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OIL SPILLS VIDEO Nikolai Khabibulin Head Coach Tom Renney Nikolai Khabibulin Sam Gagner Magnus Paajarvi Head Coach Tom Renney RELATED Current Line Combinations With games against the Vancouver Canucks, Washington Capitals, Colorado Avalanche and St. Louis Blues in the coming week, energy was high as the Oilers took to the ice this morning at Rexall Place. And why football online wouldn-t it be? The New York Rangers succumbed in a 2-0 shutout Saturday evening; Nikolai Khabibulin-s 44th in his illustrious 15-year NHL career, propelling the Oilers- record to an above-.500 3-2-2 mark. -TENDING TALES Gagner made his return to the lineup vs. New York alongside Magnus Paajarvi and Eric Belanger on right wing. The 22-year-old has skated at centre for several seasons, but di football online d have success in this position during the 2007-08 season; he recorded 16 points in the team-s remaining 18 games, pushing the Oilers to within three points of a post-season berth. -I think there are different things you have to focus on [as a winger], especially in your own end. I tried to focus on moving my feet a lot; at centre you're able to keep your speed a little more coming through the football online middle. On the wing you've got to get going a little quicker. -We have so much depth on this team that guys are going to be forced to play out of position sometimes. I'm willing to play wherever the coach wants to put me. I want to be ready for whatever's thrown my way. -I want to continue to grow at that position.- Gagner, 5-11- and 195 pounds, is fully aware of the position-s challenging r football online equest. But with competition across the lineup forcing the issue (and Linus Omark to the press box), it-s a constant battle to maintain value in this heated, re-building NHL environment. Like he usually does, Gagner is taking it all in stride. -I'm just hoping to get better here. Everything else will fall into place when you that.- SWEDE SUCCESS - GAME ESSENTIALS GAME DAY CLIP: RNH's goal football online CLIP: Khabibulin's great save IN FOCUS - Oilers post-game comments from RNH, Potter, Khabibulin - Renney RAW - Coach Tom Renney's post-game press conference Rangers post-game reaction from Brandon Dubinsky, Ryan Callahan - John Tortorella POST-GAME AUDIO Corey Potter Tom Renney WHAT'S NEXT Ryan Nugent-Hopkins stopped 19 shots as the Oilers blanked the Rangers 2-0 Saturday football online night at Rexall Place. Khabibulin improves his record to 2-0-2 with the win, as well as establishing league-best numbers with a 0.72 goals-against average and .969 save percentage. READ MORE , who's missed all but one pre-season match in 2011-12, makes his return tonight vs. New York. 24-year-old Linus Omark and Eric Belanger , who's been a big part of the Oilers' solid own-zone gam football online e, having accrued 20 blocked shots (ranked in the NHL's Top 5) on the season, also stands by the team's rock-solid play, but believes there needs to be a greater emphasis on generating an up-ice attack. -I think we're balanced,- he explained. -I don't think we're sitting too far back. I think we're aggressive and have created some chances; it's just not going in right now, so hopefully we football online can turn it around and start scoring more goals. -For us as a team, I think it's more important that we don't allow as many goals and make it as easy as possible on our goalies. In previous seasons, they had to make 40 saves every game to give us a chance to help us win some games. Smid, along with Ryan Whitney, Andy Sutton and Corey Potter Last season, the Oilers and Rangers met once at football online Madison Square Garden in New York. The home side drubbed the orange and blue by an 8-2 score, in the process making enemies as Sean Avery sucker-punched Ladislav Smid Up to this point, Nikolai Khabibulin have split the action, playing in three games each in the Oilers' first six matches. The -tender carousel will come to an end tonight, as No. 35 will granted a second consecutive start be football online tween the pipes. Can't argue with the coach's call. Khabibulin has posted a 1-0-2 record, along with a league-best (among netminders with more than one game played) 0.96 goals-against average and .962 save percentage. -I thought he was good the other night,- Renney said. -I liked the way he played, I like where he is mentally, but I wouldn't read too much into it beyond him starting toni football online ght.- -- Ryan Dittrick, edmontonoilers.comFollow me on Twitter | @ryandittrick FRIDAY, OCTOBER 21 REFUSING TO SETTLE Sam Gagner Head Coach Tom Renney AUDIO Oilers Injury Report The morning after their second consecutive heartbreaking loss to a Northwest Division rival, the Oilers continue to stick to their guns and stress the importance of building a successful team based around football online sound defence. The squad held an optional skate on Friday morning at Rexall Place following Thursday's 2-1 shootout loss to the Minnesota Wild. Thanks to Ryan Jones' second goal of the season, the Oilers maintained a 1-0 lead on the Wild until Dany Heatley snuck a shot past Nikolai Khabibulin with just one second left in the third period to force overtime. Minnesota went on to win in a shootout, w football online ith Matt Cullen scoring the lone goal. The tough loss came just two days after the Oilers squandered a 1-0 lead against the Calgary Flames, as their provincial rivals scored two goals 89 seconds apart late in the third to win 2-1. -None of us are happy at all with these last two losses,- Head Coach Tom Renney said on Friday. -We were right there to win these two games. But that's the beauty of thi football online s team is that they're not happy. They're pissed off, and that's the way it should be. You can't come out of a loss saying we sure tried hard and did a lot of good things and leave it at that.- STICKING TO THEIR GUNS Jones tallied his second goal of the season during the first period of Thursday's contest against Minnesota, and with two goals in six games, the right-winger is well on his way to football online matching or surpassing his 18-goal career-high 2010-11 campaign. -He plays a complete game,- Renney said. -He can play with anybody in the lineup and be valuable to us. I like the fact that he does really and truly care about our defensive look. He's a great communicator on the ice and he's a second and third effort guy, which is what we're going to have to be all about this season.- Though he ha football online s been known to break free and find the back of the net on a breakaway or hard drive to the net, Jones' goals so far this season have been scored into wide-open cages on passes from linemate and namesake Ryan Smyth. The first was an empty-netter against Nashville on Monday, and last night's against the Wild was a no-doubter on the doorstep. -I just go to the net,- said Jones, who has primarily pla football online yed on a line with Smyth and Shawn Horcoff. -Smytty has been unselfish. We just want to continue playing the way we have. We've been fairly consistent as a shut-down line, as a checking line, and it's also nice to be able to contribute to the scoring when we can. Yesterday was one of those times where we created a turnover down low, went to the net and Smytty made a nice pass.- In addition to play football online ing on the same line, sitting next to each other in the locker room, sharing the same name and sporting similar, flowing hairstyles, Jones and Smyth also play a similar hard-nosed game, making number 94 a role model for the 27-year-old. -Smytty is easy to get along with,- Jones said. -He's a blue-collar guy who works hard, and he's made a career out of working as hard as he possibly can and going football online to the hard areas. Being in front of the net is kind of a painful area, but if you go there you're going to score goals. I try to pick his brain as much as I possibly can, because that's the sort of career I hope to put together.- GAGNER ON THE BRINK football online
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