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32-11-5, 69 points, 1.438 p/g | Ranks | 28-15-8, 64 points, 1.255 p/g |
Central Division - 1st | Pacific Division - 2nd | |
2nd | Points per Game | 9th |
8th | Special Teams | 13th |
20th | Shots on Goal | 6th |
2nd | Goals Against per Game | 7th |
The Stretch Run Begins
Hope everyone enjoyed their All-Star Break as much as I did. Barn-burner. Wooo.
The Oilers find themselves in a position that they're not used to. At least, not in the last decade. A cursory glance at the Pacific Division would reveal the Oilers are tied for first place with the Sharks. They've got 64 points, nearly the point total they accumulated all of last season. The Oilers only need to play Bettman .500 level hockey from here on out to get them into the second season.
Tonight, they'll take on a force in the Central Division with the Minnesota Wild.
Let's go to the tape.
The Oilers are saying
"You always want to keep it going (if you're winning)...If you're on a streak like that, you want to play every single game. You want to play five in five (nights) if you can."
Source
That's Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl on keeping momentum.
The Oilers are 7-2-1 in their last ten games. They'll likely have their hands full tonight with the Wild.
The opponents are saying
"We're gonna say the same thing the next time we get a break, too, because then we play 20 in 33. It's a really compressed schedule, it's tough for everybody...Managing rest and work is going to be a really difficult thing. I think this month...we've got maybe three practices, so we've gotta make the best of them.."
That's Wild head coach Bruce Boudreau on his hockey club's upcoming schedule.
Seems like no one really loves the break.
Have some of this