Drowning the Flames, the Hawks are Soaring into Oil Country

I was at the Flames game Thursday night as the Lames took on the Blackhawks.  I try to see the Blackhawks once a year as they are typically a lot of fun to watch.  The race up and down the ice, they take chances at both ends of the rink and are not a team to shy away from a 6-5 game.  After last year’s playoff run I was curious to see how the team was shaping up this year.  I hadn’t watched them yet, but was aware of the monster comeback against the Flames the last time they played.  The verdict is in and the Hawks are even more ‘for real’ then they were last year.  With adequate goaltending I see them playing hockey in June.

Game 23 - Edmonton Oilers vs. Chicago Blackhawks - Rexall Place - November 21, 2009 - CBC 8:00 pm

The Edmonton Oilers (9-10-3) will host the Chicago Blackhawks (13-5-2) at Rexall Place in Edmonton tonight.  Though the Edmonton Oilers are currently on a single-game win streak, over their past ten games, they've gone just 3-5-2.  In contrast, the Chicago Blackhawks have a 7-2-1 record and are in the midst of a five-game win streak themselves.

Tonight, the Oilers will hope to avoid potential embarrassment in playing the Blackhawks who are just a superior hockey team.  In that regard, the Oilers had recently chosen to play Jeff Deslauriers in their recent game vs. the Colorado Avalanche so that Nikolai Khabibulin would be rested for tonight's game.  In today's Edmonton Journal article by Joanne Ireland, Ethan Moreau was quoted as saying, "It's one of those games that you have to get ready for or you'll get embarrassed."  The captain has set the tone for tonight's game...  It's pretty clear that the the first goal is to avoid potential embarrassment while stealing a win is just a secondary objective.

Speaking of embarassment, the Chicago Blackhawks recently served the Calgary Flames a healty dose of humble pie on Thursday with a final score of 7-1. There's no question that the Blackhawks are one hell of a good hockey team this year.

This is the second game this season in which Dany Heatley has scored a hat-trick. The first one stung. This second one for some reason hurts a little more.

I suppose it comes at a time that Dustin Penner, who to date has been the best Oiler by far and is no slouch at 23 points and a plus/minus +11, has start to come back to reality and we now realize that 3 and 4 points nights won't happen all the time. Penner can't be perfect -- even though we'd love him to be.

Edmonton Oilers - New Kids on the Block

For the Edmonton Oilers, there have been two big stories this season--one positive and one of misfortune.  On a brighter note, Dustin Penner's emerged as star play.  Last season, many regarded Penner as having an 'unmovable' contract while this year, everyone is talking about how his contract is such a great value.  Perhaps no other Oiler than Dustin Penner himself is so acutely aware of how fickle fans can actually be.  Yet on a more dour note, who among us can actually keep track of the list of Oilers who are currently suffering from various types of injuries and illness?  In the face of the growing list of injured players, the Oilers have had to call-up a long list of players from their AHL affiliate.  Let's take a glimpse at how these and other less seasoned Oilers have performed this season based upon their 'advanced stats.'  For those who will consider deriding me for writing a 'stats' article, I've also include my observations from watch every game this season.

With the Oilers up against the Coyotes this upcoming Monday, I thought I'd share some non-Oilers fare with you this week.

I just got back from a boys weekend in Phoenix which included taking in the Habs-Coyotes game last Thursday night.  Most of us have a pretty heated view of the situation (MOVE THEM TO CANADA NOW!!!) but few have had a chance to see what's shaking up close.  I thought I'd share my experience with you.