Carolina at Edmonton, 7:30 PM, TSN

Game Story

'Canes Staal-ing?

If the Oilers can't win,

Then the Hurricanes seriously can't win. 

This team just missed the playoffs last year, with Calder Trophy wunderkind - Jeff Skinner and exceptional, probably one-of-the-best-Canadian-goalies-in-the-league Cam Ward, and obviously, one of the great Staal brothers, Eric Staal!

It's been bad for the 'Canes - Staal is going through an awful slump (perhaps brought on by something other than hockey), Ward isn't saving their bacon, and Skinner isn't being super-human, simply human.

By human, we mean 23 points. Which is kind of insane, just so you know.

Lines/Injuries

As per practice, the line combos are gonna be

Smyth-RNH-Eberle
Gagner-Horcoff-Hemsky
Paajarvi-Belanger-Jones
Eager-Lander-Petrell

Whitney - Petry

Smid - Gilbert

Peckham - Sutton

Dubnyk

Hall's still injured, but he's close to returning. They're mum on when he's back, but I'm betting Thursday next week with Phoenix. Well - maybe eeeeeeven Saturday night with the Flamers.

Predictions!!

Glorious Prediction - 29th overall team vs high-octane offence? Dear lord. Oilers romp with an 8 goal outburst. Eberle gets hatty. Paajarvi breaks slump. Dubnyk gets a shutout too. Why not? ITS GLORIOUS

Realistic Prediction - Kirk Muller is yet to win as the coach of the Hurricanes. He's a good coach. The Oilers act as horrific streak-busters, but we do eke out a point. 3-2 shootout.

ELPH Prediction - Staal wakes up. Everyone should be afraid. Hat trick breaks him out of the slump like a fish back in water. 6-2.

*facepalm* - Calgary and Edmonton: The Rundown

FLAMES

FINAL 5 - 3

OILERS

No words.

No good, no bad, no horrendous, no bloody beautiful.

This game sapped my strength.

If you do want a beauty, I give props to Rene Bourque - that goal off the rebound was absolutely beautiful.

The Oilers deserved to lose for probably one of the first times this season.

Gagner continues to get better, everybody else on this team continues to get worse.

The Flames were faster, better, and stronger too. I'm embarrassed for this team, that's all.

I got essays and exams to do, so sorry bout my late blogging.

But really, these Oilers need a wake-up call of the third degree

Battle of Alberta, Edmonton, 8:00 PM, HNIC

Every Battle of Alberta means something.

Even to the most insignificant ant, or to the largest elephant, it's a freaking Battle of Alberta.

The passion
The anger
The outright outrage of a Battle of Alberta.

A guaranteed fight, a guaranteed goal that gets you out of your seat, you're always rooting for one or the other.

Here's hoping you pick the Oilers.

Game Story

With the team already near the basement, it's impossible to imagine how it would be without the stalwart and injury free play of Mark Giordano.

JINX

The Oilers and the Flames are coming off beating the basement silly - Columbus was dropped in a shootout against the Flames, while the Oilers decided to wake up for one period of hockey and score 5 goals. If they played for three periods, they could most likely score 15. That's the way statistics goes*.

The Oilers have been trending downward since their fantastical start. They've been beyond .500, which is great for a team that has finished 30th twice in a row, but with losses in winnable games to Minnesota and the Colorado Avalanche, the Oilers find themselves on the outside looking in.

A better team than the stats reveal? Time will tell - but the Oilers have been a fantastic home-team. If they got their road game on track... this could be some kind of wonderful.

The Flames have been stagnating, which is not a place to be when you are placed in the bottom tier of teams in the NHL. Without Mark Giordano in their lineup, likely out 2-4 months with a leg injury, the Flames could be looking at some serious D-deficiencies.

With an aging Mikka "I-play-every-night" Kipprusoff in net, the Flames and their age might just have reached the breaking point.

At least they still have Iginla**.

Lines/Injuries

Is it just me? Or is Taylor Hall ready to come back from his injury, like, now? They'll probably give him another week, just to be on the safe side, but the kid is raring to go.

With him in, we'll have three offensive, dynamic lines, and one line featuring Darcy Hordichuk.

The biggest change from last night will be the insertion of Khabibulin over Dubnyk and possibly the insertion of Lander, which is still pending his infected wrist.

O'Marra has done an admirable job of keeping up the reputation of the name of Ryan, which was obviously a given.

Predictions

Glorious Prediction - Are you serious? These young guns, one of the high flying teams on offence, vs that defence? No contest. Oilers romp, with Eberle being number 50 to score a MadHatter with an Oilers jersey. 7-1.

Realistic Prediction - At the risk of cursing and ultimately dooming this team and being right, the Oilers should take this one with a solid outing by every facet of the team. Gagner scores to make it 3-1 in the third, although Iggy comes back with a goal, a little too late. 3-2.

ELPH Prediction - The ultimate ELPH prediction - we lose the Battle of Alberta on national TV when Olli Jokenin feeds Curtis Glencross for his hat trick. 5-0 Calgary.

*As per The Stats School of realnairrishi

**Pending the next episode of Trade-or-no-trade

Indiana Ryan Jones: Columbus at Edmonton - The Rundown

BLUE JACKETS

FINAL 3 - 6

OILERS

That's right.
We won.

Rejoice, for the Oilers didn't keel over after giving up the lead! I may take a second to remind you that's a first since three games ago.

The Bold
Every Ryan.
Ryan Smyth - 2 assists. I think he has rejuvenated as the hardest player to play on around the boards.
Ryan Jones - Heard he had a hat trick or something. Kind of crazy.
Ryan NUGENT Hopkins - Another assist 38 seconds into the game to continue his incredible pace.
Ryan O'Marra - Very nice in his replacement of Lander - 7-1 on the face-off dot, making the decision over this game kind of difficult.
Ryan Whitney - He made a move during the powerplay to sneak in, dangle, and dish and had not for Curtis Sanford and his acrobatics, would have got himself a gargantuan point. His dump ins and puck moving is starting to reappear to make a difference. This team could be trouble to anyone in the league if he can keep that up.

Ales Hemsky hit things. That was pretty cool.

And you know it's good when Ryan Jones has more goals than Alexander Ovechkin.

The Awful
Tom Gilbert's gaffe. LOL. He had quite a game otherwise, but that's the blemish everyone will remember.

Plus, Dubnyk! KEEP YOUR STICK DOWN FOR A POKE CHECK. He's been watching too much post 2008 Brodeur. Needs to watch pre-2002 Brodeur for those poke checks.

And you know its bad when Gagner, Paajaarvi, Belanger, Whitney and Peckham now have less goals than Ladislav "What-are-goals-I-only-block-things" Smid.

The OutofControl
Derrick Dorrsett would fit in really nicely on this team in that spot occupied by Hordichuk and Eager. Really, where Eager is. I like Hordy's play, but Eager has the speed and the attitude to be Dorrsett (who had 2 goals on the night), he just hasn't been.


The Beautiful
Derrick Dorrsett was really in the running for beauty of the day, but, alas, Montoya came to steal the show.

Shots hurt.

Especially shots to an unprotected part of your anatomy.

Especially shots to your writing hand.

Especially without a stick.

Montoya, dropping his stick and obviously ignoring his threshold of pain, catches the shot with his NON GLOVE HAND. Youch.

At least you got beauty of the day honors!
My beauty of the day!

Columbus at Edmonton, SNET-W, 7:30 PM

Game Story

"We had it a litte wrong.
Vince Carter was that elite talent we've been looking
for at this organization"

Too Good to Beat Columbus?

Ha-ha-ha look, it's Columbus!

Unfortunately, that may be the attitude shared by most folk on and off the team - a bad bad idea. This team can be good. They just haven't been.

Coaching change? Hasn't come yet.

Rick Nash? Hasn't won the Hart Trophy by himself yet.

Kristian Huselius? That player that, I swear, will make a killer line with Carter and Nash -snickersnicker-?

Steve Mason? ... nothing, that's just a mistake.

Yeah. That's right. It's Columbus. They suck. But if we think that they do, we'll lose.

Nugent-Hopkins

Second in the league for any centre. That's right. Ahead of Datsyuk, Getzlaf, and soon to be behind Crosby.

Does anybody notice?

Eberle is also at a point per game pace. Has anybody noticed? Anybody?

"It's like I'm taking CRAZY PILLS"

Lines/Injuries

Taylor Hall and Corey Potter both skated at practice today. Don't bet on Hall being back anytime soon, though. He's gotta rest up for at least a week more. Corey Potter, however, he could be back sooner than Hall. At least we all hope.

Predictions

Glorious Predictions - Eberle!! RNH!! PLUS STEVE MASON!!! NOTHING CAN GO WRONG. Add in Father Smythmas and you have a disturbing 7-0 romp. Dubnyk with a shutout, boys and girls.

Realistic Prediction - Columbus comes out swinging, and it takes the third period for the Oilers to actually wake up. Although Smyth makes an excellent play to break out of his mini-mini-slump, the Oilers drop this one to continue this depressing homestand 3-2.

ELPH Prediction - We get smoked by Columbus. It's embarrassing. Oilers fans around the world weep, but secretly rejoice as Nail Yakupov becomes ever closer.

What-a-game!! Yotes and Jets

As an Oilers fan, you can be happy with yourself supporting either team, really.

Probably the Jets, because they're in the Eastern conference, and a win for them means a loss for Phoenix means more playoffs for us.

But as a hockey fan, this game had it all - the crowd, about 30 2 on 1s, saves, goals, the crowd...

What.
A.
Game.

Catch the highlights right over here!

Shot Out - Minnesota at Edmonton: The Rundown

WILD

FINAL SO 3 - 2

OILERS

WE GOT A POINT
The Bold
Samwise G has been playing inspired hockey for a player without a goal in what seems like an epoch. Young man, hustle and the goals will come. He's a veteran as young as various rookies THIS SEASON. Give him a chance. Although I'm not a fan of two passers and a Horcough on one line.

Gilbert.

Smid and Petry were hitting machines last night, which gave us a good physical component. Wasn't enough to win, but sigh.

The Awful
Khabi! What was that? You play fantastic for 2.5 periods, and then take the night off. Sighface, we shoulda lost in overtime with that goaltending. Where's Mike Morrison for a shootout when you need him? Stops everythang.

Paajaarvi didn't do it for me. Various bloggers have praised him for his speed, but he's always had the speed, see. He's making the same move every game. Drives on the wing, and then tries to drag it to the net.
I'm not seeing a progression of talent here. I'm seeing stagnation.

Coach Renney needs to buck up and tell the kid how its going to be - the AHL until or unless you change your method and your style. Its not working.

The OutofControl
Those injuries for Minnesota. The loss of Clutterbuck means that Minnesota will eventually fall out of the sky. Clutterbuck means a lot more to the team than just goals - the NHL perennial hockey hitting talent, the Wild become just another team without him. Although the team may make or break on Koivu's leadership, it is on Clutterbuck's hitting that they become an excellent team.

Also, just to cheer you up after that stinker, RNH and Smyth both have more goals than Heatley. He, as they say, can suck it.

The Beautiful
Props to my goaltender buddy-in-arms Jimmy Howard.

Especially against the Tampa Bay "We play the offence and the trap" Lightning. Scary.

Just a fantastic glove save. Plus, it looks like a good-old 60's save, which is pretty damn awesome.

You can see the goal riiiiiiight here, my bea-uty of the day!