The Oilers come into this game with a 3-2-2 record, coming off of a convincing 2-0 win against the Rangers on Saturday night. The Oilers seemed to have found a way to win some games early on this season, using a sound defensive structure that they are hoping it will hold up against the Canucks tonight. The Sedin line aginst the Horcoff line should be a classic matchup, one that the Sedins won earlier this year. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins heads into game #8, meaning he has one more game before the Oilers have to make a decision on whether or not they send him back to Red Deer or not. I believe he is here to stay and there is no reason on why he wouldn't be. He fills a big role on the Oilers and he wants to be here, 'nuff said. Nikolai Khabibulin should get his third start in a row tonight, coming off of a shutout. The Canucks should be a good litmus test for the Oilers all year, to see where they stand in the grand scheme of things.
Forwards Canucks
- The Sedins will be a handful for the Oilers tonight, as they always are.
Defense Canucks
- The Canucks defense is a little more battle tested even though the Oilers defense has played well lately.
Goaltending Oilers
- I'm going out on a limb on this one. Khabibulin has been hot lately, while Luongo has not.
Special Teams Canucks
- The Sedins are the best power play players in the game. It will be a good test for a surging Oilers PK.
Coaching Oilers
- Line matchups will be a big key for an Oilers win tonight.
Intangibles Canucks
- The Canucks have to be looking at this game as a way to kickstart their season. They are off to an uneven 4-3-1 start.
Oilers:
Hall-NugentHopkins-Eberle
Paajarvi-Belanger-Gagner
Smyth-Horcoff-Jones
Petrell-Lander-Eager
Whitney-Potter
Smid-Gilbert
Sutton-Barker
Khabibulin
Dubnyk
Canucks:
D.Sedin-H.Sedin-Burrows
Booth-Kesler-Hodgson
Hansen-Malhotra-Higgins
Volpatti-Lapierre-Weise
Edler-Bieksa
Hamhuis-Salo
Ballard-Alberts
Luongo
Schneider
Game Time - 7:30 PM MT @ Rexall Place on Sportsnet West
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