Mar 12: Edmonton at San Jose. 7:30, TSN

Shark attack!

I google "Sharks and Oil" and I get this...

The Sharks were a powerhouse team of the past. The Oilers should be a powerhouse team of the future. Both of these teams presents look murky, with the Sharks looking to get back into the playoff hunt and the Oilers attempting to keep that good ol' lottery position.

The time of the shark waning?

The Sharks were once the best regular season team in the business. Let's face it, they didn't always win the President's trophy, but they're almost always the best team in a usually semi-tough Pacific Division, and that's got to be something.

Now, they're on the outside of the playoff space looking in for the first time in a long time. From third to 10th, these Sharks are no longer what they were - unbeatable.

The time of the Oiler waxing?

Hah, no. Who am I kidding? We sucked last season and we look to suck again. 1-3-1 in the last five, but boding well for us, the last win came against the Sharks! We always play against the Sharks, it seems. If you'll remember, we beat these guys in 2005-2006, and we seem to at least make a game of it.

We don't beat them like we beat Chicago, but if we can win, it would sure throw a logjam into the playoff race again. That's always fun to look for.

Lines

Hall-Nuge-Eberle
Omark-Gagner-Hemsky
Smyth-Horcoff-Jonesy
Hordi-Belanger-Petrell

Petry-Smid
Whitney-Potter (sigh....)
Schultz-Sutton

Dubnyk(?)

I surmise Dubnyk will get the start over Khabibulin, but then again, we are dealing with Tom "Lines-are-decided-by-roulette" Renney.

Predictions?

Glorious Prediction - OILERS GOOAAAAAAL. Nuge with 4 points to get back into the Calder race, and Hallsy's hat trick to get closer to eclipsing Ovechkin's total this year (says all of you who asked to trade Hall for OV). 6-2 Oilers.

Realistic Prediction - Oilers still throw a wrench in things, but the Sharks get an almighty point. The Kid Line unites, plus Omark in OT (he'd prefer the shootout, but he'll take it) for a 4-3 OT win. Omark enjoys his last game in Edmonton.

LPH Prediction - Haha. Columbus wins their next game and we lose again. Hoorah. 5-1 Sharks. Jones gets yet another monkey off his back, but the Sharks storm back and forget they're playing the Oilers and never let off the gas.