Pre-Game: Game #65 Oilers vs Ducks

Back to the grind for the Oilers. It's been opposites time once again for the Oilers. They have won their last three road games but have lost 6 of the last 7 at home. They have struggled all year on the road while being respectable at home. I'm not sure what the answer is for this Oilers team, that even though they are healthy, they are horribly undermanned. A lack of size up front, a lack of mobility on the backend, questionable goaltending from game to game all leads the Oilers to where they are right now, stuck in no man's land. The Oilers are going to let the season trickle away while trying to secure as high a draft pick as they can. It's about the only thing can do, in whats been another waste of a season. The Oilers have some soul searching to do in the offseason, from player personnel, to coaching, to management, all of these things need to be put under the microscope and scrutinized hard. Anaheim comes into this game, coming off a 4-2 loss to the Los Angelas Kings. Anaheim is trying to make a last gasp effort to make the playoffs, but currently sit in 13th place in the Western Conference, 7 points out of a playoff spot. Rumor going around Taylor Hall may not play tonight, we'll have to wait and see.

Forwards Ducks
- The Ducks forwards have more experienced set of forwards that sets them apart from the Oilers.
Defense Oilers
- Jeff Petry emerging sets apart the Oilers from the Ducks. Ducks have a couple of young Dmen in Fowler and Sbisa they are trying to break in.
Goaltending Ducka
- Jonas Hiller has been a big reason for the Ducks playoff push.
Special Teams Oilers
- Oilers continue to have the best power play in the NHL despite their record. Now, if they can only get a power play in a game...
Coaching Ducks
- Bruce Boudreau has turned the Ducks fortunes around while Tom Renney still searches for answers that aren't there.
Intangibles Oilers
- Oilers are coming off a Palm Springs siesta, should be rested and raring to go, in theory.

Oilers: (my version)
Hall-NugentHopkins-Eberle
Eager-Gagner-Hemsky
Smyth-Horcoff-Jones
Hordichuk-Belanger-Petrell

Whitney-Schultz
Smid-Petry
Sutton-Potter

Dubnyk
Khabibulin

Ducks:
Hagman-Getzlaf-Perry
Ryan-Koivu-Selanne
Blake-Cogliano-SmithPelly
Beleskey-Bonino-Parros

Beauchemin-Fowler
Sbisa-Visnovsky
Lydman-Brookbank

Hiller
Deslauriers

Game Time - 8 PM MT @ Anaheim on Sportsnet West.