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Oilers Team Report

Yahoo! Sports Dec 6, 5:32 am EST

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INSIDE SHOTS

Goalie Jeff Deslauriers hasn’t exactly been a picture of stability for the Oilers. He’s been all over the board since taking over from injured starter Nikolai Khabibulin(notes).

Three goals on six shots one game, four goals in nine shots the next. A 36-save shutout. Four goals in eight minutes. And a 27-save, 4-1 victory over the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday night.

“As a goalie you want to be constant, you want your team to know what you’re able to give every night,” said Deslauriers. “Vancouver (where he got the hook) was a tough game for me. I wasn’t happy about what I delivered. But that’s hockey. We had three days to refocus, work with the goaltender coach, get back to the basics.”

A 33-save win over Dallas on Saturday gives him two wins and two consecutive strong games, which is exactly what the Oilers need from him.

“Everybody has said he has a chance to be a really good goalie,” said Quinn, who needs more of the same Monday in Florida. “We see that quite often.”

Oilers 3, Stars 2  (SO): The Oilers, who almost never win in Dallas (the Stars are 44-11-6 against them since 1993), didn’t look as if they were going to win this one, either. They fell behind 2-0 but rallied with goals by defensemen Lubomir Visnovsky(notes) and Ladislav Smid(notes). Shawn Horcoff(notes) won it in the fifth round of the shootout.

NOTES, QUOTES

• RW Patrick O’Sullivan(notes) has only six goals this season and is a disturbing minus-9, but he’s been coming on lately. He scored twice in Edmonton’s win over Detroit on Thursday and potted a beauty in the shootout to help beat Dallas on Saturday. “Hopefully this will help him,” said head coach Pat Quinn. “He’s fighting the confidence. He was guessing with the puck and guessing with the plays. When you’re a guesser out there it’s hard to be a good player. It was affecting his defensive play. His whole game was getting out of whack.”

• The solid contributions in the last two games from LW Robert Nilsson(notes) and C Ryan Stone(notes), who both had been on the injured list, are giving the Oilers hope that things are about to take a turn for the better.

“You don’t want to use an excuse of guys being hurt, but day to day it affects the team. You can’t hide from that—it’s a fact,” said Patrick O’Sullivan. “We started getting guys back and feeling good about ourselves, I think it’s a snowball that can go in two different directions, and we’re starting to push it back the other way.”

Quote To Note:   “I liked what I saw from him. If he can play that way for us and not give up easy plays going the other way, we might have a player there.”—Coach Pat Quinn on LW Robert Nilsson

ROSTER REPORT

Goaltenders:   Jeff Deslauriers, Devan Dubnyk(notes)

Defensemen:   Tom Gilbert(notes), Sheldon Souray(notes), Steve Staios(notes), Lubomir Visnovsky, Ladislav Smid, Jason Strudwick(notes).

First Line:   Dustin Penner(notes), Sam Gagner(notes), Gilbert Brule(notes)

Second Line:   JF Jacques, Shawn Horcoff, Patrick O’Sullivan

Third Line:   Ethan Moreau(notes), Andrew Cogliano(notes), Ryan Potulny(notes)

Fourth Line:   Robert Nilsson, Ryan Stone, Zack Stortini(notes)

Player Notes:  

• D Steve Staios’ ice time has been cut. He’s in the third pairing, logging about 17 minutes a night. He started the year on the top pair with Sheldon Souray, but his play has dropped off a bit while Ladislav Smid’s has picked up.

• LW Dustin Penner doesn’t have a point in two games, which doesn’t normally mean much, but it represents his second-longest drought of the season.

• D Ladislav Smid’s tying goal in the third period against Dallas was his first in 151 games. He had a two-point night and is flourishing with new defense partner Lubomir Visnovsky.

Medical Watch:  

• C Marc Pouliot(notes) (sports hernia surgery) was injured Sept. 23 and is out until early January.

• D Taylor Chorney(notes) (ankle) was injured Nov. 8 and is day to day.

• RW Fernando Pisani(notes) (colitis) became ill Nov. 13 and is out indefinitely.

• D Denis Grebeshov (knee) was injured Nov. 13 and is out until mid-December.

• G Nikolai Khabibulin (back) was injured Nov. 21 and is day to day.

• RW Ales Hemsky(notes) (shoulder) was injured Nov. 25 and is gone for the season.

Updated Dec 6, 5:32 am EST
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17 Comments

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  1. howiehagla
    17. Posted by howiehagla Fri Dec 4 3:01pm EST

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    Oilers are destined for the dungeon, the celler's too good for them.The goaltending wasn't the problem for this sad group of hockey impersonators.It is and has always been poor management in player relations that took this once proud dynasty of the 80's to the heartless underachieving group of losers that we see today.The team has no ability to gel.Has anyone noticed how many good players in the league used to play for Edmonton?As soon as you become good enough to play for any team, or at least earn a worthy paycheck, your too good for Oil. The latest victim was Roloson.Instead of rewarding the best player on the team last year with a contract for the duration he was seeking,(three years) the Oilers spend more money on a goalie with skills and age similiar the goalie they already had,but they give him a four year deal.Maybe that's why Hemsky is still an Oiler.So much potential negated by underachievment.Case and point, Hemsky's out for the season-Oilers play best road game of the year against Detroit.What the Oilers need is simple.Goals.Goals win hockey games.You have to have players that understand that concept and the fact that in order to score goals you have to be intelligent and skilled enough shoot the puck into the net.Hemsky must have missed that class when he went to hockey school.Oiler management and coaching staff must have missed that whole year of hockey school.The bottom line is this.Until the Oilers can find a couple of 40-50 goal-a-year players, they will never be better than 8th place club they've become.
  2. KEVIN P
    16. Posted by KEVIN P Mon Nov 16 2:48pm EST

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    how did arseane do??
  3. Russ Cargill
    15. Posted by Russ Cargill Tue Oct 20 6:12pm EDT

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    They're good. They'll make the playoffs this year. I still don't think the line pairings are right but it's working.
  4. Darren M
    14. Posted by Darren M Tue Oct 13 9:29am EDT

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    It's nice to see a decisive win from the Oilers. We are so used to seeing them squeak out 1 goal (at best) victories. Seeing some offensive production from players other than Hemsky, Souray etc is also encouraging. I know it's early but the team looks like it just might be jelling a bit better under the the new coaching staff than it did in the past under MacTavish and crew. I was saying for years that it was time to change the "old boys" Oilers network and get some outside new blood into the organization to help this team along.

    I still think they need more offensive punch on the team but it doesn't look like they are going to be trading for any 40+ goal scorers anytime soon so hopefully we can get some 20-30 goal years from Penner/Gagner/Cogliano/O'Sullivan/Hemsky/Horcoff/Comrie/Souray/Visnovsky

    I did a quick stats search to see what the maximum potential could be for the Oilers this year:

    Comrie has had 5 seasons with 20+ goals (including 2 seasons of 30+ goals)

    Penner has had 2 seasons with 20+ goals

    O'Sullivan has had 1 season with 20+ goals

    Hemsky has had 2 seasons with 20+ goals

    Cogliano has had back to back 18 goal seasons in his rookie and sophomore years

    Gagner has scored 13 and 16 goals in his rookie and sophomore years

    Horcoff has had 2 seasons with 20+ goals

    Visnovsky has had 17 and 18 goal seasons in his career

    Moreau has had 1 season with 20+ goals

    Souray has had 2 seasons with 20+ goals

    Gilbert has scored 13 goals as a rookie defenceman (impressive) .

    Nilsson has scored 10 goals in a season (not counting on him doing much better than this again)

    Grebeshkov has scored 7 goals in a season but is getting power play time and 10 goals isn't out of the question.

    Brule has scored 9 in a season (back in his Columbus days) but has scored 4 in just 16 games since joining the Oilers... a 20 goal pace over a full season.

    Pisani has had 4 seasons with 13+ goals and was on pace for another one last season until sidelined with injuries ( Pisani has a had a tough run with injuries and is again on the injured reserve list for 10+ games) .

    Looking all those stats over... I can see there is some potential for the Oilers to put together a pretty solid offensive season.

    There's probably 10 different players with a crack at 20+ goals this season and 5 more with a crack at 10+ goals.

    If... (and it's a big if) ... the Oilers stay healthy AND they get consistency from 3 lines and not just their 1st line scoring unit... they could be a surprise team this year. They have the potential to score 240-250+ goals this season and if the goaltennding is solid with Deslauriers and Khabibulin in net... they could easily make the playoffs for a change instead of fighting for 8th place all season and then lapsing into their familiar 9th/10th place finish late in the year.

    There's still obviously lots of ifs out there... key veterans like Souray/Hemsky/Horcoff/Visnovsky/Comrie need to stay healthy.

    Also players like O'Sullivan, Gagner, Cogliano and Penner need to prove they can step up and be solid 1st/2nd line material and show their full potential.

    This could be a breakout year for the Oilers if the pieces of the puzzle fall together up to their full potential under Quinn and staff.

    The Oilers are maybe one of the best examples in the NHL of a team that needs to depend on 19 players every game to get the job done. If they get a solid team effort consistently like they did against Nashville they can be not only good... but overpowering. If instead they slip into being a team full of players with "potential" but with most players underachieving and just a few players providing the spark in most games... they are going to be a mediocre squad who struggle to even contend for the playoffs.

    My gut feeling tells me this year is different from the last few years... there's enough new blood in the coaching staff and enough hunger from several players who know they can do better and who have something to prove that this team will excel to the level of not having to squeak into the playoffs in the final few days... but instead they will actually contend for top spot in their division and in their conference. 100+ point season is a good possibility.
  5. Bryan N
    13. Posted by Bryan N Sun Oct 4 6:47pm EDT

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    So in the first year of a 4 year contract the Bulin Wall says his ceiling is 60 games... Yikes. I mean, I think he was the most established Free Agent Tender out there at the time, but I can already hear the crowd chanting... roli roli roli...
  6. <i>bonbogstie47</i>
    12. Posted by bonbogstie47 Sat Sep 26 12:24pm EDT

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    "They just didn't have the depth to overcome injuries to Visnovsky."????????
    Are we talking about the same team. 4 of the top 10 points getters were defensemen and none were on the wrong side of the plus minus. The blue line can't be held accountable for last years folies, nor can goaltending. There was no consistent production up front from anyone and I don't see that changing much this year, but at least with Comrie back there is another center who can make plays, possibly hit the 60 point plateau or maybe even gel with Penner or O'Sullivan. That said, size is going to be a problem and they are simply going to get muscled out of some games. At this point they look like they could put together 2 uptempo 2nd lines and 2 fourth lines that will have to muck it out to even get a sniff of the puck (no not enought talent for a third line).

    Let's hope I'm wrong and they light it up, but please don't get down on the D or I'll have to crawl through the screen and go McSnarley on you keister.
  7. <i>deezyeazy</i>
    11. Posted by deezyeazy Tue Sep 22 6:46pm EDT

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    does it look like Rob Schremp is going to crack the team this year?? I gamble in my fantasy pool and picked him up. Just wondering if I should hold on to him or not?
  8. Kyle
    10. Posted by Kyle Thu Sep 10 2:09am EDT

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    It's easy to see the Oilers underachieved last year, even though they barely have an All-Star player on the squad (Hemsky and Souray could each make a case). If it wasn't for Roli's play in the second half last season, results would've been much worse. They just didn't have the depth to overcome injuries to Visnovsky, Pisani, and Hemsky.

    This year everyone is a year older and a lot healthier. I'm optimistic about Kabi being the number one guy and I think Deslauriers will do better without the pressure of playing too many games. Gagner, O'Sullivan and (of course) Penner, should enjoy a more successful season under Quinn and Renney.

    It's great to see Tambellini resigned a few of the kids that Lowe brought in. Everyone has a clean slate this year, with new management. Other than a couple veterans that are sure to leave at the deadline, most of these guys should be around to see Jagr in an Oilers uniform. With a new arens being built downtown, it's time to think long term.
  9. beckerw67
    9. Posted by beckerw67 Mon Aug 31 1:00am EDT

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    You have not changed a thing. what you need is a couple real goalscorers. If your best goalscorer
    is a defenseman the lights should go on. hello!!!!!!!!!
  10. Danimal
    8. Posted by Danimal Fri Aug 28 5:26am EDT

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    Do any yahoo users actually follow the Oilers?

    Roli was a good player, never great, so we went and landed the best UFA goaltender on the market...

    "Wow you guys let Kotalik go ... got to be honest Oilers getting really hard to say I'm a lifelong fan"

    You're a life long fan and you didn't know that Kotalik was a deadline, rent-a-player???

    What a joke.

    *sigh* Educate yourselves folks before hitting enter.

    Sure, the Oilers aren't Stanley Cup favorites this year... I seem to recall Yahoo, among other doubting the Oilers and their offseason pick ups of Peca and Pronger as just "icing on a spoiled cake" kind of analogy... sorry, but if you actually knew what the Oilers are, and what you should have to look forward to. Then perhaps you would be a little better off.
  11. Chris
    7. Posted by Chris Thu Aug 13 5:54pm EDT

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    Who writes these things? Is it someone who actually follows the Oilers. At all?

    Tambellini announced at a MEDIA CONFERENCE ON JULY 31 (http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=458008) that the team was no longer is pursuing Heatley. And the video was sent well before that. No doubt they should never, ever have let themselves wait so long for Heatley to decide, but lets at least acknowledge the actual, current situation.

    And Khabibulin signed a 4-year deal, not 5. I'll let that error slip. 2 years too long of a deal though, IMHO
  12. ed c
    6. Posted by ed c Tue Jul 28 2:29pm EDT

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    Should have signed kotalik. He wanted to stay. Oilers management should have enough pride in the franchise to walk away from heatly. No way fans will stand for him being brought here now.
  13. Pat
    5. Posted by Pat Fri Jul 24 2:31pm EDT

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    It is pretty sad that the Edmonton Oilers would bow down soooo low as to keep the three Oiler players involved in the Heatley "doesn't know what the hell he wants" trade guessing where they will play. I've seen low but this takes the cake!!! I'm sure this doesn't make for great moral. You can bet your bottom that IF Heatley shows his mug on the Oiler's team, he WILL be booed and not only that, will absolutely want OUT of Edmonton just like Mr. Pronger did. Heatley will NEVER be happy anywhere he plays as he is emotionally unstable. Feel so sorry for the 3 guys waiting-they are real good hockey players given the chance. Penner's got a hell of a shot. I don't want HEATLEY, do you????
  14. lousyyahooblogger
    4. Posted by lousyyahooblogger Wed Jul 15 1:04am EDT

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    Sending Roli off is another reason why it's hard to be a diehard Oilers fan anymore. I'm sick of great players coming and going and going and going. They make the Energizer Bunny Blush!
  15. Bryan N
    3. Posted by Bryan N Sat Jul 11 7:20pm EDT

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    Agreed that letting Kotalik go was pretty dumb..
  16. <i>mrx4000</i>
    2. Posted by mrx4000 Thu Jul 9 3:50pm EDT

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    Wow you guys let Kotalik go ... got to be honest Oilers getting really hard to say I'm a lifelong fan .... keep seeing great players come and leave less than 2 years later ... not very happy right now :(
  17. <i>e.pryed@...</i>
    1. Posted by e.pryed@... Fri Jun 26 5:58pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    i think that the oilers should give the sens the tenth pick and one of the top defensive players they can still trade players to get the first or second pick
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