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SUNDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2009The Team Today Archives - ROSTER UPDATES VIDEO INTERVIEWS Pat Quinn Zack Stortini J-F Jacques Ethan Moreau Ryan Potulny Sunday's practice involved a lot of soul searching for the Oilers as they attempted to find some answers for their recent special teams struggles. The club spent a lot of time on the ice working on basic special teams drills in addition to other f hockey games online undamentals such as shot blocking as they try to break out of their current six-game funk. -We're in a stretch now where we've given up a lot killing penalties,- head coach Pat Quinn remarked following practice. -Too many of them are point shots and tips or loose pucks around the front. We have to do a better job.- The powerplay has also struggled, with only three goals in the team's last 35 op hockey games online portunities (8.6%) - an 11-game stretch. Two of those three goals came in the Nashville game on December 17. -On our powerplay, we are dry right now. We're playing teams that are presisng us more quickly than in the past. That would be the scouting report,- Quinn continued. -Our guys haven't responded well to the quickness that they have to start moving the puck. That's what's getting in our way r hockey games online ight now. We want to hold onto it, we think we have time but it's not there.- According to Quinn, the issue on both the powerplay and penalty kill has been consistency. -We are not a consistent group. We give up on plans quickly. We're a team that's been used to losing - we hope we never accept it. -We don't stick to a program long, we go to an ad lib. 'I'm going to do it myself' kind of mod hockey games online e. As long as I've been around that never works.- What the team has been practicing lately is an attempt by Quinn to try and build some of that routine into his players. -Execution is what counts. We identify our jobs then we have to do them correctly.- POTULNY'S TRAVEL NIGHTMARE ZACK PACKS A PUNCH , right, and Vancouver Canucks' Rick Rypien fight during the second period of an NHL hockey ga hockey games online me in Vancouver, British Columbia, on Saturday, Dec. 26, 2009. (AP Photofont> One of the highlights from Saturday night's game was Zack Stortini Stortini more than held his own against Rypien - one of the best fighters in the NHL despite his smaller size. Out of three fights against Rypien, it was clearly Stortini's best showing. -It was a good batlte. He's an honest, tough guy. It was one of t hockey games online he better ones, for sure,- said Stortini on Sunday. The motivation for the fight from Stortini's point of view was simple. The team was down two goals after the Canucks netted a pair of powerplay markers in 18 seconds. He felt the club needed a lift. -Our team needed a boost,- he said. -We were down two goals and they play a physical brand of hockey. We weren't backing down.- And sure enough, s hockey games online econds after the bout Potulny scored to make it 2-1. -It was a great goal by Potsy to get us back in there.- LINE SHUFFLING IN MINNESOTA MULTIMEDIA View an updated version of the Oilers current line combinations Oilers injury report Comments from Ryan Potulny, Patrick O'Sullivan, Sheldon Souray - Pat Quinn AUDIO INTERVIEWS , Robert Nilsson and Zack Stortini. The twist was that Ryan Potul hockey games online ny was on the top line, centering Gilbert Brule. -We blew the lines up for yesterday's game and even though four of the goals were in penalty kill against it's hard to evaluate your players and line's play in a game like that with seven goals against,- noted Quinn. -The initial thought was to go right back to how we played the five games that we did pretty well again. I really only adjusted one gu hockey games online y and that was Potulny instead of Gagner (on the top line),- he said. -The reason is that Potulny's been very good. He's been very conscientious defensively and a consistent scorer on what you might call a third line - not a scoring line so to speak.- Sam Gagner. The two had success last game, teaming up for a goal. Ethan Moreau played the left wing side. -Gagner and Cogs at least like playi hockey games online ng together. One of the few postiive things we saw (last night).- LOOKING FOR A FRESH STARTFollowing four straight losses at home, the Oilers are hoping that a return to the road will result in a change of fortunes for the club. -It's not as if we didn't start well in every one of those games. Maybe the Nashville game wasn't as good as we wanted but we started well again there,- said head coach hockey games online Pat Quinn following practice. -We found a way to fold (in each game). There's no quitters in that room but sometimes you get down yourself, you change plans, you get very individual in your play and it hurts you instead of helping you. We've got to convince our guys to stick with the program and we've got a chance to recover.- On the ice, the team had a frank discussion with assistant coach Wa hockey games online yne Fleming talking about various aspects of the powerplay. Powerplay quarterback Sheldon Souray THE TREND STOPS HERE -I wasn't aware of that statistic but we'll mention it tomorrow now that I know about that,- chuckled Quinn when informed of the stat by Bob Stauffer. In order to win tomorrow, the Oilers will need to break another drought as they haven't won a game in Minnesota in 10 outi hockey games online ngs (0-8-2). Tonight marks Quinn's first game in Minnesota as Oilers bench boss. -The big thing I'll be asking is stay with it. Fight hard to execute as well as we can. We'll make mistakes but need to make sure they don't break us this time.- O'SULLIVAN, HORCOFF LOOKING FOR SUCCESS Author: Marc Ciampa | edmontonoilers.com hockey games online
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