Talk about an unexpected outcome! Goals, killer instinct, beating a team that we should beat handily. If no one mentioned the name "Oilers" you'd think that I was talking about a playoff team! Well, if they can keep this up, they will be, and even better yet, they can once again be a team that the Western power houses feel uneasy about playing in the 1st round.
So many great things to behold tonight, Gagner with his first career NHL hattrick and an absolutely INCREDIBLE game by #89. Gagner carrying the load in a secondary scoring role while Hemsky's production dips late in the season, where have I heard this one before? Roli was solid and confident and soundly beat a team that has historically given him fits, Souray looked like a beast again and is once again a 20 goal scorer (I love how he showed no emotion after hammering that puck home in a laugher, what a Champion this guy could be!). Kotalik breaks the snide in a BIG way with a 4 point night, just a beautiful game all the way around except for a select few players.
Instead of ragging on them, tonight they get a free pass, after all it was a special night, a magical night for Gagner, and once again this team is starting to stir an interest in me that I haven't had in some time now. It may not have been a 9-2 or 10-2 beating, but 8-1 isn't too shabby in this Oiler fans books!
4 comments:
Nice write, young fellow, good to see some optimism, it as been a cruel season. The pressure has been oppressive on the players and the staff this season. I thought I saw something beginning to germinate in the last little while and felt if the pressure syndrome could be broken, maybe just maybe we could see something special begin to emerge. I know that it was just Colorado.... but maybe it is more than that.
For sure John, I saw a LOT of positives last night. However I'll have to see this become a trend before I'm willing to say that this team has finally come together as a team.
Of course I'm not expecting blowouts like this every day, but production from multiple lines would be very welcome.
If the Gagner led 2nd line can keep their high quality of play and the newly formed top line can get going, this COULD be a dangerous team with Roli in net and Souray firing bombs from the point.
Hopefully yesterday was the start of a run like they went on late last year and not one isolated incident in an otherwise mediocre year.
Tonight's game against a team that has owned us but is on the ropes should be a good indicator of whether they've turned the corner or not.
Was good to see Gagner get his act together. He was finding the hole on his 3rd goal, which players do when they're loose.
Scored another tonight, I think the sophomore jinx is broken. Perfect timing.
I never did give up on Gagner West though, he's still 19. If people gave up on me when I was 19... horrible to even think about, I'd probably still be drooling drunk in parking lots.
Yeah I didn't give up on Gagner but he just seemed to go against everything that worked for him last year. He's on one hell of a roll now and he's back to looking like a future 1st liner again.
If we can get him and Hemsky on a roll at the same time, we could be a force to be reckoned with.
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