“Mutual Agreement”

Michael Sciarpelletti

End of an Era

It was at 12:05 PM on a sunny Wednesday afternoon when eight years of Craig MacTavish as the head coach of the Edmonton Oilers was brought to an end by Steve Tambellini who at that moment announced that MacT was to no longer be the head coach of the Oilers.

Both here and everywhere across the internet and media the sentiment remained the same: MacT would be moved aside politely in favour of taking the team in a new direction.

Tambellini showed some fire and bashed the team’s efforts this year, hinting that changes would not end at MacTavish, leading me to believe that Huddy and Moores could also be ousted before the team hits the ice come next season.

Rob Daum could very well be brought back up as an assistant coach, and has been named as a “possible” on a number of different occassions both by media close to the team and by members of the team as well.

But at the end of the day, there are a lot of suggestions for who could be the next Oil bench boss.

These range from whacky (Pat Quinn) to exciting (Brent Sutter) to scary (Marc Crawford).

Whomever the Oilers pick, expect it to be someone that they know in their heads to be someone that can turn around a dressing room that seems to be falling apart.

Souray Mayday

Rumors that Sheldon Souray could possibly request a trade soon or that he has already done so have been running rampant, and one should not ignore these rumors, because he has been considering it.

He has been conversing with his agent, but now feels that since MacT is gone that he would rather wait and see, but certainly shows that there is unrest in the dressing room.

Smid is another play that the Oilers are going to need to figure out what they want to do with, because if the rumours regarding the Oilers are planning on trading one of their defensemen are true it sounds to me as though Smid might just be getting the trade that he requested in this past off-season.

Oilers Finish Up

Bobby Roy

Calgary's Eric Nystrom attempts to get the puck past Jeff Drouin-Deslauriers in the final game of the regular season. The Flames went on to win 4-1. (Photo by Dylan Lynch/Edmonton Oilers Hockey Club)

Weekend Finale

My fellow Oilverse writers and I would like to apologize first and foremost for missing the last two games of the Oilers season, but I’m hoping this article will make up for the two forgettable games the Oilers played on this Easter weekend.

The Oilers wrapped their regular season Saturday night in Calgary where they weren’t able to finish on a high note. The Oilers won 5-1 on Friday night versus the Flames at Rexall with an outstanding performance from backup goalie Jeff Drouin-Deslauriers, but lost 4-1 on Saturday to the very same Flames at the Saddledome.

Friday’s game gave Oiler fans one last good feeling before an offseason that will likely see many changes and questions that need to be answered. It was an end to a lethal homestand that saw the Oilers lose 4 out of the 6, and saw they plummet from looking like a playoff team to right out of it for the third year in a row.

Saturday’s game was a pointless game for both the Flames and Oilers as the Oilers were already out of it and the Flames could not gain anywhere seeding wise for the playoffs.

Theses two games allowed the Oilers to give Taylor Chorney some playing experience in the NHL and hopefully the young kid from Thunder, Ontario can use this experience as a stepping stone into the NHL. His first game in Edmonton resulted in a zero rating, but Chorney played a pretty terrible game in Calgary posting a minus 4 rating.

Game #81 & #82 Preview

Michael Sciarpelletti

vs.

Last Laugh

This is the kind of game where fans of either the Flames or Oilers are able to finally triumph over the opposing fans by pointing out the obvious.

The Flames are going to be the big dance, and we aren’t, and the Flames now have two games to prove why.

For the Oilers the challenge is of a different kind, that of staying focused and interested in the game something that they weren’t able to do while they had a chance to go to the post-season and something that I doubt they will be able to do without such a chance being dangled in front of them.

This is what they get, I suppose, but it will be a hard couple of games for Oiler fans who could very well see the Oilers get pounded by what essentially will be a line-up of players who don’t want to rest before the playoffs.

Guys with something to prove, because we all know that person who stands out in these games for the Flames will likely be called on in case of injury, a huge honour and big oppurtunity for someone who otherwise wouldn’t even have a shot at playing for the big club.

Essentially, even the rookie squad could be more motivated for the Oilers as Andrew Cogliano looked pained during post-game interviews to even consider playing out the final two contests of the year.

And especially against their rivals, but again, that’s what they deserve.

Frustration

The Sea of Red will likely be out in full force and Oiler fans in attendance will not have much to cheer about.

This game will be a form of punishment for the Copper and Blue, though I can’t feel sorry for this unmotivated squad as they controlled their own destiny for the final two months of the playoff race and weren’t up to snuff in the end.

Dan Barnes wrote a fantastic article that carries many of these sentiments.

A stark contrast to last year’s squad who also suffered from the same issues the current Oilers do, but at least made things interesting down to the wire and gave Oiler fans something to be proud of.

We might not have made the post season, but the Oilers were looking hot and were going to have a fantastic year next year.

They were going to win the Northwest Division this year and probably take it all the way to the cup. Optimisim running rampant in Oil Country.

And then what? Our number one goalie turns out to be a dud and is replaced by an aging netminder who is backed up by a goalie that not even our own coaching staff trusts in between the net.

Our once awesome penalty kill is nothing.

Our beautiful face-off percentages are wiped from the face of the Earth.

We load up on offensive talent that can’t muster much of anything offensively.

What an ugly year.

Keys to the Game

The Oilers seem to rarely if ever do anything for their fans, but this would be a nice start.

If the Oilers could win this game they could at least treat fans to something that they like to see, and perhaps plant some seeds of optimism for the next season.

But now that it seems almost certain their coach is gone and now that they know that none of their jobs are safe you can’t blame them if they find it somewhat hard to give it their all.

This, on the other hand, is somewhat of a no pressure game.

Because no matter what happens against Calgary Friday night, those changes are going to happen. They might as well treat fans to a victory since it makes no difference anyway.

Change is coming soon.

Who’s Not Hot

They just lost to the LA Kings, boo-ya!

Injuries and Notes

Dwayne Roloson will be given the next two games off unless Roli really wants to go.  He’d be better off just letting Jeff play the next two games, but he has a competitive edge and may want to play.

But the word out of the locker room is that Roli will sit, and I’d rely on that information.

It’s likely that lines will be shuffled around as players make some off-season arrangements. It will at least be interesting to see Hemsky back in a Czech jersey as he usually is this time of year if the Oilers are out and he is healthy.

Kings Deliver Knockout Punch

Etai Handman and Bobby Roy

Zack Stortini and L.A's Raitis Ivanans #41 grab on to each other during a fight at Rexall Place on April 7, 2009. The Kings won the game 2-1. (Photo by Andy Devlin/NHLI via Getty Images)

That’s All She Wrote!

For the third straight season the Edmonton Oilers and their fans won’t get the chance to see the Oilers fight for a chance to hoist Stanley after the Kings beat the Oilers 2-1 and the Blues destroyed the Coyotes 5-1. Instead they’ll get to enjoy the nice spring weather Edmonton has been enjoying for the past little while. Bring out the clubs boys, it’s golfing season!

That little glimmer of hope that the Oilers had was dashed by the Kings as they crown the Oilers champions of almost making the playoffs yet again. It seems almost fitting that it had to end this way for the Oilers.

For once the Oilers actually out shot and outplayed their opponents but they came up empty handed. It was just too little too late for the lifeless Oilers.

The Kings got the bounces in this game and it almost seemed like destiny because the puck would just not go in the net for the Oilers when it seemed like it surely should have at least a couple times more.

Ugly First (Again)

This is not the way a team in the Oilers position should have come out.

They came out with no heart or energy or motivation. Roloson making his 36^th consecutive start looked very tired in the first few minutes giving up rebound after rebound and 55 seconds in a shot from the point squeezed through his pads. 2 minutes later Wayne Simmonds got his second point of the opening 5 minutes as he got a gift wrapped rebound sitting on the lip of the crease and he made no mistake scoring the eventual game winner.

Mac T took a time out but the Oilers still looked bad. They had a couple of power play chances and couldn’t get the puck into the offensive zone. The Kings more than doubled Edmonton in the first-period shot column, 14-6.

Great Second

This is how the Oilers should have come out to start the game. They looked motivated and hungry. They battled for loose pucks and won the foot races.

They had no luck early on in this frame, Quick got lucky but you have to be good to be lucky so….The Oilers finally got on the board with 3:31 left in the second when Pisani tipped a point shot in past Quick.

The Oilers out shot the Kings 19-7 in this frame.

Final 20

Jonathan Quick continued his stellar game with a little help from lady luck. There was no scoring in the period as the Oilers kept most of the play down in the Kings zone.

There were several points in the third where the puck looked like it just had to go, but it wasn’t meant to be. The Oilers failed several times to shoot from the point when they had plenty of people in front of net and continued to try and find those sweet one timers.

Roloson spent the last ninety seconds on the bench, but the Oilers could not muster any last second miracle.

The Oilers did outshoot the Kings in the period 14-8, giving the Oilers a final shot total of 39 compared to the Kings 29.

Bitter Disappointment

So where do the Oilers go from here? A couple weeks ago it looked like the Oilers were going to be a lock for the playoffs especially with a 6 game home stand coming up, but they are currently 1-4 on that homestand and will be joining several other teams on the couch to watch the playoffs like the Leafs, Isles, Stars, and Kings.

The only problem when comparing the Oilers to these teams is the promise they had at the beginning of the season.

Most experts picked the Oilers to make it into the playoffs, and so this season is even more disappointing than most.

Losing Smid and Vishnosky definitely affected how the Oilers played, but shouldn’t be an excuse for not making the playoffs for the third straight year.

This team had way too much talent to not make it and I’m sure most Oiler fans are pissed off and calling for a lot of changes.

Oilverse Player of the Game

Sam Gagner played a strong game with three shots on net and was a presence on the ice all night long.

Theo Peckham  was also great for the Oilers with one great fight and a shot on net.

Oiler fans should look forward to seeing this man on the ice more in the future.

Next Up

When the schedule was released last summer I’m sure Oiler fans were drooling when they saw the Oilers would finish their season in a back to back tilt with the Calgary Flames.

This could have been a first round preview or an exciting finish instead this chapter of the Battle of Alberta will be just depressing to Oiler fans.

This is the last game of a very disappointing homestand for the Oilers and I’m sure those beers at Rexall just won’t taste that good no matter what the score ends up being this Friday night. Flames vs. Oilers this Friday at 7pm MTN at Rexall.

Try and enjoy this game Oiler fans… somehow

Billionaire for a Reason

Michael Sciarpelletti

The SMS SOS

There has been a lot of hooting and hollering over a text message sent to local sports reporter Jason Gregor from Oilers owner Daryl Katz regarding the future of head coach Craig MacTavish. I must ask the one question it seems no one has thought of: are we perhaps not reading into this enough?

Put yourself in the fine Italian shoes of Katz and see the world from his perspective: you are the first year owner of a struggling franchise that is on the brink of playoff elimination and media pundits are swarming your players with plenty of distractions regarding the future of the organization, prophesying the untimely end of not only their coach but in some cases the player themselves.

This makes for a tough working environment, and for these young NHLers the added distractions make it even harder to find motivation as the fans also have turned their backs on this struggling team that seemed to have such a bright year ahead of them.

But, lucky for you, one weapon is at your disposal and is so rarely used that it becomes one of your greatest assets; your voice.

Whenever Katz says something it becomes the gospel of Edmonton, and that is indisputable. No one can (or should) blame Katz for the year the Oilers are having and I’m sure every Oiler fan appreciates what the billionaire playboy has done for this team long-term.

Speaking up and saying MacTavish’s job is safe (perhaps even when it’s not) Daryl has removed a lot of pressure from this team as now most of the media frenzy takes place at the round-table discussions where the talking heads debate the six words that are going to give the Oilers a chance.

It’s the slimmest of chances, but that certainly must count for something for a team whose fans have developed a keen knowledge of statistical analysis as it seems every year we have to take into account the minute shifts in odds at every hour of the day as we obsess over this club.

Meaningless

In addition to acknowledging the strategic genius of Katz’s move one must also note that the actual message itself means very little as the chances of MacT returning behind the bench of the Copper and Blue next year are about as likely as a playoff berth this season.

DK made a point of saying that he wasn’t going to mess with the Oilers management this year, preferring to let this year ride out before making any big changes. But people are misinterpreting this grace year as indication that Katz is a “hands off” owner.

For a man who personally negotiated with super-star Marian Hossa this off-season such innuendo must seem a bit strange.

MacTavish has the benefit of being one of the Boys on the Bus, and as such will be given a proper exit, likely “stepping down” much as Lowe was “promoted”.

While that may seem like gentle handling for a coach who has made little progress with this team perhaps it is instead an indication of how in tune Katz is with the feelings towards his embattled franchise.

Ex-Oiler Georges Laraque was quick to point out after the Oilers signed Dustin Penner to an offer-sheet that free agents in the league weren’t interested in the Oilers organization simply because of all of the drama that has gone on in this city over the past few years.

Cognisant of this, the Oilers have made a point of quelling as many rumours as possible, even when they are true.

Ace in the Cole

Love it or hate it the Oilers moved Erik Cole back to the Carolina Hurricanes at the trade deadline in a three team deal that saw Buffalo send the Oilers Ales Kotalik.

The trade had been in the works for awhile and as such many rumour mills in the league had pegged Erik Cole as the most likely Oiler to move and suggested either Buffalo or Carolina as likely destinations months in advance of his departure.

As the deadline neared the pressure began to mount on Cole as he under-performed and the rumours seemed all the more true in the process causing a distraction in the locker room.

Suddenly Steve Tambellini descends from heaven with a message from above: Cole isn’t going anywhere.

Just a few words and the player is no longer distracted, able to do his job without the constant nagging doubts of whether or not the team was actually shopping him.

Funny part being: they actually were, the Oilers shipped him off and in all of the hoopla nobody pursued the contradiction to a great extent as most were more interested in what we got rather than what we gave up.

Similar situation, similar method, and both times the team got what they wanted without unnecessary distractions.

Can you tell why this guy is a billionaire?

Game #80 Preview

Michael Sciarpelletti

vs.

We Said What!?

Looks like someone other than my mother visits this blog as Jonathan Willis apparently took a break from drinking crappy American beer to take a look at our work here and apparently made it up to the end of the title of Bobby Roy’s breakdown of the triumph over the Vancouver Canucks and called us “optimists”.

How a “glimmer” can be optimistic is a question that dumbfounded me to the point that I almost forgot the Oilers were playing hockey today and so I decided to open with that little tidbit.

Tonight’s game offers the Oilers an oppurtunity that they will at some point seize in the next few days: that of making it official, they are not going to the playoffs this year.

There is a scenario that could see the Oilers making it but it also ends with me scoring the game winning goal in Game 7 to win the cup just before I ride off into the sunset with my model girlfriend(s) in a Ferrari.

Yeah, it’d be awesome and I want it to happen but I have realism.

LAcKING

It is beyond me how a team with as much talent as the LA Kings have managed to be as totally useless as they have been over the past few years even in the face of big sport’s writers suggesting that this might be the year that the Kings would have “gotten it back on track”.

Well, that didn’t happen as the LA Kings took a dive into the ground extremely Jonathan Quick.

However the Edmonton Oilers could close this season on a logical closing point, that being that they lose to yet another team they should beat and end it all.

They’ve done it all year, and it makes sense.

Keys to the Game

The Oilers were able to beat the LA Kings the last time around by playing the body and dominating the puck, something that they haven’t done in such a long time that I can’t even place my finger on the time.

A key to the season will be that the Oilers seize an oppurtunity they will have against LA, that of resting Dwayne Roloson. Hypothetically speaking if the Oilers were to make the playoffs they will look awful stupid as their goalie makes his 43rd straight start on route to the Oil being swept by San Jose, Detroit, whomever.

Whoever they do put in the net (and look for #35 to appear in #37) they will have to be sharp against the likes of Brown, Kopitar, and a the young guns of LA who have won the odd one on the merit of their ridiculous young offense.

Who’s Not Hot

C’mon, if I approached you ten years ago and told you the Oilers would lose out on the playoffs to teams in Nashville and Columbus would you call them a good squad?

Sure you wouldn’t.

Injuries and Notes

Smid and Lubo are still out, Peckham in and Chorney gets to watch.

Oilverse Prediction

If the Oilers lose this one I’d be surprised, and that’s saying all sorts of bad things about the Kings.

3-1 Oilers

Game is on PPV at 7 PM MNT live from Rexall Place in Edmonton.

Enjoy the game!

The Seven Man March

Bobby Roy

Y’all Whiners

With the Oilers season going down the drain it looks like Oiler fans are getting frustrated and angry as usual when it comes to this time of the year. This year it seems like even more Oiler fans are angry, disappointed, frustrated… ya da ya da ya da. I could go on all day about what is wrong with the Oilers, but instead I’m going to gripe about how some Oiler fans are making Edmonton look like a terrible hockey city.

Oilers head coach MacTavish is the main reason Oiler fans are so perturbed. He has been the Oilers coach since the 1999-2000 season and for some it’s time for him to go. I’m going to have to agree with most Oiler fans when I say there is a need for a change in the locker room. Some people say its not the coach that should take the blame for how the team performs, but being a good coach involves motivating and pushing your players. MacT just isn’t doing that anymore, but the way some so called ‘Oiler fans’ are handling the situation is pretty embarrassing.

Facebook Groups

Facebook has revolutionized the way we can express our love and hatred for something, and in the case of MacT its the hatred. When you search up ‘Fire MacTavish’ on Facebook 14 different groups show up expressing such titles as “The Official Fire MacTavish Rally” “Fire MacT!” “Hire Pat Quinn as head coach”. One of the groups has almost 12,000 members in it. This past Sunday there was supposed to be a rally to fire MacTavish at Rexall, and there is even a group in which it stated over fifty people were supposedly going to attend.

Obviously it is quite childish to think a rally to fire a head coach of hockey team would actually work, but 7, yes 7 “Oiler fans” decided to show up at Rexall allowing the rest of Canada and other hockey fans have a good hearty laugh about how pathetic this is. I’m not saying that it was pathetic that only 7 people showed up, but that anyone showed up at all. Was a rally really going to accomplish something? Absolutely not. Do you think Kevin Lowe and the rest of the management were praying that this rally wasn’t going to happen? I’m sure the thought barely crossed their minds.

How bad do you think these 7 fans felt when they showed up to Rexall on Sunday and actually thought something was going to be accomplished? I know I laughed a little when I saw this story on sportsnet. It’s good that Oiler fans care this much about hockey, but it’s just embarrassing to see something like this happen in our city much like the Whyte Ave riots during the Oilers playoff run. I know that there are tons of die hard Oiler fans here in Edmonton and across the country, and I agree that MacT should be fired, but there are other ways to voice one’s opinion.

Constructive criticism on radio shows, emails, letters, and on blogs are all good ways to show one’s displeasure with the coach, but the statements made need to be intelligent and have reasons to back up what one is saying. These are the ways to get to Kevin Lowe and management even though it may seem like the fans have no say. Fans pay the money and support the team, so they definitely have some say.

It’s been hard enough for the Oilers these past couple years to attract good talent into Edmonton, and this past Sunday’s 7 man march shenanigan isn’t helping Edmonton and it’s hockey fans smooth out their image.

Glimmer of Hope

Bobby Roy

Sam Gagner slips the puck past Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo during the third period of Oilers-Canucks at Rexall Place on Saturday, April 4, 2009. The Oilers won 5-3. (Photo by Andy Devlin/Edmonton Oilers Hockey Club)

Not Done Yet

The Oilers were able to keep their faint playoff hopes alive with a 5-3 win against the Canucks at home on Saturday night. This is their first win during their current 6 game homestand. With the win the Oilers still sit in 11th place as of Monday morning, 3 points behind the 8th place Preds and 5 behind the 7th place Ducks.

The Oilers finally got off to the quick start they needed against the Canucks with Kotalik scoring just twenty-seven seconds into the first period.

Once again Dwayne Roloson was the star of the game for Oilers as he ended up with 46 shots against him Saturday night. The Oilers built up a 2-0 lead by the end of the second period, but were barely able to hold onto the win by the end.

Quick Strike

Ales Kotalik scored just twenty-seven seconds into the first period giving the Oilers a rare quick start that they have lacked in most of the games this season.

Both teams exchanged powerplays in the period, but neither team was able to take advantage of the man advantages.

Somewhat Positive

The second period has usually been the problem period for the Oilers, but the Oilers were able to get through this second period by not only scoring but not allowing the Canucks to score at all.

At the 8:14 mark of the second Denis Grebeshkov wristed one past Luongo to give the Oilers a 2-0 lead. Although the Oilers were able to get through the period it was much in thanks to Dwayne Roloson, who stopped all 22 shots that the Canucks put his way.

The Oilers were only able to muster 8 shots toward Luongo.

Crazy Third

The third period was marked with the flood gates opening up at Rexall. Just over 6 minutes into the third period the scoring began.

Vancouver’s Mason scored at the 6:51 mark of the third to cut the Oilers lead in half. Gagner then answered at 10:28 for the Oilers to increase the Oilers lead to 4-2.

The teams then traded goals for the rest of the period leaving the Oilers with a 5-3 victory.

Need a Miracle

Even after an iffy win like this one over Vancouver the Oilers will need to play better if they are going to win out for the rest of the season.

They cannot continue to hope Roloson will win the game for them. They’re are going to need a lot of help from teams playing Nashville or the Blues and it just doesn’t seem like it’s going happen with those teams playing the way they are.

The Blues have a terribly easy schedule to finish up the season and the odds aren’t good on them losing more than half their remaining games. The Preds have a tough schedule to finish up the year, but they would only need to win 2 of 4 to clinch a spot.

The countdown to see the Oilers miss the playoffs is on. It will cap off yet another disappointing end to a season that had so much promise when it started. Keep the hope going Oiler fans because the flame is about to go out unless some sort of hockey miracle is going to shine down on the Oilers.

Next Up

The Oilers will play the Kings Tuesday night in hopes they can take advantage of a team already out of the playoff hunt, but the Oilers have had trouble against lower teams so don’t count on this one being easy. The game is at 7pm at Rexall and will be featured on PPV.

Game #79 Preview

Michael Sciarpelletti

vs. 

Role Reversal

It’s been quite some time since the Oilers last faced the Vancouver Canucks and in that time apart the two teams have exchanged roles as the Oil are now struggling outside of the playoff picture while the Canucks are thriving and challenging for the Northwest pennant that seemed to be all but locked up for the Flames just a few months ago.

With four games remaining in the Oilers season the likelihood of playoff hockey in Edmonton this year is extremely low and while the Canucks may have drawn quite a few chuckles after signing Mats Sundin to an excessive single year contract they at least have clinched a berth in the post-season.

The laughter has turned around to the Copper and Blue who have looked nothing short of embarrassing during the stretch run and are now losers in their last three.

With four games remaining the Oilers can try to win them all and hope for the best but the picture is bleak with St. Louis four points ahead in 8^th place and 9^th place Nashville on their heels only one point back of the final spot.

Vancouver meanwhile is in 4^th place tied for the division lead with the Flames at 94 points and Chicago is challenging for that 4^th spot only one point behind at 93. Whoever wins the race between Calgary and Vancouver likely faces playoff first timers in the Columbus Blue Jackets while the other will likely draw the Chicago Blackhawks who are probably the less attractive opponent because of their potent offense.

Things are tight in the West and playoff matches are far from being determined as of yet. It will be interesting if Vancouver rests their veterans or attempts to clinch the pennant, since both Chicago and Columbus are intangibles being that we haven’t seen the Blackhawks in a series in years and the Blue Jackets are first timers.

If the Canucks interests lie in resting players perhaps the Oilers can take advantage of the situation.

Home is Nowhere

This Edmonton club must realise that the building they enter on Saturday will be a hostile environment for them not only because of the droves of Canucks fans that will be present but also because they have obviously annoyed and disappointed their fans this year.

Perhaps this could benefit this team as they seem to prefer the road posting the majority of their wins in opposing barns this year.

It will be interesting to see what sort of response the home team illicit from the crowd, especially if they are on the losing end of this game which is crucial to keeping the illusion of possibility veiled over the rambunctious Edmonton crowd.

As you may recall in the 2006-2007 season the final home games of the year were a sometimes ugly affair with some of the people in attendance looking more like protestors than hockey fans and security guards running all over the building while others sat in silence and just watched.

Edmonton crowds are very interesting to observe when they are angry which in turn means that the Oilers may have to watch out for the 7^th man that they begged to have back before losing to Anaheim.

Keys to the Game

Vancouver’s current style of play is like kryptonite to that of the Oilers with their fast crisp passes and confident play requiring a solid and confident defence to counter.

As we all know, the Oilers just do not have that in their arsenal at the moment and simply beating the opposition down will do very little against an extremely tough and determined team that has quite a few offence weapons.

Alex Burrows in particular will be interesting to watch as he often is willing to take a great deal of punishment to maintain the puck not quite unlike his line-mates who have previously beat up on the Oil in match-ups earlier this season.

Meanwhile the Canucks also have a fantastic goaltender, which again is an issue for the Oilers depending on whether or not Luongo is given the nod on Saturday. Lou generally doesn’t like to miss too many games not quite unlike Brodeur but he is certainly not in the same situation as Roloson who will start his 35^th straight game unless the Oilers decide that they have given up on the year.

And that does not yet seem to be the case.

The tough part of examining what the Oilers can do to be a stronger opponent against the Canucks is that they simply do not currently have the tools to do so. To beat the Canucks you need potent offence, stingy defence, and good goaltending.

Instead, the Oilers have an offense that is completely bewildered, an absentee defence, and a goaltender that needed a few games to rest about ten games ago.

Things do not look good heading into this one.

Who’s Not Hot

The whole team.

Injuries and Notes

Dwayne Roloson will continue to add to the Oilers record for most consecutive starts by a goaltender by appearing in his 35^th straight game. If the Oilers do not come out on top against Vancouver it is likely that he will be sat as the Copper and Blue will most likely be eliminated from the playoffs if that is the case.

Ladislav Smid is still out along with Lubomir Vishnovsky with Theo Peckham filling in and Taylor Chorney called up.

Oilverse Prediction

I’d be surprised to see the Oilers win this one, but if they do it would likely be a 5-4 score as it seems the only time the boys in blue can beat the Canucks is when they have poor goaltending.

Just don’t count on it.

But tune in to CBC at 8 PM MNT on Saturday and see what happens.

Enjoy the game.

3 L’s in a Row Dash Playoff Hopes

Etai Handman

Same Old Same Old

52 seconds into the hockey game Jonathan Cheechoo scores and sets the tone for this one.

The Sharks came out smelling blood, because the Oilers are on the verge of missing the playoffs for the 6^th time in 8 years under Mac T.

About 6 minutes after Cheechoo’s goal Hemsky coughed the puck up giving the Sharks a golden opportunity as Roenick busted in alone but Roloson robbed him with a big glove save keeping the Oilers in this one.

Kotalik rang a shot off the post with about 7 minutes left in the first frame but after 20 minutes the Oilers were down by one and were out-shot 8-6.

Climbing back

The Oilers looked better to start this period but still it seemed like San Jose took the play to them. 8 minutes in Dan Boyle scored what eventually stood up to be the game winner on the power play.

The 2 goal lead was deflating for the Oilers yet late in the period they started to fight back and eventually got a power play.

Nilsson made a beauty back hand pass to a trailing Gagner who beat Nabokov high scoring his 15^th of the season and giving the Oilers a chance to come back in the 3^rd. The Oilers out shot the Sharks 11-9 and it was tied 17-17 through 40 minutes.

Too little too late

The Oilers came out flying in the 3^rd they had a lot of chances but were stoned on numerous chances by Nabokov. 6 minutes in Kotalik again rang one off the post as he couldn’t buy a goal in this one.

The Oilers played one of their better periods and continued to apply pressure even with 2 power play chances late but couldn’t tie it up.

They clamped down defensively and out shot the Sharks 9-5 and 26-22 over all. As always it was too little too late the Oilers came to play a single period and that just won’t cut it against the top team in the West.

Where’s the Urgency?

With their playoff hopes on the line pretty much tonight the Oilers didn’t look like a team that cared too much. They had little urgency in their game and a team with their play off hopes on the line and wants to make it must play with urgency.

The lack of motivation is becoming too much of a consistent problem. That could be a sign that the coach has lost the room and the players just don’t want to play for him.

Impact

Both Anaheim and St Louis won tonight pushing themselves even further ahead of the Oilers.

With the loss the Oilers don’t have much hope of making the playoffs but never say never. It aint over till she’s over.

Oilverse Player of the Game

Nilsson is the Oilverse player of the game he played a smart hockey game. He was fast and make laser guided passes all night. He generated many chances and is a sparkle of hope for the future along with Gagner and Cogliano.

Next game Sat night when Van comes to town 8 PM MTN puck drop