Edmonton Oilers
Decision Day Part One
Yes it is only Thursday but tonight’s action will go a long way of determining who gets in and who stays home come April 7th. There are still so many scenarios but I believe tonight should start to bring this whole thing into focus just a bit more. First up, the poor teams that are battling for their playoff lives. You can hear the paddles going off in the back of the ambulance right now.
First up is Buffalo who plays at Montreal tonight. Montreal has the #2 seed clinched but they are playing for tops in the East right now….so every game counts. A win for the Habs tonight outright eliminates Buffalo and keeps the Habs tied with Pittsburgh. Even worse for the Sabres…last night’s questionable point (the Zubrus goal that was in but Toronto somehow could not see it) by Boston puts Buffalo’s postseason hopes in the hands of the Tampa Bay Lightning of all teams. Yes, the same Lightning that got blown out in Carolina 6-2 last night travel to Washington tonight to face the Washington Capitals. Basically if the Caps win…Buffalo’s hopes are almost over and done because Washington will have 92 points and the at the time be tied for 6th (if Ottawa loses in regulation). All those shootout and OT losses (12 total) will indeed have come back to haunt the Sabres. Needless to say, Ryan Miller will not be sending Martin Brodeur a gift basket at the end of the year. I said almost for this reason.*
There is even a possibility that the West could be all sewn up except for seeding by tonight. Chicago Blackhawk fans will be doing extensive scoreboard watching in Vancouver and Nashville. The Canucks host the Edmonton Oilers and Nashville hosts the St. Louis Blues. With Hannu Toivonen (Legace out with hip flexor injury) getting the start for St. Louis….Nashville fans are probably drooling already (Hannu gave up 4 goals on 18 shots the last time out against the Preds). A Nashville win and Vancouver loss in regulation eliminates both Vancouver and Chicago all in one shot. A Nashville loss or even a loss in extra time leaves the door open for both Vancouver and Chicago. There are so many permutations that you may need a scientific calculator and a professor from M.I.T. for this one.
Now for the other teams that could clinch. Simply…the Rangers and Senators can win and they are in. The Rangers have two cracks against the Isles (tonight and tomorrow night). The Sens play at Toronto and Toronto is without Mats Sundin (groin tear). The Rangers could even lose both in extra time and be in with 95 points total. Minnesota simply needs a point and they win the Northwest and the 3 seed. Calgary just needs a point to make the playoffs. Detroit just needs a point at home against Columbus tonight to win not only the West but the overall #1 seed in the league or a Sharks loss (whether it be in OT, SO or regulation don’t matter).
Tonight will go in a big way to tell the playoff fates of more teams…now seeding is a different matter entirely. I did want to thank ESPN for their concise tiebreaking procedures on their page. Now of course they are all chasing one thing and that is the only thing that ultimately matters. There is that nice, shiny, silver thing called the Stanley Cup.
Thank You Wikipedia for the pic.
So with ten big games tonight….may the DVR’s work some OT and so may your eyes as the regular season comes firing all guns a blazing to the end. The end is definitely very near…and for some more near than they hope.
* Editor’s Note: Thanks to my friend Andrew from The NHL Arena. If Washington wins tonight, that doesn’t eliminate the Sabres. Buffalo can jump Philly into 9th, and then jump Boston for 8th based on the THIRD tiebreak. They would be tied in wins, tied in head to head record (4-2-2), but Buffalo would actually win the tiebreak based on goal differential.
There will be blood…..
Throw the records straight out the window…the stakes are just too high. The crescendo that is the NHL season is building toward the playoffs. In less than three weeks, we will know the seedings….where will your team be? That is the question evey fan asks me. I can tell you emphatically that it really is too early to tell. This has been a season full of parity…a year where two teams were thought to be untouchable and it turns out the teams gunning for them may have a better shot at that silver cup. Now to add some chum into the tank and throw some more blood into the mix. Here we go……
How demented would it be if the Edmonton Oilers made the playoffs?  Now imagine the look of Brian Burke if the Ducks faced the Oilers in the first round. Horrified yet? Oh no, that’s nothing. That first round pick that Burke was drooling over is rapidly turning into a mid round pick that won’t nearly be as good as he was hoping for. So gaining Penner via the restricted route maybe wasn’t as big a gamble for Lowe as people thought. Praise also goes out to Craig MacTavish…who has to be quietly considered for the Jack Adams (Coach Of The Year). Not many thought after all the injuries and already depleted talent pool…that Edmonton would be anywhere near where they are now. Sure enough, they are…and he is the reason. Though I feel sorry for him for all the grey hairs he received this season…..the coach has managed to get Cogliano and all these young guys along with a resurgence from Dwayne Rolosson within an earshot of the playoffs. Many will say Sutter, Julien, and maybe even Wilson are more deserving but MacTavish is getting my vote if the season ended today.
Another team left for dead by many is the Florida Panthers.  The past few years this team starts out slower than a 1928 Roadster and comes in screaming like a 2008 Porsche but it is entertaining how they do it. This year was no exception…hovering right near or below .500 for most of the season before finding the groove and reeling off seven straight wins. Tomas Vokoun (a star of the week with 3 wins and a jawdropping GAA) is finally playing like he did in Nashville and Olli Jokinen is back to giving teams nightmares. Maybe it did take them awhile after all to get over the Richard Zednik incident…but here they are…just two points out of a playoff spot. The kicker is even though they only have 8 games left….they are just five points out of the division lead. Further proof that indeed with the parity in the NHL, anything is possible….even for a coach like Jacques Martin to get lucky…..who knew?
Time to throw in a knuclepuck so to speak. Tonight’s Leafs-Islanders matchup will also mean something not in the standings so much….but these are two teams that detest each other.  More importantly for Isles fans…Kyle Okposo will make his debut. At 195 pounds, his size doesn’t seem that impressive. But alot like Zach Parise…his tenacity around the corners is his calling card. He is not afraid to play tough and his 24 points in 29 games at Bridgeport (AHL) is impressive. He is only 19 and this is more or less a nine game audition with the big club but he will make an impact tonight…at the very least in the stands. The University of Minnesota standout may just surprise some people, including the Maple Leafs as he can definitely hit. So expect a physical game on Long Island tonight with maybe a twist.
Pittsburgh travels to MSG to play the Rangers tonight in what is a must win for the Rangers. Their brain fart in Florida may have cost them a top seed in the Eastern Conference. The loss to Tampa was probably worse than the one to Florida as well they got shutout by a Tampa team that couldn’t stop Winnie The Pooh from honey in sub-zero cold. So it is time for Henrik Lundqvist to step up again and hope he gets some goal support from what has to be the most enigmatic offense in the NHL. The Pens come in at 89 points…right behind New Jersey with Marc-Andre Fleury in net who the Rangers have had some success against. No Sidney Crosby again tonight as he is still nursing a swollen ankle…he may be back by the weekend or sooner but no one seems to really know. One thing is for sure…I am surprised this game is not on Versus…that would be their normal motus operandi wouldn’t it? At any rate…I like the makeup of this game for some reason…I will definitely watch it. Expect a surprisingly physical contest from these two.
Tomorrow is the real cap to the deal as the Rangers play the Devils for the 6th time this season. Yes the Rangers have taken the first five but you have to feel the Devils gear up for this time of year and this type of schedule. Like someone sevrely scorned, this will be INTENSE! There will be much coverage on The NHL Arena, Battle of New York, 2 Man Advantage, and all the usual suspects. Brodeur Vs. Lundqvist….Pandolfo Vs. Jagr….Gomez, Avery, and a cast of characters all will be at The Rock tomorrow night…don’t miss it!
Coming soon will be Hockey Around The Horn’s 6th episode…the banter of four people entering and only one emerging victorious. It should be up and ready in the coming days at The NHL Arena. So the blood will be shed this week and heading throughout the playoffs. Now the intensity ramps up and it is for keeps!! Good fight…..good night!!
