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For the past four practices, including two at this week's team retreat in Jasper, the Oilers have skated with the same forward line combinations. Without saying it directly, head coach Tom Renney has given every indication that these will be the trios that open the season for the club on Sunday versus Pittsburgh. The lines are a clear effort to balance scoring and defensive responsibility through buy nfl tickets out the twelve attackers. Individually, here's a look at what the lines are and a few of my thoughts on why they've been assembled this way and what they can be expected to provide: Taylor Hall - Ales HemskyClearly the most lethal offensive line of the group, this line features both the 2010 and 2011 first overall draft picks from the NHL Entry Draft. The only other team in the league that could r buy nfl tickets oll out two first overall picks on the same forward line would be the Tampa Bay Lightning (Lecavalier - Stamkos). It is, of course, the rookie season for Ryan Nugent-Hopkins heads into his sophomore campaign after racking up 22-20-42 in 67 games last season. Ales Hemsky about this line while we were in Jasper, he told me that playing with Nugent-Hopkins and Hemsky will force him to change his game buy nfl tickets a little bit. Instead of being a puck carrier on the entry to the offensive zone, Hall will leave that duty to his linemates and, instead, work on finding open space in front of the net and wait for the puck to arrive. If he would have stayed healthy for the final seventeen games last season, I think he would have hit the 30 goal mark in his rookie campaign. Only a small handful of players in the buy nfl tickets league score upwards of 35 goals in a year, but that number is well within reach for Hall this season.It will be interesting to see what kind of chemistry emerges between Nugent-Hopkins and Hemsky, who is known for being perhaps a bit stubborn in terms of needing the play to go through him. On paper, centering the team's top line is a pretty exposed position for Nugent-Hopkins to start his NHL ca buy nfl tickets reer, but matching him with two wingers capable of carrying a lot of the play is actually a nice way to insulate him a bit, I think. If the right chemistry develops with Nugent-Hopkins and Hemsky being able to trade the puck in sync, I'd expect Hemsky to adopt the role of shooter a little bit more often. Ryan Smyth - Jordan EberleWith a stat line of 18-25-43 last season, Jordan Eberle to take care buy nfl tickets of. Smyth had an impressive 31 goals in 53 games the last time he wore an Oilers jersey in the 06-07 season and has scored 22 goals or more in each of his last 3 years. At 35 years old, Smyth is still one of the best in the league along the boards and in front of the net, and definitely isn't here as a swan song.Eric Belanger - Shawn Horcoff, who missed nearly half of last year due to injury, as buy nfl tickets he attempts to improve his point totals. Out of the lockout, Horcoff had four consecutive season of 50 or more points, including 50 points in 53 games in 2007-08. The team's most well rounded player, Horcoff is also the team's biggest contract, and thus has the pressure of producing ink on the game sheet. With the addition of the aforementioned Belanger, it's likely that Horcoff will be spelled of buy nfl tickets f from his defensive responsibilities relative to how much he's been counted on in past years.Speaking of defensive play, head coach Tom Renney has high praise for how far Magnus Paajarvi is an interesting contrast with the other two players on this line, as a bit of a wild card in the defensive zone. There's no arguing, though, the ability of Omark in the offensive zone, and last year his inheren buy nfl tickets t chemistry with Paajarvi was on display on a number of occasions. Omark protects the puck extremely well and is fantastic at creating offense out of a seemingly broken play by threading a pass that seems impossible. With 27 points in 51 games last year, 22 of those being assists, Omark will be hoping for Paajarvi and Horcoff to find open space around the goalmouth. Lennart Petrell - Ryan JonesThe buy nfl tickets departure of Gilbert Brule was, in large part, forced by the impressive play of Anton Lander in terms of his work ethic, leadership and defensive attributes. Very strong in a shut down role, Lander also showcased a better than expected offensive knack in the Young Stars Tournament and the pre-season. Absolutely a future piece of the Oilers puzzle, Lander will get a chance to start the season with buy nfl tickets the big club, though he'll have to perform right out of the gate to avoid a demotion to the AHL once Sam Gagner is another new face after signing as a free agent this summer following 8 seasons in the Finnish Elite League with Helsinki. The 27-year-old was regarded as one of the top penalty killers in Europe and he will hopefully be an important addition to a special teams unit that has struggled buy nfl tickets mightily for the Oilers in recent years. At 6'3 and 210 lbs, Petrell can also play a heavy, grinding style.Finally, it seems unlikely that Ryan Jones buy nfl tickets
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