Oilers Team Report

INSIDE SHOTS

With the Oilers’ ship taking on water fast, the guys who are supposed to be steering were called to a meeting with coach Pat Quinn early Sunday morning.

“It was a good day to sort out some issues and address some problems that we’re having on the ice,” said Oilers captain Ethan Moreau(notes). “Communication is very important in any walk of life. He (Quinn) is a good communicator, and it was a good morning to talk about some things.”

They needed to talk about something after getting trounced Saturday night by the Chicago Blackhawks, dropping their record to 3-9-2 in the last 14 games.

Quinn denied the meeting with Moreau, Sheldon Souray(notes), Shawn Horcoff(notes), Ales Hemsky(notes), Steve Staios(notes), Nikolai Khabibulin(notes) and Dustin Penner(notes) was any sort of emergency summit.

“There should be no expectation that this is an unusual, precedent-setting situation that’s going to turn a light bulb on or anything,” he said. “It’s part of the process.”

It seemed to work, for one day anyway, as Horcoff, Hemsky, Souray and Moreau all scored Monday night in a 4-0 win over Phoenix.

What’s next, an early morning meeting for slumping youngsters Sam Gagner(notes), Andrew Cogliano(notes) and Tom Gilbert(notes)?

“It was a coincidence, of course,” Quinn said of the veterans’ offensive outburst.

Oilers 4, Coyotes 0:   The Oilers scored three times in a four-minute span and spent the rest of the night riding on the shoulders of rookie goalie Jeff Deslauriers, who earned a 36-save shutout to give the Oilers just their fourth win in the last 15 games.

NOTES, QUOTES

• G Nikolai Khabibulin, who came up with a sore back hours before Edmonton’s Saturday night game with the Blackhawks, couldn’t play Monday against Phoenix and is doubtful for the three remaining games this week. “At this point it hasn’t made any progress,” said coach Pat Quinn. “So we’ll play (Jeff) Deslauriers and expect that he’ll give us the kind of goaltending we need to have.”

• G Jeff Deslauries looked much better in goal Monday against Phoenix than he did Saturday in giving up five goals in a loss to Chicago. In his second start in a row while Nikolai Khabibulin is down with a sore back, he posted a 36-save shutout. “You saw the difference right away,” said coach Pat Quinn. “The other night he looked nervous and pucks bounced off him. Tonight, the very first shot, he absorbed it, it didn’t go anywhere. He got by whatever jitters he had before.”

Deslauriers admits it took him a game to get comfortable. “It was maybe not technically the best game, but I just went in there and thought about stopping the puck, no matter how—hands, stick—less thinking and more stopping.”

Quote To Note:   “It made for a good early performance … ‘til we got fat and happy. I don’t know why this team ever would have that happen to them because we haven’t accomplished squat yet. But we got pretty comfortable in the third. These are things we have to learn. We’re not there. It shows the immaturity sometimes.”—Coach Pat Quinn after the Oilers, leading 4-0 after 40 minutes, were outshot 15-6 in the third.

ROSTER REPORT

Goaltenders:   Jeff Deslauriers, Devan Dubnyk(notes).

Defensemen:   Tom Gilbert, Sheldon Souray, Steve Staios, Lubomir Visnovsky(notes), Ladislav Smid(notes), Jason Strudwick(notes).

First Line:   Dustin Penner, Sam Gagner, Ales Hemsky.

Second Line:   JF Jacques, Shawn Horcoff, Gilbert Brule(notes).

Third Line:   Liam Reddox(notes), Patrick O’Sullivan(notes), Zack Stortini(notes).

Fourth Line:   Ethan Moreau, Andrew Cogliano, Ryan Potulny(notes).

Player Notes:  

• G Devan Dubnyk was recalled from Springfield of the American Hockey League to back up Jeff Deslauriers, who’s been pressed into action by the back ailment that’s keeping Nikolai Khabibulin sidelined. “I have no idea if he’s out for a day or a week or what the plan is,” said Dubnyk. “I feel like I’m in a good spot right now and prepared to be here and really excited to possibly get a chance.”

• C Ryan Stone(notes), who’s been out for weeks with a knee injury, took the morning skate Monday and is moving closer to a return. “He’s been cleared to practice but not to play at this point,” said coach Pat Quinn.

• C Shawn Horcoff is slowly coming out of his early-season funk. He has a five-game point-scoring streak (three goals, three assists) after missing four games in a row with a bad shoulder. Before the shoulder injury he made the score sheet in just one of his previous 10 games.

Medical Watch:  

• C Marc Pouliot(notes) (sports hernia surgery) was injured Sept. 23 and is out until early January.

• LW Ryan Stone (knee) was injured Oct. 20 and is day-to-day.

• D Taylor Chorney(notes) (ankle) was injured Nov. 8 and is listed as day-to-day.

• LW Robert Nilsson(notes) (concussion) was injured Nov. 8 and is listed as day-to-day.

• RW Fernando Pisani(notes) (colitis) became ill Nov. 13 and is out indefinitely.

• D Denis Grebeshov (knee) was injured Nov. 13 and is out until mid-December.

• G Nikolai Khabibulin (back) was injured Nov. 21 and is day-to-day.