NHL Preview: Edmonton Oilers

The technical issues have returned here to my little corner of the Opossum-Palooza, and as such we are now falling way behind on the NHL previews. But rest assured that I am doing everything I can to get you the useless speculation you so desperately crave. Today, I bring you DefDude's preview of the Edmonton Oilers, the eighteenth part of our series.

What a long, strange ride it has been, eh? From the almost irrelevant position of the 8th seed in the Western Conference Playoffs, to being the small-market David to Detroit’s Goliath, to the heartbreak of a nation in losing the chance to bring hockey’s holy grail home from the midst of the desolate hockey wasteland known as the South. Finally, it was all capped off by the final rejection of the city itself by a man whose inspired performance during his single season in the city endeared him eternally to fans, or would have if not for the embittering circumstances surrounding his departure. A distaste for management, or his coach, or maybe even his teammates, would be a legitimate reason for his desiring a trade. Or possibly his OWN distaste for Edmonton MIGHT be a palatable excuse (although highly unlikely), but no, Chris Pronger had to request a trade because, as reports go, his WIFE did not like the city of Edmonton. Now when a player requests a trade because his WIFE hates you so much that she nags him to the point of jumping a championship-caliber team....well, that’s got to hurt a team’s psyche. Not to mention its chances for another magical Cup run in 2007.

With the departure of Pronger and chippy center Michael Peca, the Oilers suddenly find themselves somewhat lacking in the gritty, blue-collar attitude that led to last year’s shocking Cindarella run, and leave gaping holes in the lineup, which the Oilers are hoping to fill with young players they believe ready to make the leap to the NHL’s elite. Highly-touted but often-maligned prospect Robbie Schremp will be expected to shoulder much of the load left in Peca’s wake, while the signing of former Ranger Petr Sykora adds more firepower to an already capable offense.

But the story in Edmonton remains the departure of Pronger, one of the game’s truly elite defensemen, as capable of scoring a goal as giving an opposing star a concussion. Following him out of town was puck-moving defenseman Dick (heeheehee) Tarnstrom, who bolted for Switzerland. The combined loss of quality defenders will surely offset any projected offensive gains, and leave the aging Dwayne Roloson in a precarious situation that could overburden the creaky old netminder. While much of the core from last season’s run (Ryan Smith, the team captain named Smyth, Fernando Pisani, and Shawn Horcoff), the loss of two all-star players will almost certainly be too much for a team that struggled to even make the playoffs last season, leaving the Oil more likely for a lottery spot than a place at the spring dance.

The Oilers have an enviable network of bloggers to sate your appetite, should you need to follow their exploits. Mosey on over to All Oil... all the time!, Black Dog Hates Skunks, Covered In Oil, Girls don't love hockey, Irreverent Oilers Fans, Lowetide or Oil Time Hockey. Also, don't forget The Battle of Alberta, one of the best hockey blogs around, and for the female and non-traditional male hockey fans out there, you've also got hot oil (if you're into that sort of thing).

Game 7 Recap

Congratulations to the Hartford Whal... errr, Carolina Hurricanes for keeping the Cup at home in the Southeast Division. Congratulations also to the Edmonton Oilers, who played one of the best series I have ever had the chance to witness.

The choice of Cam Ward for the Conn Smythe leaves me scratching my head a bit. As I mentioned earlier, I wasn't able to actually watch game seven, so I'll assume he put on one of the most spectacular goaltending displays in NHL history last night to secure the trophy. Otherwise, his selection makes absolutely no sense to me.

Game 6 Recap

This one is a little tardy, as the sixth game of this year's Finals decided to fall on the evening of my 21st Birthday, and I am just now finally recovered enough to form a coherent sentence.

I missed the first half of the game, so there wer 11 minutes left in the second and the Oilers were up 2-0 by the time I tuned in. Needless to say, I was pretty shocked. I honestly expected the Canes to wrap it all up last night, but Edmonton dominated every aspect of the game. Probably the most telling stat was the shot totals: Edmonton got 34 pucks through to Cam Ward, while Jussi Markkanen barely earned his paycheck, logging just 16 saves (Granted, a lot of this can be attributed to the Oilers' giving the Canes a taste of their own medicine to the tune of 20 blocked shots, something I'll be discussing in further detail later). The Oil were skating faster, hitting harder and just out and out controlling the entire game. How much of that was because of the fact that they were playing their last game in front of arguably the best fan base in the NHL is hard to say, but I don't think I'm going out on a limb by saying that I doubt they'll be able to duplicate their performance tomorrow night.

Game 5 Recap

If, before the game, you had taken a survey that asked "How will the game end?" how many people would have guessed that it would be a shorthanded goal by the Oilers? Not many, I think.

Edmonton really brought it tonight, and the result was one of the best played hockey games I've ever seen. They were pretty dominant in ever phase of the game, but decided to keep the game close by taking plenty of penalties. Halfway through the first, it was shaping up to look like more of the same from the Oil on special teams, but then something crazy happened. Something completely unprecedented. Ales Hemsky took a shot on goal. Hemsky has taken alot of criticism for his reluctance to shoot the puck, and it isn't entirely warranted, as the problem seems to be more rampant among the Oilers players than influenza, and his power play goal to tie the game was huge. Edmonton absolutely needed to get their power play going, and scoring on their first chance of the game ultimately sealed the win for them right then and there. Once Michael Peca gave them the lead a few minutes later, the Hurricanes were never really in it, especially once the injuries started mounting.

The 'Canes still win the special teams battle, with three special teams goals to the Oilers' two, but this game could turn out to be a major turning point in the series. The Oilers proved that they A) can still win when Carolina's power play is firing on all cylinders B) can win even when Eric Staal finally shows up to the arena C) can still, occasionaly at least, score on their own power play D) can actually have an effective penalty kill, assuming that the Hurricanes are exhausted after having played sixty minutes of intense playoff hockey while missing two guys from their bench for significant portions of the game.

If the Oilers accomplish on Saturday some of the things they accomplished tonight, namely crowding Cam Ward's crease and physically beating the snot out of Carolina's forwards, and also stay out of the penalty box, they stand an excellent chance of making one more trip back to Raleigh.

Game 4 Recap

Marc-Andre Bergeron can sleep a little more soundly now that he is not the biggest goat of this series. Raffi Torres earns that distinction with his exceptionally educational display in the first period. Kids, if you ever wanted to know what not to ever do under any circumstances no matter what, go back and watch a replay of Torres' trip immediately after the faceoff that resulted from the Oilers' first (and only) goal. With little to no margin for error against a team that has been feasting on the power play, that penalty, and the ensuing goal, was absolutely backbreaking, preventing the Oil from putting together any kind of momentum from scoring first at home.

Obviously, this wasn't the only reason they lost. Their anemic power play was just as responsible, but it is difficult to pin the blame for that on any one person. It may not even be their fault at all. Maybe the Carolina penalty kill is just that good. Either way, Edmonton may just want to consider declining any penalties against them in Game 5. The failed five on three in the first period was just as much of a momentum swing in the Hurricanes' favor as the Torres penalty.

Game 3 Recap

After a two day layoff, the Finals resumed tonight in Edmonton, and, as a result, I too, have returned. In spite of the fact that I didn't see the game. Such is the life of a busy actor.

Looking at the box score and news reports of the game, the one thing that strikes me most is the power play numbers. More specifically, I was struck by the Hurricanes 0-5 mark on the night. This is a huge improvement for an Oilers' PK that had allowed Carolina to go 4-15 (26.7%) over the first two games. They also managed to draw the 'Canes into seven penalties. Its going to be very important moving forward for Edmonton to stay on the positive side of the penalties. While their power play has been rather dreadful, every minute they spend in Carolina's end is a minute they don't have to spend worrying about their inexperienced goaltender.

In other news, it really sucks to be Marc-Andre Bergeron right about now. First, you do the right thing and clear the opposing forward out of the crease, inadvertently knocking your team's starting goaltender out of the series. Then, in Game 2, you do the right thing by going to the ice to try to block a shot in a 2-on-1 situation, and your skate deflects the puck into the net. Then you get scratched for game 3. Methinks that this is not a week he will look back on fondly.

Game 2 Recap

Well, that was disappointing.

I actually thought that Edmonton looked like the better team for most of the first two periods. They seemed to be getting better offensive zone pressure and they were doing a great job of protecting Jussi Markannen. None of the breaks went their way though, and it certainly doesn't help that they now seem to be actively trying to sabotage their goaltenders. Between deflecting pucks into the net of their skates, plowing defenders into their knees and flailing helplessly at botched passes behind the net, the Oilers have been just as much of a problem for Roloson, Conklin and Markannen as the 'Canes. That, and penalties. Penalties are bad, folks, and when you have a rookie goalie making his first ever playoff start in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals, you should try to avoid taking too many of them, because eventually, it is going to cost you.

Here's hoping the Oil can fix the issues they've got and come back to Carolina for Game 5 with the series tied.

Bergeron Suicide Watch: Day 1

It's official. Dwayne Roloson is out for the rest of the series. Suddenly, Marc-Andre Bergeron is the most hated man in Alberta.

This is huge. Imagine a baseball team making it to the World Series and then losing half of it's starting pitching staff and it's closer in a freak dugout incident. That's how huge this is.

Then again, maybe not. I'll be interested to see how well the Oilers defense rallies to protect Ty Conklin. In Game 1, after Roloson left, the Hurricanes only registered a single shot three shots on goal. One of which could hardly be qualified as a "shot" as much as a "tap in for birdie" (baseball, then golf; how many more analogies can I make?). I think they'll be able to pull off a similar feat in Game 2, or at least a reasonable facsimile thereof. Really it has been the Edmonton defense that has been carrying them all along anyway. Roloson, in my opinion, hasn't been particularly spectacular. Ultimately, this will only be as big a loss as the Oilers allow it to be.

Game 1 Recap

Wow...

I'm not entirely sure of what I just saw. Was it an exciting hockey game? Or just a series of bizarre events that fascinated, but did not truly inspire? I really don't know how to feel right now.

Actually, that's not entirely true. I feel bad for Patrice Marc-Andre Bergeron, who may turn out to be the goat of the year after his hit on a Carolina player knocked Dwayne Roloson out of the game. I also feel bad for Ty Conklin, who, as near as I could tell, only touched the puck once in the entire game.

I also know that I'm definitely excited to see how Edmonton will respond in Game 2. I can't think of a more demoralizing way to lose a game than what they accomplished tonight, and it may be made more difficult if the injury to Roloson turns out to be serious. If Roloson is out, I don't think anyone in Edmonton can possibly feel confident about their chances with Conklin in goal, even though he didn't really get a chance one way or the other to show how he'll respond to the pressure of the Stanley Cup Finals.

NYC: Bland and Boring compared to Edmonton

Interesting to note that the Edmonton Oilers have packed up and left Alberta to escape all the pressures and distractions that come with being the Western Conference champions with a week and a half layoff in the smallest city in the NHL. So, where did they go to escape all these distractions? Why, New York City, of course.

It's actually a pretty good idea. As the AP article notes, this allows the team to get used to the time change, as well as "the humid air and skate-stifling slush that passes as late-spring ice". (Love that line, by the way.)

Life just gets in the way

I'm sure lots of stuff happened today. I missed all of it while attending my brother's high school graduation and then performing.

Congrats to the Oilers though. The fact that they are an eight seed has never even crossed my mind because they have been so good. I'm especially happy for Edmonton fans, who, from what I can tell on TV (as well as this), may be the best fans in the NHL.

What is wrong with you people?

Eight goals in the third period tonight in Edmonton. One of the most exciting hockey games I've seen in a long time. Yet, apparently no one saw it.

Sure, if you read Rovell's article, you might come away with a pretty dismal impression of the NHL's prospects for the future. Ratings a fraction of what they were two years ago; getting beaten in the ratings by poker. And the WNBA. The WNB freakin' A. All in spite of one of the most exciting playoffs the NHL has seen in a while. Looks pretty awful, right?

Wrong.

Sure, getting beat by the WNBA is pretty bad. Getting beat by poker may be even worse. But there are so many factors that affect this I don't know where to start. Let's put it this way: Imagine how the WNBA would do if all their games were aired on OLN, with half of those games running past midnight on the east coast. Ask yourself, which would you be more likely to stay up past midnight for: Los Angeles Sparks vs. Sacramento Monarchs or the San Jose Sharks vs. Edmonton Oilers. (Answer? Neither, probably, unless you're a die-hard hockey fan whose going to be awake anyway, like me.)

Ultimately, I sincerely doubt that the NHL will ever sink to the depths of the WNBA or Arena Football in the national sports consciousness. Obviously, not having games carried on the Worldwide Leader hurts, and the sport will never be on the same footing as the NFL, MLB or NBA. But the fact is, people who are hockey fans love hockey. People who are watching the WNBA or the AFL are generally people who just happen to like basketball or football and are just mildly interested or intrigued.

My Predicament.

I must say, I'm really quite annoyed by the fact that San Jose-Edmonton is on at the same time as Grey's Anatomy. (Not as annoyed as I am by the fact that Anatomy's season finale is a two-part episode with the second half airing on Monday)

I'm having a hard time deciding who to root for in this series. On the one hand, how can you not get excited about an eighth seed making it all the way to the conference championship round? Especially these Oilers, who are especially fun to watch and have some exceptional fans in their building. On the other hand, the Sharks are coached by Ron Wilson, the man who led the Capitals to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1998, and I've always had a soft spot for him. Not to mention the fact that Joe Thornton and Johnathan Cheechoo are the NHL's points and goal scoring leaders, respectively, and I love to see great players succeed.

Maybe I can just stay neutral. Can I do that? Or root for both teams. Is that allowed?

My bad.

I like making predictions about sporting events. It's pretty much the only time I ever get to enjoy being wrong.

Overtime is a two-edged sword

I give up. I really need sleep. As much as I love overtime, I wish someone would score, so i can sleep in peace without wondering who won the Edmonton-San Jose game. But, at the end of one OT, I won't be getting that satisfaction. Although, at the rate they're going, the game may still be going when I wake up tomorrow.

Vesa Toskala is playing like a madman, and he is the MVP of the game so far. Right now, before going to sleep, I'm going to predict that San Jose wins this game. We'll see how prescient I am when I wake up.