What's Up With Magnus?

One of the big mysteries of the Edmonton Oilers first twelve games, has been drastic fall off in the play of one Magnus Paajarvi. The young forward still looks like the same responsible two way player yet something seems to be missing something in his game. The drive that the youngster brought to the rink last season, has not been part of his game on a nightly basis. I am not sure what exactly brought on the change, but I do have my suspicions.

Game Day: Oilers vs Coyotes

Edmonton (8-2-2) vs Phoenix (6-4-2)


Time:      8:00pm
Where:   Jobing.com Arena
Watch:    CBC
Listen:    630 Ched

These Guys Are For Real

 

I was fairly confident heading into the 2011-2012 campaign, that the Edmonton Oilers would be able to compete for a playoff spot, if they could remain relatively healthy. When you consider, that Edmonton have had Ales Hemsky play all of four periods this season and Ryan Whitney play three games and a bit, it makes the Oilers hot start even more remarkable. Not even the most die hard of Oiler fans would have predicted them to start the season off 8-2-2 and given Edmonton's injury situation, it would have surprised no one if they would have been sitting near the bottom of the Western Conference standings. To their credit, the team has found a system that is working for them and everyone has bought in, young and old. The players that have been here for awhile, are sick of losing and they want to turn this thing around now...not in two or three years. While I don't expect the Oilers to continue at their current pace, make no mistake, these guys are for real. 

Game 12: Edmonton 3 Los Angeles 0

The Edmonton Oilers having been winning their fair share of hockey games this season but they have been doing it with next to no offensive support from their third and fourth lines. Well, that all changed last night. Edmonton got a goal from each of those lines and another from the red hot Ryan Smyth, in defeating the Los Angeles Kings by a score of 3-0. The win was the Oilers sixth in a row and moves their record to 8-2-2, which leaves them tied for first in the Western Conference, with the Chicago Blackhawks.

Game Day: Oilers vs Kings

Edmonton (7-2-2) vs Los Angeles (6-3-2)


Time:      8:30pm
Where:   STAPLES Center
Watch:    Sportsnet West
Listen:    630 Ched

Oil Notes: Looks Like Omark Is Heading Down To OKC

It sounds as though forward Linus Omark will be assigned to the Oklahoma City Barons later today. The slick forward has been a healthy scratch the last five games, which coincided with the return of Sam Gagner from his high ankle sprain. When you take into consideration that the Oilers have won all five of those games and that Ales Hemsky is nearly ready to make his return from a sore shoulder, the move to get Omark regular playing time with the Barons make perfect sense. 

October Report Card - Forwards and Coaches

With the first month of the Edmonton Oilers season now completed, I wanted to take a look back and examine what every player has brought to the table, be it good or bad. While each player will receive a rating on their overall performance, the expectations that were placed on each individual coming into the season will also be taken into consideration, when determining the grade that each player will receive. 

Sutton Given Five Games For Hit

The NHL announced Tuesday afternoon, that defenceman Andy Sutton has been handed a five game suspension for his hit on Colorado rookie forward Gabriel Landeskog. The penalty seemed to be in line with what most experts were guessing Sutton would receive. Brendan Shanahan had the following to say about the hit.

October Report Card - Goaltenders and Defencemen

With the first month of the Edmonton Oilers season now completed, I wanted to take a look back and examine what every player has brought to the table, be it good or bad. While each player will receive a rating on their overall performance, the expectations that were placed on each individual coming into the season will also be taken into consideration, when determining the grade that each player will receive.

Oil Notes: Andy Sutton Suspension & Hemsky Update

Word out of Toronto is that defenceman Andy Sutton will have to wait until Tuesday to find out if he will be facing any further discipline for his open ice hit on Colorado rookie Gabriel Landeskog. While Sutton's hit was not an all out head shot, at least in my mind, the big blueliner did connect with the youngsters head, which is almost always a suspension in today's NHL. Jeff Petry will slide into a regular top six role while Sutton serves his sentence but if he ends up with a lengthy suspension, look for Colten Teubert to likely get the call up. Teubert has been playing well in Oklahoma City this season and the youngster has the size that Edmonton would undoubtedly be looking to add back into the mix.

Game 11: Edmonton 4 St.Louis 2

The Edmonton Oilers closed out one of their best months in recent team history, with another win. By defeating the St.Louis Blues by the score of 4-2, the Oilers end the month of October as the top team in the Western Conference. Ryan Smyth led the way with his 4th and 5th goals on the season and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins picked up two more assists, giving the rookie 11 points thru his first eleven games in the National Hockey League.

Game Day : Blues vs Oilers

St.Louis (5-5-0) vs Edmonton (6-2-2)



Time:      6:00pm
Where:    Rexall Place
Watch:    Sportsnet West
Listen:    630 Ched

Just What The Oilers Were Hoping For

 

Now that the season has reached the ten game mark, it has become apparent that Lennart Petrell is the bottom six forward that the Edmonton Oilers have been looking to acquire for sometime. As the rugged winger becomes more comfortable with the North American game, you can see him starting to round into form. The Oilers have not had a fourth line with any sort of a dimension for sometime but the Finnish forward is doing his best to make that a thing of the past.