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Beer League Hero

Guest Post: Tips For Beer Leaguers To Improve Their Game

This is a guest post from AJ  Lee of Pro Stock Hockey. Now, if you don’t know what Pro Stock Hockey is, let me tell you. It’s a kick ass website where you can go and get sticks, helmets, gloves, skates, or jerseys that are the exact same thing that the pros use.

“When you shop with Pro Stock Hockey, you’ll be buying 100% authentic NHL pro stock hockey purchased directly from an NHL locker room. Our staff makes sure every item that comes into our warehouse is 100% real NHL gear, made for NHL players.”

They have worked with How-to Hockey’s Jeremy Rupke in the past on his Coach Jeremy Youtube channel. If you saw the Beer Leaguers use Zdeno Chara’s stick video, that’s a stick from Pro Stock Hockey. Check it out below!

So with all of that being said, Beer League Heroes is happy to partner up with Pro Stock Hockey to give you some wicked grade A tips on how to improve your Beer League game. I know I’m going to need to up my game a bit this season and these tips will be put to use!

Bon Appetite!

BLH

OH! One more thing, at the end of this post is a discount code that you can use at Pro Stock Hockey and the first ten people that use the code get the discount! So hurry up and get ‘er dun!

In general, you’ll find two types of hockey players at a beer league game: the kind who are happy to be there with their friends, and the kind who want to win the league championship like it’s the Stanley Cup itself. If you feel like your skills align more closely with the first type than the second, there are a few steps you can take to make your game better and your team better.

Skate, Skate, Skate

The most fundamental aspect of hockey is often the one in which the most players struggle: skating. Whether you’ve been on the ice since you were a tot or you just picked up the game a few years ago, everyone at every level can benefit from working on their skating skills.

Whenever you have the option to get a bit of ice to yourself, at a rink’s stick and puck or open skating session, lace your skates and practice. Straight-line skating helps you build burst power, great for getting to a loose puck before the competition, but working on agility will make it a lot easier to move the puck up the ice. Line up cones to skate around, or go from faceoff dot to faceoff dot. Work on your edgework and crossovers in the faceoff circle at center ice. The quicker your feet, the easier it is to change direction and free up space for you and your teammates.

Picking Your Shots

Half the time in beer league games, a player with the puck in the offensive zone will fling it at the net and pray for something good to happen. While a lot of hockey players will say there’s no such thing as a bad shot on goal, the more you can improve your shot and your decision-making, the less you’ll have to rely on luck to score a goal.

Start by practicing shooting from inside and outside the faceoff circles: When you’re in the faceoff circles (or the slot), try to go high and beat the goalie glove — or blocker-side. If you’re outside the circles, try shooting low to create a rebound for teammates crashing the net.

Practice concealing your shots, as well: Use tricks such as head fakes and kicks to get the goalie to go down, and try to shoot through defensemen’s legs so that they act as a screen. The less predictable you can be, the better your chances of finding the twine.

Off-Ice Training

Rough-and-tumble hockey players may not be into the newest workout fads, but there’s a lot to be said for trying a new routine. Star center Ryan O’Reilly credits yoga for his success in the game, claiming that it’s not just the most beneficial training he does, but also the most difficult. There are plenty of unorthodox workouts out there that can work out muscle groups that might get overlooked in a normal gym session. Consider workouts, sports or even martial arts that force you to work toward exhaustion so that you build endurance for your next shift. NHL players aren’t lifting weights for a “beach body” over the summer. If you want to notice a difference on the ice, drop the curls and increase the squats.

Nutrition

By definition, a beer league is one in which players don’t care much for denying themselves unhealthy habits. In fact, the oldest joke in recreational hockey is that they only play the game so that they can drink afterward.

While the intense nutrition regimens of pro players aren’t necessary at the recreational league — such as Steven Stamkos’ famously strict offseason diet — simple changes can make it possible to get better performance on the ice. Complex carbs and lean proteins (and no beer) are best before games, and can give you the energy to play through three 20-minute periods. Drinks and pizza after the game can be tempting, but will only weigh you down the next time you get the puck.

But hey, you’ve made it this far – cheers!


Author bio: AJ Lee is Marketing Specialist at Pro Stock Hockey, an online resource for pro stock hockey equipment. He was born and raised in the southwest suburbs of Chicago and has been a huge Blackhawks fan his entire life. Lee picked up his first hockey stick at age 3 and hasn’t put it down yet. 

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Armchair GM, Edmonton Oilers, Michael Sifeldeen, NHL, Trades

Someone’s In Big Trouba

6 Comments

Okay, before you beat me up and take my lunch money for that pun that doesn’t even really work if you read it out loud, let’s just talk about a few things. A recap, if you will, of a rather eventful few days at a point in the offseason not really close to any major events, when we as hockey writers have to just take it upon ourselves to manufacture controversy wherever we can. I will gladly shoulder that burden.

Oh hey, Sexbom
  • By now, we’re all painfully aware of the comments made by Klefbom in regard to Hall and his play against tough competition, and how it was in all likelihood someone in the Oilers organization who made him “clarify” those comments the next morning, when they became a whole lot more politically correct and a whole lot less about Hall
  • Tyson Barrie is going to be an Avalanche… Avalancher?.. for the foreseeable future and not, in fact, an Oiler. Boo-urns.
  • Jacob Trouba and Winnipeg management are “far apart on money, term, and usage”, according to comments made by TSN’s Gary Lawless on “That’s Hockey” on Tuesday

But what does it all mean, man?

Well, a few things, maybe:

  • The Cubs are still not going to win the World Series
  • If one more goddamn Pidgey breaks out of one of my pokeballs, I’m deleting Pokémon Go for good
  • Maybe Klefbom gets traded to Winnipeg for Trouba?

I know, I know, that’s ridiculous. I’ll never delete Pokémon Go. So let’s talk about why the Oilers and the Jets do this trade.

Anyone who’s been paying attention the last few years knows that Peter Chiarelli absolutely does not care at all about your opinion when it comes to who he gets rid of from an organization. Phil Kessel, Tyler Seguin, and Taylor Hall can all attest to that. He also has no time for guys who he feels are sources of “character problems” inside or outside the locker room. Do Klef’s comments put him firmly on Chia’s shit list? Who knows. But if the rumours are true that he was the one who got on the phone and laid down the law, you’ve got to think there’s tension there.

Enter, the Winnipeg Jets and their inability to retain young talent long-term. There’s an argument to be made that the Jets are under-utilizing one of their best defensive assets, and it’s probably pissing him off, especially if they’re trying to lowball him on his well-earned bridge contract. Jacob is watching Dustin “The Brandon Davidson Killer” Byfuglien lumber around with a $7.6M contract until 2021 and he wants to get his, too. I reckon he’s asking for something like a $6Mx4 and guaranteed PP minutes, and the Jets don’t want to pony up just yet, on term or price.

I hate this guy

Maybe a guy like Klefbom, locked in at under $4.2M for the next 6 seasons looks pretty appealing to Winnipeg right now. Maybe the Oilers take a shot on Trouba (who is pretty much a known quantity at this point, who stays healthier than poor Klef has historically) and give him the $6M he wants for a few years. We’ll be shedding some anchors soon with all the money tied up in Ference and Nikitin, and we have almost $8.5M in cap space left as it is. Woodguy (one half of the very cool WoodMoney stat co-created by BLH’s own G Money) loves the guy, and he’s a lot smarter than me and has the fancystats to prove what an asset Trouba would be. The Oilers so desperately need defencemen who consistently maintain possession and drive offense, which is Jacob’s specialty. Now, that’s not to say the numbers indicate that Klefbom doesn’t do that — because he definitely does — but what I’m saying is that we wouldn’t necessarily miss him all that much. (I mean, I would miss just looking at him at the very least, and these top Google suggestions would seem to indicate the Edmonton area would share my pain.)

 

But we’ll plop BDavey on the top line on Larsson’s wing and let them just be awesome and rock solid together and out-Corsi everyone in the Pacific. Look at what it does to our defensive lineups:

Davidson – Larsson
Sekera- Trouba
Nurse – Fayne/Oesterle

Holy smokes, right? That’s an objectively awesome defensive lineup. And cheap, too! Dare I say it, that’s a playoff d-core.

And all because Klefbom shot his mouth off a bit to the Swedish press. It sure is nice here in perpetual optimism land, where the glass is always half full and this year is always our year!

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Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, Kris Hansen, Madison Moroz, NHL, Sunday Night Pint

BLH Sunday Night Pint #13

We’re back for another SaWEET Sunday Night Pint! Crazy week for the Edmonton Oilers eh? A little bit of winning, a little bit of getting their asses handed to them; and the formation of a new unstoppable force… The ConYak Connection!

But as we do with the end of every week, it’s time for the SNP and joining us today are Madison “Mad Dog” Moroz (@madi39) and “Crazy” Kris Hansen (@wildcardKH). I’m going to tag in as well to complete this trifecta of terror!

Topics today are as follows:

  • Favorite hockey quotes.
  • Biggest surprise/disappointment this season so far.
  • THE franchise player you’d build your team around (all-time).
  • Dirtiest hockey play ever!

Let’s get this party started!

WHO’S THE BIGGEST SURPRISE/DISAPPOINTMENT ON THE OILERS SO FAR?

MM: The biggest surprise to me this season is Justin Schultz. It’s been pleasant, coming into this season, I didn’t know what to expect from this kid anymore because he has been such a roller coaster of a player, hope was beginning to be lost. Then he showed up to camp and the coaching staff immediately commented on his I’m improved play. He has shown a huge boost in confidence and sprinkled in a pinch of aggressiveness to his game.

KH: It’s a great question. I do not have really any huge surprises right now. McDavid and Talbot are living up to expectations for sure. I’ll say that Gryba has been a pleasant surprise. He is constantly rotating partners and has been the most consistent defender.

However, Sekera and Fayne both need to step up and badly. I still think Sekera has looked better these last few games and is getting adjusted to a new team, but still, I expect a lot more from him.

BLH: I’ll tell you what, Yakupov has been the biggest surprise for me. He had chance after chance in the last few seasons to play with the elites on the team like Hall and Nuge, I never thought he’d start producing like he is now.

As for a disappointment, I’m going to go with the Oilers defence as a whole. I thought they’d be a bit better to be honest. Adding Sekera, Reinhart, and Gryba was supposed to shore up the Oilers leaky defence. It has not.

WHICH PLAYER WOULD YOU BUILD YOUR TEAM AROUND IF YOU COULD PICK FROM ANYBODY IN HISTORY?

MM: Sidney Crosby, it wasn’t an easy choice cause my heart is telling me to say McDavid lol. But Crosby is just on a whole other level with his game, his speed, his shot, his vision, his hockey IQ, his passion and hunger to win. He is a great leader on and the off ice and tends to stay rather humble. I still consider him the best player in the NHL and still has a chance to go down as arguably the greatest to play the game. Not sure what else you can say about the guy, his play speaks for itself. He’s started the year off a bit rough, but there isn’t any else I’d rather choose to have the puck on his stick in the final minute of game 7 of the cup finals.

KH: Obviously, it would be Gretzky, Lemieux or Orr, but where’s the fun in that?

For past players, I’d go back to say Gordie Howe. Could you imagine a Prime Gordie Howe on the Edmonton Oilers? That would not even be fair. He could do it all: score and had that nasty element that demanded respect. Plus that durability and longevity. Just golden.

For present players, it’s a bit more tough. I think McDavid is a great answer because he is that good but if we’re looking around the NHL….I’ll go with Doughty. Sure, could say Crosby or Ovechkin and they are fine picks, but again going against the grain with Doughty. He’s still young, has so much under his belt and is still missing that elusive Norris Trophy.

BLH: If I had to start franchise with any player in the history of hockey I’d go with… It’s hard not to say Gretzky, Orr, or Plante but I’m going to go off the board and say Dominik Hasek. A career .922 Sv% and two consecutive league MVPs is nothing to shake a stick at and I just remember him being unbeatable in a time when Gretzky, Bure, Lemieux, Jagr, Forsberg, Selanne, etc. quite possibly the greatest collection of goal scorers in the history of the NHL were playing.

And as we know a good goalie can make a mediocre team look great but a mediocre goalie can make a great team look shat.

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE HOCKEY QUOTE?

MM: “You just have to say ‘Screw it’, to losing and get the mentality that we can win games here.” – Connor McDavid

KH: Conn Smythe’s “If you can’t beat ’em in the alley, you can’t beat ’em on the ice.” It just screams the slugfest hockey can become.

BLH: “We know that hockey is where we live, where we can best meet and overcome pain and wrong and death. Life is just a place where we spend time between games.” – Fred Shero, Coach of the Philadelphia Flyers

WHAT’S THE DIRTIEST PLAY YOU’VE EVER SEEN IN HOCKEY?

MM: The dirtiest play I have ever seen, probably has to be the Todd Bertuzzi cheap shot from behind on Steve Moore. He ended someones career, all because he took a run at your captain. It was just reckless, stupid and disgusting. A close second is the Dale Hunter hit on Pierre Turgeon which I believed happened in the playoffs and was the latest hit I’ve ever witnessed after scoring a goal.

KH: Yep. It’s the Claude Lemieux on Kris Draper hit. Absolutely gutless and horrendous .  Lemieux literally broke Draper’s face. That Avs-Wings Rivalry which I grew up with was downright nasty and that was the boiling point for sure.

BLH: dirrrrrttttaaaaayyyy!

Well thanks for being with us today, I hope you enjoyed our Sunday Night Pint and feel free to let us know in the comments below your thoughts on today’s topics!

Oh! Before you go, head on over to the Beer League Heroes Merch Shop and grab the NEW “97 Drops of Hope” shirt! It’s on sale for 30% off and I heard it was a bit crisp today back home! Maybe a hoodie would treat you a bit better. Either way, click on the pic below and it will take you right to the shop!

The new McDavid inspired design!

Take Care!

BLH

Edmonton Oilers, Edmonton Oilers Post Game Report, Madison Moroz, NHL

BLH Post Gamer- G8 Edmonton Oilers Vs Washington Capitals

3 Comments

Tonight was a big test for the Edmonton Oilers, coming in on a three game winning streak and beating the Red Wings last game rather convincingly. But man oh man was it just a gong show from the puck drop, we knew it was going to be a shootout with the Capitals but I just didn’t expect it to be a slaughter. Washington was coming off a back to back and was starting their back up, Phillip Grubauer. Edmonton should have came out and forced the puck down their throats and wore them down as much as possible. Instead they tried to skate with them and continued to let Washington find themselves and keep themselves in the game. I felt maybe it was too much confidence coming into the game off a winning streak and at home, as well as not being fully prepared for tonight’s game.

Tonight the Washington Capitals used their speed, simple passes and broke out of their zone with ease and really exposed the Oilers defence. It was not a good night and it didn’t start off well as Washington CAPITAL-ized on a beautiful passing play finished off by Kuznetzov, who would go on to add two more and tack on two apples for a 5 point night. Credit to the Oilers though, they continued to battle back going shot for shot, goal for goal. The Oilers were matching the caps speed and utilizing it by continually putting pucks behind the defenders, winning the battles and getting a cycle or at the very least a strong possession shift. The first period was pretty well even though the Oil were down by 1 going into the second, they still managed to keep the shots even and there were no signs of capitulation.

https://twitter.com/myregularface/status/657730054957506560

Right off the bat in the 2nd they had a quick strike to tie it up! A power play goal coming from the RED HOT Connor McDavid. The crowd was jacked but it seemed all to all go down hill from there. The Oilers were caught flat footed and they were puck watching almost every chance they got. The legs just weren’t underneath them.

The Oilers had their moments in the second frame with a few power plays they should have capitalized on, but once again these were the demise of their own momentum. The Capitals potted 3 quick goals that went unanswered and that was that. I’m not sure Anders Nilsson could have done much on most of them, as he was getting little to no help all night. But that’s not to say he was standing on his head like the previous two games. Tonight no one was doing anyone any favors, even with an offence scoring 4 goals it appeared that everyone was falling complacent on the defensive side of the puck. A lot of the times tonight everyone o the ice seemed to be in La La Land as they were being hypnotized by the puck movement and skill of this veteran-laden Capitals team and it gave the Caps’ power house offence even more room to play with in the offensive zone.

It’s odd saying that the effort just wasn’t there, especially when you score four goals but the 3rd period was chalked full of uninspiring hockey. I mean anytime you score four you should be skating away with the victory. Not only that but not scoring on a two man advantage was the nail in the coffin. Bad habits crept into everyone’s game once they got down and the boys were gripping those sticks a bit too tightly. I can only imagine the sort of talk the coaching staff had with the group after the game and what’s going to be said and done at practice tomorrow.

Tonight was a learning lesson, growing pains, that no matter who you are facing and no matter how well your offence is playing that you can’t fall complacent and forget about the defensive side of the puck as teams like the Capitals will jump on every opportunity to create a scoring chance. One of the biggest factors tonight, was the unnecessary penalties they were taking, not just because they were down 3 goals, but because it was killing any and all momentum the team was building up.

It was just a horrendous up and down game, mistake followed by another mistake, followed by another. This is going to be a game they are really going to have to learn off of, pay attention to the moments they were caught standing still and/or out of position and figure out what to do to fix it. What happened tonight is something they need to make sure they don’t build bad habits off it. Find a solution, fix it, and move onto the next game and continue to improve. The Oilers were just outmatched tonight by what is arguably the best team in the east with all do respect to the Montreal Canadiens.

Tonights Three Beer League Heroes are:

1. Evgeny Kuznetzov – This is what Capitals fans have been waiting for, tonight he showed his dynamic speed, skill and talent. 3 goals, and 2 assists accompanied with 7 shots. He was by far the best player on the ice.

2. Ryan Nugent Hopkins – He played an excellent game tonight, 1 goal, 1 assist and played a great north/south game; he was strong in his own zone, was 73% on the draws and was winning every puck battle. Nuge is starting to play more and more on the PK and is becoming a key contributor to the NHL’ s #1 PK.

3.Nicklas Backstrom – Since returning from his injury he’s been red hot, he quickly showing why he is one of the best centres in the NHL. He showed his touch and speed when he got sprung on a break away and put away the second capitals goal, finished with 1 goal and 1 assist, but he was also all over the ice tonight, creating something on every shift he was out there for.

Tonight’s Golden Plunger award goes to….!

Teddy Purcell looked like the last few games since being demoted to the third line, that he actually found himself and was playing some solid hockey. He was playing a simple game, wasn’t trying to be too fancy and had some real nice chemistry with Korpi and Lander, that was until tonight, and when he got moved up on the top line and it seemed he was killing every drive up the ice, anything positive he was seemingly destroying it. I truly had high hopes for him, but he just cant seem to find his way especially when he starts to play on the top line, maybe his confidence is shot right now, either way he’s not doing the team much good.

Andrew Ference is in the same boat, he played okay last game, not bad for being out 4 games. Tonight it was just brain fart after brain fart with this guy. He took two unnecessary penalties, and killed the momentum the Oilers had on both plays. Twice tonight he watched an icing get rimmed around his side of the boards and just watched it go down the ice for an icing call. There were moments he was on his D partners side of the ice, essentially leaving the middle and the other side of the ice open. If not for the smarts of RNH and McDavid at times, it could have gotten a lot uglier had those lanes been wide open.

Overall tonight was just a bit of a disaster, there isn’t much more to say on tonight other than to make sure something like this never happens again. They need to be more disciplined against teams like this, stay focused and stick to the game plan and make sure they stay defensively aware and stick to the defensive side of the puck. The shots were kept low tonight, but there were just too many high quality scoring chances, no matter who’s in net, its hard when thats all you’re stopping all night.

The next game is this Sunday against the surging LA Kings who have won 4 straight, after starting the season 0-3. In the past few years the Oilers have always had trouble facing the big bad Kings. But how the mighty don’t seem so mighty anymore. With a new system in place, bigger defence and a much better offensively structured system accompanied by solid goaltending should, in theory, make this game a lot different than years past.

Tyler Toffoli ,the Kings leading scorer, is on fire as of late and if the Edmonton Oilers’ defence can keep his line and him in check, they should be able to walk out of there with a win. The game plan against the Kings isn’t going to be to dump and chase, but to use their speed, work the puck down low and keep their feet moving and cause the slower Kings to put themselves out of position. This will keep Kings’ netminder Jonathan Quick from moving side to side. They will really need to work the points in this game, activating when they can to create that 4th forward situation and getting as many pucks through on net, while crashing the crease. Jonathan Quick has a temper and hates nothing more then traffic in front of him and the Oilers need to exploit that and put some pucks past him.

Thanks you for reading everyone! I know tonight was a rough game, but let me know what you think by getting in touch with me on Twitter @madi39 or in the comments section below!

Edmonton Oilers, Edmonton Oilers Post Game Report, Madison Moroz, NHL

BLH Post Gamer-G5 Edmonton Oilers Vs Calgary Flames

4 Comments

OILERS WIN!!! OILERS WIN!!! OILERS WIN!!! PLAN THE PARADE ROUTE!!!!

Okay maybe just a little too excited, but its fantastic to see a game like that played by the Oilers, especially against the Flames. Tonight was about everything that I had pointed in my previous post gamer that these guys needed to do. I only caught a glimpse of it on 630 ched after the game and couldn’t tell who the player was, but he mentioned they just kept it simple when asked about why they were successful tonight. You could see the more they played, the more comfortable they got with the puck and they were instilling confidence in each other and building trust. Chemistry was seemingly building up, the Oilers were having fun out there, and Mclellan was so happy he started to play the drums on the bench!

https://twitter.com/myregularface/status/655602063775285248

Everyone from Cam Talbot and out played a fantastic calm and comfortable game tonight. The defence made Talbot’s job easy tonight and helped him get his first win as an Edmonton Oiler and it couldn’t’ have been more memorable. The blueliners were making sure the high quality chances were kept low and they were getting into the shooting lanes. I could be wrong but I believe both goals that went in were redirected off an Oiler.

The Flames’ big boys were held off the scoresheet, something that’ll be a big confidence booster for this defence which is still trying to find its legs. Tonight the defence stepped up and made sure to support each other, used the proper outlets and made the smart play more times than not with tape to tape passes for much cleaner puck movement and breakouts. Tonight was the game the coaching staff was finally looking for and it was excellent to hear the players give that nod to them and how important it was to win it not only for the the guys in the room.

The Oilers came out solid in the first, they were outshot 5-8 in the period but you could still tell they were the better team and that something was a brewing. You could see the speed and pace of play pick up with them, they were getting comfortable and as we found out, that’s a recipe for disaster for the opposition! There was no looking back at that point, as the Oilers impressed and dominated the second period, out shooting the Flames 14-5 and outplaying them in every aspect.

As good as the Oilers defence and goaltending was tonight, the offence was on fire, their puck movement was simple but exciting, it was smart and thought out. Every goal scored tonight, the Oilers battled and dug their heels in just that little extra to force the turnover or win that puck battle and not give up on the play. The top 6 tonight looked like what everyone had expected out of them, fast, skilled, smart and mind you this was done without Jordan Eberle.

Confidence was higher than ever and you could see it in the players body language and in the way they handled the puck. The biggest piece of evidence was the emergence of Connor McDavid on Hockey Night in Canada! What a time for him to put his stamp on the NHL eh? The biggest stage in the country an dhe embarrasses the Calgary Flames on national television.

I was massively impressed with how he played tonight, not just because he scored 2 goals and had an assist but because what he was able to do and how he changed the pace of the game. He finally gave himself the green light to just go with it and take charge. His linemate Nail Yakupov had his best game of the young season so far as well. Yak didn’t look lost, he had that little extra pep in his step and he was getting into the open areas and getting scoring chances. I will admit I jumped for joy when McDavid scored, but I was extremely happy to see Yak make the twine tickle and can only hope there’s more to come from him.

Note: Tonight all four #1 overall picks scored… I’d say that’s pretty remarkable and I’m willing to bet another team will never match the feat ever again.

Tonight’s three Beer League Heroes are:

1.Connor McDavid – Obvious choice, he was the best player on the ice narrowly beating Hall, but he was all over the placw making plays and being a difference maker. He needed this game, welcome to the BOA Connor! 2 goals and 1 assist! It was great to see high emotion out of him tonight, especially after he scored his 2nd goal, he was fired up!

2.Taylor Hall- Once again he’s impressed me immensely. Hall’s looking more and more to be a great leader for this team, he scored a goal and assisted on 2 others, one with an absolutely beautiful pass to McDavid to set him up for his second. He’s showing that he can be the driver of this bus, but if he’s not on it he has a fantastic co-pilot on the second line.

3. Justin Schultz – Might take some flack for this one, but something changed with him this year, he’s been aggressive, smart and has taken a much better approach to the game. He is quarterbacking this defence along with Klefbom and is a guy the Oilers needed to play with confidence. He didn’t put up any points tonight, but I’ve been impressed with him every game and tonight was his best.

Tonight there will be no Golden Plunger award!! Even though the third line didn’t play the greatest, they were still much more effective and played a good game, tonight is a celebration of a well deserved win.

I can’t say enough good things about tonight’s game, and you may think its may be easy with a 5-2 win, but every line from the first to the fourth was effective tonight with their minutes. The power play finally gained some traction, it only scored one goal tonight, but every time it was out there it was doing something positive and the PK looked fantastic like it has all year so far. Tonight was a win that was much needed for everyone, from Chiarelli to Talbot. For all that watched the game, it speaks for itself, seeing the Oilers not only take over a game, but dominate it in every aspect was a nice change of pace, we shouldn’t expect that against the Elite of the NHL just yet, but we should expect that if they’re playing like they did tonight. Lets just enjoy this win and be proud! All in all it was great to see the players smiling.

My apologies, in the previous post gamer I thought the Oilers next game was against the Canucks, but I was wrong obviously and now the next game is actually against the Canucks. The Oilers shouldn’t stray away from their game plan and should be coming into this game with a ton of confidence against a not so good Vancouver Canucks team. They just need to continue to keep things simple and use their speed and continue to put pucks on net. It will be interesting who plays in net, and how the Oilers do on their first of many back to backs this season. This is a game that is more than winnable and it’s not out of the realm of possibility to expect a similar result as last night.

Thanks for reading everyone, let me know what you think @madi39 or in the comment section below!