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Hall, meanwhile, was on for goals by Richardson, Hamhuis, Jannik Hansen and Ryan Kesler and was in the penalty box for boarding Dale Weise when Daniel Sedin cashed in off an incredible behind-the-back feed from brother. Henrik was playing his 631st consecutive game, the sixth-longest streak in NHL history.

Jason Garrison got the last Vancouver goal into an empty net, with LaBarbera on the bench.

Was Hall’s bad statistical night deserved?

“Minus-four is minus-four,” said Eakins.

“You get the first goal in a building like this and you want to build off it, but we certainly didn’t. They scored right after that (Richardson) and we kind of fell off the wagon. No excuses. It’s not like it was at the end of a long road trip,” said Hall.

“This has to come from within. Every guy has to figure out what he’s doing right and correct the things you’re doing wrong. I’m a big part of that.”

Boyd Gordon scored the other goal for the Oilers, who have given up 11 goals in two games, with New Jersey Devils coming into Rexall Place on Monday.

“It’s a long season. We’re going to go through hills and valleys. We just have to make sure (the losing streak) is as short as possible,” said Hall.

ON THE BENCH: Oilers

associate

coach Keith Acton and Canucks head coach John Tortorella were yapping at each other after Kesler (nine shots) fought Acton’s son, Will ... Oilers winger Jesse Joensuu, who had a sore back but wanted to play, didn’t come out for the third period after playing just 1:43 in the middle period and 6 1/2 minutes on the night. Joensuu’s problem necessitated a recall of Ryan Hamilton from Oklahoma City on Friday. “We didn’t want to be caught with our pants down,” said Eakins. Hamilton took the warmup but didn’t dress for the game ... Canucks winger Alex Burrows was scratched with a suspected broken right foot after he stopped a shot killing a five-on-three penalty in San Jose on Thursday. He’s out at least two weeks. Hansen took his spot with the Sedins ... It was Ryan Smyth’s 1,200th NHL game, 901 with the Oilers. He was minus-three in the first period, as was Ales Hemsky ... Centre Ryan Nugent-Hopkins took the pre-game warmup, but won’t play until Monday ... Oilers general manager Craig MacTavish watched the game with owner Daryl Katz.

Edmonton Journal: LOADED: 10.06.2013

719736 Edmonton Oilers

Taylor Hall has a night to forget against the Vancouver Canucks

October 6, 2013. 12:16 am

Posted by:

Jim Matheson

VANCOUVER – This was not Taylor Hall’s finest hour, folks.

The Edmonton Oilers star forward is a heckuva talent, but even the best of talents lose their way sometimes.

On for Brad Richardson’s shorthanded goal, Dan Hamhuis’s long one that went off Jeff Petry’s stick and past goalie Devan Dubnyk, a giveaway to the Sedins to set up Jannik Hansen’s slam shot by the Edmonton Oilers’ netminder, in the penalty box for boarding Dale Weise when Henrik made an all-world, no look, behind the back pass to twin Danny, then on the ice for Ryan Kesler’s screened shot.

The kid had one of those nights against the Vancouver Canucks where he probably wanted to bang his head against the wall, hopefully with his helmet on.

Hall played 20 minutes and won 10 of 16 face-offs, but he was minus 4. As his coach Dallas Eakins said after the 6-2 butt-kicking, when asked if the stats story told an accurate tale said “minus 4 is minus 4. I’m not saying he was responsible for all the goals, but we need everybody on the plus ledger if we’re going to win games.”

Hall wasn’t the only one who was minus 4, mind you.

So was Ryan Smyth, Hall’s linemate who played just 11-1/2 minutes and — considering the Oilers are 0-2 and you generally shake up a losing hand — who might find himself with a different centre Monday when the New Jersey Devils visit Rexall Place on Monday.

Smyth has a big heart, and nobody tries harder than the 37-year-old. but there’s no way to sugar-coat it: he’s minus 5 on the season, as is Hall, who was seconded to play centre with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins out, but RNH will play his first game against the Devils.

So we’ll see if he stays there or goes back to left-wing.

“Coach’s decision,” said Hall when asked about centre and his normal left-wing spot.

Hall certainly knows he was culpable in the Canucks’ laugher when they poured 44 shots at Dubnyk and his reliever Jason LaBarbera. Last year, their season high was 41 shots and, really, they could have had 50-plus but called off the dogs, a bit, up 5-2.

“I’ve never been minus four before,” said Hall, “but like I said before, it’s a long season and I’m playing a position that I’m not 100 percent comfortable with. That’s not an excuse, but it’s a long year, and there are going to be lots of times where you have to soul-search and make sure you wake up tomorrow positive and regroup.

“There are a lot of things I have to do better.

“I know when I have the puck on my stick I’m in full control of the game. That’s what I have to improve on,” Hall said.

“But it’s not like I’m going to be sent down or it’s the worst part of my career. I have another game to make up for it and it comes quick (Monday). I have to regroup and make sure I know what I’m doing wrong and correct it on the first shift next game.”

Hall said the team, as a whole, lost way to battles with the Canucks. It has nothing to do with not figuring out Eakins’ way of playing as the new coach. “It’s not we were out to dinner (as a team) last night and we were talking and saying ‘we have no idea what we’re doing.’ Everyone is on the same page (with Eakins’ system. We lost a lot of battles tonight and that has nothing to do with systems. It’s those half seconds when it’s a 50-50 puck battle. You either win them or you don’t and that’s what really decides this game,” said Hall.

*

Oilers associate coach Keith Acton, a fiery player in his 1000-plus NHL games, and Canucks head knock John Tortorella exchanged words at the bench, maybe discussing Ryan Kesler’s fight with Acton’s son Will. “I didn’t think much about it, there was a lot of chatter going on from the ice to the bench and from the bench to the ice. Whatever. Two tiny guys ready to fight,” he said.

Eakins had no problem with Hamhuis’ long one to make it 2-1, saying it hadn’t deflated his team late in the first period. “We were already been pushed around. It was just one more kick to the face,” he said. “We spent 65-70 percent of the game in our zone.”

Edmonton Journal: LOADED: 10.06.2013

719737 Edmonton Oilers

Dallas Eakins has a history with Ryan Kesler

October 5, 2013. 4:12

Posted by:

Jim Matheson

Edmonton Oilers’ coach Dallas Eakins was the captain of the Manitoba Moose 10 years ago when a right-out-of-college centre named Ryan Kesler was sent to the AHL farm by the Vancouver Canucks. “Mr. Kesler, how are you?” said Eakins, before starting a media scrum at Rogers Arena Saturday morning. Kesler, who always seems to have his game-face on, kept walking.

Maybe he didn’t hear Eakins or maybe that’s just Kesler, the NHL’s Scowlmaster.

Eakins certainly remembers Kesler, the kid, though. His first pro season after leaving Ohio State

“He was 18 or 19 years old. He looked like a coyote who hadn’t eaten in about three years. He was really skinny and bony,” said Eakins.

Kesler, now 29, is 6’2″ and 202 pounds today. He’s flexed his muscles, around being hurt a lot the last few years, for 579 NHL games.

“That was my last year (pro). I knew I was done. I was 36,” said Eakins, who was at Canucks’ camp for one fall in 2003.

“Before that last year, Burkie (then Vancouver GM Brian Burke) said there would be a job for me, whatever they had. Then Burkie got fired,” said Eakins, laughing softly. He wound up taking an assistant coaching job with the Toronto Marlies. Fast forward to a gig as the Maple Leafs’ assistant coach to Paul Maurice, a head job with the Marlies, and now he’s in the NHL with the Oilers, trying to match wits with “Mr. Kesler.”

Eakins never played for the Canucks. He was a “call-up guy” but never got a call that 2003-2004 season.

Kesler played 33 games for the Moose when the defenceman Eakins was captain there and 28 in Vancouver. He was with the Moose the whole year in 2004-2005 because of the NHL lockout.

Edmonton Journal: LOADED: 10.06.2013

719738 Edmonton Oilers

Bounce-back time for Edmonton Oilers goalie Devan Dubnyk

October 5, 2013. 3:37

Posted by:

Jim Matheson

Starting Edmonton Oilers goalie Devan Dubnyk knows he’s under the gun the size of a bazooka after the Winnipeg Jets left him bloodied in the home-opener loss Tuesday.

He knows it’s time to stand in and stand tall, not hide in a foxhole, against the Vancouver Canucks Saturday to not only win a game but win back the confidence of his coach Dallas Eakins.

“I had a short conversation with Devan after the first game (two or three goals he would like back) and I said ‘I assume that was not your best game.,”’ said Eakins. “I told him that immediately I wanted to go with the other guy (Jason LaBarbera in Vancouver) but I wanted to know if he wanted another shot and he was adamant…he had fire in his voice. He wanted the chance to bounce back.”

That was all Eakins wanted to hear. “Some guys would say ‘well, that’s your call coach, that’s your job.’ But Devan didn’t do that. He said he wanted to fight back and that meant a lot to me,” said Eakins.

Dubnyk has a recent history of strong work against the Canucks, beating Roberto Luongo 3-2 in a shootout in Vancouver in the Oilers’ first game after the lockout ended last January. He was 3-0-1 on the season against Vancouver with a 1.68 avg and .943 save percentage. But the game against the Jets really stung–big stage, home opener, HNIC audience. It’s somewhere in his brain, but he refuses to let it eat at him. Short-term amnesia. “You have to forget about it or you can’t begin to play well in the next game but you have to also understand that a game like the one against Winnipeg is unacceptable and make sure it hurts enough so it doesn’t happen again,” he said.

Dubnyk is at his best when he’s quiet in the net, feet firmly planted, square to every shooter, side to side, minimal movement. But he had a case of happy feet against the Jets on the first two goals by Mark Scheifele and Bryan Little. He overplayed both shots.

“The first goal (high under the crossbar) I had one shuffle too many and he made me pay. On the second, I was leaning a little too much to my left when he shot it (low right). Felt great after that except that goal (Trouba, 40-footer) I’d really like back,” he said.

**

The Canucks won’t have the Sedins’ linemate Alex Burrows, who was at the rink Saturday in a walking boot to protect his right foot after he blocked a San Jose shot Thursday night on a Sharks’ powerplay. It could be broken. “He’s probably out for a couple of weeks,” said coach John Tortorella, who already has young centre Jordan Schroeder on the shelf with a busted left ankle after an Oiler shot rang off his foot in an exhibition game at Rexall Place.

“Shot-blocking has always been part of the game,” said Henrik Sedin, killing penalties this season after former coach Alain Vigneault refused Henrik and twin Daniel’s entreaties to get out there. “Just because he’s re-emphasing it, doesn’t mean we didn’t do it before. It’s bad luck.”

Henrik will play his 631st straight game against the Oilers, passing Andy Hebenton for sixth all-time. He hasn’t missed a game since the 2003-2004 season. “Just lucky, I guess,” said Henrik. St. Louis defenceman Jay Bouweester is fifth with 635. Doug Jarvis is No. 1 at 914.

ON THE BENCH–Ryan Nugent-Hopkins took the pre-game warmup but won’t play until Monday night against the Jersey Devils, maybe the last time we see Marty Brodeur provided the 40-year-old plays and not Cory Schneider. The natural inclination would be to play Schneider in Vancouver Tuesday against Roberto Luongo but maybe they don’t want that circus…Taylor Hall was non-commital on whether he wanted to stay at centre or move back to LW when RNH returns. “Coach’s decision,” he said…Ryan Smyth played his 1200th game Saturday night…Eakins said they recalled winger Ryan Hamilton from Oklahoma City (he was in the warmup too) because one of the forwards was banged up. He wouldn’t say who the hobbled guy was but he was good enough to play against the Canucks. “We didn’t want to get caught with our pants down,” said Eakins….Ryan Jones and Philip Larsen got the goals for the AHL Barons Friday against Charlotte, OKCity’s opener. Jones was on a second line with C.J. Stretch at centre. The first line was Anton Lander, who was hurt (lower body) in the opener, Linus Omark and Derek Nesbitt.

Edmonton Journal: LOADED: 10.06.2013

719739 Edmonton Oilers

Edmonton Oilers leaky again in loss to Canucks

By Robert Tychkowski ,Edmonton Sun

First posted: Saturday, October 05, 2013 10:24 PM MDT | Updated: Saturday, October 05, 2013 10:54 PM MDT

VANCOUVER - VANCOUVER - If Saturday night’s nationally televised debacle taught us anything, it taught us that the Edmonton Oilers aren’t even in the same league as the Vancouver Canucks right now.

Unfortunately for them, they’re still in the same division. And if they can’t figure out a way to compete with a longtime rival that isn’t even the toughest test in the Pacific, it’s going to be a long year.

“This is a heavy league... and if you’re not going to battle and win battles and compete like every shift is your last one, you’re not going to win in this league, and that was very evident tonight,” said head coach Dallas Eakins, after a rather humiliating bit of business at Rogers Arena, in which the Canucks not only cleaned Edmonton’s clock, but turned it back six months to when the constantly-rebuilding franchise was 24th in the league. “I thought we made it too easy when it came to the battles on the puck. We spent maybe 65 or 70 per cent of the game in our own zone.”

They looked worse than 24th in Saturday’s 6-2 slap in the mouth. After turning in a fairly decent game in a season-opening 5-4 loss to the Winnipeg Jets, the Oilers collapsed in what it hoped would stand up as a statement game for Oiler progress.

This team looked as bad as it’s ever looked, and that’s saying something given that we’re talking about the Oilers here.

“Old habits die hard,” said Eakins. “I was encouraged with certain things going through the pre-season, and more encouraged even when we let that game get away from us in Winnipeg. Tonight we were back to square one.”

The Canucks outshot them 22-8 in the first period and were up 5-1 on the scoreboard and 31-12 on the shot clock when Devan Dubnyk got the hook midway through the second.

Even the Edmonton Eskimos couldn’t watch this one.

“They just took it to us and we couldn’t recover.” said Taylor Hall, who was minus four in the loss. “There’s a lot of things we have to improve on. We just kind of fell off the wagon there. There’s not really a whole lot of excuses at this time of the year. Everybody has to correct the things that they’re doing wrong and I’m a big part of that.

“I’m playing a position I’m not 100 per cent comfortable with. That’s not really an excuse but... it’s a long year.”

Hard to believe Edmonton actually led this game, but they were up 1-0 when Jeff Petry scored on their first shot of the game at 1:58.

It was all downhill after that.

After giving up a breakaway goal 3:42 into the first period Devan Dubnyk was rock solid after that, keeping Edmonton alive in a game they had no business being alive in.

Then came the bad one. A long shot from Dan Hamhuis (shades of the tying goal against Winnipeg) somehow eluded Dubnyk with 1:33 left in the period.

“We were already getting kicked and pushed around by then,” said Eakins. “We were still on our feet but it was another punch to the face.”

Moments later, Jannik Hansen was left alone in the slot with the time and space to make it 3-1. And suddenly, just like that, the Oilers were getting what they deserved.

The second period was more of the same, only worse, as Vancouver ran up the score.

Dubnyk got the hook, but he wasn’t the worst guy on the team by a damn stretch.

“I thought 31 shots was enough,” said Eakins. “Poor kid. He was like the goalie in Slap Shot, ‘My hallergies to these fans...’ It was craziness for the poor kid. He’s in there battling as hard as he can and we’re giving him absolutely no support.”

Eakins told Dubnyk as much on the bench.

“He said we have to be better in front of you,” said Dubnyk. “But I have to do the same. I have to do my part, too.”

3 STARS

Henrik Sedin - A three assist night as the brilliant Swede led the Vancouver rout

Jannik Hansen - Had a strong, fiesty game. Tough guy to play against.

OIL GRADES

game F

Def F

PP F

Toughness B

Effort C

WHY THEY LOST

Why didn’t they lose? Edmonton didn’t much of anything right in a game where they were hoplessly outclassed in just about every aspect of the game

HALL PASS

Taylor Hall had a miserable first 40 minutes. He was minus 4, on the ice for all but one of the first five Vancouver goals. He was in the penalty box for the other one. Hard to believe the experiment at centre will continue.

JESSE’S OUT

Jesse Joensuu, one of Edmonton’s better players in the first two games, played just a couple of shifts in the second period and didn’t return for the third.

DROP ‘EM

UP Next:

Unfortunately for them, they’re still in the same division. And if they can’t figure out a way to compete with a longtime rival that isn’t even the toughest test in the Pacific, it’s going to be a long year.

In a rather humiliating bit of business at Rogers Arena, the Canucks not only cleaned Edmonton’s clock, they turned it back six months to when the constantly-rebuilding franchise was 24th in the league.

They looked worse than that in Saturday’s 6-2 loss. After turning in a fairly decent game in a season-opening 5-4 loss to the Winnipeg Jets, the Oilers regressed considerably in what they were hoping would stand up as a statement game for Oiler progress.

Nope.

This team looked as bad as it’s ever looked, and that’s saying something given that we’re talking about the Oilers here.

Even the Edmonton Eskimos couldn’t watch this one.

Hard to believe Edmonton actually led this game, but they were up 1-0 when Jeff Petry scored on their first shot of the game at 1:58.

It was all downhill after that.

Dubnyk had a microcosm game in the Oiler net. After giving up a breakaway goal 3:42 into the first period he was rock solid after that, keeping Edmonton alive in a game where they were either shorthanded or badly outplayed, or both.

Edmonton almost escaped the first period with a 1-1 tie thanks to his work, but then came the bad one. A long shot from Dan Hamhuis hit an Oilers stick a few steps inside the blueline (shades of the tying goal against Winnipeg) and somehow eluded Dubnyk with 1:33 left in the period. Yes, it was deflected, but he had plenty of time to pick it up.

Moments later, Jannik Hansen was left alone in the slot with the time and space to make it 3-1.

And suddenly, just like that, the Oilers were getting what they deserved

The second period was more of the same, only worse Daniel Sedin made it 4-1 on a tic-tac-toe passing play on a Vancouver power play and Ryan Kesler made it 5-1 a few minutes later, sending Dubnyk to she showers (the Oilers were being outshot 31-12 at the time).

He let in the bad one, but he wasn’t the worst guy on the team by a damn stretch.

Boyd Gordon cut the lead to 5-2 late in the second. Vancouver scored into an empty net with 1:45 to go in the third when Dallas Eakins pulled his goalie on a power play for a 6-on-4.

LATE HITS: It was Taylor Hall’s first game against the Canucks since Dale Weise put the headshot on him in the pre-season. “Its partly my fault, I have to keep my head up,” said Weise. “But at the same time you never want to go into a guy elbow first.” Hall took two for boarding when he slammed Weise into the wall in the second period... Edmonton called up Ryan Hamilton before the game because one of their forwards was banged up a little and they weren’t sure if he would make it to the gate. Eakins wouldn’t say which one, but Jesse Joensuu left after the second period and didn’t return... The Canucks are 22-16-5 in home openers. It’s the first time the Oilers have been Vancouver’s home opening guest since 1992-93, when Pavel Bure had two points.

THREE STARS

Henrik Sedin - A three assist night as the brilliant Swede led the Vancouver rout

Daniel Sedin - When one brother has big game, the other isn’t far behind.

Jannik Hansen - Had a strong, fiesty game. Tough guy to play against.

OIL GRADES

Game, F

Def, F

PP, F

Toughness, B

Effort, C

WHY THEY LOST

Why didn’t they lose? Edmonton didn’t much of anything right in a game where they were hoplessly outclassed in just about every aspect of the game

HALL PASS

Taylor Hall had a miserable first 40 minutes. He was minus 4, on the ice for all but one of the first five Vancouver goals. He was in the penalty box for the other one. Hard to believe the experiment at centre will continue.

JESSE’S OUT

Jesse Joensuu, one of Edmonton’s better players in the first two games, played just a couple of shifts in the second period and didn’t return for the third.

DROP ‘EM

UP NEXT

Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 10.06.2013

719740 Florida Panthers

Florida Panthers routed by St. Louis Blues

BY GEORGE RICHARDS

Posted on Sun, Oct. 06, 2013

The Panthers had to feel extremely fortunate to escape the first period of Saturday night’s game down just one goal.

Their fortune changed for the worse in the second as things got so bad all the team wanted to do was flee the scene of this accident.

St. Louis tore open a once-close game by scoring four times within a span of seven minutes to blow the Panthers out of Scottrade Center 7-0.

Soon after the Blues scored twice in the opening 4:09 of the third, fights began breaking out all over the ice.

A total of 15 infractions involving 12 players were called with most of the players given penalties with more time on them then on the clock. Those players would be considered the lucky ones as they got to head to the locker room early and avoid watching the end of this dreadful contest.