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Oilers @ Hurricanes Game 69 Preview

Afternoon delight hockey featuring two professional hockey clubs

By Jeff Chapman


Oilers3

@
Hurrcanes_logo
23-35-8, .808 p/g Ranks 29-29-9, 1 p/g
Western Conference: 14th Eastern Conference: 13th
29th P/G 25th
27th ST 7th
28th ES 24th
29th Goal 20th
1:00 PM MDT - Sportsnet West
PNC Arena
The opposing view: Canes Country

Point, Counterpoint

The Oilers came back in the third period in Friday's 2-1 shootout loss to Detroit, but as you read the word "shootout loss", you'll be quick to realize that they were unsuccessful in obtaining two points, and were forced to settle for one. Ryan Smyth scored his 10th of the year after intercepting an errant pass from Detroit's Brendan Smith. The goal gives Ryan Smyth 23 points on the year, which puts him eighth among Oilers forwards in points.

The Oilers are saying

"It's quiet progress...I'm not going to jump up and down and throw my pompoms up, but this could have turned very ugly where they just started mailing it in. But they're not. I haven't had to go in and rally them much. The guys in the room are doing it themselves. That's massive to me"That's Oilers head coach Dallas Eakins on how the season hasn't turned into the Death March of 2007.

Well, yeah, you're right. And yes, it's good to see the team win every now and again, I think that's important for not only their psyche, but ours. Then again, if Ben Scrivens hadn't been standing on his head over the past month, you might have had to do a little more pompom-ing.


It can always get worse, Coach.


The Opponent is saying

That's Hurricanes forward Nathan Gerbe after yesterday's 5-1 loss to the Bruins.

Nathan Gerbe is having himself a pretty good year. After being bought out by the Sabres this past offseason, the Hurricanes offered him a one year, two-way deal for 550K. That doesn't sound like a whole lot of dough, but he's getting 300K this year and next from being bought out. He's got 29 points (14-15-29) so far this year after tallying just ten with Buffalo last year. If he finishes with 35 or so points, that's a solid investment for less than six hundred thousand.

Have some of this.
  • Carolina's Cam Ward allowed 5 goals in 35 shots in yesterday's loss. Expect Anton Khudobin to get the start for the Hurricanes.
  • Ben Scrivens (5-6-0, .929 SV%) gets the start for the Oilers.
  • Anton Lander found his way in the 2C slot for Sam Gagner in Friday's game. Jack Michaels tweeted that Jesse Joensuu will likely be out, Gagner could be back, and that Lander could find himself on a third line playing wing with Gordon and Hendricks. Of course.
  • HELLO AGAIN, OLD FRIEND - The Oilers website has had four draft simulators on their website in the last four years. You think it'll be 5 in a row this year?

The Edmonton Oilers

Nail Yakupov - Ryan Nugent-Hopkins - Jordan Eberle

Taylor Hall - Sam Gagner - David Perron

Matt Hendricks - Boyd Gordon - Anton Lander

Luke Gazdic - Ryan Smyth - Ryan Jones

Martin Marincin - Jeff Petry

Oscar Klefbom - Andrew Ference

Philip Larsen - Justin Schultz

Ben Scrivens

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The Carolina Hurricanes

Jeff Skinner - Eric Staal - Elias Lindholm

Jiri Tlusty - Jordan Staal - Alexander Semin

Nathan Gerbe - Riley Nash - Pat Dwyer

Andrei Loktionov - Manny Malhotra - Radek Dvorak

Andrej Sekera - Justin Faulk

Ron Hainsey - Brett Bellemore

Jay Harrison - Ryan Murphy

Anton Khudobin