The Oilers hit the Rogers Place ice tonight, hosting the Florida Panthers who are apparently also a team in the NHL.
The Oilers lost 6-4 on Saturday to the San Jose Sharks. They got up 4-3 (after being down 3-0), and then did the thing the Oilers do and lost.
And so it goes.
And no, that image isn’t a mistake. It was the best thing to happen on the ice since the last time the Oilers didn’t let the other team build at least a 2 goal lead.
Keys to the Game
Edmonton
- For the love of everything holy, don’t let the Panthers score on the first shot, or in the first 3 minutes, or at all.
- Try not to leave the goalie out to dry, especially in the first 3 minutes of the game. There is nothing more infuriating than not even having the game on yet and the Oilers are already down a goal.
- Just… win. Or play with some goddamned pride.
Florida
- Score first, and often.
- Remember that if Connor and Leon are on their own lines that you can’t just match Connor.
- Shoot the puck at the net because it’ll probably go in.
Players to Watch
Edmonton
- Look for Milan Lucic, I dare you. He has 4 points in the last 18 games (no goals) and is a non-factor most nights unless he uses all his energy to unnecessarily hit someone who doesn’t have the puck. Good thing he brought the swagger back to Edmonton, though. It’s been really helpful.
Florida
- Everyone’s favourite hockey dad Aaron Ekblad is usually pretty great to watch. Like, for reasons and stuff.
Projected Lineups
Edmonton
At this point it doesn’t matter who’s out there. They aren’t making the playoffs even if Leon and Connor are separated for the rest of the season.
Put a backup goalie in. It literally doesn’t matter.
Florida
Aaron Ekblad.
That’s it. He’s the only one worth watching (and looking at.
Notes
Last night was the event at Rogers Place to celebrate the 1984-85 Edmonton Oilers (voted by fans as the best NHL team ever).
Bill Daly, @NHL Deputy Commissioner, unveils a new banner at @RogersPlace to commemorate the 1984-85 #Oilers getting selected by hockey fans as the #NHLGreatestTeam. pic.twitter.com/frVL3yHMvk
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) February 12, 2018
This organization is a mess, and while the banner-raising wasn’t necessarily organized by the team it feels weird to celebrate a team that last skated together 33 years ago. It’s hard to watch the OBC circle-jerk when the current iteration of the team is so poor; living in the past isn’t going to help anyone. Anyway. The Olympics are on and Canada won a gold medal in figure skating because of this:
« Prodigieux. On vient de vivre un très grand moment. »@TessaVirtue et @ScottMoir ont envoûté la foule avec cette performance, selon Alain Goldberg 🇨🇦#PyeongChang2018 #RColympiques #EquipeCanada #patinageartistique #VirtueMoir@SkateCanada pic.twitter.com/JUrBI94JYM
— Radio-Canada Sports (@RC_Sports) February 12, 2018
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