The situation the Canucks are currently dealing with is awful on numerous levels. From the reports on the symptoms they are experiencing to the fact that it has spread to family members, all we can hope for is that everyone involved recovers fully.

The health and safety of everyone involved needs to be priority #1 but the business side of things also can't be ignored and the League is going to have some tough decisions to make soon. The Dallas Stars dealt with a similar issue to this early on in the season which made it easier for the NHL to schedule makeup games throughout the season. We are now approaching the last month of the season and there is no word when the Canucks will be allowed to start practicing again.

Some have brought up the potential for the NHL to once again go back to looking at points percentage to decide final standings. Obviously this isn't ideal but should the league go that way, here is what the North would look like.

Toronto - 0.697%
Edmonton - 0.618%
Winnipeg - 0.618%
Montreal - 0.603%
Vancouver - 0.473%
Calgary - 0.449%
Ottawa - 0.395%

COVID or not, there is almost no way that Vancouver or Calgary can make ground in the standings. The bold teams will be the four playoff teams from the North Division.

This week Edmonton plays three games on the road, first in Montreal followed by two games in Ottawa. The following week the Oilers were set to play two at home against the Canucks which are all but officially postponed. After this Friday, the 9th, the Oilers won't play again until the 17th.

For now Edmonton will need to ignore what is going on around them and instead focus on the game in front of them. Last time Edmonton played Montreal they were absolutely embarrassed.

OILERS LINE COMBINATIONS

RNH-McDavid-Puljujarvi
Kahun-Draisaitl-Yamamoto
Archibald-Haas-Kassian
Shore-Khaira-Chiasson

Nurse-Barrie
Russell-Larsson
Jones-Bear
#freebouchard

Smith

CANADIENS LINE COMBINATIONS

Tatar-Danault-Gallagher
Drouin-Staal-Toffoli
Perry-Suzuki-Anderson
Byron-Kotkaniemi-Lehkonen

Edmundson-Weber
Kulak-Petry
Romanov-Mete

Allen

4 GAME THOUGHTS

1.) Tough Depth - Montreal might have the deepest forward core in the North Division. That isn't to say they have the best players but anytime you can have a guy like Toffoli or Anderson on your third line or Kotkaniemi as a fourth line centre you are doing well. There are no easy matchups and Edmonton will need to come out strong regardless of their opponent.

2.) Redemption - The Oilers response to getting embarrassed this season has been a mixed bag. Some times we have seen them come out strong while other times they continue to roll over. It's crucial the Oilers get off to a good start tonight.

3.) Points % - As mentioned above there is still a chance that some games may be outright cancelled. The Oilers need to do everything in their power to gain points wherever they can.

4.) Rest For Barrie - It was a bad week for Tyson Barrie. Hopefully the extra rest he had due to the Canucks game on Saturday being cancelled was enough to recoup and get his head on straight to bounce back strong.

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