The Official 2008/2009 NHL Thread

[CheapJon]

I fuckin hope Sundin picks the rangers

[AxlsMainMan]

wow oilers are way to inconsistant.

awesome vs vancouver

absolute shite so far tonight vs blackhawks

Blackhawks embarrass Oilers; longest win streak in 7 years

Posted: December 16, 2008
Canadian Press


EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) -- The streaking Chicago Blackhawks stormed into Edmonton and handed the Oilers one of the most embarrassing losses in team history.

Troy Brouwer had two goals and an assist, and Chicago routed the Oilers 9-2 on Tuesday night for its fifth straight victory. The last time the Blackhawks won five in a row was during the 2001-02 season, also the last season they made the playoffs.

"We're an unbelievable team," Brouwer said. "We're young and we've got a lot of heart on this team and we know we're good. I think that's what really makes us even better is that we go out there and know we can win every night."

Patrick Kane added a goal and two assists for Chicago, which improved to 6-5-3 on the road and 6-0-1 in its last seven games overall. Duncan Keith, Colin Fraser, Brian Campbell, Kris Versteeg, Ben Eager and Craig Adams also scored.

Edmonton gave up nine goals in a game for the first time since a 9-4 loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Dec. 28, 1992.

"It was humiliating," Sheldon Souray said. "It was a real poor effort. They pretty much exposed us in every area of the game. They took it to us all over the place. All the way around we got outplayed. It's been a long time since I have been part of a game like that."

Shawn Horcoff and Marc Pouliot scored for the Oilers, who have lost two of three.

The seven-goal margin of defeat tied a franchise record for home games. The other two seven-goal losses also came to Chicago, one in 1992 and the other in 1995.

"That's an embarrassing number of goals," Edmonton assistant captain Shawn Horcoff said. "We just weren't ready. There wasn't one area of the game where we were effective at all tonight. We weren't ready off the start and our penalty killing was back to where it has been and where we don't want it to be."

The Blackhawks went 4-for-5 on the power play, with Kane, Campbell, Brouwer and Adams all converting a chance. Chicago is 15-4-6 since coach Joel Quenneville took over for Denis Savard behind the bench.

"It's been a fun little run we're on right now," Quenneville said. "I think it's a good group. I think they care for one another and I think that's important, and beginning with that is a good foundation."

Chicago scored five times in the second period to take a 7-1 lead. After Horcoff's power-play goal got Edmonton within two, Brouwer converted a rebound for a power-play goal and Versteeg sent a shot through Mathieu Garon's legs from in close to make it 5-1 at 12:26.

Dwayne Roloson then replaced Garon but didn't fare much better. Eager scored with 4:06 left in the second and Brouwer added his fifth of the season to make it 7-1.

The Oilers scored an own goal while short-handed 5 minutes into the third when defenseman Tom Gilbert managed to direct the puck into his own net on a goal credited to Keith.

"We really wanted to come out and have a good first game on the road because we have three here before Christmas," Brouwer said. "Just get the first one out here and get on a roll for the next two."

Chicago heads to Calgary to play the Flames on Friday.

The Oilers were glad to get out of town following the drubbing, making a quick trip to play in Vancouver on Wednesday.

"We have to somehow get our energy back up and try to duplicate the game we had against Vancouver our last game at home," captain Ethan Moreau said. "There is going to be a lot of questions going into tomorrow because of our effort tonight, but we have an opportunity to play well tomorrow. As bad as it was tonight we have to leave it here. That's how we'll be evaluated, by how we respond."

Notes: Blackhawks D James Wisniewski made his season debut following knee surgery and had three assists. Wisniewski scored a hat trick Saturday while on a conditioning stint with Rockford of the AHL. ... It was the 125th consecutive regular-season sellout in Edmonton.

http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=497791

[AxlsMainMan]

I fuckin hope Sundin picks the rangers

I hope he goes home.

[CheapJon]

I'm sure you do

[Alan]

wow oilers are way to inconsistant.

awesome vs vancouver

absolute shite so far tonight vs blackhawks

Blackhawks embarrass Oilers; longest win streak in 7 years

Posted: December 16, 2008
Canadian Press

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) -- The streaking Chicago Blackhawks stormed into Edmonton and handed the Oilers one of the most embarrassing losses in team history.

yeah i posted when the score was 3-0 watched the whole shit performance.

[CheapJon]

fuckin Sundin picking vancouver

[AxlsMainMan]

Blackhawks extend win streak to seven games

Canadian Press
December 21, 2008 at 12:42 AM EST


VANCOUVER ? Quick second-period goals by Patrick Kane and Patrick Sharp gave the Chicago Blackhawks a 3-1 victory Saturday over the Vancouver Canucks and a season-high seven-game NHL win streak.

The Blackhawks wingers scored 3:26 apart to erase a 1-0 deficit as their club won in Vancouver for the first time since Jan. 26, 1998 and improved to 18-6-7.

Jonathan Toews scored into an empty net with 39 seconds remaining.

Chicago has only two victories here in their last 12 games but won seven straight for the first time since 1981.

Daniel Sedin scored for the Canucks who slipped to 18-12-3 and missed a chance to vault over the Calgary Flames into first place in the Northwest Division.

Sedin scored on Vancouver's second shot on goal 3:45 after the opening face-off.

He was at the side of the net for a backhand tap-in after Jannik Hansen finessed a pass through the crease of goalkeeper Cristobal Huet.

The goal was Sedin's team-leading 15th of the season and third in two games.

Kane tied the game early in the second period after a turnover by Vancouver defenceman Shane O'Brien.

The young Hawk winger lofted a seeing-eye backhand over the glove of Canuck netminder Curtis Sanford for his 16th goal and fourth in six games.

Sharp, who scored twice in an October win over Vancouver, gave Chicago a 2-1 lead three minutes 26 seconds later when his 40-foot wrist shot went post and in behind a screened Sanford.

The Blackhawks almost took a 3-1 lead into the third period but Sanford robbed Dave Bolland when the Chicago centre tried to stuff a rebound off the end boards into the net.

Sanford later foiled Martin Havlat on a two-on-one break-in early in the third period.

Huet, who had a solid 30-save effort, stopped a close-in Pavol Demitra chance late in the game, then beat him to the rebound.

Canuck defenceman Mattias Ohlund later hit the side of the net on a short-handed chance.

Notes: O'Brien was back on the Vancouver blue-line after leaving Wednesday's 4-2 win over Edmonton with a charley horse ... Canuck fourth-liner Mike Brown has switched to No. 15 to accommodate newly acquired free agent Mats Sundin who wears No. 13 ... Brown was a healthy scratch Saturday ... Canuck defenceman Sami Salo is expected to miss at least a month with a broken rib ... He previously missed a total of seven games with three groin strains.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20081221.wspthawks_canucks20/GSStory/GlobeSportsHockey/

[Alan]

the winter classic was awesome!

[D]

Yes, I thoroughly enjoyed the winter classic. Why they don't do a couple games a year at least is beyond me.

I want to see a game IN Detroit between the Maple Leafs and The Wings. Talk about a sell out in 5 seconds.

[AxlsMainMan]

the winter classic was awesome!

Minus the result

[Alan]

the winter classic was awesome!

Minus the result

best team won 

i'd love to see more games like that, but the timing for them has to be perfect, if it's too cold then as with the game in edmonton the ice chips and it spoils the game a little. and if the weather is bad then it slows the puck like it did in last years.

wonder where the next one will be.

and i'm also wondering how long hemsky is going to be out for, the oilers without him just don't seem to be anywhere near as much of a threat. though gagner and cole are starting to get something going now.

[GypsySoul]

Maybe if things don't work out with Robin, Henrik could join GNR!!! 


NY Post >> Page Six Magazine >> January 4, 2009

So long, Sean Avery!
NEW YORK RANGERS GOALIE
HENRIK LUNDQVIST
IS THE WORLD'S SEXIEST ICE MAN

..... And sometimes the aspiring guitarist even hits dive bars, like the one in Queens where he recently staged an impromptu gig with a pal.  "We play covers that people know - Guns N' Roses, Foo Fighters," he says.  Right now he's looking forward to setting up a jam session with Jay Weinberg, the son of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band drummer Max, whom he met at a Boss concert in Sweden. .....

[AxlsMainMan]

Oilers and Penguins swap goalies

TSN.ca Staff
1/17/2009 11:46:13 AM


The Edmonton Oilers traded goaltender Mathieu Garon to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday for goaltender Dany Sabourin, centre Ryan Stone, and a fourth-round pick in 2011.

Garon was originally signed by the Oilers prior to the 2007-08 season.  In 15 games this year, he went 6-8-0 with a 3.17 GAA and a save percentage of .895.

Sabourin has similar statistics this season in Pittsburgh.  He played 18 games and had a record of 6-8-2, with a 2.85 GAA and a save percentage of .898.

"Addressing our goaltending situation was a high priority for us and moving forward, we believe we've accomplished that as well as acquiring some valuable assets for our organization," Oilers general manager Steve Tambellini said in a statement to the Canadian Press.

Stone has spent most of the season in the AHL with Scranton Wilkes-Barre.  He has zero points in 2 appearances with Pittsburgh.

http://www.tsn.ca/ctvnews/?id=263571

[AxlsMainMan]

Sharks' streaks end in loss to Blackhawks

By David Pollak
Mercury News

Posted: 01/31/2009 10:41:25 PM PST

The franchise-record scoreless streak ended less than a minute into the game. The Sharks' latest streak of four consecutive victories needed a little longer before it ended as well.

Suffering only their second home regulation loss of the season, the Sharks dropped a stranger-than-normal contest to the Chicago Blackhawks 4-2 at HP Pavilion on Saturday night.

"The most disappointing thing is we didn't skate tonight and that's the reason why we lost," said Sharks forward Milan Michalek, who scored San Jose's final goal. "We couldn't get our legs going."

It was Sharks' first loss in 14 games to the Blackhawks and didn't sit well with San Jose Coach Todd McLellan, whose team's next game is Thursday against the Carolina Hurricanes.

"You carry it with you for four days," McLellan said. "Thursday we'll get a chance to try and get back in the win column, but from now until then we'll put our work boots on and we'll get going again. We'll skate a lot this week."

Chicago got two goals from center Jonathan Toews and single tallies from rookie right wing Kris Versteeg and defenseman Duncan Keith. Defenseman Christian Ehrhoff and Michalek scored for the Sharks, who lost in regulation three times in one month for the first time all season.

Toews' first goal came just 48 seconds into the game and put a quick end to any chance Sharks goalie Evgeni Nabokov had for a third consecutive shutout. Instead, the franchise record for longest stretch between goals allowed goes into the books at 170 minutes, 58 seconds.

The strangeness began midway through the first period when it looked as if Chicago center Dave Bolland had fired a rebound past Nabokov to give the Blackhawks a 2-0 lead.

But before play could resume, officials huddled for more than a minute, then waived off the goal. A linesman advised referees Don Koharski and Chris Lee that they had missed a high-sticking call when Sharks right wing Jonathan Cheechoo was cut seconds earlier.

"We felt the penalty was rightly called," McLellan said, "but I'm not sure anybody understood how everything was evolving when it came to the disallowed goal, the power play, the faceoff."

Because the high stick drew blood, NHL rules allowed the linesman to intervene. Even so, they cited the wrong Blackhawk, sending Versteeg to the penalty box with a double minor while replays showed it was Chicago right wing Patrick Kane whose stick did the damage.

A little more than a minute into their power play, Ehrhoff launched a shot from the blue line that sailed past Chicago goalie Nikolai Khabibulin to tie the score 1-1 at 12:06 of the opening period.

The momentum shifted back to the Blackhawks in the second period.

The Sharks were on the power play when Ehrhoff's shot from the blue line was blocked by Bolland. He raced down the ice, got off a weak shot when he was tripped by Ehrhoff in pursuit, only to have Versteeg put in the rebound at 7:56.

The lead grew to 3-1 late in the second period after Nabokov was whistled for tripping Kane as he cut through the crease ? "a very irresponsible penalty," according to McLellan. Toews scored his second of the night at 16:15 on the power play that followed.

Chicago's Keith extended the lead to 4-1 with a power-play goal at 14:34, but Michalek got that one back 10 seconds later to end all scoring.

"It was obviously a special-teams battle," McLellan said, "and they came out on top."

http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_11602362?source=rss

[Alan]

oilers need a new coach.

still far too inconsistant.

[Mal Brossard]

So Habs fans...

Your thoughts on the recent news?

[Alan]

not a habs fan but they're really starting to piss me off on the ice with their slew footing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NEgsMqW3SI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3hd92LAUdI

[Mal Brossard]

Either the Habs have no fans here, or they all have their heads buried in the sand.

[AxlsMainMan]

We're all about the Blackhawks, Brossard

[Malcolm]

wow what an ending to the Leafs-Vancouver-Sundin buildup...Scores the shootout winner with the crowd standing...it was a nice mix of everything I thought...he got the big standing ovation which brought him to tears, a couple dirty shots, one noticable on Blake, and a few boos as well...Sundins a class act though