Oilers v. Blackhawks - Matthew 25:41-46

Then he will say to those on the left, "Get away from me. You are cursed and will become a city like Regina, which has no hockey team, a city that was created for the Devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger to you and you wrote mean things about me, I needed a new arena but you provided none, I had a sick team in need of support and you visited less frequently or with less passion."

And the people will reply, "But you're a billionaire! Isn't this story supposed to be about helping the po-"

"Truly, I tell you, it is the rich who are blessed, and you will gain favor with God by blessing those blessed by God. Remember, if you do not help me, your team will be taken away from you forever, but if you act with righteousness, you will be blessed with this team for all of your days."

Edmonton Oilers @ Chicago Blackhawks

United Center, 5:30 p.m. MST
Television: Sportsnet

Visiting Team Scouting Report: The Chicago Blackhawks are once again one of the best teams in the league despite some obvious off-season blunders (they signed Khabibulin), and with the Oilers traveling to Chicago for the second half of back-to-back games things aren't looking good. Or at least, they wouldn't usually be. Chicago played last night (as opposed to yesterday afternoon) in Dallas, which means they've actually had tougher travel to this game than the Oilers! So at least that part is a wash. Still, they're the top team in the NHL in Corsi percentage with the score close (within two during the first two periods or tied in the third) and with the score tied during five-on-five play, whereas the Oilers are one of the worst teams by that measure. Add in the Oilers' horrific goaltending, and I'll go ahead and say that Nikolai Khabibulin is probably our biggest reason for hope.

Expected Lineups:

Edmonton Oilers (4-12-2):

Hall – Gagner – Hemsky
Perron – Nugent-Hopkins – Eberle
Joensuu – Gordon – Jones
Smyth – Arcobello – Yakupov

Ference - Petry
Schultz - Fedun
Belov - Larsen

Dubnyk

Chicago Blackhawks (10-2-4):

Sharp - Toews - Hossa
Saad - Pirri - Kane
Bickell - Shaw - Smith
Bollig - Kruger - Brookbank

Keith - Seabrook
Oduya - Hjalmarsson
Leddy - Rozsival

Khabibulin

By The Numbers:

• The Edmonton Oilers are currently working on their eighth consecutive season without playoff hockey. Once they get there, they'll be tied with the 1958-66 Bruins and 1974-82 Capitals for the fifth-longest playoff drought in the history of the league. The 1999-2011 Panthers hold the record with ten seasons, but the Oilers are getting frighteningly close.
• Since Joel Quenneville became the head coach of the Blackhawks, the team has amassed a regular season record of 232-108-48 for a winning percentage of 59.7% and a points percentage of 66.0%. He also has a playoff record of 46-37 to go along with two Stanley Cups. He's in the middle of his seventeenth season, and his team has never once lost more games than it won during the regular season. I believe that's an NHL record. I don't know when Quenneville becomes a free agent, but if it happens, I'd be tempted to offer him the moon.
• Sam Gagner has scored 91 goals so far in his NHL career, which leaves him just two back of 19th on Edmonton's all-time list. The guy he's behind? Dustin Penner. It probably shouldn't be, but I found that shocking. It feels like Gagner's been here forever!