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Mike Cook spends much of his time writing about politicians and pucks. In addition to his full-time job covering the Minnesota House of Representatives, he does freelance sports writing – including pro and college hockey – for the Associated Press and other entities. A lifelong resident of the State of Hockey, he grew up a fan of the Minnesota North Stars and still misses Met Center. He looks forward to when his three young children are on skates at 6 a.m. practices.
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| Signs of progress on display in Edmonton |
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| Northwest | |
| Written by Mike Cook | |
| Tuesday, December 07, 2010 18:22 | |
Don't be deceived by the Oilers' last-place standing in the Western Conference. Their early struggles built character; now a more confident Taylor Hall and company are beginning to win some games.
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| AROUND THE NORTHWEST |
Despite the recent success, the team is still in last place in the Western Conference, but just five points out of second place – and six out of first – in the weak Northwest Division.
Last season at this time, about the only chance Edmonton had of making the playoffs was a gift from Santa Claus.
Head coach Tom Renney notes the increase in confidence, but said the early woes were important to help his young team develop long-term character.
"You've got to let them go out and play and experience that, and maybe draw their own conclusions; make some mistakes, and those types of things," he said Monday. "We are still only a third of the way into the season, and there's a lot of hockey to play and a lot to experience that's going to put them in tough spots, no question. We're far from a finished product, but we're certainly getting there because of the nature of the type of people that we drafted."Take Hall and Magnus Paajarvi, for example.
The top pick in last summer’s draft, Hall had just three goals in his first 18 contests but has six goals in his last eight games, including three in a perfect three-games-in-four-nights swing through Ottawa, Montreal and Toronto last week. He ranks second among league rookies with nine goals and fifth with 15 points, and was named the league’s Third Star of the Week on Monday.
“At the start of the year, it took me eight games to score so my confidence wasn’t where it’s at now. Obviously, confidence is huge, especially for a forward and for someone that needs to score points,” he said Monday. “It’s definitely a good feeling now.”
After going pointless for 13 games, Paajarvi has assists in four straight.
"It's the same as the team, I think. Just stay patient there and keep working and keep practicing. I’m finding my lines a little bit more. I know where I can go now and I feel comfortable with it, too. If I can do that I’m going to play good hockey,” he said. “Right now I'm doing a lot better, and when I do that the offence is going to come, and I think that's proven in the last couple games.”
The veterans have also picked up their games.
In three games after returning from a groin injury, goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin has been brilliant stopping 104 of 107 shots. While the veteran missed out on a shutout Saturday, and lost the shootout Tuesday in the 10th round, he deserved a win in both games.
The Oilers’ defense blocked 18 shots in the win, and has helped limit the opposition to five goals in the past four games.
“One of our forwards is always helping us out offensively and defensively, so we just have to keep it going,” said defenseman Ladislav Smid. “We’ve talked about it pretty much since the beginning of the season, and we are finally doing it.”Are the Oilers going to stick around long enough for Edmontonians to see this team mature in future years? Probably.
Team and local officials are trying to work out a deal for a new rink to replace the aging Rexall Place. However, last week a few executives were in Quebec City to meet with officials there and discuss arena funding issues. Unfortunately, a story by the QMI Agency took that to mean the Oilers were thinking about relocation. That story spread quickly, briefly setting in panic.
In a statement, Bob Black, executive vice president of sports and entertainment for the Katz Group, which owns the Oilers, tried to end any misnomers: “Edmonton Oilers’ President and CEO Patrick LaForge, President of Hockey Operations Kevin Lowe and Katz Group CFO Paul Marcaccio met today with Quebec City Mayor Regis Labeaume and others. Our representatives are on a fact finding mission to gather information on the Quebec arena project, the contemplated funding model and that City’s discussions with other orders of government. Patrick, Kevin and Paul hope to learn from the Quebec City experience and bring back insights that will help move the process forward here in Edmonton. We remain focused on our efforts to develop the funding structure required to enable the Edmonton Arena District project to proceed. Today was a convenient date for the meeting in Quebec City since the Oilers are already in nearby Montreal to play the Canadiens and our group is with the team.”
Notes
Calgary allowed three power-play goals in the first period of Sunday’s 4-2 loss in Chicago. For the game, Calgary had 25 penalty minutes. … D Steve Staios has been placed on injured reserve by Calgary due to a hard hit by two players in the loss. He’ll be out at least a week. … Through Sunday, the Flames had 117 power-play opportunities, third-most in the NHL, but have scored just 17 goals. The 14.53 percent success rate ranks 24th in the league. … At one point in Calgary’s 7-2 loss last week to Vancouver, coach Brent Sutter put five defensemen on the ice for a third-period power play because the forwards were so ineffective. … Flames F Ryan Stone practiced Monday for the first time since having knee surgery last March; however, he is still quite far off from getting back in to the lineup. … Colorado is 1-3-3 in its past seven games. … Coach Joe Sacco planned to alter his lines Tuesday with recently acquired Tomas Fleischmann playing with Matt Duchene and Milan Hejduk; Kevin Porter skating with Paul Stastny and David Jones; and Daniel Winnik returning to his third-line role, at left wing with Ryan O'Reilly at center. … Any optimism that Avs LW Peter Mueller would return this season from his latest concussion has almost disappeared. … Avalanche RW Milan Hejduk had two assists Saturday to extend his points streak to seven games, before going pointless in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Panthers on Tuesday. … Joe Sakic is attending the board of governors meetings in Florida, along with Colorado president Pierre Lacroix and GM Greg Sherman, to learn more about the hockey business, for a possible future role with the team in management. … D Kyle Quincey broke an 18-game pointless streak Tuesday with a third-period assist. On Saturday, he was penalized three times, two of which turned into power-play goals for Tampa Bay in a 6-5 Lightning win. He thought two calls were bogus. Sacco was critical of Quincey after the game, saying, “Obviously he got himself into penalty trouble. That's a good power play; we talked about that before the game – they've got the No. 1 power play in the league – and the penalties hurt. I just think his game overall needed to be better tonight.” … Avs G Peter Budaj has allowed at least three goals in nine straight starts. Fans better hope No. 1 netminder Craig Anderson can stay healthy. … It’s a tough time in the State of Hockey. Before last Friday’s game, Wild GM Chuck Fletcher hinted that changes could be forthcoming if the team doesn’t start playing better. Minnesota then lost in a shootout to Calgary and in overtime at Dallas. Could coach Todd Richards be on the outs? He and Fletcher seem to be on the same page, but, sadly, it’s always easier to change one coach than multiple players. Names being thrown out as possible trade bait include D Brent Burns, D Nick Schultz and almost any forward not named Mikko Koivu. Goaltenders Niklas Backstrom and Jose Theodore are likely safe. … Since his return last week from post-concussion issues, Pierre-Marc Bouchard has been playing on a line with Kyle Brodziak and Martin Havlat. “We have a little bit of the same mindset; we think alike. ... We kind of know where to go on the ice, what should be the next play, or the next move," Bouchard said. … Minnesota D Justin Falk was reassigned to AHL Houston Monday. Falk posted two assists and six penalty minutes in 18 games with the Wild this season. … What the heck? D Keith Ballard had 13:17 of ice time for Vancouver in Sunday’s 3-2 loss to St. Louis; Aaron Rome had 3½ minutes more, even though he was going to be a healthy scratch until another defenseman became ill. Rome played 2:37 on the power play; Ballard 4 seconds. … Vancouver D Kevin Bieksa is sick of being linked to trade rumors. … Vancouver F Mikael Samuelsson left Sunday’s loss to St. Louis with a mild concussion. He is expected to miss at least a week. … D Sami Salo, out since injuring his Achilles tendon in the summer, lightly skated for 10-15 before team practices Friday and Monday. Coach Alain Vigneault said Salo has been progressing well, but he’s still “very far away."Photos by Getty Images
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