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Kings 2 - Oilers 0: We've seen this before

March 23 2012: Sunrise, FL, USA; Edmonton Oilers goalie Devan Dubnyk (40) skates behind the net during the second period against the Florida Panthers at the BankAtlantic Center. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE
March 23 2012: Sunrise, FL, USA; Edmonton Oilers goalie Devan Dubnyk (40) skates behind the net during the second period against the Florida Panthers at the BankAtlantic Center. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

It seems like every Oilers season ends like this: a long, slow march to the end where fans wonder what next year will be like and hope that the next draft pick will get the Oilers out of last place. The only difference between the last couple of years and this one is the goaltending. In Devan Dubnyk, the Oilers finally have a guy who isn't...godawful like Nikolai Khabibulin. In fact, Dubnyk has played well for a team incapable of stopping even the nameless and faceless from barging into the zone for a scoring chance.

As for last the tilt against the Kings, regular commenter gvblackhawk said it best:

"It’s like a replay of last night’s game. The Oilers should be losing but Dubey is keeping them in. [He made} More spectacular saves last night."

The Edmonton Journal's Bruce McCurdy saw it the same way:

For a third consecutive game the Oilers were outshot by exactly 18 shots, 37-19 this time and 102-48 over the three games since Ladi Smid and Jeff Petry went down. That margin was no fluke, as shots that didn’t hit the target were 36-18 Kings. Faceoffs were 35-18 Kings. This all jives with the observation that the home team seemingly had the puck two-thirds of the time.

Jonathan Quick recognized Dubnyk's efforts:

"Absolutely. We were doing everything right. We were outplaying them. You’ve got to tip the cap to Dubnyk over there. He made some terrific saves to keep them in it there for two periods."

And Darryl Sutter lied about Edmonton's effort:

"They hit two posts and had a lot of chances. They could have backed off a little but they didn’t.’’

I can't wait until this forced march is over.