It's HNIC.. and it's Guarnateed Win Night.

[PDO]

So grab a beer, watch the Oilers 3-1, and enjoy sliding back into a playoff spot.

Grebeshkov back in.

Look for the Oilers to have a busy trade deadline. They're showcasing Pouliot tonight with 89 and 26.

[Ol' Jase]

Re: It's HNIC.. and it's Guarnateed Win Night.

So grab a beer, watch the Oilers 3-1, and enjoy sliding back into a playoff spot.

Grebeshkov back in.

Look for the Oilers to have a busy trade deadline. They're showcasing Pouliot tonight with 89 and 26.

They're what?

Pouliot is going from healthy scratch to the second line?

Well, time to get into MacT train of thought mode...***smashes head with hammer 14 times***...Uhh, yeah, makes total sense.

Well, Craig, I'm coming up tonight for this one, and hell is coming with me.

[Diesel]

Re: It's HNIC.. and it's Guarnateed Win Night.

That will help our offence....

[GREYx14]

Re: It's HNIC.. and it's Guarnateed Win Night.

Pouliot is going from healthy scratch to the second line?

For some reason the words 'deckchairs' and 'Titanic' are coming to mind...

[moontoscott]

Re: It's HNIC.. and it's Guarnateed Win Night.

I think that at this point the Oilers are going to try anything.

Right now, with the exception of Hemsky the whole team is being looked at for the trade deadline but I wouldn't hold my breath on a bunch of significant trades. It's just very difficult to do in today's environment.

Say, did anybody read Robert Tychkowski's column today in the Edmonton Sun? It looks like there is finally someone who is speaking out on the old boys network around the Oilers and it looks like someone is actually questioning Lowe for the job he did.

Maybe its coincidence that a hard hitting column appears one day after announcements by many major media companies that they are going the way of the dinosaur. Tychowski may be thinking, well if we are heading South anyway I'll write something with a little bit of bite to it.

Is it any wonder that a lot of these newspapers are struggling? I find that the content is sparse, the writing is mediocre and there are virtually no hard hitting political opinions. It's all so politically correct. How many times can you read "Ask Matty" with that "Kevin is my buddy so don't pick on him" stuff before you become disinterested? If they would just take out the picture with the sickly "insider" grin it would be a great improvement.

In contrast, the internet hits hard and access is easy.

[Swivel Hips]

Re: It's HNIC.. and it's Guarnateed Win Night.

Don't the Oilers lose every year on "Guaranteed Win Night?"

[Traxy]

Re: It's HNIC.. and it's Guarnateed Win Night.

Anyone read OilersNation.com? Robin Brownlee has been writing some fantastic stuff on there all season. His last article hit the nail on the head (and was more than a little depressing considering the optimism we all had to start the year).

I was going to go out to Millennium Place today and watch the Edmonton Oilers, but I’ve come down with whatever’s laid the rest of my family low and decided to stay home. Besides, cold sweats, aching joints, fever and the urge to puke or crap myself is more appealing.

With Thursday’s uninspired 1-0 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets in the books, the NHL trade deadline looming and my fat head thicker than usual, I’ve got to admit I don’t have any answers.

Not for what ails the Oilers. Not for GM Steve Tambellini. Not for fans still shaking their heads after watching their heroes get outclassed at every turn by the Blue Jackets. I did, however, have a retort for the adult-proof cap on the medicine bottle containing the drugs I hope will lessen the urge I have to establish a new record for projectile vomiting. It’s called a pair of vice-grips.

No, all I’ve got are questions, observations and complaints, each tainted by nausea and torqued by a ring of fire that makes it difficult to be the positive, care-free guy I usually am.

Still, I’d rather be me than Tambellini.
Just asking…

* What does it say about the character of the Oilers when a 39-year-old goaltender, who was pegged by many to be kicked to the curb when the season began, is your best player against Columbus? And where would this team, the one that was supposed to be a Northwest Division contender, be without Dwayne Roloson?
* Anybody who bought the load of bologna offered by Craig MacTavish in pre-season — when he talked about finishing atop the Northwest Division and feeling the need to quell all the optimism he felt — into self-loathing now like a rube roped into a pyramid scheme?
* Between bloated contracts for the likes of Shawn Horcoff and Dustin Penner and being saddled with under-achievers like Erik Cole and Robert Nilsson, does Tambellini have a player over the age of 22 not named Ales Hemsky who anybody would want at the deadline?
* Anybody with a functioning brain steam who thinks tweaking this line-up, even with a rental forward good enough to play top six minutes, will be enough to get the Oilers into the playoffs and past Detroit or San Jose in the first round?

Getting here

* I know this is heresy, but is there anybody from the group of Sam Gagner, Andrew Cogliano, Nilsson, Ladislav Smid and Theo Peckham a lock to be more than a good player? Is there a franchise building block in there?
* Do the Oilers have as much young talent in the above group as Columbus? How about Chicago? Or Anaheim? Phoenix? Nashville? So, is the future, say the next three or four years, really that rosy?
* How do the Oilers five best players — let’s go with Hemsky, Sheldon Souray, Horcoff, Lubomir Visnovsky and Tom Gilbert — stack up against the top five in San Jose and Detroit? How about Vancouver? Calgary? So, how promising is the immediate future?
* If Hemsky’s contract is Kevin Lowe’s finest moment, does his offer-sheet to Penner and the stack of dough thrown at Horcoff rate as his biggest gaffes? I know, it’s a rhetorical question…
* Criticized as a tool, an oaf and a mouth-breathing stooge in his war of words with Lowe, and with reason in terms of STFU Quotient, is bombastic Brian Burke looking a little smarter now? How’s that Bobby Ryan kid?

And another thing…

* How much, if any, will past moves by Lowe affect Tambellini in trying to make trades? Will Darcy Regier answer Tambellini’s calls? Will Burke, his old boss in Vancouver, talk trade with the Oilers?
* With the deadline approaching and Marc Pouliot (not to mention JF Jacques and Nilsson) available as a sweetener in deals to anybody who wants them, do you ever imagine Zach Parise in Edmonton silks? And how does someone NOT get fired over that?
* How much help is on the way when you look at Springfield and prospects still in major junior or college hockey? And, while you’re answering that, are you among the 90 per cent of fans who overvalue the Oilers young talent? Oh, you just wait until Jordan Eberle gets here, Buster. It’ll be different.
* Is a playoff spot and five-and-out against the Red Wings or the Sharks really enough to make you shrug at the answers to the above questions? Good luck with that.

– Listen to Robin Brownlee every Thursday from 4 to 6pm on Just A Game with Jason Gregor on TEAM 1260.

[earl2]

Re: It's HNIC.. and it's Guarnateed Win Night.

They're what?

Pouliot is going from healthy scratch to the second line?

Well, time to get into MacT train of thought mode...***smashes head with hammer 14 times***...Uhh, yeah, makes total sense.

Well, Craig, I'm coming up tonight for this one, and hell is coming with me.

HOW IN THE HELL IS THIS A BAD MOVE??????

I guess MacTavish could leave Robert "The Turnover Machine" Nilsson on the line. Because that's been so effective.

Or, heres a thought: demote or sit the guy who has done nothing smart in the past three weeks and give a guy who's been watching and should be hungry in his place.

Worst case scenario: Pouliot plays like a bag of crap and there is no drop off between him and Nilsson.

Good scenario: Pouliot plays OK and maybe gets a team or two interested in him.

Great scenario: Pouliot realizes this may be his last chance to really prove something with this organization and contributes. Maybe he just might make the next step in becoming the solid second or third line winger some think he could become.

The only way this is a bad move is if Nilsson somehow is on the first line.


Wow. I know alot of people here hate MacTavish. Personally, I'm on the fence. But I fail to see how this is a bad move. Nilsson has been horrible lately.

[Esks4ever]

Re: It's HNIC.. and it's Guarnateed Win Night.

So grab a beer, watch the Oilers 3-1, and enjoy sliding back into a playoff spot.

Grebeshkov back in.

Look for the Oilers to have a busy trade deadline. They're showcasing Pouliot tonight with 89 and 26.

and they lose 4-2

Calgary beat them 4 -1 last night so we'll prolly lose this one

[Ol' Jase]

Re: It's HNIC.. and it's Guarnateed Win Night.

HOW IN THE HELL IS THIS A BAD MOVE??????

I guess MacTavish could leave Robert "The Turnover Machine" Nilsson on the line. Because that's been so effective.

Or, heres a thought: demote or sit the guy who has done nothing smart in the past three weeks and give a guy who's been watching and should be hungry in his place.

Worst case scenario: Pouliot plays like a bag of crap and there is no drop off between him and Nilsson.

Good scenario: Pouliot plays OK and maybe gets a team or two interested in him.

Great scenario: Pouliot realizes this may be his last chance to really prove something with this organization and contributes. Maybe he just might make the next step in becoming the solid second or third line winger some think he could become.

The only way this is a bad move is if Nilsson somehow is on the first line.


Wow. I know alot of people here hate MacTavish. Personally, I'm on the fence. But I fail to see how this is a bad move. Nilsson has been horrible lately.

Does putting a player who has been a healthy scratch the past few games, due to ineffectiveness, in a position to replace another ineffective player give us the best chance to win?

No, it doesn't.

There is an effective player, who wears number 13, who continues to languish on the third line. If we are looking to jumpstart the 2nd line to help produce offensively, logic would dictate giving him at least a ****ing look, no?

[earl2]

Re: It's HNIC.. and it's Guarnateed Win Night.

Good article with some important questions. With the following exceptions:

* How much, if any, will past moves by Lowe affect Tambellini in trying to make trades? Will Darcy Regier answer Tambellini’s calls? Will Burke, his old boss in Vancouver, talk trade with the Oilers?
* With the deadline approaching and Marc Pouliot (not to mention JF Jacques and Nilsson) available as a sweetener in deals to anybody who wants them, do you ever imagine Zach Parise in Edmonton silks? And how does someone NOT get fired over that?

1. There isn't GM in the league that's going to shun Tambellini because they don't like Lowe. If Regier or Burke thinks they can improve their team they're going to do it. Every GM is constantly in self-preservation mode. They don't have the luxury of turning down a good deal because they don't like the guy. Hell, I bet if Lowe himself offered Burke a deal that Burke thought would help his team, he'd do it. These guys may not all be Mensa members, but they're not stupid. And as a side not, Regier probably feels indebted to Lowe for getting Vanek committed to the Sabres for so long at that price.

2. If you fired every scout who flubbed a pick, or picked a lesser player, there wouldn't be a single scout working in the NHL.
The Oilers aren't the only team that passed on Parise. Something like 16 other teams did too.
Rating a 17 or 18 year old kid and projecting what kind of NHL career they'll have isn't exactly a guarantee. In fact, it's pretty much the opposite. Sometimes you hit but more often you miss.
It's when teams never hit at all that theres a problem (see Oilers late 80's to late 90's). But the Oilers track record the past ten years or so has been as good as most teams-and much better than some.

[earl2]

Re: It's HNIC.. and it's Guarnateed Win Night.

Does putting a player who has been a healthy scratch the past few games, due to ineffectiveness, in a position to replace another ineffective player give us the best chance to win?

No, it doesn't.

There is an effective player, who wears number 13, who continues to languish on the third line. If we are looking to jumpstart the 2nd line to help produce offensively, logic would dictate giving him at least a ****ing look, no?

I'm a huge fan of Cogliano. And I'm on record as saying (as recently as after the last game) that he needs higher end linemates. And yeah, I'd have no problem with him on the second line. In fact, it's probably what I'd do. But I think MacTavish wants to give the line with him, Moreau and Pisani an honest shot at turning into a very good third line. Pisani's played one game in four months; I'm thinking he wants to give them a few games to develop some chemistry.
As for Pouliot, he wasn't necessarily sat because he wasn't producing numbers, but more because he's not as tough or gritty as Stortini and MacIntyre. And Stortini has been playing well enough that you can't take him out of the lineup. That's made Pouliot somewhat obsolete.

And lastly, if PDO is correct and they're actually showcasing him, what is the better way to do that? Play him in less minutes against tougher competition on the third line or give him more ice-time with more skilled linemates? A situation where anyone is more likely to shine.
Alot of people here talk about managing your assets. I'd suggest Pouliot on the second line (ie: an opportunity to look significantly better) is actually good asset management.

So the upside of Pouliot on this line:
Better chance of showcasing him
No drop off from Nilsson
Keep third line in tact

Downside:
Cogliano deserves a shot

[earl2]

Re: It's HNIC.. and it's Guarnateed Win Night.

Oh, and for the record, I don't see the Oilers winning tonight.

But I'm usually wrong; so here's hoping.

[moontoscott]

Re: It's HNIC.. and it's Guarnateed Win Night.

Anyone read OilersNation.com? Robin Brownlee has been writing some fantastic stuff on there all season. His last article hit the nail on the head (and was more than a little depressing considering the optimism we all had to start the year).

You're right, this is decent stuff but my point is that you will never see stuff like this in the written print, it's just too much for the politically correct crowd who only want to read stories about sentencing circles, early parole and civil rights violations.

Anyway, back to hockey, he has it right when he says that Parise would have looked good in Oilers silks and somebody should have been fired over it (yeh, I know, 16 other teams passed on him too but how does that help us?)

On draft day, he had "Oiler franchise player" written all over him (he was classic Oiler material) but for some unknown reason we got a hard on for Pouliot and that deluxe scoring machine J.F. Jacque.

We were desperate for someone who was a very hard worker who could score and we still are. He was a proven star at the college level and with the possible exception of Jo Niewendyk there were few college players who had created that much of a buzz around hockey circles in the U.S. But somehow, we missed it

[Swivel Hips]

Re: It's HNIC.. and it's Guarnateed Win Night.

and they lose 4-2

Calgary beat them 4 -1 last night so we'll prolly lose this one

You're prolly right.