To most NHL teams, the road is not a very kind place. Hostile crowds, unfamiliar ice surfaces and extensive travels almost always take their toll. The 2010 Edmonton Oilers, however, are apparently the exception to this rule. After dropping back to back home games, the Oilers, led by the rookie phenom Hall, picked up their lone win of the week last night in Anaheim, clipping the Ducks by a score of 4-2.
Wednesday night at Rexall Place, the Oilers took on the resurgent Chicago Blackhawks (yes, them again) and dropped their fifth in a row, getting shut out to the tune of 5-0. Edmonton highlights from this one are non-existent, as the young club simply was not ready to play when the puck dropped. A 47-shot effort from the Hawks only made matters worse, as they jumped out to an early 2-0 lead and never looked back. The only bright spot for Hall Monitors such as myself was the sight of Taylor on the 1st Edmonton unit alongside veteran Shawn Horcoff and fellow rookie Jordan Eberle. With players around him who can dish the puck, Hall is sure to start finding the back of the net with a bit more regularity.
Friday night was time for the much anticipated “bounce back” game, or so Oiler fans everywhere hoped. And although the boys dropped their 6th straight, the effort level was far more impressive than Wednesday’s, as they fell by a just 4-3 score after a 5 round shootout.
After staking themselves to a 3-0 lead midway through the 2nd stanza, the Oilers coughed up 3 unanswered Phoenix goals to knot the game, with the equalizer coming just 35 seconds prior to the final buzzer. A tough break for sure, but an important lesson in persistence for the youthful team to learn. And though Hall himself picked up an assist and led all Edmonton forwards with 17:30 of even-strength ice time, perhaps the most vital lesson he learned was to never, ever take a professional game for granted. As one of many Oilers to ease up on the gas pedal and allow for the Coyote comeback, I’m willing to bet that Coach Renney had a few choice words for his prized possession in the postgame locker room. Not anything vindictive, but rather a teaching point for the future of the hometown club.
As the boys hit the road for a Sunday night tilt in Anaheim, Friday night’s collapse was clearly weighing heavy on the minds of all players, namely Taylor Hall. Hitting the ice with guns blazing, the Oilers jumped out to a 2-0 lead behind goals from Hall and fellow youngster Sam Gagner. Hall’s 2nd period snipe, his 4th of the year, offered an eye-popping glimpse of exactly why he was taken by the Oilers with their 1st overall selection. After taking a nifty feed from defenseman Ryan Whitney inside the left circle, Hall wheeled and ripped a blistering snap shot into the upper left corner that left Duck netminder Jonas Hiller wondering what had just happened. Clearly feeding off the momentum of his beautiful goal, Hall pounded the net for the entire night, finishing with team-high 6 shots on goal and taking away 2nd Star of the Game honors.
Though the Ducks were able to come back with a pair of their own goals to tie the game at 2, the Oilers’ ability to maintain their composure was the deciding factor. Ales Hemsky tallied the winner on a top corner rocket at 13:29 of the 3rd period followed by one of the more bizarre plays you’ll ever see in an NHL arena to put them up 4-2 and ice the game. Video of the 4th goal can be seen below, but before signing off I implore everyone to tune in this week as the Oilers embark on a tough 3 game stretch that takes them to Phoenix on Tuesday and back home for games on Thursday and Sunday against Colorado and San Jose, respectively. The way this team rolled on Sunday night, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a stretch of competitive, high-octane hockey. Until next week….
Monday, November 22, 2010
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Have the Oilers Bottomed Out?
For their sake, I hope so. After an 0-4 USA road trip that saw them get outscored by a final tally of 25-8, the hometown club and their Boy Wonder, Taylor Hall, completed one of the most dismal stretches of professional hockey this writer has ever seen.
The Tuesday night tilt in Carolina saw the team bombarded by a 1st period, 4 goal Hurricane outburst from which they never recovered. Though there was plenty of blame to go around, the youngsters simply were not ready to play and it showed. Blame the coach, blame the veteran leadership, blame whoever you want - the bottom line is that the 7-1 final score makes the game sound much closer than it actually was.
Thursday in Detroit was more of the same, as the Oilers dropped a 6-2 blowout to the veteran-laden Red Wings. To add insult to injury, Taylor Hall finished the game with a -3 rating, good for worst on the team (he finished the week as a -3 as well). Needless to say, his minutes were scaled back a bit as Coach Renney seemed to be sending his franchise player a message - sit on the bench until you understand your defensive responsibilities. I wouldn't hold my breath if I were him...
Friday night in New Jersey, the Oilers jumped out to a 3-1 lead over the defensive-minded Devils, only to cough it up and lose the game in OT, 4-3. Despite the loss, the 5-shot, 1 assist night was the highlight of young Taylor's week. That in itself should tell Oiler followers all they need to know about this team's (and this player's) current level of play.
And while today's matinee vs. the Rangers in New York should have inspired the boys to wrap up their road trip with a little dignity, they failed miserably yet again en route to an 8-2 loss. After carrying the play early, a quick flurry of Ranger tallies and a crushing hit by Ranger enforcer Sean Avery caused the Oilers' frustrations to bubble over, leading to a good old fashioned brawl (seen in video below) . So even if they got shellacked in 4 straight games, at least we can say Edmonton went down "swinging"...
All in all, a truly depressing week for Oiler fans everywhere. I say we all just move on and forget this ever happened. The club has two home contests this week - Wednesday vs. Chicago (again) and Friday vs. Phoenix, so let's look on the bright side...it can't get any worse!
The Tuesday night tilt in Carolina saw the team bombarded by a 1st period, 4 goal Hurricane outburst from which they never recovered. Though there was plenty of blame to go around, the youngsters simply were not ready to play and it showed. Blame the coach, blame the veteran leadership, blame whoever you want - the bottom line is that the 7-1 final score makes the game sound much closer than it actually was.
Thursday in Detroit was more of the same, as the Oilers dropped a 6-2 blowout to the veteran-laden Red Wings. To add insult to injury, Taylor Hall finished the game with a -3 rating, good for worst on the team (he finished the week as a -3 as well). Needless to say, his minutes were scaled back a bit as Coach Renney seemed to be sending his franchise player a message - sit on the bench until you understand your defensive responsibilities. I wouldn't hold my breath if I were him...
Friday night in New Jersey, the Oilers jumped out to a 3-1 lead over the defensive-minded Devils, only to cough it up and lose the game in OT, 4-3. Despite the loss, the 5-shot, 1 assist night was the highlight of young Taylor's week. That in itself should tell Oiler followers all they need to know about this team's (and this player's) current level of play.
And while today's matinee vs. the Rangers in New York should have inspired the boys to wrap up their road trip with a little dignity, they failed miserably yet again en route to an 8-2 loss. After carrying the play early, a quick flurry of Ranger tallies and a crushing hit by Ranger enforcer Sean Avery caused the Oilers' frustrations to bubble over, leading to a good old fashioned brawl (seen in video below) . So even if they got shellacked in 4 straight games, at least we can say Edmonton went down "swinging"...
All in all, a truly depressing week for Oiler fans everywhere. I say we all just move on and forget this ever happened. The club has two home contests this week - Wednesday vs. Chicago (again) and Friday vs. Phoenix, so let's look on the bright side...it can't get any worse!
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Slow week for Hall, Oilers
Much to the enjoyment of the 16,839 Oiler fans that packed Rexall Place, Taylor Hall picked up his first home goal of the season on Friday night in Edmonton, firing an early 2nd period rebound over the outstreched glove of Red Wing goaltender Jimmy Howard that knotted the game at one. Much to the fans' chagrin, however, the Oilers went on to drop the contest en route to another week of sub-.500 play and a 4-6-2 record through 12 games played, good for 2nd worst in the NHL. Though Hall has seen marked improvement in his play over the past few weeks, his 3-3-6 totals are a far cry from the type of production Edmonton will need to turn their season around.
In their first loss of the week, Hall and the Oilers dropped a 4-3 home contest to all-world netminder Roberto Luongo and the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday night. After falling into a 3-goal first period deficit, Edmonton was unable to sneak one past Luongo until the 10 minute mark of the 2nd period, making any chance for a comeback all the more unlikely. As for Taylor, he managed a pair of shots on goal but made little impact in any other phase of the game.
Friday night at Rexall place saw more of the same from the struggling Oiler club. Though Hall was able to bury a power play goal and inject a little life into the arena, it just wasn't enough to overcome a 29-save effort from Detroit goaltender Jimmy Howard. Honestly though, given the Wings' status as a veteran-laden, perennial Cup contender, this type of loss was to be expected for the young Oilers. Below are the highlights from the tilt, including Hall's nifty goal (beginning at the :16 second mark) and an absurd save from Oiler goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin (beginning at 1:25)
Tonight saw the Oilers avenge their previous two losses by knocking off the defending champion Blackhawks for the second time in a week, courtesy of a late 3rd period, two goal ouburst that gave them the 2-1 decision. Though the club salvaged what appeared to be another horrendous week, Hall was kept off the board yet again and limited to just 2 shots. A nice win for the team, but another frustrating night for Taylor.
The erratic performance from the rookie thus far is frustrating to say the least, but all too common in the modern NHL. Remember, this is a boy playing in a league full of men. Until he is able to adjust to the speed of the pro game, the tighter passing lanes and top-speed decision-making, his natural talents will only take him so far. We've seen glimpses of these abilities - his speed, his shot and his hockey IQ to name a few - but until he's able to bring it night in and night out, Taylor's output will continue to fluctuate...wildly.
This week the Oilers take off on a 4-game road trip that will find them in Carolina on Tuesday, Detroit on Thursday, New Jersey on Friday and New York on Sunday. Check back in late next week for updates on Taylor as well as the team.
In their first loss of the week, Hall and the Oilers dropped a 4-3 home contest to all-world netminder Roberto Luongo and the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday night. After falling into a 3-goal first period deficit, Edmonton was unable to sneak one past Luongo until the 10 minute mark of the 2nd period, making any chance for a comeback all the more unlikely. As for Taylor, he managed a pair of shots on goal but made little impact in any other phase of the game.
Friday night at Rexall place saw more of the same from the struggling Oiler club. Though Hall was able to bury a power play goal and inject a little life into the arena, it just wasn't enough to overcome a 29-save effort from Detroit goaltender Jimmy Howard. Honestly though, given the Wings' status as a veteran-laden, perennial Cup contender, this type of loss was to be expected for the young Oilers. Below are the highlights from the tilt, including Hall's nifty goal (beginning at the :16 second mark) and an absurd save from Oiler goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin (beginning at 1:25)
Tonight saw the Oilers avenge their previous two losses by knocking off the defending champion Blackhawks for the second time in a week, courtesy of a late 3rd period, two goal ouburst that gave them the 2-1 decision. Though the club salvaged what appeared to be another horrendous week, Hall was kept off the board yet again and limited to just 2 shots. A nice win for the team, but another frustrating night for Taylor.
The erratic performance from the rookie thus far is frustrating to say the least, but all too common in the modern NHL. Remember, this is a boy playing in a league full of men. Until he is able to adjust to the speed of the pro game, the tighter passing lanes and top-speed decision-making, his natural talents will only take him so far. We've seen glimpses of these abilities - his speed, his shot and his hockey IQ to name a few - but until he's able to bring it night in and night out, Taylor's output will continue to fluctuate...wildly.
This week the Oilers take off on a 4-game road trip that will find them in Carolina on Tuesday, Detroit on Thursday, New Jersey on Friday and New York on Sunday. Check back in late next week for updates on Taylor as well as the team.
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