Oilers shut out Flyers 2-0

[Event Summary]

[Cult of Hockey]

All was as it should have been last night in Edmonton.

Taylor Hall got the Oilers on the board and up 1-0 with a powerplay goal, his 22nd of the season. Jordan Eberle would later add his 27th in addition to an apple assist on the Hall powerplay goal. Devan Dubnyk shut out one of the highest scoring teams in the NHL. The Oilers proved that they again are a formidable opponent in Edmonton.

I have all along felt that Ales Hemsky is part of the solution in Edmonton, and he was signed to a 2-year contract extension today. 

Oilers fall short in Buffalo

[Event Summary]

[Edmonton Journal]

The Oil played in Buffalo last night, where I've heard that they still hand out nice score sheets with your admission at the door to The First Niagara Center. 

I had this game on while watching the Michigan-Virginia Tech bowl game, and I have to say the Oilers played inspired hockey, taking this into the 3rd period tied 2-2. Somehow from there I just had a feeling that they wouldn't be able to hold things, that Buffalo would find a way to eek out this victory and sure enough, if I'd bet it I would have been right. 

This was their first game without Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Ales Hemsky said that the boys gave up.

Here's Taylor Hall's beauty Goal #12 on the season:


One of my resolution as a hockey fan was to pay better attention to the WJHC going on right now, and when they started a few days before Christmas. I've failed miserably. Russia and Sweden going for the gold.

Taylor Hall's First Hat Trick

 [Cult of Hockey]

[Event Summary] [Box Score]

To watch what Taylor Hall did yesterday afternoon at Rexall Place against the Atlanta Thrashers was truly witnessing something special. If you watched Hall take over the game in the 3rd period yesterday, you knew that you were watching a dominating performance and after he got his first two goals (cutting the deficit to 3-2, tying the game at 3-3 with the goal horn coming within mere minutes of each-other) you just knew he was going to find a way to get the hat trick.

The young man looked hungry with the puck. And guys like Ales Hemsky and Sam Gagner just kept feeding the monster. Tom Renney should get credit, because he saw that Hall was in one of those rare zones and kept giving him ice time. It seemed like Hall was playing every other shift. It was truly fun hockey to watch. The Thrashers looked helpless on the power play defence and Hall scored all three goals on special teams to get a natural hat trick.

NBC's Matt Reitz:

There’s a certain quality that superstars have that most NHLers will never experience—some people call it the “it” factor. Hall controlled the game. It wasn’t the shots, it wasn’t the odd-man rushes, and it was just the way the game flowed. When he was out there, the Oilers were a dangerous team—when he wasn’t, they weren’t. He was the player you looked for during the entire game and when he jumped over the boards, you held your breath because you had no idea what he’d do next. It was that “edge-of-your-seat” factor that only a handful of guys are capable of producing—and he did it 19-years-old.

Isn’t this what we expect from a #1 overall pick?

The win was the Oilers third straight. It was the first natural hat-trick by a rookie in five years. I am so glad Hall is an Oiler. And I'm thrilled I was watching on this February Saturday afternoon. Gary Bettman was on hand to see the future of his league. 

They're calling him "Cyclone". And this is only the beginning.