Game Thread: Predators @ Oilers - Desperation

The Oilers and Nashville are both in deep to get back into the playoff race. It's going to take some incredible luck for the Oilers to make it in as is, but if the Oilers lose this one, it will take a miracle to recover.

Team Reports

Oilers Report: The Oilers would be better with Tom Renney behind the bench.

Predators Report: The Preds put Patric Hornqvist and Colin Wilson on IR and lost their only two regular scoring threats. They're making due with a ragtag group that includes waiver wire pickups Bobby Butler and Zach Boychuk and scads of names many fans won't be familiar with. Nashville is dead last in the league at 24.4 shots per game and help isn't coming soon

Expected Line Combinations

Taylor Hall - Shawn Horcoff - Ales Hemsky

Magnus Paajarvi - Sam Gagner - Nail Yakupov

Ryan Jones - Ryan Nugent-Hopkins - Jordan Eberle

Mike Brown - Ryan Smyth - Lennart Petrell

Ladislav Smid - Jeff Petry

Nick Schultz - Corey Potter

Ryan Whitney - Justin Schultz

Devan Dubnyk

Scratches: Theo Peckham, Teemu Hartikainen, Mark Fistric

Broadcast Information

By The Numbers

Edmonton is on pace for 78 points (in an 82 game season). That means the Oilers seven-year point totals will be 71-88-85-62-62-74-78. And the men in charge still have their jobs.
Nashville's special teams are 22nd in the league with a 96.5 STE. The Oilers are 4th with an STE of 106. Last time around, Nashville was 26th in the league, but then went 2-4 on the power play and killed all 5 Edmonton power plays.

Sam Gagner needs 7 goals in his next 21 games to tie a career season high, previously established in 75 games. He needs 23 points in his next 21 games to tie a career season high, previously established in 79 games.
Ladislav Smid is averaging .48 shots per game, a career low. His previous career low was .55 shots per game in 2008-09.

Taylor Hall is over a point per game right now, in spite of a 7.2% shooting percentage.