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| 15-28-5 .744 p/g | Ranks | 20-18-7, 1.044 p/g |
| Western Conference: 14th | Western Conference: 10th | |
| 29th | P/G | 20th |
| 26th | ST | 7nd |
| 28th | ES | 15th |
| 30th | Goal | 25th |
Top Stories
- Ales Hemsky scored, Boyd Gordon technically scored, and Taylor Hall had a goal, but the Blackhawks scored two more than Edmonton in a 5-3 victory. Sam Gagner (foot) and Taylor Hall (shoulder) are expected to be in the lineup tonight after a maintenance day on Monday. The Ales Hemsky trade winds are circling once again, a sure sign that it's January in Edmonton.
The Oilers are saying
"I thought Sam was making some plays, and I thought he even looked more comfortable, I actually took him off that line during the game a little bit last night 'cause I was trying to jump start some other guys, 'cause I thought Sam was playing fairly well. I'm going to go right back to that same line though again, I thought they were starting to develop a bit of chemistry, and as always we'll see how it goes.
That's Oilers Coach Dallas Eakins on moving Sam Gagner to the wing and playing with Taylor Hall and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.
In an effort to spark Sam Gagner, Eakins has moved him to the wing on the first line. Can't say as I disagree with this, as Gagner's had a season he'd like to light on fire with a 55 gallon drum of gasoline. If it was Hemsky he was trying to jump start, it worked, as Hemsky had a two point game on the night, including a goal and an assist on Taylor Hall's third period marker.
The Opponent is saying
"We turned the puck over too many times"
- Ales Hemsky trade rumour season has begun, a rite of passage in Edmonton. You'll know it's Hemsky trade season when you hear some of the worst armchair GMing of the year. You'll hear suggestions that trading Hemsky for Garnet Exelby and three pairs of CCM socks is a fair deal. Hemsky is the fifth scorer on this team averaging just over .5 points per game. Go on, do your worst. Maybe I'll bring back "I can't believe it's not Blogger" just for awful Hemsky rumours.
- Tyler Seguin (21-20-41 in 43 GP) projecting to be an 80 point scorer on the season. Jamie Benn (15-22-37 in 45 GP) projects out to 65+.
- Coach Eakins says that Jesse Joensuu (flu) is still a few days away, but it sounded like he he'll find a spot for him when he's ready.
- Oilers will be going back to Bryzgalov (3-6-2, 3.20 /.905) after Devan Dubnyk had a two game stint. Dubnyk (11-17-2, 3.36 / .894) faced 41 shots in the loss to Chicago. The Blackhawks rank second in the league in shots per game. The Stars rank seventh.
- While the Stars rank seventh in shots taken per game, they also rank 25th in shots allowed. Edmonton ranks 24th. Great time to put the puck on net, right? Maybe. The Oilers are 26th overall in shots for.
- Valeri Nichushkin (9-13-22 in 44 GP) on the fourth line? No no, Stars, you're doing it all wrong. You're supposed to scratch your first round pick, and say that it's a learning process, or it's part of a forty minute conversation you had, or some "plan" that you and him worked out. How is a young player that's supposed to turn into a dynamic weapon on offence supposed to turn into that weapon without a very public event about him getting scratched and you trying to explain it away?
The Edmonton Oilers
Taylor Hall - Ryan Nugent-Hopkins - Sam Gagner
Nail Yakupov - Mark Arcobello - Jordan Eberle
David Perron - Boyd Gordon - Ales Hemsky
Luke Gazdic - Ryan Smyth - Ryan Jones
Andrew Ference - Justin Schultz
Nick Schultz - Anton Belov
Jeff Petry - Martin Marincin
Ilya Bryzgalov
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The Dallas Stars
Jamie Benn - Tyler Seguin - Erik Cole
Antoine Roussel - Cody Eakin - Ryan Garbutt
Ray Whitney - Vernon Fiddler - Alex Chiasson
Shawn Horcoff - Rich Peverley - Valeri Nichushkin
Alex Goligoski - Trevor Daley
Brenden Dillon - Jordie Benn
Kevin Connauton - Sergei Gonchar
Kari Lehtonen