G9 Nashville Recap: Gilbert Struggles Continue, Grebeshkov Deserved Better?

As was pointed out to me, I may have been a bit harsh on Grebeshkov with the 4/10 grade on the night (see below). I do agree with Mr. Staples that he was not at fault for at least 2 of the 3 goals, even though he was on the ice for all three goals against. He is paired with a struggling partner in Tom Gilbert, who IMHO should sit for a couple once Strudwick is back. (I would rather have Smid out there any day over Gilbert if he doesn't shape up.) Grebs is for the most part playing well positionally, and some of his bad play may be attributed to 77. However, he is a skilled puck mover and we have all seen him wheel and deal in the past, so when his outlet passes are mostly ineffective, leading to turnovers, and he is unable to move the play forward I feel obligated to grade accordingly. It may just be a confidence thing. Last year he improved vastly with decision-making - ie. knowing when to pinch, sneak down from the point, puck distribution in transition - he looked like a stud by the end of the year to me. As I say below for Hemsky, there is something to be said for the struggling player who realizes that what he is doing isn't working, and adjusts/simplifies his game accordingly. Hell, if we had 3 pairs of Smid/Souray I would be one happy guy.

That said, the grading is obviously a very objective exercise. We all see things from different perspectives, and we pick up on the various aspects of the game differently. Here's my grades:

Mark Sheet for Game 9 - Nashville:

Sheldon Souray, 7. This guy stepped up and was by far the best Oiler on the ice tonight. Solid presence in front of the Oilers net, blocked 3 shots, had more than a few nice pinches along the boards to keep the play alive, got 5 shots through to the net and scored the only goal for the good guys. This guy was a force at both ends and really settled things down and took over.

Shawn Horcoff, 7. Had at least four nice scoring chances in the the game - finding the open ice and getting shots on net. Was solid in the faceoff circle, and in particular on defensive zone faceoffs. Had a couple good sticks/takeaways. Would've been an 8 if he had scored.

Ladislav Smid, 6. Played a really solid defensive game. Good physical play, 5 hits, and smart, simple plays out of the d-zone.

Mathieu Garon, 6. Deserved better tonight. Let in three goals, but really only had a chance on one of them. Made some big saves to keep them in it down 2-1, and an excellent cross-crease save on a Preds powerplay to keep it close.

Lubomir Visnovsky, 6. Good defensive game. Was steady in own end, and made more than a few good outlet passes. A good percentage of offensive rushes started off of his stick tonight. However, he took at least seven shots and could not find the net. Had what seemed like an eon to skate in wide open and blast an easy save for Rinne in the first.

Fernando Pisani, 6. This guy plays such a complete game night in and night out. He played well defensively on the backcheck, had a few good rushes with Moreau and Cole and played well on the penalty kill. Was awful in the faceoff circle though.

Ethan Moreau, 6. Good speed on rush, good physical play to generate chances, good on the penalty kill. Almost batted the puck into his own net with an ugly baseball swing though.

Marc Pouliot, 6. Limited ice time, but made things happen on the rush. Created a couple good cycles down low with scoring chances, had a nice rush with Stortini, and created his own chance out of nothing by taking a shot and bulling his way to the net for his own rebound.

Sam Gagner, 6. Cycled down low well, a few nice moves with the puck to open up the ice. At times seemed lost on the breakout, as he had about 7 different linemates on the night.

Steve Staios, 5. Solid D-man plays a low risk, steady game. Nothing too noticeable tonight.

Erik Cole, 5. Carried good speed and tough play into offensive zone. Created a nice play and almost scored on a breakaway early in the first. Played like a horse with the blinders on. Seemed to slow as the game went on, and had a couple bad passes and a terrible giveaway in the third.

Dustin Penner, 5. Played well in front of the net on the PP with good screening on the Souray goal. Appeared slow at times and didn't seem to play well with Cogliano and Gagner. A few good cycles and work along the boards died with his inability to keep the play alive.

Ales Hemsky, 5. Made a few beauty skill plays, and a couple nice passes on the PP, but was for the most part ineffective tonight. I know that he can generate something out of nothing by dancing through everyone on the ice now and again, but 9 times out of 10 tonight Nashville shut him down in transition or along the boards. There is something to be said for recognising when to make the simple effective play (ie. dump into the corners and go get it!). Hemsky seemed unwilling to adjust tonight. Without the assist he would have been a 4.

Kyle Brodziak, 5. Had a few good rushes with Pouliot and Stortini. Played well on the penalty kill and was decent in the faceoff circle going 4 for 6.

Zack Stortini, 5. See Brodziak above - a few good crash and bang rushes and created a good scoring opportunity for Pouliot in the first. Nothing special though, and no big hits or rough stuff.

Andrew Cogliano, 5. Good board work down low behind the net with Gagner, but was mostly invisible. Had a couple turnovers at the Preds blueline.

Robert Nilsson, 5. Played with speed in the first, generated a couple nice plays with Hemsky. Was invisible in the 2nd and was dropped back down to the 2nd line in the third.

Denis Grebeshkov, 4. Made a couple nice passes/plays in the offensive zone to create scoring chances in the first. Was ineffective with Gilbert on the powerplay, and struggled in transition. Was on the ice for all three goals against.

Tom Gilbert, 3. Maybe I'm being a bit harsh here, but he seems to be getting worse as the season progresses. He looks lost and was completely ineffective on the powerplay, and was -3 on the night. Made poor choices with outlet passes, and besides a couple decent panic plays was pretty much awful. Flubbed passes, ineffective on the rush, ahhhh! How many times is too many to yell at the TV, "C'mon Gilbert, get it together!"

Well that's how I saw it anyways. If you saw it differently or would like to discuss further, leave a comment and we can discuss.

Okay, back to basics people!

Allright, I'm back! Well ok, I was never really gone... but it sure felt like it. Too busy at work and home to post, and that is just inexcusable. Time must be made! This is important stuff!

Well here are my recent thoughts on the Oil...

Back to Basics:
The game Monday night against the Bruins was certainly an improvement over the previous... oh say 4-5 games, as the Oilers didn't tank the first 30mins (only the first 8 or so), played decent defensively (Souray, Grebs, and Smid in particular), and had a stellar game from Roly. The negatives were that they were much too "cute" with the puck, caused more turnovers than created, and frequently seemed out of synch with each other in transition. All cause for concern.

MacT spared no one Tuesday, by casting out a blanket "Get your shit together" to the entire team, stressing that hard-nosed play and simplification is the answer. I certainly hope that he lit a fire under these guys. They need something to get them going.

The Enforcer Experiment:
I personally am fed up with the two-headed, pine-riding/PB-watching Stortini-MacIntyre trial. This, in my opinion, is killing the 4th line option for MacT - as he can't "roll four" and gain some momentum to the game. Brodziak looks lost out there with a different guy beside him on almost every shift. I for one would love to see a solid winger night-in and night-out playing with Brodziak and Pouliot. A speedy crash-bang line to compliment the Moreau-Pisani-Cole line is just what the doctor ordered. IF that is Stortini, then so be it. I think Brule or Potulny could also fill this roll, GlenX style. Why not try it?

SMac is a great guy and a good story. I just don't see a need for him. He had one good game against Calgary (sorry, one good SHIFT) where he crunched a Flame and beat down another. But any Oiler could have thrown a big hit that night to get the team going. It doesn't have to be a 2min/game monster who does it! Where is Ethan, the CAPITAN for Christ sake, for this stuff? Last year it was our crash-bang 4th line that got the team going most nights. IMHO, this is what is missing up front. Oh yeah, and a little something called SCORING.

Goofy Gilbert?:
What the hell happened to Tom Gilbert? His play has been mediocre to downright awful this year. Hell, he's making the Jeff Finger signing look good! Did he play too much Guitar Hero over the summer and forget how to play hockey? And settle down and make a pass? Or how about just "boards-and-out" Tom? Friggen hell.

Making the Grade:
David Staples has come up with an excellent idea to track and rate the team (each individual) per game. It is a basic system of grading each player on a scale of 1 to 10 based on their performance. See the grading system here. Oilers fans, along with David, are grading each game this season, with the results posted on his blog, "Cult of Hockey".

I am helping out Mr. Staples a bit on this, and have already graded Game 4 (vs Flames). Tonight I will also grade the Nashville game. I'll post my grades/thoughts here as well from now on. GOILERS!