14 games until the season is done. Another team comes to town, struggling mightily to make the playoffs, this time, its the San Jose Sharks. The Oilers are playing out the string with absolutely nothing to play for. I'm not even sure if pride is an option at this point. When you have been absolutely beaten down into oblivion for the 3rd year in a row, its difficult to get up for games like this, as if the players and coaches have turned into mindless drones. With being 5 points behind, Montreal for 28th in the league and up 8 points on Columbus for 30th, it seems 29th in the league will be the reality for this years' edition of the Oilers. The team as a whole id due for an exorcism, right from management to coaching staff to a 25% turnover in the player personnel. As a fine farewell salute, the management handcuffed the next set of managers by resigning Ales Hemsky. I'm still convinced that the Oilers are better off without him than with him. They were better off paying a pylon a million dollars per year. But thats the way it goes in Oilerville. Ths Sharks come into this game losers of 5 in a row, gaining a couple of loser points in that span. Sharks are reeling and in danger of missing the playoffs entirely which be absolutely disasterous for them. Piece by piece, the Sharks are losing their identity of being a big, tough team to play against. Now they just look lethargic and uninspired. If the Oilers show up, they could take this game, much like they did last Tuesday against the Sharks, 3-2 in a shootout. Sharks are a supremely flaky team. They may show up, they may not.
Forwards Sharks
- Thornton, Marleau, Pavelski and Couture are featured in a scoring lineup for the Sharks.
Defense Sharks
- Burns and Boyle have been up and down this year, but are better Dmen than anything the Oilers can ice right now.
Goaltending Sharks
- Niemi has had an above average year while the Oilers goaltending has been hit and miss all year.
Special Teams Oilers
- Oilers #1 powerplay against the Sharks #28 penalty kill.
Coaching Sharks
- I have a hard time giving Tom Renney the benefit of any doubt over any coach including Todd McLellan, who is on the coaching hot seat.
Intangibles Oilers
- Both teams has road games on Saturday. Oilers have home ice where they haven't won in awhile.
Oilers:
Hall-NugentHopkins-Eberle
Omark-Gagner-Hemsky
Smyth-Horcoff-Petrell
Hordichuk-Belanger-Jones
Smid-Petry
Whitney-Schultz
Sutton-Potter
Khabibulin
Dubnyk
Sharks:
Marleau-Thornton-Pavelski
Clowe-Couture-Wingels
Winnik-Moore-Mitchell
Desjardins-Handzus-Galiardi
Boyle-Vlasic
Murray-Burns
Demers-White
Niemi
Greiss
Game Time - 7:30 PM MT @ Rexall Place on TSN.
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