Bleacher Report - Articles by Martin Male

Sepp Blatter Spouting Off Over English Dominance in the Champions League

Martin Male — Wed, 07 May 2008 05:38:07 -0400

Sepp Blatter wants to impose a foreign player quota system on European teams to counter the dominance of England's Premier League teams in the Champions League. Blatter says:

"For the last two seasons, there have been three Premier League sides in the last-four of Europe's elite club competition and I fear a monopolisation of football, with the richest clubs buying up the best players from all over the world at the expense of domestic talent."

This dominance that he talks about is a cyclical thing and putting in a quota won't fix the supposed problem. The richest teams are still going to be able to afford to buy the best talent whether it is domestic or foreign.

The top ten richest teams as reported in Forbes on April 30th, 2008 shows that there are four English, two German, two Spanish and two Italian teams making up that list.

The 11th through 20th spots are occupied by two more English, three more German, two more Italian, a Spanish, Scottish and French side. What do these stats tell us? That the four big European leagues are the biggest and richest leagues and that is just the way it is going to be.

It is funny that Blatter is opening his mouth now that it is English teams dominating. Where was this idea in 2003 when three of the four final teams were Italian?

Where was this idea in 2000 when three of the final four were Spanish? Isn't the purpose of the Champions League to showcase the best talent? Does it really matter if an Italian is playing in Italy or England? Does it matter if a Frenchman is playing in France or Germany?

NO! The Champions League is there to showcase the best club teams.

The game is not always about the richest teams being able to buy the best players either. The 2004 final is proof of that. A final that pitted AS Monaco vs FC Porto. In fact, of the final four, only Chelsea was in the top 25 richest teams.

The ability to buy the best players doesn't always mean you will succeed in Europe. It may give those teams a better shot at winning but you still have to go out and win the games.

If the richest teams are buying Champions League winning teams then why is it the second richest team, Real Madrid, has not made the final four since 2003?

Why is it that the team who sits number five on the richest list, Bayern Munich, has not made the final four since they won the title in 2001?

Money is not the deciding factor in winning the Champions League. It takes a team playing together as a unified team. It takes some luck. It takes heart. It takes desire.

Money can buy a lot of things; a championship is not necessarily one of those things. Who cares where the players come from. We just want to watch the best game on earth being played to its highest level.

Formula 1: "Flying Finn" Kimi Raikkonen Wins Spanish Grand Prix

Martin Male — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 09:51:03 -0400

Kimi Raikkonen started the day on the pole and held that lead for the entire race, collecting his second victory of the season in Sunday's Spanish Grand Prix from the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona.

It was also the third straight victory for Ferrari—and as easy a race as a driver could expect driving a Formula 1 car at nearly 200 mph.

As I predicted, the race began with Felipe Massa passing second-place starter Fernando Alonso before the first corner.

The Brazilian played second gun to his teammate for the rest of the race. Hometown favorite Alonso managed to hold off Lewis Hamilton for third until lap 34, when his race ended with a blown Renault engine.

The Spanish Grand Prix is one of those funny races that typically see a higher than normal number of retirements. Today was no exception, as eight vehicles failed to finish.

The most notable was McLaren's No. 2 driver, Heikki Kovalainen. Something snapped on the front left of his car in one of the fastest areas of the track, sending him into the tire barrier at 180 mph on Lap 22.

The Kovalainen crash brought out the safety car for several laps. It also created a rules-based problem for the second time this season.

Once the safety car has been deployed, the pit lane is closed for a couple of laps. That sounds fair.

However, if you happen to be close to your refueling window, as Nick Heidfeld was today and Rubens Barrichello was last race, you might not be able to stay out the two or three laps it takes to reopen pit lane.

Both drivers had to enter a closed pit for fuel and were penalized with 10-second stop-and-go penalties.

For Barrichello, it wasn't a big deal, as his Honda was not in contention for points. Today, though, the penalty cost Heidfeld and BMW. Without the penalty, Heidfeld would probably have finished fifth.

The teams now have two weeks to figure out how to catch Ferrari. It will be a tough chore—Ferrari's Massa has won the Turkish Grand Prix the last two years, with his teammates finishing on the podium both times.

Race Points

Raikkonen - 10, Massa - 8, Hamilton - 6, Kubica - 5, Webber - 4, Button - 3, Nakajima - 2, Trulli - 1.

Drivers Championship Points

Raikkonen - 29, Hamilton - 20, Kubica - 19, Massa - 18, Heidfeld - 16, Kovalainen - 14, Trulli - 9, Webber - 8, Rosberg - 7, Alonso - 6, Nakajima - 5, Button - 3, Bourdais - 2.

Constructor Championship Points

Ferrari - 47, BMW Sauber - 35, McLaren Mercedes - 34, Williams Toyota - 12, Toyota - 9, Red Bull Renault - 8, Renault - 6, Honda - 3, Toro Rosso - 2.

NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs 2008: Round 2 Preview

Martin Male — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 07:33:37 -0400

After going five-of-eight in the first round, I hope to do better in the second round.

My dark horse Washington Capitals went to overtime in game 7 before they were finally eliminated.

The funny thing with the second round is that the teams ranked No. 1, 2, 5 and 6 made it in both conferences. Here is the way I see the series going in this conference semi-finals.

Eastern Conference

#1 Montreal Canadiens vs. #6 Philadelphia Flyers: Montreal managed to make it by the Bruins in seven games, just as the Flyers made it by the Capitals in seven games.

Both teams showed great offensive power but also suspect defenses and goaltending. If Carey Price can step up his game, then Montreal will do a good job.

Martin Biron has not yet proven he can carry the load, so this series will be his big stepping stone. I think that Price will outduel Biron, and Montreal's offense will outscore the Flyers. Take the Canadiens in six games.

#2 Pittsburgh Penguins vs. #5 New York Rangers: The Penguins had little trouble with the Senators in the first round as they had the brooms out. The Rangers only took five games to dispatch of the Devils.

Both teams have the offenses to score a lot of goals, and both teams defenses have been capable of shutting down the other teams. This series could sees a lot of goals, and in the end, the Rangers' goaltending will makes the difference. Take the Rangers in seven games.

Western Conference

#1 Detroit Red Wings vs. #6 Colorado Avalanche: Detroit finally showed it could win a first-round series. It took them six games against a determined Predators team . It also took Chris Osgood replacing a shaky Dominik Hasek who allowed 10 goals in the four games he played. Osgood only allowed four in nine more minutes of playing time.

The Avalanche took care of the Wild in 6 games with decent goaltending and some timely offense. The Red Wings will prove to be too powerful for the Avs, though, in the second round. The Wings offense will be the deciding factor. Take the Red Wings in 6 games.

#2 San Jose Sharks vs. #5 Dallas Stars: San Jose was favoured by many (including me) to take the Stanley Cup this year, but they had to struggle to beat the Flames in 7 games.

When this team gets going, they are a hard team to beat. However, on many nights, they are just an average team.

The Stars took the defending champion Ducks out in 6 games and were one of the best offensive teams in the first round. This series is again going to be a long series for both teams and it should prove to be an interesting series.

It is going to be fairly even and physical series. With home ice advantage, take the Sharks in seven games.

Let the games begin!

2008 Stanley Cup Playoffs: An Edmonton Oilers Fan's Prediction

Martin Male — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 15:47:20 -0400

The playoffs begin tonight with 2 games in each of the Eastern and Western conferences. Here is how I see the playoffs going down in Round 1.

Eastern Conference:

#1 Montreal Canadiens vs #8 Boston Bruins- Montreal won all 8 games against Boston this year and I can't see much of a change during the playoffs. The defence and the goaltending is pretty close but Montreal has a superior offence. Take Montreal in a sweep.
#2 Pittsburgh Penguins vs #7 Ottawa Senators- The Penguins proved they could win games even without Sidney Crosby. This team is more than Sid the Kid but they are even better with him. Ottawa has had problems since the New Year and were in a free fall to end the season. Both teams have suspect goaltending but that is where the similarities end. The Senators start without Daniel Alfredsson and #2 centre Mike Fisher. This is not last year's Senators. Take Pittsburgh in 5.
#3 Washington Capitals vs #6 Philadelphia Flyers- The Capitals are one of the hottest teams coming into the playoffs. Alexander Ovechkin is the complete player and has taken this team upon his shoulders and carried them into the playoffs. They are getting good goaltending from Cristobal Huet and Alex has a great supporting cast. The Flyers were the last team in the league last year and have turned it around in a hurry but they aren't in the same league as the Capitals. Take the Capitals in 5.
#4 New Jersey Devils vs #5 New York Rangers - This is going to be a good series. Marty Brodeur and the Devils defence against the higher scoring but equally defensive Rangers. This series will depend on which goaltender is hottest and which offense can score. I would always find it hard to pick against Marty Brodeur but I think I have to this year. Take the Rangers in 6.

Western Conference

#1 Detroit Red Wings vs #8 Nashville Predators- Detroit was the best team in the NHL again this year. Nashville struggled with the new style they were forced to play this year. Detroit has 2 good goaltenders. If Hasek is injured (like he was half the season), Chris Osgoode is a more than capable replacement. Dan Ellis and Chris Mason have no playoff experience and this will show. Take the Red Wings in 5.
#2 San Jose Sharks vs #7 Calgary Flames- San Jose has is one of the top teams in the league. They are a solid all around team and if they are playing on all cylinders, they are tough. Besides, any team with Joe Thornton has already got a leg up on the opposition. The Flames on the other hand have had huge problems winning away from the Saddledome. The team is also one that can be league killers one game and stinkers the next. Unfortunately Iginla, Phaneuf and Kiprusoff will not be able to match the Sharks. Take San Jose in 5.
#3 Minnesota Wild vs #6 Colorado Avalanche- This could be a good series. The high powered Avalanche offense vs the awesome Wild defence. Unfortunately for the Avalanche, the old glory years are gone and Forsberg and Foote won't be able bring back the Stanley Cup days. The Wild defence will continue to dominate. Take the Wild in 5.
#4 Anaheim Ducks vs #5 Dallas Stars - This series could be a bloodbath. Both teams play a tough brand of hockey. The Stars come into the playoffs struggling and with some injuries. Marty Turco proved last year he could win a playoff series but this is a different season and they simply aren't good enough to dethrone the defending champions. Take the Ducks in 7.

Everyone does their conference picks at the beginning of the playoffs so here are mine. In the west I am going to take the San Jose Sharks and from the east I am going out on a limb and I am picking the Washington Capitals with the Sharks sipping from Lord Stanley's mug at the end.

Technorati Tags: NHL,Stanley Cup Playoffs

Edmonton Oilers: 2007-08 Season Recap, Part 1

Martin Male — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 17:01:29 -0400

The Edmonton Oilers season officially ended last Thursday when they defeated the Vancouver Canucks.They were the first team to complete their 82 games this year. There will be no playoffs, but there is plenty of outlook.

At the beginning of the season I figured the Oilers would again struggle although not be as bad as last year. For the first 62 games this was the case. The team floundered in 14th place in the Western Conference. The team was disjointed and showed their lack of experience. It looked like Brian Burke and the Anaheim Ducks would be collecting a top five pick at this years draft.

All of a sudden the Oilers became a team. After an on ice team meeting led by Steve Staios, the team finally looked like a team and started playing like one. The rookies started playing like veterans, the veterans started playing like they belonged. The forwards started scoring, the defence started moving the puck and the goalies started winning some game for the team. This team of young warriors spotted with a few cagey veterans defied the odds and almost made the post season. Unfortunately they started playing like a team about 10 days too late as their chances at a playoff spot ended at game 81. It was a good try and there is lots to look forward too next season.

So while the season is fresh in out minds let's take a look at the players who gave us all the edge of the seat excitement the last 20 games. I will start by taking a look at the goalies and defencemen.

Goalies:

Mathieu Garon - Was more than the Oilers hoped for. He was signed as an unrestricted free agent last summer as a back-up for Dwayne Roloson. It was expected that he would play 25-30 games which would be enough to give Roli a rest for the stretch run. Instead, he started outplaying Roloson and found himself as the Oiler's starting goalie. His athletic ability is second to none in the position and with the extra experience he should come back from a late season injury to claim the number one spot next season.
- Value for the Money - at $1,200,000 for the season he was more than the team hoped for. A+
- Value to the Team - he won several games by himself this season as the Oilers floundered. In the shootout he was spectacular as he only gave up two goals in 32 attempts against him. A+
Dwayne Roloson - Started the season as the team's number one goalie. Unfortunately he didn't play like it until late in the season when he was called upon to replace an injured Garon. He posted the worst goals against average of his career and his second worst save percentage since he joined the NHL in 1996.
- Value for the Money - at $3,500,000 he was less than stellar. His play was not what you would expect from a well paid goalie in the league or the teams fifth highest paid player. D
- Value to the Team - if we had been talking about his value before the last 20 games he would have received an F however he did step up his play during the last 3 weeks after Garon was injured. He still let in some easy goals during the time and you could easily see that age was catching up to his reflexes but he did have two or three magnificent games during the season ending run. C-

Defencemen:

Matt Greene - a solid, tough defender who missed missed 37 games this season due to a broken ankle. It took him a bit to get his legs after his return from the injury but during the last couple of weeks he was rock solid.
- Value for the Money - at $1,050,000 he is solid value. B+
- Value to the Team - as a solid, stay at home defenceman he is worth every penny. He will stick up for his team mates, uses his physical style to take the other team's forward out of the play. At 24 years old he will be a stalwart of the team's defence for a long time. A
Ladislav Smid - finished last season with the Oilers but with Pitkanen and Souray joining the fray this season, he was unable to crack the line-up after training camp and he started the season with the farm team in Springfield. With injuries he rejoined the team and ended up playing 64 games. At 22 years old there is plenty of upside.
- Value for the Money - at $720,759 he is one of the lower paid players on the team. With 8 points he is not a big offensive threat and at -15 he had some struggles defensively. He did improve by the end of the season. B-
- Value to the Team - played some effective minutes down the stretch with Souray out and Pitkanen being in and out of the line-up. He started slow but ended as a stable defender. C
Steve Staios - the de-facto captain of the team with Ethan Moreau injured much of the season, he was called upon to be a steadying force on a sometimes defensively challenged defence. He is the steady type of player that you need on a nightly basis. At times this season he was forced to play more minutes that he can effectively play. At 34 his leadership will continue to help a young team.

Value for the Money - at $2,900,000 he is fair value for the money. His offensive production was down but a lot of that was because he was partnered with Souray and Pitkanen much of the year and someone has to stay at home to play defence. B
Value to the Team - I am not sure if anyone on the team has a bigger heart and more determination to play the game. He finished fourth in the league with 187 blocked shots. He was also one of only five players to play all 82 games. A

Joni Pitkanen - an offensive defenceman, he joined the team as part of the deal that sent Jason Smith and Joffrey Lupul to the Flyers. He spent the season on and off the injury list and played only 62 games. He showed flashes of brilliance but also had sessions of brain freeze. At 24 years old there is plenty of upside.

Value for the Money - at $2,400,000 he should be a little more reliable. When he was on his game he played like a defender worth way more but when he was off his game he played like a rookie. C
Value to the Team - If Pitkanen can play at a consistently high level he would be one of the top defenders in the league. His +/- was much improved from last year and his puck moving skills and speed are a big asset to the transition game of the team. B

Denis Grebeshkov - he started the season slowly and his rookie mistakes led to names like Garbagekov. He was with the team for the whole season although he sat in the press-box for 12 games early in the season. During the second half of the season he was one of the more reliable Oiler defenders and partnered with Tom Gilbert became the Oilers shut down pairing. He finished as one of only six players on the plus side of the +/- ledger at +1.

Value for the Money - at $950,000 he has turned into great value for the money. At the beginning of the season he play wasn't worth much but his play in the second half of the season makes him good value. B+
Value to the Team - as one half of the Oiler's shut down defensive pairing he has become a valuable addition to the Oilers. Considering that we traded Marc-Andre Bergeron for him it was a steal of a deal and at 24 he is going to be a valuable asset for a while. B-

Sheldon Souray - was signed as an unrestricted free agent last summer and was picked by many as that saviour of a terrible Oiler power play. Unfortunately for the Oilers he only played in 26 games due to a shoulder injury so they had to turn it around by themselves. Even when he did play he was not the dominant defenceman we had all hoped.

Value for the Money - at $6,250,000 he was over paid by a lot considering the effectiveness of many of the other younger defenders earning a sixth or eighth of his salary. He will need to have a long solid year next year to make us believe he is worth anything close to what he his being paid. F
Value to the Team - by playing in only 26 games he was not really a part of the team. He was gone the entire time the team gelled and made their playoff push. There was some value to the team though when he was playing although if you took his stats for the 26 games and figured them out on a season, his +/- would have been a negative impact on the team. D

Tom Gilbert - he finished last season with the Oilers playing 12 games and when this season began we had no idea how much those 12 games would mean to the 25 year old rookie. Gilbert became one half of the Oilers shut down pair and in the process set 2 team rookie defenceman records. His 13 goals and 33 points surpassed the records originally established by Paul Coffey. His -7 rating was not bad considering the amount the Oilers played him this season.

Value for the Money - at $825,000 he is definitely one of the bargains on the team. He managed to play 81 games and become one of the Oiler's best blue-liners. He will be a good value to the team for years to come. A+
Value to the Team - as a rookie he played over 22 minutes per game. His 1,820 was the most minutes played by any Oiler this season. If he continues to develop as he did the last year he will be a premier defenceman in the NHL. A+

The overall team defence of the Oilers team was suspect. While they showed marked improvement over last season, the number of rookies on the team made it tough to defend. Too many young guys trying to learn to play defence. The Oilers surrendered 251 goals which was 27th in the league. This stat is something the team will have to work on together next year if they are to make the playoffs.

This is the first part of a three part summary of the Oiler's season. The second will take a look at the forwards and the the third instalment will take a look at the coaches/management/administration.

Formula One: Massa Brilliant in Bahrain

Martin Male — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 10:04:40 -0400

Felipe Massa blew past Robert Kubica at the start of Sunday's 2008 FORMULA 1 GULF AIR BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX. The Brazilian took off in his scarlet Ferrari before the first corner and never looked back. The race was his to win and he did just that with a brilliant drive. Unlike the first two races of the season, he made no mistakes as he pulled away from the field.

After being caught by Kubica on the last lap of qualifying on Saturday, Massa was all business Sunday. Even team mate and defending World Driving champion, Kimi Raikkonen couldn't muster a challenge. Raikkonen also had a good start as he passed Lewis Hamilton before the first corner and passed the BMW Sauber of Kubica on lap two. That was it for the rest of the field as the 20 other drivers fought for position behind the Ferraris and they the Italian team finished one-two for the first time this season.

Points leader coming into the race, Lewis Hamilton, had a day he would like to forget. Without the launch control that the cars have used in past seasons in order to get off the line cleanly, the McLaren Mercedes driver dropped the ball today. Starting third, he was down to 10th by the time they reached the first corner. To make matters worse for himself, Hamilton drove into the back of ex-team mate Fernando Alonso's Renault forcing him to pit to replace his nose cone. He rejoined the race in 21st place and 13th was the best he could do the rest of the way.

With BMW Sauber grabbing the pole on Saturday, hopes were high for a good finish. Kubica and team mate Nick Heidfeld didn't disappoint as they brought their cars home third and fourth. That great finish along with the poor performance by McLaren allowed the German team to take over first place in the Constructor's Championship.

The disappointment of the day was the Renault team. Fernando Alonso could only muster a tenth and drove most of the race with a bite out of his rear wing courtesy of the smack from Hamilton. Team mate Nelsinho Piquet only managed 40 laps before he parked his car in the garage. Toyota's Jarno Trulli and William's Nico Rosberg both finished in the points pretty much in the same position that they started.

Race Points:Massa - 10, Raikkonen - 8, Kubica - 6, Heidfeld - 5, Kovalainen - 4, Trulli - 3, Webber - 2, Rosberg - 1

Drivers Championship Points:Raikkonen - 19; Heidfeld - 16, Hamilton - 14, Kubica - 14, Kovalainen - 14, Massa - 10, Trulli - 8, Rosberg - 7, Alonso - 6, Webber - 4, Nakajima - 3, Bourdais - 2

Constructor Championship Points:BMW Sauber - 30, Ferrari - 29, McLaren Mercedes - 28, Williams Toyota - 10, Toyota - 8, Renault - 6, Red Bull Renault - 4, Toro Rosso - 2

The next race takes place in three weeks at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona, Spain. Now the teams are back in Europe, the real season begins.

Pole on Pole in Bahrain

Martin Male — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 13:17:39 -0400

Felipe Massa was the fastest driver leading up to qualifying but the Brazilian couldn’t put his Scuderia Ferrari F2208 on the pole position when it counted. Massa was fastest in both sessions of Friday practice, was second during Saturday morning practice and was also fastest during Q1 and Q2. Although fuel loads probably played a factor in Q3, the best that Massa could do was put his car second on the grid. He will have Lewis Hamilton and team mate Kimi Raikkonen on the row right behind him.

If as suspected, he is carrying more fuel than Kubica, he and the others will need to stay close and not fall to far off the pace as the fuel loads decrease.

The pole was the first for Kubica and the BMW Sauber team. This pole clearly shows that they are the best team in Formula 1 behind Scuderia Ferrari and Vodaphone McLaren Mercedes. It was great to see the big smile on the Polish driver’s face when he was in the paddock afterwards. In fact his smile was bigger than that big nose of his.

Sunday’s race will be interesting. If Robert Kubica is carrying a lighter fuel load as suspected then the race will really begin after the first stops. The teams will level out and I would suspect Kubica will fall to fourth or fifth. If the practice sessions mean anything then I would predict a 1-2 finish for the scarlett Ferraris but with Lewis Hamilton in the race, it is hard to say as he seems to get things right when it is needed.

Edmonton Oilers Finish Season on a High

Martin Male — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 08:59:48 -0400

The Edmonton Oilers finished their regular season last night the same way it started: With a hard-fought victory.

In the process of last night's victory, they also eliminated the Vancouver Canucks from the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs.

It is sweet being the spoiler once your own season has been decided.

Last night's game against the Canucks was a strange game though, as it appeared the men in black and white stripes were going to do whatever they could to make sure that the Canucks finale against the Flames on Saturday night meant something.

The zebras managed to call Edmonton for nine penalties, totaling 29 minutes, including giving the Canucks eight power play opportunities for almost one third of the game.

Yes, the five-minute major to Mathieu Roy was deserved along with his game misconduct, although it was an identical play to one the Canuck's Matt Cooke made against him earlier in the season that was uncalled and resulted in a concussion for Roy.

Some of the other penalties were questionable. Calling Pitkanen for roughing late in the second period after he had been manhandled was a bit of a joke.

Then there were the two high-sticking calls against the Canucks that didn't get called. It just seemed a little one sided.

Unlike the other night against the Flames, the Oilers received goaltending from Dwayne Roloson that was better that what Vancouver received from Roberto Luongo.

Roloson ended the night with 37 saves, and the only goal was a power play goal with 6:57 on the clock to make the game close. The goal was, as in past games, a goal resulting in a scrum around the Oiler net and Roloson failing to smother the puck.

The Oilers started the game quick and had some early territorial play but were unable to hit the net. In fact it took until 14:35 of the first period before they registered a shot. It was not due to bad play either as they had several glorious chances but failed to hit the net with their shots.

The Oilers broke the goose eggs, nine minutes into the second period as Marty Reasoner banged home a loose puck from a Fernando Pisani shot.

Early in the second period the Oilers lost Jarrett Stoll as he took a Steve Staios clearing shot off his ear and was escorted to the Oiler dressing room for stitches at least.

Stoll did return and at 18:30 of the period blasted a one-time past Luongo. It was a perfect feed from Marc Pouliot and the power play unit only took 25 seconds to cash in.

Roloson dominated in the third period making 13 saves off 14 shots. The Canucks then went into self destruct mode.

Down by one and with Luongo on the bench, Henrik Sedin took a hooking penalty behind the Oiler net. A weak call, yes, but not much different that the ones that the Oilers had been called for all game.

Then with less than 30 seconds to go, with the Canucks' net empty and the Oilers on the power play, Alexandre Edler killed any remaining hope by taking a slashing penalty. With 18 seconds left, the Canucks were down a goal, and they didn't even get a sniff.

The Oilers finished their season dragging the Canucks out with them.

Edmonton Oilers' Playoff Dreams Go up in Flames

Martin Male — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 05:57:09 -0400

The party is over. The fat lady has sung. Cinderella's glass slipper broke.

It doesn't matter what cliché you use, the great run to the playoffs for the Edmonton Oilers finally came to a halt last night with one game left on the schedule.

In 14th place, counted out by most, the Oilers put together a 13-5-1 run to even make Tuesday night's game worth something. Last night, Miikka Kiprusoff outplayed Dwayne Roloson and the Oilers season is over except for one mean-nothing game.

Last year's team had to deal with 289 man games lost to injury and gave up with 20 games to go posting a disgusting 2-18 mark over that span.

This year's Oilers will have faced 348 man games lost to injury by the end of the season, and did not use this fact as an excuse to roll over and die like last years team.

The Oilers got off to the start they wanted as Curtis Glencross scored his eighth goal in 25 games as an Oiler at 10:22 of the first period to get that early lead.

Unfortunately, Fernando Pisani was caught for holding the stick at 13:21, and the Flames' Adrian AuCoin found the twine on the powerplay 51 seconds later.

The teams then played a pretty even second period. That is, until the last five seconds of the period. Again.

As has been a problem with the Oilers lately, they gave up another late period goal; this time with three ticks left on the clock. This goal was also the difference in the game.

When you play teams with top goalies like Kiprusoff, Luongo, Brodeur, Giguere or Nabokov, your goalie needs to be at least equal in order to have a chance to win. The goal with three seconds left was one of the ones you need to have to win.

Alex Tanguay took the shot from the right side and the puck hit Roloson, rolled up his pad, rolled up his arm and over his shoulder and into the net. Three lousy seconds left.

The Oilers didn't hang their heads though, and came out and totally dominated the third period, out-shooting the Flames 17-4 in the process.

Curtis Glencross scored his second goal of the night on a perfect pass from Kyle Brodziak at 13:17 to tie the game.

Less than three minutes later, it was Owen Nolan with a wrap-around attempt that Roloson failed to smother. The rebound went to the point and the shot deflected right to an open Nolan who had the empty net to fire the puck into. 17-4 in shots, and Kiprusoff outplayed Roloson and that was the difference on a game that the Oilers needed.

The Oilers finish the season on Thursday against the Canucks in Vancouver, and a win by the Oilers will put a serious dent in the playoff aspirations of their division rivals.

Edmonton Woes: Coaching Error May Have Cost Oilers a Playoff Spot

Martin Male — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 09:42:55 -0400

The Edmonton Oilers might have lost their chance at the post season after Friday's shootout loss to the Colorado Avalanche. Why and how did they lose?

After a decent start, the Oilers went down two goals. They survived a five on three penalty kill, unfortunately one second after the second penalty Andrew Brunette gave the Avalanche the lead. The time was 7:22 and before the Oilers could recover, Milan Hejduk made it 2-0. Two goals in 40 seconds.

That seemed to wake the Oilers up and on a power play at 12:13 Tom Gilbert took a feed from Robert Nilsson and buried the shot from a bad angle.

1:46 later the Oilers tied it up as a shot from Jarrett Stoll beat a screened Jose Theodore. The period ended where it began, tied. The shots were also even at 12.

The Oilers started to take control of the game in the second period. Their youth and speed appeared to be wearing the older Avs down. Curtis Glencross took advantage of his speed at 7:54 as he took a feed from Kyle Brodziak, blew by the defender and beat Theodore to the far side. The Avalanche tied the game less than four minutes later as Andrew Brunette banged in a loose puck.

That tie lasted another five minutes before the NHL's youngest player, Sam Gagner, found the back of the net. 4-3 Oilers at the end of the second period and they were outplaying the Avalanche.

The third period was a fairly even period with both teams exchanging chances. The game came down to the last minute with the Avalanche pouring on the pressure but the young Oilers bearing the weight of the pressure. Finally the Oilers were able to clear the puck down the ice and earn a face-off in the Avalanche zone with 16 seconds remaining.

The team that Craig MacTavish sent out for this face-off was the wrong line-up in my opinion, and the reason they lost the game. The Avalanche won the face-off and immediately moved the puck into the Edmonton zone and with five seconds left, Joe Sakic found a loose puck and found the net over the shoulder of Dwayne Roloson. I think Roloson went down a little early on that shot and had he remained standing the puck would not have gone in.

The Avalanche controlled the overtime as they out shot the Oilers by a 5-1 margin but couldn't find the net. The game progressed to the shootout where the Oilers have dominated by setting a new NHL record with 15 victories. The Avalanche had won 5 times this season via the shootout and it was to be six times after this night. Wojtek Wolski, Joe Sakic and Milan Hejduk were all able to beat Roloson while Robert Nilsson was the only Oiler to score on Theodore.

As I mentioned, the reason the Oilers lost was the line-up on the ice in the last few seconds. Actually it was one player in particular. I have to question Craig MacTavish as to why he had Ales Hemsky on the ice at this time of the game.

You are up by a goal with 16 seconds to go, you don't need one of the best offensive talents in the game defending a lead. You need players who can check an opponent. I love Ales and think he is one of the most dynamic players in the league but he is paid for his offensive abilities not his defensive ones and it cost the Oilers the game. When the Avalanche scored their tying goal with five seconds left, it was Ales Hemsky who was in the position of missing his check in front of the Oiler net and allowing Joe Sakic to shoot the loose puck past Roloson.

Tie up Sakic or his stick in front and the Oilers win the game. In my opinion, MacTavish needed another defensive forward out for this last shift. Fernando Pisani, Kyle Brodziak or even Curtis Glencross would have been better than Hemsky at this time of the game. Craig made his decision and lost a point because of it and if the Oilers miss the playoffs by a point, this may have been where they look.

Yes there were many points lost early in the season before they started playing like a team, but when you are in this kind of a race for the playoffs the players and coaches have to make the right decisions or it costs them. The coaching decision made last night may just have been the final nail in the coffin of the Edmonton Oilers playoff hopes.

Formula One Season Under Way: A Look at the Drivers for 2008

Martin Male — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 12:12:34 -0400

This is the second in a series of three articles previewing the 2008 Formula One season. Last time I discussed my thoughts on the teams. This time it is the drivers I take a look at.

Top Eight:

Kimi Raikonnen is the defending driver's champion. Driving a scarlet Ferrari will again help lift him to the driver's championship. Like last year, it will come down to the end of the season however this year it will only be a two driver race with Lewis Hamilton.
Lewis Hamilton finished second last year in his rookie season for McLaren. This year he won't have the controversy of dealing with a temperamental team mate as he did last year with Fernando Alonso having moved to Renault. Unfortunately for Hamilton, he will still not be able to beat Raikkonen for the championship but will finish a close second.
Felipe Massa will continue to pick up points as he did last year when he finished fourth in the championship. This year without Alonso at McLaren, the second Ferrari driver will find himself in third at the end of the season.
Heikki Kovalainen is Hamilton's new team mate. Like Hamilton he is driving in his second season. Last year he had a successful rookie season as the second driver for Renault. This year with the reliability and power of the McLaren, Kovalainen will finish a strong fourth.
Nick Heidfeld had his best season in Formula 1 last year with the much improved BMW team. Heidfeld will have another good year but will not be able to improve on his fifth place.
Robert Kobica had a good rookie season last year finishing sixth for BMW. This year looks to be a season where he will be closer to team mate Heidfeld in the final standings however he will still finish sixth.
Nico Rosberg had an up and down rookie season last year finishing ninth for Williams-Toyota. This season will be a good one for Rosberg with his Williams-Toyota being a more reliable drive. Look for Rosberg to finish seventh.
Fernando Alonso finished tied with Hamilton last year but will find his season with Renault far from the success he had last time he was with them. Renault is not as strong as the front runners however the team will be good enough that Alonso will be able to pick up some good points and finish eighth.

The best of the rest:

David Coulthard and Mark Webber will both enjoy some success with the improved Red Bull-Renault. I look for these two drivers to finish ninth and tenth.
Jarno Trulli will be the best of the two Toyota drivers but the Toyota team will still let him down and eleventh is the best he can hope for.
Jensen Button and Rubens Barrichello will both struggle in their Hondas. The Honda looks to be improved over last year but that would not be a hard thing to do. It was so bad last year that it wouldn't take much to be an improvement. This improvement won't translate into many points for either of the drivers.
Sebastien Bourdais will probably be wondering why he left Champ Car. The four time defending champion in Champ Car will struggle in the Toro Rosso even with the Ferrari engine. He is a good driver and will get the best out of the car but it won't be enough to translate into many points.
Giancarlo Fisichella is an experienced driver who will help the new Force India team but the team is under funded and will not be in contention for many points but they should do better than last place where they finished last year.

I look forward to a good racing season this year. The reduction in driver's aids should bring the best drivers to the top. If the rest of the season is to be anything like the first race, we are in for a dandy.

Three-Win Week Leaves the Edmonton Oilers Knocking on Playoff's Door

Martin Male — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 06:42:23 -0400

Another four games are in the books for the Edmonton Oilers and they still find themselves in the hunt for a playoff spot. A 3-1 week finds the Oilers only five points out of a playoff spot. The great thing with the Northwest Division is that only seven points separate first from fifth, and four of those teams will make the playoffs. With two games left against each of the teams in the division, the Oilers have a fighting chance.

The week began as bad as it could as the Oilers were humiliated by the Colorado Avalanche by a score of 5-1. The Avalanche scored a late goal in the first period and four more in the second as they beat the Oilers in every aspect of the game. The Oilers added a power play goal mid way through the second to make the score 3-1 but that was as close as they got.

The Oilers were out shot 32-24 in the game. Mathieu Garon started the game but was pulled in favor of Dwayne Roloson after he was run over in the crease and looked a little tender. He had let in three goals on 11 shots to that point. Roloson showed a bit of rust but looked descent going the rest of the way allowing two goals on 18 shots. The Oilers seemed to wake out of their funk for the third period though as they out shot the Avs 12-7 but couldn't find a way to get the puck past Petr Budaj.

The Oilers seemed to have taken some positives from the game as they visited Phoenix on Saturday to play Wayne Gretzky's Coyotes. Dwayne Roloson got the start in this game. It was his first start since February 1.

The Oilers scored the first goal of the game just over six minutes in as the power play connected yet again. Ales Hemsky's wrist shot beat Coyotes goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov. It was the 19th goal of the season for Hemsky which tied a career best.

The Coyotes tied the score on a power play of their own four minutes into the second period. Shane Doan found the net on a tip-in that Roloson had no chance on. The Oilers responded just under four minutes later as Robert Nilsson set up Joni Pitkanen in the slot and he buried the shot. The Oilers increased their lead with just under five minutes to go in the period as the 4th line banged, crashed and forechecked the Coyotes into submission and it was Curtis Glencross finding an open Zach Stortini in front and his shot was deflected by Kyle Brodziak into the back of the net. 3-1 Oilers after two periods.

The Oilers increased their lead eight minutes into the third period as Marty Reasoner was set up by Andrew Cogliano. His shot cleanly beat Bryzgalov. The Coyotes got one of the goal back with 1:12 on the clock but with 59 seconds remaining, Fernando Pisani found the empty net to make it a 5-2 final.The Oilers were out shot 40-37 on the night but Dwayne Roloson made some good saves and the Oilers offense found the mark.

The Oilers then traveled to San Jose on Sunday to play the NHL's hottest team. The Sharks had rattled off 11 straight victories. This game was all San Jose except for the final score. The Sharks came at the Oilers hard and for the second straight game, Dwayne Roloson was the man of the hour. The Sharks hammered 19 shots at the Oilers in the first period but were only able to beat Roloson on a 5-on-3 power play with just over two minutes remaining in the period. Sharks captain, Patrick Marleau, tipped a Joe Pavelski shot past Roloson and that was all the Sharks were going to get on this night.

The Oilers were again out shot in the second period by a count of 16-6 but it was the Oilers who did the only scoring. With just under seven minutes left in the period the Oilers got the break they needed on this night. With a delayed penalty coming to Craig Rivet for hooking, Sharks enforcer Jody Shelley decided to take a stupid roughing penalty by taking a punch at Zach Stortini. The Oilers took advantage of the 5-on-3 advantage as Ales Hemsky took a pass from Robert Nilsson and blasted a shot by Evgeni Nabokov.

The Sharks continued to press in the third period but were unable to beat a stellar Dwayne Roloson. Roloson, a guy many, including myself, had given up for a bag of pucks at the trading deadline, earned this win for the Oilers. The Sharks again out shot the Oilers this time 12-7. The Oilers were in all too familiar territory when this game went to a shoot out. The Oilers may have out shot the Sharks 4-2 in OT but it was a save that was the talking point. In the final minute, Joe Thornton was sent in alone on Roloson but the Oiler netminder was out to cut the angles down and big Joe missed the target.

The familiar shootout saw the Oilers grab the extra point as each team sent out four shooters but it was Fernando Pisani beating Nabokov to give the Oilers a 2-1 shootout and game victory. The goal by Hemsky in the second was his 20th and established a new career high for him. The Oilers are now 15-3 in the shootout and 19-5 in games that go to overtime.

After a 2-1 road trip, the Oilers were home on Tuesday to face the Coyotes. It was the Oilers last game against teams outside their own division. This one was a wild one. The Coyotes got off to the early start they wanted as Derek Morris beat Roloson with a slap shot only 4:13 into the game. The Oilers came right back as the kid line set up Tom Gilbert in the slot and his slapshot beat Bryzgalov. The Coyotes took the lead four minutes later and Shane Doan beat Roloson with a back hander that handcuffed him. The Oilers then got two late power play goals with first Sam Gagner finding the twine at 17:26 and then Robert Nilsson at 19:22.

The Oilers increased their lead to 4-2 early in the second period. With the Coyotes on the power play, Kyle Brodziak blocked a shot and the deflection sent Andrew Cogliano down the right side. Brodziak caught up to make it a 2-on-1 and a perfect pass to Brodziak in the slot left him with little to do but pick the corner on Mikael Tellqvist, who had replaced Bryzgalov after the first period.

The Coyotes closed the gap to 4-3 with 1:03 to go in the second as Daniel Winnik's wrist shot beat Roloson. The Coyotes had out shot the Oilers 25-19 to that point.

The third period was as strange a period as you will see. Just over four minutes into the third, Peter Mueller snapped a shot at Roloson who seemed to lose it, and fumbled the puck into his own net. A tie game with just under 16 minutes to go. The flood gates then just seemed to open as the Oilers came forward in waves. at 7:32 it was Dustin Penner scoring on the power play to make it 5-4. Curtis Glencross then was rewarded for a lot of hard work and two missed opportunities in the second period as Zach Stortini set him up and he had an open net to put the puck into. Just over three minutes late, it was Glencross again as he was alone in the slot and had several whacks at the puck before one managed to beat the defender and Tellqvist. Finally with three minutes to go and Ladislav Smid in the penalty box for a weak high-sticking penalty, the Coyotes pulled their goalie to give them a 6-on-4 advantage. It backfired. Jarrett Stoll scored the Oilers second short handed goal of the night as he dove at a puck at the Oiler blueline and the puck had enough steam and direction to find the empty net. 8-4 final. The Oilers out shot the Coyotes 17-9 in the third period.

The win moved the Oilers into 10th in the Western Conference and will within striking distance of the other NorthWest division rivals who hold down third, sixth, seventh and eighth spots between them. With all eight remaining games against divisional foes, if the Oilers can continue their hot play, then they have a definite shot at making the playoffs. They seem to be peaking at the right time and with three home games against these teams this week, the Oilers could really be in the thick of things by this time next week. All they can do is continue winning.

New F1 Season Set to Begin: A Look at the Teams for 2008

Martin Male — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 10:43:26 -0400

The 2008 F1 season gets under way tonight (Saturday afternoon in Australia where the race is). Defending champion, Kimi Raikonen puts it on the line against sophomore Lewis Hamilton. Ferrari battles McLaren on the track. Hopefully all the shenanigans with all the spying is behind us and we can get down to some racing.

This will be the first of my preseason posts. This one will take a look at the teams, the second one will take a look at the drivers and the third one will look at the rule changes for this year.

With McLaren again collecting points, the constructor's championship should again be a two horse race. Ferrari and McLaren look to be the class of the field and the teams to catch. Here are my thoughts on the teams.

Ferrari should be the team at the top again this season. They have the same two experienced drivers as last season; drivers that finished first and fourth in the driver championships. They should be able to dominate the podium as long as the car is reliable and the drivers can handle the loss of traction control.
McLaren - Mercedes should finish second this year. Both their drivers are sophomore drivers and could find their performance falter slightly. The major reason that they will not win is that Heikki Kovalainen is not at the same level as Fernando Alonso and as a result will not pick up the points that Alonso did last year in finishing third in the driver's championship. As always, reliability could be a factor as last year was the first year in a while that they have shown the kind of reliability that wins championships. It will be interesting to see if they can be reliable again.
BMW Sauber should improve on the good season they had last year. Both of their drivers are experienced enough and the car is good enough to take podiums away from the top 2 teams should someone falter. Robert Kubica will only be driving in his second full season so he will have to continue improving to make sure that BMW Sauber is the best of the rest.
I am picking Red Bull - Renault to finish fourth. They showed good improvement last year and so far in testing this year have shown they have a car to be reckoned with. David Coulthard is the one of the most experienced drivers on the circuit and Mark Webber is one of the smoothest drivers. Both of these facts should help the team now that driver aides have been discontinued. Reliability has always been a problem for the team and if they can overcome that, this team can do some serious racing.
Renault will finish behind their engine customer this year. Fernando Alonso is back with the team and that will help them somewhat however the car has not been that good in testing and Alonso alone can't improve the car. Rookie driver, Nelsinho Piquet, will struggle to learn the new car and won't be much help this season in helping with car set-ups. His season will be a learning one and his contribution to points will be small.
Williams - Toyota, like Red Bull, will finish ahead of their engine supplier. Nico Rosberg gained some good experience last year and Kazuki Nakajima gained some experience after he took over for Alexander Wurz late last season. Last year, Williams was one of the most improved teams when it came to reliability reducing retirements from 20 in 2006 to only 7. I look for them to finish solid in the middle of the pack.
Toyota will drop from 6th to 7th this year. Ralf Schumacher is gone this year, replaced by Timo Glock. Along with Jarno Trulli, this well financed team will continue to falter. This team has the weakest drivers line-up of the top teams and with the money that Toyota spends you think they would be able to afford a better pair of drivers.
Honda has improved their car for this year but not enough to make much of a difference. A very experienced driver line-up with Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello, you would think this team would be able to improve more than they have. Unfortunately, Honda will continue to struggle to achieve points. They need another year or two to finish working out the kinks with their car.
Toro Rosso - Ferrari will again be the best of the worst. Sebastien Bourdais has moved from Champ Car where he was a 4 time champion and should help this team out somewhat but they just can't get the car to work with their Ferrari customer engine. This team could continue to improve during the season and if Bourdais can adjust to F1 quickly, they might be able to give Toyota and Honda a push for points.
Force India - Ferrari should be able to pull this team off the bottom of the heap this year. After purchasing the hopeless Spyker team last year, they have made some improvements to their car and with the Ferrari customer engine, they should be more reliable. They have also contracted veteran driver, Giancarlo Fisichella to help the team with set-up. While I don't expect a drastic improvement during their first year, they should no longer be a lock for the last two places on the starting grid or race result.
Super Aguri - Honda will take over as the bottom dwellers this year. The team has had financial problems and as a result did very little testing over the winter. They will spend the first half of the season trying to do what the rest of the teams have already done and by that time they will be further behind as teams continue to improve.

As usual I look forward to some good racing and I am hoping that the reduction of driver aids makes for some better racing with more overtaking.

Oilers Playoff Charge: 12 Games To Go

Martin Male — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 06:42:49 -0400

The Edmonton Oilers are still in the playoff race. They continue to win games and keep the pressure on the teams above them. No one can afford to take time off at this time of the season. Let's see where the Oilers stand today.

If NHL Western Conference teams finished at the same level at which they have played up to this point in the season, the top nine teams would finish as follows:

1st Place - Detroit Red Wings - 115 points
2nd Place - San Jose Sharks - 105 points
3rd Place - Calgary Flames - 96 points
4th Place - Dallas Stars - 101 points
5th Place - Anaheim Ducks - 99 points
6th Place - Colorado Avalanche - 95 points
7th Place - Minnesota Wild - 95 points
8th Place - Vancouver Canucks - 94 points
9th Place - Nashville Predators - 90 points

There has been some movement in the last week near the top of the standings with Calgary and Minnesota flipping places along with San Jose and Dallas. Colorado has also made a move and jumped into a projected 6th place now. Nashville has also fallen off the pace and looks to be in a struggle for the final spot.

The one thing that the teams know right now is that a significant losing streak is going to hurt and a big winning streak is going to help. San Jose is on a 10 game winning streak and consequently moved up to first in the Pacific. Edmonton has done a good job in the last 3 weeks too going 7-3. Unfortunately, the only team in contention that is not up to near the same standards is Minnesota.

The Oilers are in a situation now where they have 73 points and 12 games left. It appears they are now going to need 95 points to make the playoffs, which means they need 22 points of the possible 24 still available. An undefeated week and they still lost ground. They will now have to go 11-1 to finish the season.

It is getting closer to too little too late time in the season. With 4 games this week, the season could be decided by this time next week. They have two road games against teams currently in the playoffs which includes the red hot San Jose Sharks and the almost as hot Colorado Avalanche. The other two games are a home and home with Phoenix. All the Oilers can do is continue winning and hope the other teams falter.

Edmonton Oilers Still Have Visions of Postseason Play

Martin Male — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 10:26:25 -0400

The Edmonton Oilers continued their march towards a playoff spot with a 3-0 week. They didn't make it easy on themselves though, as all three games required overtime.

Tuesday night, Oiler rookie Andrew Cogliano, set an NHL record as he completed the natural overtime hat-trick. Cogliano scored the winning goal in overtime in all three victories.

The week started last Thursday for the Oilers as they started a two-game road trip in Columbus. Fernando Pisani scored at 11:02 of the second period on a power play and that appeared to be all the Oilers would need for the victory. Wrong! Dan Fritsche scored for the Blue Jackets with 0.8 seconds left on the clock to tie the game.

Disheartening for the Oilers to say the least, but instead of hanging their heads on what could have been they came out battling in the overtime. Robert Nilsson stole the puck just inside the Columbus blueline and he fed Cogliano, who was flying down the middle. Cogliano took the pass with speed and as a result drove the defender back. From the right side he whipped a quick wrist shot that went between the defenders legs and found the five-hole on a surprised Pascal LeClaire. It was a hard fought victory against one of the teams they are chasing.

The second game of the week was an afternoon game in Chicago. The Oilers are typically not a good team in afternoon games with a 34-48-10-1 overall record.

Chicago and Edmonton are two of the youngest teams in the league. Both teams have a plentitude of good young players and they were all on show for this game.

The Oilers got started early as Dustin Penner opened the scoring at 2:52, only 25 seconds after Rene Bourque had taken a penalty for holding the stick. The Oilers lead lasted just under five minutes as the Blackhawk's top scorer, Patrick Sharp, found the twine with a slap shot over the shoulder of Mathieu Garon.

The game stayed tied at one for the next 20 minutes before the game turning into hockey's version of the last man standing. Duncan Keith gave the Hawks the lead at 8:22 of the second period. Curtis Glencross tied the game 1:41 later. The tie lasted only 1:50 as Jason William dove at a loose puck sitting between Garon's legs and knocked it into the net. Then at 18:36, it was the Oilers' turn to tie the game, as Robert Nilsson tipped home a Sam Gagner shot. Four goals in 10 minutes and it was still tied through 40 minutes.

The Oilers came out fast again in the third period and Marty Reasoner gave them the lead at 1:29 as his slap shot beat Patrick Lalime. The Oiler lead lasted only 1:48 before Robert Lang tied the game on a power play with Zach Stortini sitting in the sin bin for hooking. The Oilers wasted little time regaining the lead as Andrew Cogliano banged in a Gretzky type pass from Sam Gagner at 6:12. The pass from Gagner was a perfect flat pass through two sets of legs and over three stick right on the tape of Cogliano's stick.

The Oilers managed to hold the lead this time for nine minutes. However with just 4:35 on the clock, Chicago's big man, Dustin Byfuglien, beat Garon with a wrist shot. Byfuglien was everwhere on the ice during that shift as he had three shots with the third one finding the twine. At over 260 pounds the Oilers could not handle the big guy and they paid the price.

That set the tone for Andrew Cogliano and his heroics. 3:01 into overtime, Robert Nilsson fed a perfect pass across ice and Cogliano just had to tap it home. A great pass and great heads up finish. A second straight road win.

Tuesday night the Oilers got off to a quick start at home against St. Louis. They scored three goals in the first nine minutes to take early control of the game. Zach Stortini at 2:58 with a wrist shot that picked the top corner, Jarret Stoll with a power play blast from the point at 7:03 and Sam Gagner with a bank shot off Blues defenseman Eric Brewer at 8:40 made it look like an easy night.

Not so. As the Oilers are prone to do they made things hard on themselves once again. Before the first period was out the Blues got the lucky break they were looking for. Brad Boyes shot the puck into the Oiler zone and as Garon was skating behind the net to stop the puck, it took a weird bounce of the boards right out front of the open net to Andy McDonald and he made no mistake.

In the second period the Blues came out fired up and only 40 seconds in, Lee Stempniak snapped a shot by Garon to close the gap to one. 11:15 into the period, Blues' leading scorer Brad Boyes tied the game with a well placed wrist shot that Garon had no chance on. Just less than half a game to go and the three-goal lead was gone.

The remaining 23 minutes was played without further scoring although both teams had several chances. Garon and Manny Legace both played good and made the saves they needed to. Overtime was the prescription again for the night and again it was Cogliano time. This night he was spotted open front of the Blues' net by Sam Gagner and Cogliano made no mistake chipping the puck up and over Legace. Five seconds left on the clock and Cogliano had an NHL record third straight overtime game winning goal.

So, as has been the need for the last three weeks, the Oilers just have to continue winning. No worrying about the other teams, just win. The Oilers play four games in the next week starting with a crucial three-game road trip which sees them travel to Denver, Phoenix and San Jose before coming home next Tuesday to face the Coyotes.

15 Games, 27 Points: Can the Edmonton Oilers Crack the Playoffs?

Martin Male — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 04:37:45 -0500

The Edmonton Oilers are still in the playoff race...barely. While success seems unlikely, and certainly they'd need a miracle or two, let's take a look at where they sit in relation to the teams they are chasing.

If NHL Western Conference teams finished at the same level at which they have played up to this point in the season, the top nine teams would finish as follows:

1st Place - Detroit Red Wings - 112 points
2nd Place - Dallas Stars - 103 points
3rd Place - Minnesota Wild - 97 points
4th Place - San Jose Sharks - 102 points
5th Place - Anaheim Ducks - 100 points
6th Place - Calgary Flames - 97 points
7th Place - Colorado Avalanche - 93 points
8th Place - Nashville Predators - 93 points
9th Place - Vancouver Canucks - 92 points

As you can see, the standings are tight from 6th to 9th place, with only Detroit, Dallas, San Jose, and Anaheim guaranteed a playoff spot.

First in the Northwest is still up for grabs with Minnesota and Calgary battling for that title, and the home ice advantage that will come with it. Colorado, Nashville, and Vancouver are all fighting for the last two playoff spots, with the order changing daily.

The one thing that the teams know right now is that a significant losing streak is going to hurt and a big winning streak is going to help.

The Oilers are in a situation now where they have 67 points and 15 games left. It appears they are now going to need 94 points to make the playoffs, which means they need 27 points of the possible 30 still available. They would have to go 13-1-1 to finish the season.

Not impossible but a tall order, to say the least.

With seven of those final 15 against clubs not currently in the playoffs, and the other eight against Northwest division rivals, the opportunity is still there knocking.

They have to beat divisional opponents and they have to win the games against those other teams currently out of the playoffs...plain and simple.

The Oilers need to be winning every game they play, hoping the other teams brawl amongst themselves to steal points away from each other.

It's do or die time starting this week.

18 Games and Counting

Martin Male — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 08:45:13 -0500

The Edmonton Oilers are still in the hunt for the playoffs. While it seems unlikely and miracles will more than likely be needed, here is my outlook at the present time.

The Detroit Red Wings will finish first in the Central Division of the Western Conference, so I won't worry about them. They are in the playoffs. The Dallas Stars and the Anaheim Ducks continue to battle for first in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference and will more than likely take playoff seeds two and four, so I won't worry about them. Here is how the other teams will finish based on what they have done year to date and what the Oilers need to do to make the playoffs in their last 18 games.

3rd Place - Calgary Flames - 96 points
5th Place - San Jose Sharks - 98 points
6th Place - Minnesota Wild - 95 points
7th Place - Vancouver Canucks - 95 points
8th Place - Nashville Predators - 92 points
9th and 10th Place - Colorado Avalanche and the Phoenix Coyotes - 90 points

With 18 games left and the Edmonton Oilers at 63 points, they will need 93 points to make the playoffs. That is 30 points which means 15 wins. So as it stands right now, the Oilers can go 15-3 in the last 18 and still make the playoffs. I guess that is slightly better than the 17-3-1 situation they were looking at last week.

Nashville had better keep an eye open over their shoulder too, because a re-tooled and healthy Avalanche team could give them a run.

All the Oilers can do is keep winning and hope the other teams beat up on each other and keep stealing points away from each other.

Who's Better: Manchester United or Arsenal?

Martin Male — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 07:02:21 -0500

Arsenal were held to a tie today and lead the Premiership by three points, but are they the best team? Not even close.

The Gunners are a good team so don't misunderstand me, but Manchester United are the better side and proved it again today with a 5-1 drubbing of Newcastle at St. James Park.

Arsenal played 87 minutes against a 10-man Birmingham team today, but gave up a penalty in extra time to hand Birmingham the tie.

Yes, the penalty might have been controversial, but it should never have been to the point where the penalty was going to cause a tie. After their 0-0 tie with AC Milan in Champions League on Wednesday and the 4-0 beating in the FA Cup at the hands of Manchester United last weekend, The Gunners look like a slightly better than average team. Injuries are playing a part in that, but all teams go through it and the pressure is now on at the Emirates.

The Red Devils, on the other hand, completely dominated Newcastle today in a game that they seemed to never even get out of third gear. They cruised along and pretty much did what they wanted to. While they were forced to scramble for a 1-1 tie with Lyon on Wednesday in Champions League play, they are in control as they come home to play the second leg. Arsenal have to take their tie to the San Siro.

The Red Devils also took Arsenal completely apart last weekend in the FA Cup. It wasn't even a close game. The thing that Manchester United have going for them over most of the other teams is that they can make 4 or 5 changes every game, as they did today compared to the team that started on Wednesday, and still be dominant. The depth they have is fantastic and has allowed them to only have surrendered 15 goals in the EPL this season so far. The best goals against at this point of the season of any team in the history of the EPL. Even their great teams were never this tight defensively. The team is also scoring goals at a pace that leaves them +40 in goal differential.

I guess time will tell which team is the better team, but with another injury to a starter today, Arsenal's depth will be tested and I just don't think it is there. I think with the games that the teams have remaining that United will finish first in the EPL with Chelsea second and Arsenal falling to third. Team depth is key at this time of year and the Gunners only have blanks left in the barrel.

Oilers Rumors: Mathieu Garon on the Block? I Think Not!

Martin Male — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 13:35:45 -0500

There was a post at the beginning of the week by mc79hockey over at the Battle of Alberta Blog that caught my attention.

Mc79 has put forth the question of Edmonton Oilers goaltender Mathieu Garon's trade value in anticipation of the upcoming frenzy known as the NHL trading deadline.

While I agree with mc79 that Garon may be worth something, why would the Oilers even consider trading him?

Let's face it, Dwayne Roloson has run the gamut as far as being a starter in the NHL. The Oilers should try to trade him for a bag of pucks, or buy out his contract this summer. That would leave Garon with Deslauiers or Dubnyk as the back-up for the next couple of years.

What good would it be for the Oilers to trade Garon for anything right now, when they would then have to rely on Roloson with rookie back-ups? They might as well kiss any playoff hopes away for the next couple of years, if that's the case.

Don't get me wrong—there is nothing wrong with Deslauriers or Dubnyk. But making them play for more than they're ready is like making Smid, Gilbert, Roy, and the rest of the rookie defensemen play 25 minutes per game—like the Oilers had to last year.

Remember how great that was?

While the rookies gained some experience, the team was hopeless. Does new owner Daryl Katz want to miss the playoffs again after this year?

Not likely.

Mc79hockey tries to use all sorts of stats to prove that Garon is overachieving this year. I think Garon is finally becoming the goalie he was touted to be when he first came to the NHL.

Goaltenders develop at different speeds, and progress for some takes longer than for others. Niklas Backstrom, who started to enjoy life in the NHL at age 29, can attest to that.

Look at other highly-regarded goaltenders that are having problems—Marc-Andre Fleury and Andrew Raycroft come to mind.

Even young stars, such as Rick DiPietro and Cam Ward, still have periods when they look average—and neither has as good of a GAA or save percentage as Garon.

Garon is an integral part of this team, at least for the next couple of years, and his presence will allow the young goalies to develop.

Edmonton Oilers: 21 Is the Magic Number

Martin Male — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 16:59:19 -0500

What is 21? Well, it is seven times three, it's blackjack, it's a Fibonacci number, a Harshad number, and a Motzkin number. It is also appears in the Padovan sequence.

It is also the number of games left in the Edmonton Oilers season. That is unless there is a miraculous turn of events and they somehow manage to make the playoffs.

Currently the Oilers are nine points out of the last playoff spot.

That means the Blue and Copper need to win five more games than the teams they are chasing. As of today, both Calgary and Vancouver have 68 points in 60 games. That is 1.13 points per game on average. With 22 games remaining, that means both teams should end up with an additional 25 points giving them 93 points.

With 59 points, the Oilers will need 35 points. With only 42 points up for grabs, they can only afford to lose seven points. That is three losses in regulation and one in OT or a shootout.

The effort has been there for the Oilers the last couple of weeks. Unfortunately, they have come up short and lost the last two games. Great effort, but losses are not what they need. A minimum of 17-3-1 is what they will need to do until the end of the season.

Tuesday is the NHL trading deadline. The Edmonton Oilers have two games between now and that deadline. Win on Friday and Sunday, and Kevin Lowe might be a buyer. Lose them and chances are Kevin Lowe is a seller.

The effort has been there for seven games now and that effort has to be rewarded in wins. There is no more time for losses.

Edmonton Oilers: The Past Month

Martin Male — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 14:47:07 -0500

It has been a month since I posted on the Oilers, and a lot has happened since then.

First off, the Oilers have gone 7-6-1 in that time. Not bad, but still not good enough to make the playoffs. The Oilers currently sit 13th in the West, six points out of a playoff spot. Not insurmountable, but they will probably have to go 17-6 or 18-5 in their last 23 games in order to make it.

Second, the Oilers have lost Shawn Horcoff and Sheldon Souray for the rest of the season due to shoulder injuries. The task of making the playoffs is tough as it is, but without two top players the Oilers are really going to have to play as a team to get it done.

Third is the sale of the Oilers to Daryl Katz, billionaire owner of the Katz Group and the Rexall family of drug stores. While the 37 members of the EIG had their purpose and Edmonton fans will always owe them gratitude for keeping the beloved Oilers in Edmonton, the time for a single owner has come. A single owner will bring stability, and because he's from Edmonton and has some money he will definitely help the Oilers in their quest to get back to the Stanley Cup.

Thanks EIG! Welcome, Darryl!

The Oilers have been playing decently as of late, still questing to make the playoffs. They have won four of their last five games, playing a hard-nosed physical style of game—the same kind of game that got them to the finals two years ago.

They are stilling getting out-shot on most nights. But they are playing in-your-face hockey, taking advantage of their few scoring chances and relying on Mathieu Garon to keep them in every game with a chance to win.

With 12 road games and 11 home games left—and all of them against conference teams—the Oilers are going to be in a tough spot. They need to finish as high as they can to prevent Brian Burke and the Anaheim Ducks from getting a top five pick.

Edmonton Oilers vs Phoenix Coyotes: Oilers Cool Down the Desert Dogs

Martin Male — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 17:09:07 -0500

The Edmonton Oilers were home Thursday night to play the Phoenix Coyotes. The Oilers are riding a 3 game winning streak while the desert dogs are riding a 5 game winning streak.

Ilja Bryzgalov and Mathieu Garon were the starting goaltenders for the game.

The teams began the game very cautious as the puck was skated from end to end with neither team able to get a shot off. Finally at 1:47 Fernando Pisani and Ethan Moreau crossed at the Coyotes blueline and a quick snapshot by Moreau fools Bryzgalov and it is 1-0 Oilers. That shot went between the body and arm on that quick shot and was the first shot of the game.

Only 28 seconds later the Oilers were back into the Coyotes zone and Robert Nilsson centered a pass to Kyle Brodziak and he found the back of the net with a backhand. 2-0 Oilers. That was the kind of start the Oilers needed against one of the NHL’s hottest teams.

The Coyotes decided to get into the game and at 3:45 as it was Mike York centering the puck to Steven Reinprecht and Garon made a fantastic save. He was stretched post to post on that one.

At 5:25 the Oilers had a great chance to increase their lead as Shawn Horcoff interceped a pass by Keith Ballard and Ballard is forced to hook him and take the penalty. The Oilers second powerplay unit did a good job moving the puck around the Coyotes zone and it was Cogliano with a one-timer that Bryzgalov made a big save on. The Oilers first powerplay unit came out and continued the puck possession in the Coyotes zone but they too were unable to beat Bryzgalov.

The Oilers continued the pressure and Joel Perrault hit Zach Stortini from behind in the corner with no call. The Oilers continued to press and during a melee in front of the Coyotes net, Brodziak bangs the rebound into the net. Unfortunately for the Oilers the back referee lost sight of the puck and blew the play dead. The Oilers picked up a 4 minute powerplay from the scrum in front of the net with 10:50 to go as Nick Boynton was given the gate.

36 seconds into the powerplay it was Sheldon Souray with a rocket from the point into the back of the net. Bryzgalov didn’t see that one as Dustin Penner was screening in front. 3-0 Oilers. The Oilers continued pressure with 2 minutes remaining in the powerplay. The Coyotes finally got the puck out of the zone and on the play Dick Tarnstrom was called for slashing.

After 55 seconds of 4 on 4 action the Coyotes went on a 1:05 powerplay of their own. The Coyotes continued to have problems as Marty Reasoner was left alone in front of the Coyotes net and only a great glove save by Bryzgalov kept the score at 3-0. The Oilers killed the penalty but the Coyotes continued with their best pressure of the period.

With six minutes to go all the pressure by the dogs resulted in a quick one-timer by Fredrik Sjostrom that Garon was force to flash the leather on and make a great glove save. The ensuing face off the Coyotes continued to keep pressing the Oilers with lots of puck possession in the Oiler’s zone but they were unable to get any good shots on goal.

The teams then spent the next 3 minutes exchanging end to end chances with nothing really spectacular happening. With 1:45 to go in the period, Cogliano broke into the Coyotes zone and took a high stick to the face by Joel Perrault. The Oilers would finish the period with the power play unless they scored.

On the power Ales Hemsky loses the puck at the Coyote’s blueline and Shane Doan had a breakaway from center ice in and as he went to shoot he was slashed across the hand by Sheldon Souray. Doan was given a penalty shot on the play plus Souray was assessed a 5 minute major for slashing plus a game misconduct. On the penalty shot it was Mr. Shootout, Mathieu Garon making a poke check to stop Doan. Garon is now 23 saves on 25 chances in shootouts this year.

The period finished with 4 on 4 action and neither team able to do any more damage before the buzzer ended a great period for the Oilers. Shots in the period favoured the Coyotes 13-10.

The second period started with 13 seconds of 4 on 4. The Coyotes then had just over 3 minutes of a power play. The Coyotes started the power play with some good possession but the Oiler penalty killers did a good job of clearing the area. With 1:40 to go on the powerplay Mathieu Garon was called upon to make a great save on a one-timer by Keith Yandle.

The Oilers managed to kill the penalty but a huge error by the Oiler’s coaching staff. There was no one sitting in the penalty box for the Oilers when the time expired so they had to play an additional 20 seconds short-handed. Marty Reasoner iced the puck in a smart move in order to get the extra player back on the ice.

5:30 gone and Cogliano had a great chance to increase the lead as he used his speed to blow by the Coyote defenders but Bryzgalov was able to make the save.

The teams then spent several minutes playing end to end with no good scoring chances. With 11:20 to go Nick Boynton is set up at the point for a clear one-timer and Mathieu Garon again flashed the leather and made the big glove save.

With 9:28 gone Nilsson steals the puck from Derek Morris and the deflected puck goes to Brodziak who fed it forward to Nilsson and he made no mistake on the 2 on 0 break. 4-0 Oilers. That goal was totally against the flow of play and it chased Ilja Bryzgalov to the bench to be replaced by Mikael Tellqvist.

With 8:25 gone the Oilers tested Tellqvist for the first time as Reasoner stole the puck and got a quick shot off. On the ensuing play it was Perrault getting called for a hold on Gagner. The Oiler powerplay did a good job of controlling the puck in the Coyote’s zone but all they got for it was three wide shots from the point by Stoll and Tarnstrom. The Coyotes were able to kill the penalty.

5 Minutes to go and Nilsson broke into the Coyote’s zone and as he cut to the middle, Nick Boynton caught him with a deliberate elbow that escapes punishment. Nilsson was shaken up on the play and was slow getting to the bench.

The Coyotes were finally rewarded for their hard work with 3:27 to go as Shane Doan found Peter Mueller at the right of the net and his no look pass found an open Keith Ballard across the net and he managed to beat an outstretched Garon. 4-1 Oilers.

The Oilers came right back off the face-off and Tellqvist was forced to make 2 big save, first off a point shot from Gilbert and then the rebound by Stoll. Gagner and Perrault picked up minor penalties for roughing on the play.

The teams played some 4 on 4 with the penalties and the Oilers made the most of it. 3 Coyotes went to Horcoff on the right boards and the Oiler’s all-star found a wide open Denis Grebeshkov at the far side of the net and he tapped home his first NHL goal. 5-1 Oilers at 18:19 and Wayne Gretzky looked awfully upset with the lack of discipline by his team.

The period ended with little in the way of any further chances and the Oilers leading 5-1. Shots in the period favoured the Oilers 11-10.

The Coyotes started the third period with some immense pressure that the Oilers were able to withstand. The Oilers then broke out and into the Coyote’s zone and Penner cut up the middle and let a quick snap shot go that Tellqvist made a big save on. Horcoff then rifled the rebound and Keith Ballard dropped in front of that blast to block the shot. Ballard went to the bench slowly after that.

The Oilers got another chance to increase their lead at 4:24 as Tom Gilbert took a shot from the high slot that Tellqvist had to be quick to save with all sorts of traffic in front.

6 minutes gone and the Coyotes had a good chance as Weller stepped into a shot at the point but his low drive was just wide of the far post.

Following a long break in the action to change a piece of glass, the Coyotes closed the lead to 5-2 when Shane Doan sets up Boynton at the point and his shot somehow found a hole between the feet of Garon. There was still 13 minutes left for the Desert Dogs to close the gap further.

11 minutes to go and the Oilers came close again as again it was Cogliano trying to split the defenders with his speed. 10 minutes to go and Gagner sprung Reasoner on a breakaway from the Oilers blueline but Tellqvist made the save to keep it a 3 goal game.

The game then got sloppy for a couple of minutes as both teams had a hard time putting more than 1 pass together and as a result much of the play was in the neutral zone.

With 6:30 to go the Coyotes were given a good chance to close the gap as Horcoff was called for slashing. The Oiler penalty killers were having none of that though as they easily killed the penalty to keep the 3 goal lead intact.

1:30 to go and the Oilers had another good chance with Moreau centering to Gagner but he was in too close and was only able to tap the puck into Tellqvist.

With 30 seconds to go it was Stortini and Boynton doing some jawing at each other and Stortini grabbed Boynton as Boynton gave him a small head butt. Stortini threw Boynton to the ice as he didn’t want to dance and the linesmen jumped in to break it up. Stortini received 4 minutes for roughing but with 30 seconds left that didn’t make a difference as the Oiler penalty killers killed the clock and the Oilers won 5-2. Shots in the period favoured the Oilers 12-8.

Could you have asked for a better start to the home-stand? 3 games and 3 victories now have the Oilers tied for 11th in the conference only 5 points out of a playoff spot. The Oilers now get 2 days off before meeting their dreaded rival Calgary Flames on Sunday evening.

Oilers-Islanders: Mathieu Garon Rides Hot Hand for Edmonton

Martin Male — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 16:13:35 -0500

The Edmonton Oilers were home on Monday night for the second game of their five-game homestand.

The visitors were the New York Islanders, a team that had not lost to the Oilers since 1999.

Mathieu Garon made his fourth straight start in goal for the Oilers, while Rick DiPietro started for the Islanders.

The game started with Ethan Moreau taking a tripping penalty off the opening face-off. The Islanders power play went to work and got away with an early hook on Staios behind the Oiler net. The Boo-birds were out in force every time Mike Comrie touched the puck. The Oilers killed the penalty quite easily as the Islanders failed to gain the Oiler zone for any period of time.

The teams exchanged puck possession for the next couple of minutes but neither team was able to get any shots on goal. The first shot was finally registered with 4:30 gone by the Islanders as a point shot was easily grabbed by Garon.

The Oilers came back quickly as Shawn Horcoff got a shot on the counter attack. The Oiler’s top line continued to buzz and only a good stop by DiPietro on a shot by Ales Hemsky kept the game scoreless.

With nine minutes gone the Islanders came close as Garon made big saves on shots by Mike Sillinger and Trent Hunter. The Islanders continued to press the Oilers and Andy Sutton got a couple of point shots that Garon handled.

After a minute of neutral ice play the Islanders came right back and Garon made a great pad save off a shot by Josef Vasicek. The first two-thirds of the period has been dominated by the Islanders as their puck control has given the Oiler defenders fits in the defensive zone.

4:30 to go and Tom Gilbert gave the puck away at the blueline which sent Richard Park in alone but again Garon was there to save the day. 20 seconds after that attempt the Islanders Richard Campoli was called for tripping which gave the Oilers their first power play of the game.

The Oilers 29th placed power play unit went to work and showed why they are the second worst power play team in the league as they were unable to generate much during the two minute man advantage. Their best chance came with 11 seconds left as a point shot by Gilbert was deflected by Fernando Pisani right into DiPietro.

The Oilers had their best chance of the period with 1:30 to go as Hemsky had a great chance that DiPietro got a glove on. The rebound fell to Horcoff but he was unable to pull the trigger. That was it for the first period as it ended scoreless. The Oilers outshot the Islanders 12-10 in the period.

The Oilers came out to start the second period with a little more action. 1:11 in and Hemsky took a lead pass at center ice. He drove Brendan Witt back and fired a quick wrist shot through the legs of Witt. DiPietro didn’t see the shot and it was in the back of the net. 1-0 Oilers.

The teams exchanged chances for the next five minutes with a few shots but nothing that I would call a good scoring chance. With 6:31 gone it was Ales Hemsky again with a break on a great pass at center ice from Dustin Penner. Hemsky broke in 2 on 1 with Horcoff and the pass to Horcoff found him open in front of the net and Horcoff picks the bottom corner. 2-0 Oilers. That goal was the 100th of Horcoff’s career.

The Oilers then had another chance with eight minutes gone as a centering pass from Patrick Thoresen finds Joni Pitkanen and he deflected the puck just over the crossbar.

The Islanders had a good chance to close the gap half way through the period as a 2 on 1 saw Bill Guerin feeding Ruslan Fedotenko in the slot and his shot rolled just wide of the far post.

It was then the Oilers turn as Stoll fed Reasoner on a 2 on 1 and he made no mistake chipping the puck by DiPietro. 3-0 Oilers at 11:22.

The teams then exchanged chances as the play went end to end. The play also got physical with some good hits and that resulted in a fight between Ethan Moreau and Tim Jackman. A quick, easy decision for Moreau in the bout.

Just under four minutes to go and it was Reasoner this time setting up Stoll on a 2 on 1 but Stoll missed the net. The Islanders came back with their best chance of the period as 2 shots forced Garon into 2 big saves. Those saves show why he is now the starting goalie in Edmonton. Richard Park then had a good chance that deflected off Gilbert’s stick and into the glove of Garon.

The Islanders continued to press to close out the period and Garon made another couple of saves. The period ended 3-0 for the Oilers. The shots in the period favored the Islanders 14-8.

The Islanders got the first shot of the third period with just 30 seconds gone but it was a long easy one for Garon to handle. Off the ensuing face-off the Islanders were just unlucky not to close the gap as Mike Sillinger was left alone in the slot and his shot somehow missed the empty net and rang off the post.

The Islanders continued to press but with all the action, Sean Bergenheim hits Stoll in the head with his stick to take a penalty. 23 seconds into the power play the Oilers gave up a shorthanded 2 on 1 chance that resulted in Trent Hunter having his shot saved but he as he ran over Garon. Another penalty there for goaltender interference gave the Oilers a 5 on 3 advantage for 1:37. The first minute of the 2 man advantage was a shooting gallery as both Stoll and Souray took turns firing blasts at the Islander net. Many of those shots were high or wide however one blast by Souray had DiPietro cleanly beat but rang off the crossbar. I am sure that blast left a dent in the crossbar.

The Islanders killed the penalties without allowing the Oilers to score. Again the league’s second worst power play fails to score a goal. As the play continued up to the Oiler zone another fight broke out, this time between Zach Stortini and Tim Jackman. It was an even and short bout.

The teams then spent a few minutes exchanging end to end chances. With just over 12 minutes to go it was Pisani taking a penalty for holding; giving the Islanders a chance to score and get back into the game. The Oiler’s penalty killers did a masterful job again as the Islanders had no chances.

The teams then exchanged end to end play with little in the way of chances. With just under eight minutes to go the Islanders continued to try and battle back into the game. They had another good stint with the puck in the Oiler zone but they were unable to solve Garon. The Oilers finally escaped their own zone as Hemsky broke out and his shot handcuffed DiPietro but the Islander goalie was able to jump on the rebound before Horcoff arrived.

With 5:30 to go, Hemsky had two chances to increase the Oiler lead. First he broke in with Penner 2 on 1 but overskated the puck. Then it was Horcoff finding him alone in the right circle but his shot was high and wide.

The Islanders countered with Guerin breaking down the right side. He was taken out by Smid along the boards and Guerin was called for interference as he held Smid as he tried to clear the puck.

On the power play some sloppy play gave Hunter a shorthanded chance but his shot hit Garon right in the crest and he held the rebound. The Oilers finally had a chance on the power play as Sam Gagner had 2 shots from the right corner of the net that DiPietro managed to get a glove and pad on. Finally the power play got a goal as Horcoff found Stoll with a cross ice pass and his blast found the twine behind a screened DiPietro. 4-0 Oilers.

The Oilers were smelling blood now and they continued to press for more goals. With 2:30 to go it was Kyle Brodziak having a glorious chance as he cut in off the wing but DiPietro made a huge save. DiPietro then made a 10 bell save as Brodziak found Pitkanen open on a 2 on 1. Pitkanen thought he had the empty net but somehow DiPietro got a glove on the puck.

The Islanders then had a power play with 1:08 remaining as Thoresen was called for holding the stick of Bill Guerin. The Islanders did a good job of trying to break the goose egg but Garon made several big stops. Mike Comrie then got called for tripping with under ten seconds to go to kill the game off. It was the first win in regulation for the Oilers since December 2nd as the last 6 victories had all come via the way of the shootout. That last regulation victory was also a 4-0 game. Shots in the third favored the Oilers 13-11.

That was the kind of victory the Oilers needed and they will need to continue with that style of game for the rest of the season if they hope to make the playoffs. The Oilers now have 2 days to prepare for Wayne Gretzky’s Phoenix Coyotes who have been one of the hottest teams over the last 10 games.