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GDT: Oilers @ Canes 3/20 7:00 pm

cmaleski2

cmaleski2

Well-known member
Edmonton Oilers come to town to play what amounts to a meaningless game for both teams. Edmonton sits as the 7th worst team in the NHL with a disappointing 67 points and have no shot at a playoff spot. The Canes are the 11th worst team in the NHL and effectively need to win all 10 of their remaining games to keep any sort of playoff hopes alive. We sit 9 points behind the Devils with 10 games left with Florida in between and with 2 games in hand still.

Watching Connor McDavid play and maybe seeing Valentin Zykov finally play an NHL game this season are the only things I'm really looking forward to tonight. Attendance for this one looks to be very very sparse, possibly under 10k as the entire upper level is pretty much unsold, most of the club level is unsold and the lower sections between the blue lines will be mostly empty.

Edmonton scores and allows about the same number of goals at the Canes have this season. They are dead last in the NHL in PP%, 4th worst in PK%. They are not a good team, but McDavid of course can singlehandedly beat you. Look for Pesce and Slavin to be paired up tonight and out there every time McDavid is. The dropoff after McDavid, Draisaitl and Nugent-Hopkins for Edmonton is massive, they are really really short of anyone else who has been able to produce goals. But then again, either Cam or Darling will be our goalie, so any shot on goal by any player is a dangerous shot.
 
I'm going just to see McDavid.

I'm sad to admit this, but I don't really like the Hurricanes right now.
 
jeffbear said:
I'm going to watch him and to see what Peters does with Zykov.
Click to expand...

Probably be taping sticks, and vacuuming the locker room.


If he doesn't at least play with Skinner, I hear there's a mob of fans who are going to "talk" to Billy after the game.
 
Man, this season can't end quickly enough. What a cluster$#$@$^!!!

Can't play with Skinner, Zykov is a LW.

Who's hurt?
 
Zykov is a right handed shot, I fully expect that he can play RW. I know all Russians want to be Alex Ovechkin with the right handed shot at the LW position, but seriously, the guy would fit perfectly opposite Jeff Skinner.
 
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cmaleski2 said:
Zykov is a right handed shot, I fully expect that he can play RW. I know all Russians want to be Alex Ovechkin with the right handed shot at the LW position, but seriously, the guy would fit perfectly opposite Jeff Skinner.
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I get you, but if he's played LW all year, why not allow him to continue that way? At least for this one game.
 
You mean take Derek Ryan out, slide Aho to center and do this?

McGinn-Staal-Williams
Zykov-Aho-Teravainen
Skinner-Lindholm-Stempniak
Nordstrom-Rask-PDG

I'm all for any lineup changes that remove Derek Ryan from the lineup.

However this is how they lined up at the morning skate:

Aho-Staal-Teravainen
McGinn-Lindholm-Williams
Skinner-Ryan-Stempniak
Zykov-Rask-Di Giuseppe

Slavin-Pesce
Dahlbeck-Faulk
Fleury-van Riemsdyk

Darling
Ward

And that of course makes perfect sense because, you know, Nordstrom foolishly went out there on Sunday and had his best game of the season. His reward should be a trip to the press box for that.

Expect Zykov to play 6 minutes, none on the PP, although Peters said ""He's had a real good year down in the American Hockey League. He's leading the league in goals, and a lot of them are on the power play. If we're going to find out what he's all about, we've got to use him to his strengths. We'll do that. He'll play on the left side with Rasker and Phil Di Giuseppe tonight.". I'll remain skeptical until I actually see him out there on one of our regular PP units.

Regardless of how he does, he will be sent back down to Charlotte after this game tonight (which to be honest he should be so he can travel with the Checkers to Laval for the Fri/Sat games).
 
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Oh and one more thing....expect Ty Rattie to score at least one goal tonight against us. He has 2 goals (3 points) in 4 games since Edmonton recalled him after a pretty solid season for their AHL affiliate.
 
cmaleski2 said:
However this is how they lined up at the morning skate:

Aho-Staal-Teravainen
McGinn-Lindholm-Williams
Skinner-Ryan-Stempniak
Zykov-Rask-Di Giuseppe

Slavin-Pesce
Dahlbeck-Faulk
Fleury-van Riemsdyk

Darling
Ward
Click to expand...

Any General Manager worth his salt would react to a lineup like that appropriately. By which I mean he'd march down the hall and fire his idiot of a head coach and relace him with the stick rack.
 
I suspect the line of players ready to bolt out of here is getting long.


I'd love to be sitting right behind the Canes bench tonight. But I'm sure I'd get escorted out...old Billy wouldn't enjoy it.
 
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Not only are Canes UFA's ready to bail, there's probably a big Red Light flashing in the visitors locker room warning all other players of the toxic atmosphere in the other locker room just across the ice.

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Ugh. Going tonight but not looking forward to it. It's pretty bad when I'd rather watch Netflix than go to a game that I've already paid for.
 
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