The Lazy Game Day Preview

Edmonton Oilers at Ovechkin Kapitals
5pm MST
Sportsnet West and 630 CHED

So we're off to play the Washington Capitals tonight. Thanks to NHL scheduling and that I'm too cheap to order Centre Ice, this will be the first time I've ever watched Alexander Ovechkin play live. Seeing as this road trip has been labelled "do or die" by just about everyone I know, read, or casually pass along the street, I've decided to just focus on Russian Hockey Player. But Go Oil, anyway.

I was asked to provide a quote for "Why The Oilers Will Win" by Ken at Japer's Rink. Here it is, along with some other Oilogosphere (not to be confused with OilBLOBosphere) quotes. Note how Shawn provides "analysis". What a chump.


Why The Oilers Will Win:

"As self-loathing Oilers fans (are there any other kinds, lately?), we believe the Edmonton Oilers will absolutely DESTROY the Washington Capitals in Thursday night's match-up. Why? Three words: Puppy Dog Eyes. After looking into the sad, sad faces of our young, floundering squad, the Caps hearts will be left broken and empty. We'll then go ahead and fill that void with goals, and plenty of them. Now who's crying? Nylander for one, but that's a whole other story. So stuff that in your pipes and smoke it you Washington fat cats, what with your smug Ovechkin having fanbase..." - Oilblobosphere

"[T]he Oilers already traded away their prize for finishing dead last this season so the Oilers don't have quite as much motivation to lose as the Caps." - The Real Deal Hockey

"Part of me wants to say karma after Nylander screwed Edmonton over and ended up in Washington. However, I actually like the Capitals and their very interactive owner. As a result I'll focus on where I think Edmonton has true advantages. First of all, both Oiler goaltenders have performed better than Kolzig this year. Garon especially is one of the hottest goalies in the league while Kolzig has struggled to regain his form. Edmonton has a better defensive core as well. The Caps have a couple of guys I'd love to see in the copper and blue (Green for one is outstanding) but 1-6 Edmonton has more depth. Up front there's no Ovechkin in the Oilers line-up, but a two-way forward group that includes Horcoff, Moreau and Pisani is a significant step ahead of the group in Washington. They should be much better at even strength and on the penalty kill, while Washington's forwards are more explosive and should be better on the power play. Finally, Edmonton has a veteran coach while the Caps are coached by an NHL rookie. - Oil Country, Ontario