Game Thread: Oilers @ Penguins - Losering

Here we are in the final fifteen games of the season, locked in a cutthroat fist fight with the Canes and Sabres for last place in the league, in a draft year that features a generational phenom and another player pretty close to that in Jack Eichel.

And hey, Ryan Adams and Whiskeytown wrote the perfect song for the lot of us:

How to Tune in

It's an early east coast start tonight as the puck drops at 5:00 PM MT on Sportsnet West.

What to Watch for From the Oilers

The Oilers are choosing to hold Luke Gazdic out of tonight's game in favour of a struggling Ryan Hamilton. Gazdic has actually managed two goals in his previous twelve games, which is a far cry better than Hamilton's zero, but the Oilers be Oilering all the time.

Gazdic last 12 games: 13 shots, 2 goals +0 and CF of 47.5%. Hamilton last 12 games: 6 shots, 0 goals, -6 and CF of 37.5%. Play Gazdic. #Oil

— Jason Gregor (@JasonGregor) March 12, 2015

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What to Watch for From the Penguins

According to PensBurgh, we've got Penguins fans shaking in their boots:

By all accounts they're pretty bad, but still show some signs of life from time to time. Last week they took Chicago to a 1-1 game and into a shootout in Chicago, so if they can do that there, they can't be totally overlooked. Taylor Hall remains out, so the Oilers really only have 2 dangerous players in the lineup- Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (19g +24a in 65 games) and Jordan Eberle (16g + 32a in 66 games).

Final Thought

MacTavish makes a bad acquisition, then throws the player under the bus, citing "fitness issues."

His not being good was the problem. RT @HalfordPHT: Nikitin refutes MacTavish, says fitness 'was never a problem' http://t.co/D39vZTEiTA

— Ryan Batty (@ryan_batty) March 12, 2015