Saturday, January 21, 2012

Pre-Game: Game #47 Oilers vs. Flames



The Oilers travelling road show comes home to welcome the Flames back to Rexall Place. The Oilers come home empty handed after losses in Columbus and St. Louis. It's at the point where it is what it is and nothing is saving this season now. The "Fall for Hall" was necessary, the "Plunge for Nuge" was something that wasn't necessary but inevitable, but the "Fail for Mikhail" or the "Fail for Nail" is something that could have been totally avoided. The Oilers had a chance to jump the curb and start trending upward, but for reasons unknown or to be non-competitive, they filled some lower end spots and watch them flounder for a good part of the season. The fans are left to wonder, "is this a part of the plan?" or "are these guys really that incompetant?" Any way you slice it, any team that loses as much as the Oilers have done over the last 3 years, should not be employed by any sports franchise anywhere in the world. I'm really hoping for change, someone with fresh ideas. The plan that is under current construction is tired and its time to see some improvement at any cost. The Flames enter this game as they usually do, hanging around .500 and the playoff cut line, currently sitting in 11th, coming off a 2-1 shootout win in Los Angelas. It's a good time for the Flames to come in and run the Oilers show.

Forwards Flames
- Newest addition Mike Cammelleri give the Flames another weapon to deal with.
Defense Flames
- With Mark Giordano back in the fold for the Flames, it gives them back their depth.
Goaltending Flames
- Miikka Kiprusoff owns the Oilers.
Special Teams Flames
- The Oilers PK has been slipping steadily and the power play isn't the same without the kids on it.
Coaching Flames
- Tom Renney has been infected by whatever Craig MacTavish was at the end of his tenure here. A lack of answers.
Intangibles Flames
- Oilers just look incredibly flat these days.

Oilers: (my version)
Eager-Gagner-Hemsky
Paajarvi-Lander-Eberle
Smyth-Horcoff-Jones
Hordichuk-Green-O'Marra

Smid-Petry
Sutton-Potter
Peckham-Teubert

Khabibulin
Dubnyk

Flames:
Cammalleri-Backlund-Iginla
Comeau-Jokinen-Jackman
Kostopolous-Jones-Stempniak
Stajan-Horak-Bouma

Butler-Bouwmeester
Giordano-Hannan
Brodie-Sarich

Kiprusoff
Irving

Game Time - 8 PM MT @ Rexall Place on CBC.

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