Oilers to Play the Dvorak’s to Open TC
Edmonton opens defense of their 06-07 Elevator Shaft championship with a pre-season tilt against the Florida Panthers.
The Panthers are like many expansion teams that never win anything, full of terrific talent but not yet a team. They’ve been around for over a decade, but went with experience early in hope for a SCF run (and damned if they didn’t get one).
Anyway, the Panthers are an interesting lot, with Jay Bouwmeester still in the early stages of what is going to be a ridiculous career, and old hand Radek Dvorak among the forward group tonight.
The Oilers are going with this roster:
C-Gagner, Schremp, Reasoner, Sestito
L-Penner, Thoresen, Moreau, Jacques
R-Hemsky, Pouliot, Brodziak, O’Marra
LD-Pitkanen, Grebeshkov, Young
RD-Tarnstrom, Greene, Gilbert
G-Roloson, Deslauriers
I think the lines might be as above (lifted from Louiss from Quebec City. The guy has 255 posts on HF and he ripped off the line combo’s at 9:12 Alberta time. Suspect he knows one of the Quebec Oilers), but the D pairings are me making crap up (however those 6 are listed on the Oilers’ site as playing tonight).
“but the D pairings are me making crap up”
Hell, that group is probably better than what they iced several evenings last March.
Louiss knows jacques.
I like the Penner-Gagner-Hemsky option as the primary powerplay line starting the season. Why not give Gagner the 9-game tryout with major powerplay minutes supplimented by 4th line minutes with another kid and the ever-dependable Ethan Moreau?
Shawn Horcoff takes the Penner-Hemmer combination at EV to handle the opposition’s tough lines.
See, even as I type this, Penner connects to Gagner…jeez. How can they not keep these guys together?
Dorito-
I think 18 is going to be relied on to do a lot more than 4th line EV minutes. I like Gagner, but why start him on the #1 PP when you have Horcoff, a guy who has a tremendous NHL track record of PP success? It’s a long way until opening day.
Devin, I know it’s only been a game and a half (and that’s counting the Joey Moss cup), but we haven’t seen this kind of chemistry on a line since…well I’m kinda young anyway, so I really don’t know since when.
They’d just be damn fun to watch.
It makes little sense to keep Gagner on the Oilers to play 4th line minutes. If he stays – it will be because he’s playing top 6 minutes, otherwise send the kid to Juniors.