EDMONTON OILERS (0-0-0) at VANCOUVER CANUCKS (0-2-0)

Start Time: 8:08 p.m. MDT
Television: Sportsnet One
Radio: 630 CHED, Oilers Radio Network

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Oilers Twitter Lineup Updates:

 

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By Ryan Dittrick & Jen Sharpe | edmontonoilers.com

The Edmonton Oilers open up their 2010 pre-season schedule tonight when they take on the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena.

Bob Stauffer & Jack Michaels preview tonight's game vs. Vancouver
IN FOCUS: Good Impressions

AT MORNING SKATE:

Little over 12 hours since wrapping up the Joey Moss Cup for another year, the Oilers were back on the ice at Rexall Place for morning skate. In anticipation of Wednesday's opening pre-season game vs. the Canucks in Vancouver, the Oilers iced a tougher line-up for the skate.

With Alexandre Giroux, Shawn Horcoff and Jordan Eberle on the top line, and Teemu Hartikainen, Ryan O'Marra and Colin McDonald on the second, the Oilers rounded out the forwards with some muscle. Giroux commented on the opportunity to play on the top line and his renewed opportunity here in Edmonton.

Alexandre Giroux with the Washington Capitals

"I think their scouts looked at me play the last couple years and with the stats I had quite a feel goals in the American League; but it's in the past, it's a different league, so I feel pretty good about myself with a couple days of practice and playing with these two guys tonight is going to be interesting and it's going to be fun."

Greg Stewart, Brad Moran and Zack Stortini skated together, as did Steve MacIntyre, Chris Vande Velde, and Ben Ondrus. Stewart, among his teammates, is looking forward to playing the division rival Canucks tonight in their opening game of the pre-season.

"The first game of the season is always pretty exciting. Yesterday I think everyone was trying to find their way with the scrimmage that we had and it seemed like everyone was a little rusty. But I think today, everyone was a bit more focused and it really counts tonight, so I'm looking forward to it. I'm just going to go out there and play my best and try and make an impact on the team."

The defensive pairings were Ryan Whitney with Jeff Petry, Theo Peckham with Jim Vandermeer, and Taylor Chorney with Jake Taylor.

Martin Gerber will get the start for the Oil, but there is no word on how many minutes he will play. Devan Dubnyk is also on the trip.

When asked about the lineup comparison for tonight and what he expects out of his team, Head Coach Tom Renney said he was looking to have success while still giving special attention to player evaluation.

"I don't want to say it doesn't matter what Vancouver fields for a team, it does because we want to have success. But that being said we're still evaluating players. We're very serious about that now but we're also looking at our systems play and making sure that we get it and that guys are at least attempting to execute what we're looking for."

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After a busy week where the Oilers held intense training camp sessions that focused on drills, neutral zone system play and skating, the team was finally able to get some game action last night at Rexall Place where they participated in the annual Joey Moss Cup intrasquad game.

While cuts and assignments were made following Monday’s practice sessions, 45 players remain in camp vying for only a few available roster positions. With the first pre-season test going tonight, many players will be looking to take advantage of their opportunities to make an impression.

For the Canucks organization, this will be their third game in two nights. Last night, Vancouver and Calgary played a split squad pair of games. The teams split into two groups and played each other in Vancouver and Calgary simultaneously. The pair didn't go well for the Canucks, as they lost both games and head into tonight's game with an early 0-2 pre-season record.

Tonight's game will be available on Sportsnet One for select carriers:

• Shaw 320 (SD), 301 (HD)
• Shaw Direct Advanced 107 (SD), 395 (HD)
• Shaw Direct Classic 412 (SD), 451 (HD)

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TONIGHT'S LINEUPS...

Alexandre Giroux (12) - Shawn Horcoff (10) - Jordan Eberle (14)
Teemu Hartikainen (56) - Ryan O'Marra (42)  - Colin McDonald (57)
Gregory Stewart (36) - Brad Moran (20) - Zack Stortini (46)
Steve MacIntyre (33) - Chris Vande Velde (54) - Ben Ondrus (25)
 
Ryan Whitney (6) - Jeff Petry (58)
Theo Peckham (49) - Jim Vandermeer (2)
Taylor Chorney (41) - Jake Taylor (81)
 
Martin Gerber (29)
Devan Dubnyk (40)

Coming off his MVP performance in the Joey Moss Cup last night, Shawn Horcoff will be looking to continue his hot play at camp in a game against the division rival Vancouver Canucks. Although he will continue to centre and mentor young winger Jordan Eberle, his left-side will by covered by newcomer and camp standout Alaxandre Giroux. It should be interesting to see how Horcoff handles his role in the first game of the Oilers' pre-season schedule.



When Brad Moran signed in July, most assumed it was depth move for the organization while providing some excellent offence for the Barons in Oklahoma City. Moran has come into camp and quietly done his job exceedingly well. He was one of the standouts at the Joey Moss Cup last night, as he provided speed and aggressivenes on the forecheck and a creative offensive punch. Moran got involved in multiple scoring chances as well, which were turned aside by Team White's goaltenders. The opportunity for Moran to make a lasting impression on the coaching staff and management begins tonight when he suits up in his first game with the Oilers against NHL competition. Pre-season or not, his chance is now.

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The Answers

Pre-Game Video:

Game Preview: Stauffer & Michaels
IN FOCUS: Wednesday's lineup

The Other Side:

  Canucks Pre-Game Report
  Canucks Pre-Game: Alain Vigneault

Pre-Game Audio:

Martin Gerber
Alexandre Giroux
Gregory Stewart
Tom Renney

Joey Moss Cup Post-Game:

Video Highlights
Post-game interviews

Martin Gerber
Ryan Whitney
Magnus Paajarvi
Shawn Horcoff
Taylor Hall
Colin Fraser
Tom Renney

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