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Probably not, given that it's the tail end of a back to back and this team has been bloody awful on the road all season long. And for those of you still holding out hope, they could (with a LOT of help) see themselves sitting a mere 2 points back of that last wild card spot at the end of the night.
| Canucks |
CATEGORY |
Oilers
|
| 16-18-3 | SEASON RECORD | 19-12-6 |
| 35 | Points | 44 |
| 6th | Division Position | 2nd |
| Won 2 |
Streak | Won 1 |
| 2.38 (23) |
Goals For Per 60 (GF60) |
2.86 (8) |
| 3.00 (27) |
Goals Against Per 60 (GA60) |
2.59 (10) |
| 14.0 (27) | Power Play % | 21.7 (8) |
| 80.4 (21) | Penalty Kill % | 82.3 (12) |
| 51.8 (6) | Faceoff Win % | 48.3 (24) |
| 8.4 (22) |
Shooting % | 9.0 (12) |
| 49.3 (19) |
Corsi For % | 51.4 (10) |
| 98.3 (28) |
PDO | 100.4 (9) |
Stats from NHL.com and www.hockey-reference.com
THE OPPOSITION
While there's still a lot of hockey to be played, it certainly does look like a decade long playoff drought is coming to an end in Edmonton. While some say this is due to some shrewd moves by GM Peter Chiarelli, the truth probably lies around 2 factors: 1) The Oilers are getting better goaltending than they've had in well, a decade. And 2) Connor McDavid is healthy. So in spite of the Edmonton Water Carrying Brigade, it's not Kris Russell, it's not Adam Larsson being brought in and getting rid of "OMG HE WAS OBVIOUSLY THE PROBLEM!!1!" Taylor Hall. And the problem is, when your success rides on one or two of these things, should one or both of them falter, well...
One thing that needs to be said though, is if you find yourself going "Well, good for the Oilers fans. They've suffered enough". Take that opinion and go straight to hell with it. Does it suck when your team is awful, and poorly managed? Yup. But poor Oilers fans? Get lost. This franchise has Cup glory to look back on, so why anyone thinks they should receive an ounce of pity for the decade of futility they've been through is beyond me.
THE CANUCKS
They came out of the gate looking like it was the 3rd period of the tail end of the back to back, and are probably lucky that the Ducks didn't put them away early. It was nice to see the way they came back in the 2nd, and didn't get rattled after that 2nd Ducks goal, which quite frankly was a load of crap. Zero consistency rules the NHL land when it comes to reviewable calls, and there may not be a team that knows this more than the Canucks.
If the Canucks are going to pull off this improbable playoff push, they definitely need to get Loui Eriksson firing on all cylinders, so getting PP goals in back to back games from him is a good sign. They'll also need Sedin scoring, and let's face it, that OT winner may have been the clearest sign ever for Henrik to shoot more often.
Being a road game and the 2nd of a back to back, I don't hold out much hope of a Canucks win without Jacob Markstrom stealing one for them, but history tells us that they might have a shot...
Oilers have not won a New Year's Eve game home or away since 1985, 4-3 over Flyers. They are 2-14-1 lifetime on Dec. 31.
— Jim Matheson (@NHLbyMatty) December 31, 2016
GAME DAY BATTLE HYMN
Isreali thrash metal? Why not. Hammercult put out one of the year's better thrash releases, 'Steelcrusher' back in January, proving once again metal is truly a worldwide phenomenon. On behalf of all of us at Nucks Misconduct, thank you for riding out 2016 with us. Enjoy tonight, but make sure if you're out celebrating you keep it safe and sane, and that includes a safe ride home.