Showing posts with label Jordan Eberle. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jordan Eberle. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
CONTRACTS, TRAINING CAMP, AND A SEASON THAT MAY NOT HAPPEN
JORDAN EBERLE SIGNS...
You all know by now that Jordan Eberle has signed an extension with the Oilers for six years at $6M per season. He joined teammate Taylor Hall who signed a seven year extension back in August.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
MY THOUGHTS ON TRAINING CAMP SO FAR
Anton Lander...
As I wrote two weeks ago, I was firmly on the band-wagon for Anton Lander to make the Oilers team this year. At the time, I was convinced based on they way he was playing that this the right decision.
Since then I have tempered my enthusiasm somewhat on Lander, and now feel like he might benefit more from a short stint in OKC for the Barons. Part of my reasoning for this, is due to the lack of production he's shown when not playing with really skilled guys. Maybe that's more of a knock on the coaching staff than the player as the coaches decided he should play a 3rd & mostly 4th line role in the game on this past Tuesday againt the Phoenix Coyotes. I am not sure this is the right role for him. On the flip side, he should be able to adapt as he may have to play this role if he makes the team.
To be honest, I didn't notice he was even dressed in the game until nearly the end of the first period. The rest of the game was no better, I was aware he was on the ice, but he was not "noticeable" all game long. Personally I think Lander getting more accustomed to the smaller ice in North America and the game style that is played here, is more important for him than getting limited minutes as 4th line centre in the NHL. He will likely get 20+ minutes in OKC and will be used in all aspects of specialty team play as well. This experience will be invaluable for him when he inevitably gets the call when the injury bug hits us this year.
Goal Tending...
I heard Jason Gregor on the Team1260 in conversation with Mark Spector of Spotrstnet, a "train wreck" when reffering to Khabibulins season last year. I tend to agree with this sentiment. Not to mention, in my opinion, this has been the one glaring error the GM Steve Tambellini has made since taking over this team.
Nikolai Khabibulin has been surprisingly better thus far in camp. He's won 2 of the 3 games he's played in. The one night that was rough for him, he let 3 goals in on 7 shots in the first game he played in first pre-season in the split squad game at home.
Since that game he's been much improved and is likely to get at least one more start in the two remaining games this weekend.
Dubnyk on the other hand...has looked like he's ready to take the next step and be the starting Goalie for the Oilers moving forward.
In edmotn the MSM is all a a-buzz with who should start the home opener on October the 9th vs. Pittsburgh. I say start Dubnyk and boost the kid's confidence, and give him 45 games this year and see if he can handle the load.
I guess there's some sort of un-spoken tradition / meaning to being the starting Goalie for the home opening game. If Khabibulin is a team player and a professional, hopefully he will not be offended or upset if Dubnyk gets the start. Having said that, I hope that Khabibulin is listening to media here in Edmonton and will push for the start and make it a more healthy competition for the start.
The Kids...
One word...Unfreakinbeleivable! In the game against Phoenix this past Tuesday, Tom Renney let Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Jordan Eberle play on the same line for the first time in exhibition competition. And good thing he did. We all have been dreaming about it and drooling over it since July 1st. But we saw it come to fruition on Tuesday.
Nuff Said!
I am curious to see if this will be the same line in the game against Vancouver on Saturday on CBC's HNIC, but until then...I am just going to watch this video over and over
GO Oilers GO!
As I wrote two weeks ago, I was firmly on the band-wagon for Anton Lander to make the Oilers team this year. At the time, I was convinced based on they way he was playing that this the right decision.
Since then I have tempered my enthusiasm somewhat on Lander, and now feel like he might benefit more from a short stint in OKC for the Barons. Part of my reasoning for this, is due to the lack of production he's shown when not playing with really skilled guys. Maybe that's more of a knock on the coaching staff than the player as the coaches decided he should play a 3rd & mostly 4th line role in the game on this past Tuesday againt the Phoenix Coyotes. I am not sure this is the right role for him. On the flip side, he should be able to adapt as he may have to play this role if he makes the team.
To be honest, I didn't notice he was even dressed in the game until nearly the end of the first period. The rest of the game was no better, I was aware he was on the ice, but he was not "noticeable" all game long. Personally I think Lander getting more accustomed to the smaller ice in North America and the game style that is played here, is more important for him than getting limited minutes as 4th line centre in the NHL. He will likely get 20+ minutes in OKC and will be used in all aspects of specialty team play as well. This experience will be invaluable for him when he inevitably gets the call when the injury bug hits us this year.
Goal Tending...
I heard Jason Gregor on the Team1260 in conversation with Mark Spector of Spotrstnet, a "train wreck" when reffering to Khabibulins season last year. I tend to agree with this sentiment. Not to mention, in my opinion, this has been the one glaring error the GM Steve Tambellini has made since taking over this team.
Nikolai Khabibulin has been surprisingly better thus far in camp. He's won 2 of the 3 games he's played in. The one night that was rough for him, he let 3 goals in on 7 shots in the first game he played in first pre-season in the split squad game at home.
Since that game he's been much improved and is likely to get at least one more start in the two remaining games this weekend.
Dubnyk on the other hand...has looked like he's ready to take the next step and be the starting Goalie for the Oilers moving forward.
In edmotn the MSM is all a a-buzz with who should start the home opener on October the 9th vs. Pittsburgh. I say start Dubnyk and boost the kid's confidence, and give him 45 games this year and see if he can handle the load.
I guess there's some sort of un-spoken tradition / meaning to being the starting Goalie for the home opening game. If Khabibulin is a team player and a professional, hopefully he will not be offended or upset if Dubnyk gets the start. Having said that, I hope that Khabibulin is listening to media here in Edmonton and will push for the start and make it a more healthy competition for the start.
The Kids...
One word...Unfreakinbeleivable! In the game against Phoenix this past Tuesday, Tom Renney let Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Jordan Eberle play on the same line for the first time in exhibition competition. And good thing he did. We all have been dreaming about it and drooling over it since July 1st. But we saw it come to fruition on Tuesday.
Nuff Said!
I am curious to see if this will be the same line in the game against Vancouver on Saturday on CBC's HNIC, but until then...I am just going to watch this video over and over
GO Oilers GO!
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
SPLIT SCREEN PRE-SEASON MANIA!!
First Pre-Season Games Tonight in a Split Squad Frenzy...
As a Die Hard fan of the Edmonton Oilers, tonight was pretty much a dream come true, even though I couldn't be at the game myself.
To see two Oilers games at the same time, split screen on my PC was a first for me. I found my self torn between the two tilts as there was a ton of intrigue in both games!
Edmonton Vs. Minnesota...
In this game I was most interested in the all Swede kid line that was Omark-Lander-Paajarvi. I was not disappointed! Lander scored a goal that was assisted by Omark, and all night Paajarvi was dangerous and fast!
There was another element to this game that I was intrigued to see, I wanted to see Khabibulin's first game back after a tumultuous summer to say the least. I was surprised to learn that it was 3-0 Wild after the first period when I finally got back to my computer and turned on the game! Unfortunately I did not see the those goals and therefore can't comment until I see the highlights when they get posted later on the Oilers site, but I will say this...I was disappointed that we were down by 3 goals and was blaming Khabibulin even though it might not have been his fault.
When Tyler Bunz was brought into the game, I thought he looked outstanding. His glove is unbelievable! I shouldn't be surprised though as he did post the shut-out in Penticton last week.
Taylor Hall looks like a different guy this year. He looks stronger, faster and harder on the puck than at the end of last year. I noticed this too at the Joey Moss Cup game on Sunday. The only way I can truly describe it is...he looks really hungry. Like he's not going to take no for an answer in any situation, and that he's going to be better this year if it kills him. This is awesome to see!! I can't wait to watch him get 40 goals this year. (that's right I said 40)
It's hard to comment here on the intangible stuff as I was paying attention to both games and missed alot of that kind of thing.
It sucked that we lost this game 4-3, but we came back to tie 3-3 and lost in the dying minutes of the third. Unfortunately, I am not a bandwagon jumper like I used to be, and I do not have unrealistic expectations for this team to make the play-offs. But, if we can compete in games and lose the way we did tonight, this season ticket holder will be a happy camper.
Edmonton Vs. Chicago...
There was a ton of intrigue for me in this game as well. the obvious stuff like, RNH playing his first pro game, Ryan Smyth in his first game back for the Oil, Jordan Eberle etc...
But to be honest, I was really looking forward to watching the boys play in those new white retro uni's. When I saw the team take the ice on Sunday for the Moss Cup...I was blown away by the look. It was like watching the 80's Oilers take the ice. I wanted to see what they looked like on TV and I wasn't disappointed.
But, as far as the game goes, Ryan Smith was up to his old tricks in front of the net picking up the rebound from Ryan Nugent-Hopkins who shot from the point. Smyth scores of course!
Jordan Eberle, who has been so clutch in his short career...scores on a 2-1 break with 1:30 left in the game for the winner to make it 3-2. It was a beautiful snipe! I would post the video here, but it has not been uploaded to the Oilers site yet.
All in all a very good night to be an Oilers Fan. I can't wait for my first in-person game on Saturday against the Flames. Unfortunately...I am travelling for business (to help pay for my seats) and can't be there Thursday either, but if you are going to be at the game Saturday...I will be telling Kiprusoff just exactly what I think of him all night long!!
Stream Was More Like a Trickle...
In this day and age of high speed internet, the stream tonight on the Oilers website was pretty choppy! I am not sure if it was my connection from here in Fort St. John, BC or what...but there was a hell of a lot of buffering going on.
There was a lot of complaints on twitter tonight from viewers as well, so I tend to believe that there wasn't enough bandwidth from the broadcast to go around. I hope the Oilers fix this for Thursday night as it was pretty frustrating tonight for sure.
GO Oilers GO!!
As a Die Hard fan of the Edmonton Oilers, tonight was pretty much a dream come true, even though I couldn't be at the game myself.
To see two Oilers games at the same time, split screen on my PC was a first for me. I found my self torn between the two tilts as there was a ton of intrigue in both games!
Edmonton Vs. Minnesota...
In this game I was most interested in the all Swede kid line that was Omark-Lander-Paajarvi. I was not disappointed! Lander scored a goal that was assisted by Omark, and all night Paajarvi was dangerous and fast!
There was another element to this game that I was intrigued to see, I wanted to see Khabibulin's first game back after a tumultuous summer to say the least. I was surprised to learn that it was 3-0 Wild after the first period when I finally got back to my computer and turned on the game! Unfortunately I did not see the those goals and therefore can't comment until I see the highlights when they get posted later on the Oilers site, but I will say this...I was disappointed that we were down by 3 goals and was blaming Khabibulin even though it might not have been his fault.
When Tyler Bunz was brought into the game, I thought he looked outstanding. His glove is unbelievable! I shouldn't be surprised though as he did post the shut-out in Penticton last week.
Taylor Hall looks like a different guy this year. He looks stronger, faster and harder on the puck than at the end of last year. I noticed this too at the Joey Moss Cup game on Sunday. The only way I can truly describe it is...he looks really hungry. Like he's not going to take no for an answer in any situation, and that he's going to be better this year if it kills him. This is awesome to see!! I can't wait to watch him get 40 goals this year. (that's right I said 40)
It's hard to comment here on the intangible stuff as I was paying attention to both games and missed alot of that kind of thing.
It sucked that we lost this game 4-3, but we came back to tie 3-3 and lost in the dying minutes of the third. Unfortunately, I am not a bandwagon jumper like I used to be, and I do not have unrealistic expectations for this team to make the play-offs. But, if we can compete in games and lose the way we did tonight, this season ticket holder will be a happy camper.
Edmonton Vs. Chicago...
There was a ton of intrigue for me in this game as well. the obvious stuff like, RNH playing his first pro game, Ryan Smyth in his first game back for the Oil, Jordan Eberle etc...
But to be honest, I was really looking forward to watching the boys play in those new white retro uni's. When I saw the team take the ice on Sunday for the Moss Cup...I was blown away by the look. It was like watching the 80's Oilers take the ice. I wanted to see what they looked like on TV and I wasn't disappointed.
But, as far as the game goes, Ryan Smith was up to his old tricks in front of the net picking up the rebound from Ryan Nugent-Hopkins who shot from the point. Smyth scores of course!
Jordan Eberle, who has been so clutch in his short career...scores on a 2-1 break with 1:30 left in the game for the winner to make it 3-2. It was a beautiful snipe! I would post the video here, but it has not been uploaded to the Oilers site yet.
All in all a very good night to be an Oilers Fan. I can't wait for my first in-person game on Saturday against the Flames. Unfortunately...I am travelling for business (to help pay for my seats) and can't be there Thursday either, but if you are going to be at the game Saturday...I will be telling Kiprusoff just exactly what I think of him all night long!!
Stream Was More Like a Trickle...
In this day and age of high speed internet, the stream tonight on the Oilers website was pretty choppy! I am not sure if it was my connection from here in Fort St. John, BC or what...but there was a hell of a lot of buffering going on.
There was a lot of complaints on twitter tonight from viewers as well, so I tend to believe that there wasn't enough bandwidth from the broadcast to go around. I hope the Oilers fix this for Thursday night as it was pretty frustrating tonight for sure.
GO Oilers GO!!
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