Chalk up another win for the Edmonton Oilers. Why did they win?

- Because their powerplay can score at will. Both units are brilliant.

- Because Hall/Eberle/Nuge is one of the best lines in hockey. They completely control the game when they're on the ice.

- Because Oilers Head Coach Ralph Krueger actually gave Teemu Hartikainen some real ice time, and he made the most of it. Was in beast mode all game.

- Because Devan Dubnyk closed the door. The Avs tried to come back, and did manage to sneak one past Dubey, but that goal was the result of a lazy defensive play by Ryan Whitney. It's not the first time. Dubnyk was great.


Those are the positives. While the Oilers won easily 4-1, I can find just as many negatives as positives.

- Potter/Whitney pairing was bad again. Please put Mark Fistric back in and keep him there.

- While the Oilers top line is great, the next three all have issues. Ales Hemsky is still scrambled eggs with the puck. Nail Yakupov looks confused. Sam Gagner looks too small. Shawn Horcoff has defensive skill but no ability to move the puck. Ryan Smyth can't skate anymore. Eric Belanger and Magnus Paajarvi played decent games, but these are Bottom 6 guys, so you can only expect so much from them. The overall Oilers forward roster lacks size...having bigger bodies Hartkainen and Paajarvi really make it obvious the Oilers need to move some size into their Top 9.

- The Oilers 5-on-5 can't score goals. I think this has everything to do with the forwards being too small as a group. Yakupov/Gagner/Hemsky can all do pretty things with the puck, but they won't score 5-on-5 goals unless someone is willing to crash the crease and create chaos. Smyth/Horcoff/Petrell might be the worst 3rd line offensively in hockey in the history of the NHL. They did absolutely nothing all game.

- As much as Yakupov looks lost out there, players aren't trying to get him the puck. He's a sniper. The Oilers continue to play too cute instead of making simple plays. Fire the puck; crash the net; pound in rebounds. The Hall/Nuge/Eberle line can play as much cute hockey as they want, because they are that good. Eberle is such a wizard...If he's not in the Hart Trophy race this season, people aren't paying attention. But all the other lines need to simplify what they're doing and quit trying to be the Harlem Globetrotters.


As questionable as some of the Oilers play was this evening, there was no chance of them losing. The Avalanche don't have a great roster as it is, so consider how bad they are without Gabriel Landeskog, Ryan O'Reilly and Steve Downie. All three are solid two-way players, and both Downie and Landeskog can overpower the opposition. Physically, especially with no Hartikainen in the Top 6 and no Fistric on the roster, the way to beat the Oilers is by being more physical.


Randoms

- Oilers fans on Twitter: Sometimes I love them, and sometimes they annoy me. The comments about Hartikainen were borderline ridiculous. He was the best forward on the ice outside of Hall and Eberle, and people mocked my suggestion he belongs in the Oilers Top 6. "So who comes out, Gagner?" one guy mocked. No, Hemsky. Gagner, first of all, is a center. Secondly, he's working hard this season. Had a couple points tonight moving him to six in five games. Hemsky, on the other hand, is a bigger cap hit, a non-physical winger, and he's dancing too much instead of making smart plays and using his wingers. I still think Hartikainen/Nuge/Eberle and Hall/Gagner/Yakupov is the way to go with this, and I'll keep repeating this until Ralph Krueger tries is.

The Oilers organization loves Hartikainen, and I've heard it suggested that he could be this team's Tomas Holmstrom. If Gagner is going to stay it's imperative the Oilers bring in a winger who adds size and grit to the Top 6. We're not going to acquire Milan Lucic in a deal, so we're just going to need to develop that sort of player ourselves. Why do you think Oilers brass drafted a bunch of thugs at the 2012 entry draft? The Top 6 desperately needs a muscleman.

- Nail Yakupov looked in some pain after he scored the empty net goal. Oilers have 5 in 7, so he better be okay.

- Corey Potter is a better defenseman than Ryan Whitney. One person asked me tonight, "are the Oilers keeping Fistric out so they can showcase Whitney?" Point at your nose, friend.

- How mad must Ryan O'Reilly be at the deal signed by PK Subban today? Is Subban's agent insane? How can he not be a $4mil per season defenseman over a two-year deal? O'Reilly wanted $4mil+ in a long-term deal...You can kiss that goodbye now.

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