Seven seconds

Although there was only one game played last night at Rexall Place, it sure felt like a tale of two cities.

THE GOOD

Goaltender Jeff Deslauriers from Yahoo!

"It was maybe not technically the best game, but I just went in there and thought about stopping the puck, no matter how—hands, stick—less thinking and more stopping."

• Jeff Deslauriers came back from an iffy weekend performance versus the Blackhawks to shut out the Coyotes 4-0. Deslauriers faced 36 shots nailing the W down. Scottie Upshall had at least three can't miss opportunities on the netminder. All were turned aside.
• 30 out of 54 faceoff wins isn't a wildly great stat, but I'm going to go with it as a positive.
  
• Sheldon Souray's back in a way that's not really ready for words. Souray had an assist on a Horcoff goal with 1/10th of a second remaining in the second period, plus a fluky goal of his own halfway through the first. This led to...
• the goal by Ales Hemsky, scored seven seconds later. All you stat monkeys can get out your pencils, 'cause two goals in seven seconds is an Oiler record.
  

Captain Ethan Moreau scored the first goal of the game.

THE BAD

What kind of ingrate bitches when their team wins 4-0?

• The team was outshot 16-5 in the third, but "badly outplayed" in the third is the term more like it. I don't know if they got up and decided to sit on the lead, but Deslauriers had to work extra hard in the third to preserve not only the shutout, but the lead.
• Oilers had a pretty good 5 on 3 PP in the second, but could not convert. They were a lean 1 for 6 on power play chances.
  
• Jeff Deslauriers was definitely first star material last night, but there's been no good news from the Khabibulin camp regarding his back injury. Here's hoping we get great stuff out of JDD tomorrow night versus Los Angeles.
  

This game could have gone catastrophically wrong, but a few great bounces and superb goaltending from Deslauriers give the Oilers two badly needed points.

Ryan Stone is skating for the first time since 1962. JF Jacques is back, baby. All hail the tank.

The Los Angeles Kings visit Rexall tomorrow night.

I predict great things in the future for the quest back to .500.

FROM THE WIRE
A tip of the hat goes to Dwayne Roloson for pulling his best Ron Tugnutt impression last night, stopping fifty eight of sixty two shots for the Islanders in their 4-3 OT victory against Toronto.



Take care of yourselves.

Push the button

I'm not an alarmist.

I'd like to believe that I'm a little more patient compared to most

But I think we've got a little bit of trouble here.

Let me go on record saying here that along with poutine, five-pin bowling, and bright sunshiney days that I really really like Jeff Deslauriers. I just don't know if he's ready to have the kitchen sink thrown at him yet.

From Yahoo! Sports:

Nov 22 G Nikolai Khabibulin came up with a sore back hours before Edmonton's Saturday night game with the Chicago Blackhawks, forcing backup Jeff Deslauriers into action. The Oilers then had to sign junior goalie Torrie Jung of the Edmonton Oil Kings to a one-day contract so he could sit on the bench as an emergency backup.

Torrie Jung, eh? For a minute, I'd like to be Torrie Jung, just to pick up that phone call. "One day contract? Tonight? Bench?"

The words being used are "sore back" and "day to day" in regards to Nikolai Khabibulin not being dressed for Saturday's 5-2 defeat at the hands of the Blackhawks. I have a couple of friends who are Sabres fans, and they swear to God that they would've made the playoffs last season if Ryan Miller didn't get injured in a game versus the Rangers.

I'm kind of on that same door; if Khabibulin is out for any significant period of time, the jocularity of my posts will begin to hover somewhere in the style of the 1993 Ottawa Senators.

I just checked my email, and it seems that the Oilers have recalled goaltender Devan Dubnyk for the time being. This would tell my Spidey senses that Khabibulin isn't in the lineup for tonight's game versus Phoenix.

A quick look at tonight's game versus the Coyotes

• Double D should be between the pipes for the maligned Oil drop
  
• Phoenix has had recent trouble in Edmonton, as they've lost their last four games at Rexall.
• Ed Jovanovski's status is uncertain, having missed the previous seven games with a lower body injury.
• Dustin Penner needs to be Dustin Penner. Breaking stuff everywhere. Go to net, break things, put puck in net, arms go up.
  

Let's have a seven goal outburst. Alright? Guys? Hey, where are you going?

Weekend Update

The only way Edmonton has a chance tonight is if they work for a full sixty minutes.

Each player has got to turn in and finish every shift like it's their last.

They HAVE to score first, and get a great night from Khabibulin.

A good bounce or two would help too.

Other than that, it should be a breeze.

We got verve late in the game.

We had a lot of verve later on.

- Oilers coach Pat Quinn

Call it whatever you want, but the Oilers are 2-0 against the Northwest division leading Avalanche this season. It started out like a dogshit sandwich, but like Quinn said about the verve, y'know, they had it. Edmonton comes from behind on three separate occasions, taking the first game of a five game home stand 6-4. Good.

THE ROUNDTABLE IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER

• Six different Oilers scored. This includes some Oilers who really needed one, like Shawn Horcoff and Patrick O'Sullivan. Horc has two goals in three games. Keep scoring them. That'd be nice.
  
• According to this Yahoo! writeup, the Oilers lead the league in man-games lost with 121. And counting. That same article also says that Edmonton is the second-poorest team in the league at face-offs. Maybe if there was some way to give a team one of our players in return for one of theirs...
  
• Gagner's back. Comrie, not so much.
• Total shots - Edmonton 32, Colorado 18.
  
• Don't call it a comeback: It was really nice seeing the team claw their way back into the game from being down on three separate circumstances. It's one game, but it's surely something to build on.
  

Let's see... Chicago next. Khabibulin better wear a couple pairs of drawers for that one.

There may be troubles ahead

Yeah, POINT.

Current record: 8-10-3. That wraps up the first quarter of the season.

The Oilers were able to squeeze a point out of Columbus yesterday in a 3-2 SO loss.

I'm somewhat happy with a point, as the Oilers finish their five game road trip with just one victory.

There are no excuses that are good excuses, but having seven or eight guys on IR is a good place to start. D-men Grebeshkov and Chorney are out, as eight year minor league vet Dean Arsene got his first NHL start.


The Oilers return back to Rexall for five games, the first against the Avalanche. The second game of that homestand is against Chicago, in case you're keeping tabs out there.

This team has a chance to play some great hockey when they're all healthy and on the same page. Unfortunately, they haven't been close to healthy since about game 3 of this year.

I don't know if calling for a trade at this point would be a positive thing. Everyone else seems to think that people have to be moved, and that's great. Problem is that everyone else is either struck with the flu, has a wonky shoulder, battered lower body problem, or fucked up knees. If you get rid of a defenseman, who are you going to bring in to play with a team full of guys who are at about 70%? We're already playing a guy who has zero NHL experience, and while it's great for him to get touches, it's not the best solution for right now.

But it's all we've got.

Souray's back, that's great. Horcoff is clearly not even close to being himself, but he's out there throwing himself around. Khabibulin is facing a hell of a lot more shots than he probably should, but he's performing well. Whether or not he can do this in February and March at this level is yet to be seen.

The team has got to get healthy in order to be competitive.

Worth a couple minutes of your time is the latest from Lowetide.

We need

Let's WIN.

Dustin Penner has 12 goals so far this season. Quick maths would say that he's on his way to a 40 goal season if he can keep up the pace.

Edmonoton at Columbus. Let's get healthy.

When one callup simply won't do

*NB* When you see numbers, do not hit.

Also of importance: When you see numbers, do not hit into the boards.

Clarke MacArthur's hit from behind on Liam Reddox in the third period of Wednesday night's game was definitely a couple of notches above the standard two minute penalty. MacArthur (deservedly) received a five minute boarding major and a game misconduct. Reddox remained in the fetal position for several minutes and had to be helped off the ice.

I'm quite surprised that someone didn't go headhunting for MacArthur right after the incident. It was a reckless hit, probably not intentional, but it's impossible to turn a blind eye to this kind of hit. I know MacArthur's a stand up guy, and you could see he regretted it from the moment Reddox hit the boards.



But seriously, what the fuck?

WE'RE RUNNING OUT OF PLAYERS
Horcoff
Souray
Pisani
Reddox
Grebeshkov
Chorney
Stone
Pouliot
Jacques

are all laid up with various injuries. Plus, we lost Steve Macintyre to Florida via the waiver wicket. Anybody got some sticks?

We've got Atlanta coming up Sunday.

And for shits and giggles, here's Taco.

W

SOME GOOD

• Ryan Potulny had a goal and an assist earning the first star honours in Sunday's 5-3 victory at Colorado.
  
• 4 goals for the Edmonton power play. Slow down there, stallion. You don't want to use 'em all up in one game. PP goals were scored by Potulny, Penner, Gilbert and O'Sullivan.
  
• 29 total Oiler shots. Colorado managed 35, but Edmonton looked much, much better this game in comparison to almost anything they've done in the last week.

Nikolai Khabibulin looks strong in net. The defense held it (enough) together, and the Oil squeezed two points out of Colorado. This was Colorado's first loss at home this season.

There are back to back games starting tonight in the Northeast. Edmonton will visit Scotiabank Place in Ottawa tonight, followed by a match in Buffalo tomorrow.

Anthem

Yesterday I sang the National Anthem at the beginning of a bodybuilding competition.

Let me tell you about it.

When I was younger, I worked for Ransomville Speedway in Western New York. It was (and probably still is) the best summer job in the world. Tired of using the same cassette taped version of the Canadian and American national anthems, they turned to me to sing it.

I don't know why they chose me. Paid me an extra ten bucks each Friday too.

I did this on and off for the better part of four or five years, and a time or two back in 2007. While I certainly wasn't the worst at it, Paul Lorieau I ain't. I'd always be a nervous wreck working up to it, but it's fun belting it out in front of a crowd.

Fast forward to Wednesday. Fitness guru Dianne came in my place of business and was printing off a bunch of flyers for her bodybuilding event she was helping promote Saturday. One of the lines of business on the flyer was "National Anthem".

I asked her who was doing her anthem. She said Whitney Houston.

Wow. Whitney Houston's coming to Greensboro for a bodybuilding event to sing the anthem?


No, stupid. It's the CD version of her Super Bowl XXV pregame performance.

Oh.

Dianne asks if I know anyone who can sing the anthem. I did.

You? Anthem? Sure. I'm invited outside, and she tells me to hit it.

I get the gig.


SRSLY. New bikini division!


The Fabulous Carolina Theatre!

I had never been to a bodybuilding competition before, much less sang the anthem at the preface of a bodybuilding competition. I saw a few ladies at this event that could've given George Foreman a run for his money back in Quezon City. I wish I had a picture for you.

Show's scheduled to go off at 6. Naturally, nothing goes off right on time here. I'm quite nervous, as I haven't even done this for fun in two years. The competitors are lining up backstage with me. Oiled and shirtless (and pantless) men, extremely fit women scantily clad in workout gear. These people are just bursting with muscle.

and then me. Stewart says I look like a caddy. I think I look like a neck.

Okay? Ready? Go. You're on. Now. Get out there. Get to the centre of the stage. Under the flag. Wait! The mic cord won't go that far. Stand at the podium. No, give me the mic. I'm gonna be sick. Here we go. Breathe in annnnnnnnnnd -

And then it was over. I gave a large fist pound at the crowd once it was over, and a finger point. Way to look like a coked out wrestler. And then, I walked out the stage door and bustled across the street to my '92 Buick Regal. Knots in my stomach untying, it finally was over.

Thanks.

GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS

Good news: Staios is back. Pisani is out there.

Bad news: We can't win a fucking game right now to save our lives. Souray is still out. Horcoff is out for a week. Ryan Stone's knee is still wonky. JF Jacques has a back issue. Injuries might be an issue here.

I gots no bad things to says about our goaltendings.

Peckham and Chorney got called up for tonight's game in Colorado, who've been playing like they've time warped back to the '96 Avalanche.

Until next time.

It's like a hangover

From the Oilers web site, here's Sheldon Souray talking a bit about his concussion, Jarome Iginla, and hangovers.