Oilers beat Caps 2-1, biggest win since when?

[Event Summary]

[NHL.com] [Cult of Hockey]

The Washington Capitals have been surging, jumping out to a 7-0-0 start this season. Last night I think the Oil grew up a bit. Look at the sheer joy and passion on the face of Taylor Hall, as he scores his 50th NHL point on a beautiful goal. The video is below. 

It's almost as if Hall's look is part joy, disbelief, happiness, and 'holy shit can you even believe we're here doing this right now against an undefeated Alex Ovechkin-led team?!?!'

It's absolutely astounding to me how much fun these Oilers are to watch. They're now 5-2-2 on the season and they're tied for first place with the Colorado Avalanche--whom they play tonight. I don't expect first place play to continue, partly because I don't think the Oilers get the type of goal-tending they're getting right now all season long. But you ride it for as long as it lasts and accumulate as many points as possible. Right now, the Oil are a good home team who are a tough out every night because of the energy the young kids like Hall, Jordan Eberle (each with goals last night, Eberle adding an assist to go with his GW Goal), and Nugent-Hopkins. Those guys are here to stay for the foreseeable future.

Save by save (34 times to be exact), Nik Khabibulin put another brick in the wall. How long can he keep this up? I do think to a degree with Bulin cools off, Devin Dubnyk will be there to pick him up a little bit. And surprise goal-tending was a reason I thought the Oilers could slip into the playoffs this year.

The great thing about this team is they are arriving ahead of schedule and doing it under the radar because no one in the NHL saw this happening.



All this hoopla and excitement happens the same night that the Winnipeg Jets beat the Philadelphia Flyers 9-8. Since it was a record setting game, here's the event summary of that beauty.

Watch video of the 17 goal game here.

Or just check this out:

Grantland on the Habs

Really nice read on the Canadiens over at Grantland.

Edmonton Arena Deal. Done.

BOOYAH.

Finally... the Edmonton Oilers are staying for good.

I need to start saving for hotel and air fare now.

Taylor Hall is Sorry He's Not Sorry, Vancouver

The Oilers won last night at Rexall 3-2 over the Vancouver Canucks.

Eberle, Hall, and Nugent-Hopkins were the causation.

If you want the full story, head over to Cult of Hockey.

Taylor Hall is Hungry for Pucks

Hopefully this leads to goal #2 against the 'Nucks tonight

Oilers can't close out Wild, lose 2-1 in shootout

[Event Summary]
[Cult of Hockey]

Second game in a row that I went to sleep with the Oilers leading 1-0 heading into the third period and at the end of the game, the Oilers found a way to lose instead of close it out for the win. They fall to 2-2-2 on the season with six points tallied. They should be a lot better off than that.

From NHL.com:

The Oilers were two seconds away from a 1-0 shutout before Minnesota's Dany Heatley beat Nikolai Khabibulin with 1.2 seconds left in regulation. After a scoreless overtime, Matt Cullen scored the only goal of the shootout, giving the Wild a 2-1 win that stunned the full house of 16,839 at Rexall Place


Jordan Eberle's and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins' efforts were stopped in the shootout before Eric Belanger hit the post to end the game. Cullen, Minnesota's first shooter in the tiebreaker, came in slowly before whipping a backhander under the crossbar on the Wild's first try.

 Ugh.

The Bulin Wall's 30 saves were not enough because he didn't make the final save of the game. That's why Hockey is so painful yet so intriguing at the same time. I would think that 99.9% of fans watching this game had the Oilers going off as a winner last night. And it didn't happen. And until the Oilers learn to close and score one more goal that makes the other team quit on the night this is going to keep happening.

My playoff predictions may have been premature.

Rick Rypien article in Vancouver Sun

I haven't read the whole thing yet, but this was a good article in the Vancouver Sun on the struggles of Rick Rypien.

Oilers lose to Calgary Flames rally, 2-1

[Event Summary]
[NHL.com] [Cult of Hockey]

I went to bed with the Oilers up 1-0 on the strength of a Tom Gilbert goal. Then I realized that Taylor Hall had the flu and got the DNP.

After that I decided that I wasn't going to watch the game. And when I woke up in the middle of the night and refreshed the NHL app scoreboard on my iPhone, I was not surprised to see the '1-0' lead morph into 2-1 Calgary.

The Oilers are 2-2-1. And they're showing that they're just slightly improved rather than a legit playoff team.

Hopefully Taylor Hall is back from the flu on Thursday evening.

Oilers top Preds at Rexall

[Event Summary]

[Cult of Hockey]

The Oilers dropped a pretty good team last night (Nashville was 44-27-11 last year) by a score of 3-1, and they out-shot their opponent 25 to 12.

It was Ryan Smyth bobble-head night in Edmonton. He scored the game winning goal and assisted on an empty netter.

These guys are doing about what I thought they would do. They're playing well at home and logging points at a playoff-contender like clip. They got good goal-tending from Nikolai Khabibulin, who only allowed one goal. He's making it as though Devan Dubnyk is going to really have to battle to earn the majority of games. 

Strong games were logged by Jordan Eberle, Taylor Hall, Tom Gilbert and the captain Shawn Horcoff. Horcoff logged three assists and Taylor Hall scored on a beautiful goal on the PP. 

Tonight the Oilers travel to Calgary for the Battle of Alberta, the first of the year. I have fond memories of this rivalry as when I first started following the Oilers they beat the Flames 4-0 on opening night.

RNH to Taylor Hall for the first time

A little history, and hopefully the first of many.

Monday Puck Drops

-Oilers play the Preds tonight at 9:30 ET. It's been a little while since the Oilers have had a win, hopefully it comes tonight. It's Ryan Smyth bobble-head night.

-Sidney Crosby is back tonight.

-A Detroit Red Wing with a huge lipper in at 30,000 feet. Tweeting.

-December Hockey Night, with an Ottawa blogger.

-This day in Habs History. And this day in hockey history with an Oilers twist.

Oilers lose 4-3 to Canucks on Hockey Night

[Event Summary]

Taylor Hall got robbed of a goal--but it was able to give Ryan Nugent Hopkins his first hat trick of his career. Hall had two assists on the night and was +2, but the Oilers in the end fell to 1-1-1 on the season with a 4-3 loss to the Canucks on Hockey Night in Canada. 

It's a hockey night

First counting hockey night of the year for Edmonton Oilers fans. They play host to the Vancouver Canucks at Rexall Place coming off the heels of a 2-1 OT loss in Minnesota on Thursday night. I was pretty upset the Oilers

Tonight's game also comes with a little good news, the Oilers are one step closer to the new YEG arena being completed. It's looking like a foregone conclusion that the Oilers are going to get their new arena, and I couldn't be happier that the Oilers are staying in such a rich hockey town.

I hope Taylor Hall nets a goal tonight and gets in the point box. He seems to have a flare for the dramatics on Saturdays and Hockey Nights. I'll be back with a nice post-game post after CBC's broadcast tonight most likely.

Oilers Opening Night

[Oilers 2, Penguins 1 (OT)]
[Lowetide] [Oilers Nation] [Empty Netters]

That was an epic opener. 

There were definite lulls in the play last night, but to go with it there was a certain degree of magic. The number one overall draft pick Ryan Nugent-Hopkins tying the game 1-1 at 15:05 of the third period with his first NHL goal--spanking in a backhand assisted by Taylor Hall and Tom Gilbert.

It was one of those magical, defining moments that you only know you're witnessing right when you see it.

The Oil battled hard, killing off each and every powerplay opportunity that the Penguins mounted. A huge part of that was Devan Dubnyk. He was absolutely lights out, matching and then outplaying Brent Johnson all the way into a shootout that would see the Oilers victorious after makes from Jordan Eberle and Ales Hemsky.

Something felt different about last night's game. This Oiler team is up and coming, and they can play with anyone on any given night. Tom Renney is now 8-0 in season openers. That is absolutely amazing.

No one out there is predicting them to do this thing this year and make a playoff run. Except this blogger. This team will be in it until the end. No one planned on Dubnyk arriving as a big-time goalie and no one outside of Edmonton and the people who watch the young signature talent on this team will know of the run they're about to make until it happens. But when they are put on notice after a hot start, the Oilers will have to adjust.

I think that this was a storybook start to what is going to be a special season.

And my God is Hockey season magical. Everything about it.

Oh my God I'm hooked on Fantasy Hockey

Last night even with the baseball playoffs going on I couldn't get enough of my fantasy hockey teams!

Opening Night 2011

-Pro Hockey Talk has their predictions for 2011-2012.
-Their Eastern Conference Playoff teams here.
-And their Western Conference Playoff teams.
-SB Nation has 5 things to watch from Opening Night.
-Opening night preview of the 3 games of the evening from Sporting News.

-Nice write up about Taylor Hall by a former player. He expects Hall to have a big year. He also adds Eastern & Western conference predictions.

Hockey Season Traditions

For me, I like going to Tim Horton's before the Oilers games and then listening on the radio or watching on the net. It's a new tradition I started last year when I started following the Oilers. I used to like putting in a chew of dip tobacco right at the first face off but I know I need to quit and I am trying to.

I love the games around new years day (for the time off work and it's around the time of year that games are getting into full swing) and have watched the Winter Classic for the past several years just as hard as I watch college bowl games.

I also take my wife to watch some high school hockey at the local rink on a couple friday nights each winter after the first snow. It's fun to watch how hard these HS aged kids battle.

I love game day reading the fish wrap each morning in the Edmonton Journal to get me ready for that night's game.

I also like finding hockey books at Barnes & Noble bookstore and piling them 3 or 4 high and deciding on one to take home and enjoy each hockey season.

There's more I'll think of but I am excited for this time of year and for some of these favorite traditions of mine to make a return. It's almost here!

Bruins Bar Tab

This is awesome.

Oilers Opening Night is less than a week away

Less than a week from now, on Sunday night the Edmonton Oilers will open their season at a little hockey palace called Rexall Place against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The #1 overall pick Ryan Nugent-Hopkins will start the season in Edmonton.

The video is from one year ago at this time.