Game Summary:
Our Thoughts:
The Oilers got their first loss tonight, in a very disappointing affair against the Wild. It seemed that we lacked intensity early on and took too many useless penalties. The Wild scored all their goals on the power play. The Oilers failed to gain any momentum off any hits or saves which ultimately cost them in the end. They couldn't gain the blue line or control the puck in the offensive end, which lead to odd man rushes for the Wild. The score could have been much worse if Khabby didn't show up.
Next game the Oilers top 3 lines are going to have to generate chances off the rush while the fourth line is going to have to play a dump and chase, hard nose game. Renney might have to mix up some of the lines as the MPS/Cogs/Brule line doesn't have any chemistry. It wouldn't be a bad idea to split Hemsky and Penner up to share the wealth.
The Oilers got their first loss tonight, in a very disappointing affair against the Wild. It seemed that we lacked intensity early on and took too many useless penalties. The Wild scored all their goals on the power play. The Oilers failed to gain any momentum off any hits or saves which ultimately cost them in the end. They couldn't gain the blue line or control the puck in the offensive end, which lead to odd man rushes for the Wild. The score could have been much worse if Khabby didn't show up.
Next game the Oilers top 3 lines are going to have to generate chances off the rush while the fourth line is going to have to play a dump and chase, hard nose game. Renney might have to mix up some of the lines as the MPS/Cogs/Brule line doesn't have any chemistry. It wouldn't be a bad idea to split Hemsky and Penner up to share the wealth.
Player Analysis:
Orange= Player of the GameRed= Goat of the Game
Blue= Warrior of the Game
James Vandermeer: Vandy had a disappointing performance tonight, he was full of giveaways and has Strudwick like speed. He's going to have to start throwing his weight around and limit the give aways in his defensive end or he might be in the press box soon.
Taylor Hall: Hall is young and inexperienced, he will get better as time comes; but he played terrible for the majority of the game. His line didn't play that well either, they kept on trying to carry the puck to the net; sometimes throwing it on the net is the better play. It seems Hall wants to drive the net like he did when he was in Juniors. He doesn't have the strength to get around these defenders, when he makes a good first move he tries to be the hero and get a goal. Hall has a good shot and should try to mimic Ovy and use his shot as much as he can. In ten games he should get all the butterflies out of his stomach and start putting the points on the board.
Ladislav Smid: Smid wants to reverse the play all of the time and regroup. He needs to move the puck forward to get the puck out of the defensive end. It would help the Oilers transition game. Smid seemed to be moving the puck out of his end in the last half of the game, he needs to keep it simple. Smid plays better when he plays with a chip on his shoulder, Smid has to show some emotion. When he starts pushing around smaller players around it not only helps to get his head in the game, it gets his opponents off their game; in which they take stupid penalties against the Oilers.
Ryan Whitney: Ryan and Foster aren't a good pair. They only have chemistry on the power play, not in their own end. He is a leader for this team, when he has a bad game so does the rest of the team. Whitney didn't play with his strengths, which is his great passing abilities. Whitney should shoot the puck more on the power play and limit the amount of slap passes he uses. He is going to have to regroup for next game. He can be a great asset to the Oilers when he is playing the way he did at the end of last year.
Shawn Horcoff: Well nobody shot the puck off Horc so he didn't score today. Like Whitney, Horc is a great leader and when he is off his game so will the rest of his line. It seemed that he was try to do too much, he needs a simple and greasy hockey game, win the battle along the boards and go to the net. He is a great fit between Ebs and Hall to give balance to that line.
Andrew Cogliano: I hate to say it; but Cogs doesn't play good unless he is playing with Penner. Today he was full of giveaways and when he did use his speed to gain the blue line he didn't make any good plays. Cogs and MPS don't have chemistry, they need to be split up asap. They both like to use their speed and carry the puck to the net. When Cogs plays with Penner he has someone to get the puck to or to give him the puck.
Jordan Eberle: Eberle didn't recieve much PK ice time today, his whole line didn't play very well in their own end. Ebs was holding on to the puck too long in the defensive end, in the 3rd period he was waiting on the hash marks with the puck too long, when he decided to move it he made a brutal give away which almost cost the Oil a goal. On the bright side, near the end of the 3rd period his line was clicking again and dominated their shift. He seems to have good chemistry with Horc, and only time will tell if he will have chemistry with Hall.
Colin Fraser: Fraser didn't look very solid on the PK tonight. He didn't make some of the best decisions. The Oilers need him to play physical, win draws, and block a lot of shots. He needs to get under the skin of his opponents. The more he wears down the opposing defenders the better it is for the more chances the Oilers skilled players will get.
Kurtis Foster: Foster had a bad game. He needs to play more discipline, 2 times he went to the box and 2 pp goals against. He doesn't play great in his own end, the oilers got him for his offensive upside. Foster is going to have to shoot the puck more, even if he doesn't score with his shot there will be a big rebound for someone to bang home. He is using the slap pass too much, the defenders are picking this up and taking it away but he keeps attempting it. If Foster can play with more discipline, use his shot more often, and make solid first passes - he would be a great replacement for Souray.
Dustin Penner: Today Penner seemed to have his legs when he got his first out of the way. Even though Penner and Hemsky are playing really well together, the Oilers management should consider to spread the wealth and split them up. Penner is solid in almost all aspects of the game. Thats why he succeeded with Cogs and Brule last year. He can be a power forward and then use his hand to get the puck up or dish it to Brule for a shot. When Penner is feeling it he can dominate the play in the offensive end, if he wants he can be a play maker or a sniper. He was one of the best players on the Oilers tonight.
Ryan Jones: Ryan was on the penalty kill tonight, which wasn't very sucesful. If he wants to stay on the team he's going to have to block shots and play physical. He had the 2nd least amount of ice time tonight. Other then the few hits he through in the first period he was nearly invisible. Jones has some speed and looks good playing the simple dump and chase. Jones could be successful if he crashes the net with the rest of the fourth line. For the past couple of years the Oilers were lacking and agitator and he could fill this role. He plays his best when he is under the skin of the opponents.
Zach Stortini: Stort started the game with some intensity, delivering a few hard hits behind the Wilds' net. After that he was invisible. He needs to get back into his groove, and play the way he used to when he first made this team. He should feel threatened that he might not play against the Flames, and should of ran around a bit. Later this year when JF Jacques is off the LTIR, Oilers management will need to decide weather it's Jacques or Storts to fill that checking role. Since JF has better offensive upside, faster and can hit harder than Stort, he might lose his job.
Nikolai Khabibulin: Bulin didn't have a good save %, but all the shots he faced were of good quality. The goals that he did let in weren't his fault as they went in off defenders. Again he is proving critics that he is an NHL regular #1, and his back is 100%. The only thing Knabby has to work on is seeing the puck through screens.
Theo Peckham: Peckham is a wrecking ball out there. He is turning into a solid stay at home Defenseman; blocking several shots and smashing players into the boards. However, early on in the game he made a bad turnover behind his net. He also needs to work on his puck speed. Peckham is improving every game and the oilers finally have a Defenseman that can deliver a devistating hit.
Gilbert Brule: For some reason Brule was on his rear end a lot tonight, maybe there was a problem with his skate blade - but in the NHL I doubt it. Brule plays better when he is playing physical. He can be really hard to play against. Brule needs to play with someone that can pass the puck, he has a wicked shot; but no one on his line is a playmaker. He has chemistry with Penner, they seem to find each other out there easily. But with MPS, who is more of a shooter then a feeder, doesn't result in a good pairing. Brule should also be moved to centre, he has better % then Cogs on the draws and he is fast enough to cover the ice.
Tom Gilbert: Gibby is playing like the old Gilbert, he needs to be reunited with Whitney. We were supprised when the finished on such a good note last year and this year they didn't star together. It's rare when you click with someone as fast as Gibby and Whitney did last year. Gilbert proved the fact that anything you throw on net has a chance of going in. Maybe Foster could pick up a few tips from Gilbert.
Ales Hemsky: Hemsky is unreal with the puck. He looks like a video game when he goes around the entire team. He needs to dangle and have finish then he would be considered a superstar around the league. Today he seemed to get the puck poked off his stick too much, sometimes the simple play is better. I wonder what Hemsky can do if he ever played with a natural goal scorer?
Sam Gagner: Gags is playing some of his best hockey, in 3 games he has 3 points. Usually it takes him a few games at the beginning of a season to get any points. But he is tied for the team lead with 3. He needs to get in a comfort zone and try some new and fancy moves. He should have enough NHL experience to get over the 50 point mark this year.
Magnus Paajarvi: The only one of the big 3 who hasn't shown really any spurts of dominance. Today he didn't shoot the puck enough and when he held onto the puck, it was poked off his stick quickly. MPS needs to play with someone that can get him the puck....Hemsky? With Hemsky's passing abilities and MPS's speed they might be able to generate a ton of scoring opportunities off the rush.
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