I said kid; I'm a kid. That was the first time I'd actually seen him play as well, and it's cool seeing new talent coming into the league. They're going to be a great team in a few years to come; they've got a lot of talent."
Friday night was the second of a back to back string of games, and sadly it was also the first string of two losses in a row as well as the Oilers fell to the Red Wings 3-0.
Ales Hemsky returned from injury to take part in the Phoenix Coyotes game and thankfully has not missed a game since. Magnus Paajarvi sat in the pressbox for both the Montreal and Boston games, and drew back into the lineup Friday night as it was Ben Eager pulled.
Andy Sutton completed his suspension this week, and also drew back into the game on Friday. After Thursday night's game, it was clear that Cam Barker should be taken out for Sutton to return. It was revealed Friday that Barker was not to sit in the pressbox however, Barker had already travelled back to Edmonton due to an ankle injury that will be investigated.
The Oilers re-claimed Taylor Chorney this week when the St. Louis Blues placed the defenceman on waivers. Sadly, Chorney, he only played two games and spent more time in the pressbox than on the ice during his short time with the Blues. Had Chorney gone straight to the Barons, Chorney would have had much more ice time. Once Chorney was claimed, he was immediately eligible to go to the Oklahoma city. So, Chorney and Colten Teubert were re-assigned and sent to the Barons.
The Barons had an interesting week this week, playing their field trip game Tuesday morning against the Toronto Marlies, helping to build a house for Habitat for Humanity, and hosting an indoor field hockey day.
The 2012 NHL All Star Ballots were announced this week, and despite Ryan Nugent-Hopkins' absence from the list, there was still an impressive Oilers presence. Included on the list were Nikolai Khabibulin, Ryan Whitney, Jordan Eberle, Taylor Hall and Ryan Smyth. Because of how early in the season the names are listed, you know that several players were selected more due to their play last season than this.
Thursday night, Colin Fraser played his first game as an King, and didn't get a goal, assist or penalty. The hearing with Gary Bettman for the Los Angeles Kings vs the Edmonton Oilers is still scheduled for next week. I did not see any word on opinions on whether or not Fraser joining the lineup may make a difference or not.
The Edmonton Oil Kings played one last game before hitting the road for their CFR road trip. The Oil Kings beat the Seattle Thunderbirds 4-1. Next up, the Oil Kings played the Victoria Royals, where the Oil Kings took an 8-2 victory. It was funny to read Oil Kings' defenceman Keegan Lowe tweet that it was fun watching some of the boys from Saskatchewan react to the ferry ride to Victoria. Once back on the mainland, the Oil Kings were hosted by the Vancouver Giants, but fell 4-1. The next stop was the Kelowna Rockets, where the Oilers walked away with a single point after a 2-1 shootout loss.
Ex-Oiler Jason Smith was named the honourary captain for the WHL team of the Subway Super Series. Currently, the Russians have a 2-1 standing. The Russians swept the QMJHL, but were defeated by the OHL team. The OHL will host Team Russia again on Tuesday, then the WHL team will have their chance next Thursday in Regina and Friday in Moose Jaw.
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When The Mainstream Media Ignores Your Team - Copper & Blue Livingston
Oil Observations From Week 4 - Copper & Blue dawgbone98
A Tough Weekend For The Mainstream Media - Copper & Blue Batty
Battle of Alberta - AHL Style - Copper & Blue Rodgers
WHEN WAR WASN'T AN ANALOGY: REMEMBERING CONN SMYTHE - Oilers Nation Gray
SMOKIN' JOE: FANBOY FOR THREE MINUTES - Oilers Nation Brownlee
A NEW WRITER - Oilers Nation Gregor
Bunz Impresses - Lowetide
Analyzing touches – the silken hands of Ales Hemsky - Cult of Hockey McCurdy
After 15 Career Games RNH Trails Only Kane's and Skinner's Production In Recent Years - BBO
Hall Vs. Seguin, Early Last Season And Now - BBO
Sorrow - Black Dog Hates Skunks
Success stories from the NHL's opening month - Down Goes Brown