B2B Jan 3 - Edmonton at Buffalo

Game Day

Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo...

Identical under-achievers?

Well, obviously not.

They both have a new owner.

Both went out in pursuit of high priced free agents.

Both against the salary cap after free agent signings

Both got off to hot starts

Both are now disappointing their fan bases.

But of course...

Only one team has Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle, and Ryan Nugent Hopkins.

Hell, we don't even have Ryan Nugent Hopkins because he went and injured himself...

Aie.

Lines

Nugent-Hopkins' self-inflicted hillarious bonanza and Gilbert's pasting into the boards means Teubert and Josh Green (former Oiler from the first decade of this century) are in.

The Oilers got in at 3 AM in Buffalo, so the lineup is simply a speculation...

Hall-Horcoff-Hemsky

Smyth-Gags-Eberle

Jones-Lander-Hartikainen

[Green-Belanger]-Eager

Sutton-Smid

Potter-Petry

Teubert-Peckham

Khabibulin

Predictions

Glorious Prediction - At their most glorious, they will win without injuring any part of themselves. Eberle suffers without Nugent-Hopkins on the power-play, only tallying 3 points in a 4-1 win.

Realistic Prediction - We're tired. Buffalo has Vanek and Miller. Be afraid. This is going to be a borefest. Oilers drop this one in everybody's favorite format, the shootout. 2-1 Buffalo SO.

ELPH Prediction - Hemsky gets injured. Buffalo destroys us 5-1. Double kick to the gonads, as we lose and now can't trade him.