SAT NIGHT NHL: TAKE THE FLAMES -1.5 +170

[clevfan]

FLU BUG STRIKES THE OILERS....

The Edmonton Oilers still can't shake the flu bug.

Gilbert Brule, who's been down for nearly a week, didn't accompany the team to Calgary yesterday, and neither did Mike Comrie, who played in Thursday's 6-4 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets despite coming down with the bug.

And now J.F. Jacques is starting to look a little green around the gills.

He was taking shots of throat spray in practice and didn't look very good afterward.

To fill the spots, the Oilers have recalled defenceman Theo Peckham, whose rugged style should blend in nicely with the Battle of Alberta.

If Comrie doesn't catch up with the team today, defenceman Jason Strudwick could move up to forward, and Peckham could fill his spot on the back end.

If Jacques can't go, they'll just have to compete with 19 players.

[BuzzRavanaugh]

Nice info-- like the research.

[stevo]

Thx Clevfan.

[clevfan]

Oilers have skeleton crew up against Flames tonight
Jim Matheson, edmontonjournal.com
Published: Saturday, October 24, 2009

CALGARY - The Edmonton Oilers will trot out a bare-bones lineup against the Calgary Flames tonight, with only 20 reasonably healthy bodies available for coach Pat Quinn.

Winger Mike Comrie, who played Thursday against Columbus even though he had the flu, is staying home tonight, even though he was expected to fly in this afternoon. No word on whether he can join the team in Vancouver for Sunday's game.

Centre Gilbert Brule, who has been sick since last Monday, isn't here, either. J.F. Jacques and defenceman Tom Gilbert are a little under the weather, too, but plan to play the Flames in the third meeting between the clubs in the first 10 games of the season.

With Comrie out, Quinn will put defenceman Jason Strudwick up on the wing on a fourth line (call-up Theo Peckham will play defence) with Zack Stortini and Steve MacIntyre. A lot of beef, also a lot of truculence in that group, although they may not score many points.

"I don't know if you want to play them as a line ... we'll probably want to throw a puck out there," kidded Quinn, who doesn't have a lot of options with his lineup that keeps winning (6-2-1) and scoring (they're averaging four goals a game, same as Calgary, the best goals-to-games ratio in the league). This is despite the flu running through the room and being without two of their most experienced and physical defencemen Sheldon Souray and Steve Staios (post-concussion syndrome).

You can probably expect some fireworks tonight. Set your clocks for the Brian McGrattan- Steve MacIntyre battle. McGrattan, who has never been shy when evaluating himself as a heavyweight, says he doesn't know anything about MacInytre and hasn't watched any tape of the Oilers' slugger. But he may be fibbing.

MacIntyre certainly won't turn him down, if they collide somewhere.

There has been lots of talk of retribution for Flames' captain Jarome Iginla after he accidentally stuck his stick between Souray's skates and the Oilers' defenceman plowed face-first into the boards. Souray hasn't returned and this is the first meeting since that Oct. 8 incident, but Iginla still seems upset it happened. He contacted Souray shortly after it happened to say he was sorry.

"I texted him ... I'd want to do that with anybody who was out, but especially when you know somebody pretty well," said Iginla, who knows he made a mistake sticking his blade between Souray's feet.

"I have a history with Sheldon. I played junior against him when I was in Kamloops and we see each other in Edmonton (in the summer)."

Peckham is no stranger to call-ups from Springfield. "I think this is my sixth time. ... I always make sure my phone is on and I have a clean suit," said Peckham, who missed all of training camp with a sprained left ankle.

He twisted it skating in early August, and while he could have maybe forced it in camp, he knew he wouldn't be doing himself any favours. "I have to be 100 per cent the way I play. Sixty-five per cent wouldn't cut it," he said.

Nikolai Khabibulin will play goal for the Oilers. It'll be the third time he's played Calgary and he's had two heartbreaking ends to games. The first time David Moss scored into an empty net in the last minute after a Khabibulin giveaway, for the winner, and the second meeting, Rene Bourque tipped in a desperation Jay Bouwmeester shot with 1.5 second left in the third to tie it and the Flames won in a shootout.

The Oilers first line of Dustin Penner, Sam Gagner and Ales Hemsky which had 13 points against Columbus will stay together. Penner had 11 shots against the Blue Jackets, two off the Oilers' record for shots in a game held by Paul Coffey, Wayne Gretzky and Doug Weight.

Ethan Moreau will play on the second line with Shawn Horcoff and Patrick O'Sullivan, and Andrew Cogliano will centre for Jacques and Robert Nilsson on the third unit.

[capt]

tx cleve got it early

[stevo]

Game not till 7 so will be asleep when its over but lets get it!

Then NFL tomorrow

[clevfan]

no kidding stevo...10pm start here, this will be one of those that if dogs wake me up at 3am to go out, I will get up, let them out, then check on final score for this one, lol

[clevfan]

15 min til game time, gonna try to stay up the first hr...lets go flames...vega where are u????

[stevo]

LOL Clevfan.

Game on!

[clevfan]

i am still up:

3-1 calgary, 13plus in the 2nd

[clevfan]

4-1 6:16 to go in 1st

[clevfan]

2-4 end of 2nd

[Total Square]

go to bed young lady

[clevfan]

i am heading there now...can no longer keep eyes open....altho kid will have some explaining to do when he tells me why he not home at midnight curfew

[clevfan]

and he's home...some bullshit excuse for being 15 min late...of course i believe him...rolls eyes, lol...

nite nite, go flames

[Don King's Barber]

Thanks Cleve!!!

Go easy on the young man, me and my group of hellraisers were always late for curfew in high school and we turned out okay...

[capt]

great call jackie got me out for the day afterb a 0-4 start got out with calgary and oregon st and vandy under

[maxb]

Thanks Cleve

[Fuzzyxlogikk]

cleve is sharp with the hockey