Pre-Game: Game #81 Oilers vs. Ducks

2 games left. What a grind this season has been. I'm sure the players are feeling the same way. So much uncertainty to end the season. Change is needed on the good ship Oilers, but it must be difficult to play and coach through it all. Some players are still battling while others can't wait to get out of town. You all know the who is who by now. It should be an interesting upcoming week. How quickly will Tom Renney get the axe? Will Steve Tambellini be at the desk on TSN at the draft lotteryon Tuesday? More than likely. Who gets shipped out? Who stays? Front office and coaching changes should and will be made on some levels, it will be interesting to see who survives the cuts. To me, it should be a complete and total purge, right from Kevin Lowe, all the way down to T.D. Forss, the head trainor. I know it won't happen but there needs to be a change in philosophy on this team. What happens from here, who knows, I have disagreed with far too many decision on all levels to know whats going to happen next. The Ducks come into this game, losing 5-4 in a shootout to the Canucks on Tuesday night. The Oilers beat the Ducks 2-1 on Sunday night in Anaheim. Its pretty much a "mean nothing" game for both sides as neither team is playoff bound.

Forwards Ducks
- With Taylor Hall on the IR and Magunus Paajarvi in OKC, team speed has taken a hit on the Oilers.
Defense Ducks
- Sounds like Jeff Petry should be back tonight, but they are stll woefully thin on the backend.
Goaltending Oilers
- Gotta give props to Devan Dubnyk here for his play over the last month. Pushing his way on to Team Canada's radar for the WHC.
Special Teams Oilers
- Oilers powerplay is 2nd in the NHL while the Ducks are 19th.
Coaching Oilers
- I'm going to give Tom Renney a prop here for having to work with an undermanned team the best he can.
Intangibles Oilers
- Oilers last home game of the season. Oilers should be wanting to put on a show.

Oilers:
Hartikainen-NugentHopkins-Eberle
Jones-Gagner-Hemsky
Smyth-Horcoff-Belanger
Eager-Vandevelde-Petrell

Whitney-Schultz
Barker-Petry
Sutton-Teubert

Dubnyk
Khabibulin

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

Fowler-Brookbank
Sbisa-Visnovsky
Beauchemin-Clark

Hiller
Deslauriers

Game Time - 7:30 PM MT @ Rexall Place on Sporstnet West.