Okay. So take all that hate I didnt have for Buffalo and multiply it by the number of times Calgarians mention Lanny MacDonald in a given week and that's what I feel towards the Flames. It doesnt even matter that both teams have been run into the ground by their respective management groups or that this game is meaningless to any team destined to play after April.
Cerebrally I want the draft to give every team the chance to get better if they fall so low that they scrape the bottom of the standings, but deep down I dont want Calgary to benefit in any way from their losing seasons. I dont want the Flames to pick up quality players ever. I wish nothing but the worst on that team, and I wont apologize for it. And, while we're at it, I expect nothing but the same from them.
So now I'm torn. Do I want the Oilers to wipe the floor with the Flames on the ice or do I want the Flames to get on a winning streak and push themselves right out of the bottom 5? I cant decide right now so I'll wait until the game ends tonight to decide whether I laugh at the Flames because the Oilers beat them or laugh at the Flames because they are inching their way out of prime Draft position.
Sometimes being an Oiler fan is easy.
LINEUPS
Eberle took the skate this morning with his regular linemates and looks like a strong possibility to return to the lineup. The last game was a mess for line combinations as Hall played almost 30 minutes spotting in all over the place, and any coach would have done the same thing if the alternative was to play a 2nd line with Lander and Pitlick on it.
Hall Gagner Perron Lander RNH Eberle Hendricks Gordon Pitlick Gazdic Smyth Jones
Ference Schultz Marincin Petry Klefbom Fraser
Scrivens
OILERS KEYS TO THE GAME
1) Dont Get Too Down. The Oil lost in their last outing but I thought they played very well in the first 2 periods. There is a lot to be happy about in that loss to the Sabres even though the game ended the wrong way.
2) Slap Schultz. He must have heard the message loud and clear because Justin Schultz has been unloading his one-timer on the PP with regularity as of late. And while he's been leading the charge others have been following. Even Petry had a few good looks.
3) Rivals Despite Position. As I mentioned above, this rivalry exists even though both teams are garbage today. The team has been working on playing with a pack mentality. Tonight we should be seeing the culmination of all this work.
Puck drops tonight at 8:10PM Mountain Time on CBC. Game On!
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