The Province of Alberta is littered withbroken Synergy sticks,toppled defencemen, and, downed power lines in the wake of the most impressive storm that ripped through Edmonton earlier this week.

Is it that the Carolina PK isso dominant ?

OR, is it that the Edmonton PP is so piss poor?

1 for 25 on the PP ?

1 for 25 ???!!!!!

Are you serious ??! !

Is this the Stanley Cup Finals or Super Sunday at your local House League?

My take:

Carolina's PK is KILLING the Edmonton PP.

Its all about time and space, and, moving your feet. We teach these fundamental principles to Squirt and Pee Wee aged kids.

So why the Hell can't MacT figure it out already?He's had four games to get it fixed.

Laviolette and his PK unit have applied an illegal choke hold to the Oilers man advantage.

MacT, Charlie Huddy, and, Craig Simpson better pull an all-nighter and get this thing turned around,or, the party will end at the RBC on Wednesday night.

You'd think by now that MacT would slide a third man to the point so as to create a mismatch with the Cane Killers. Carolina love to sprint their killers to the point to take away the white ice. This causes chaosandit causes the Oilers to make ill-timed decisions with the puck .Edmonton cannot earn the necessarytime and space required to set up and get high percentage shots on young Ward.

Memo to The Edmonton Wallmen and Pointmen:

You are telegraphing your punches, and you're getting your brains beat in. Throw the jab to keep the more aggressive Cane Killers off your chin.

The Cane Killers know where you are going with the puck, BEFORE you go there.

The cross-ice pass has not been there for you in this series. So why keep banging on that door?

The Oilers PP looks like a mutual-admiration society gathering:

"You take it... no, you take it...I don't want it...I insist, you take it" !!

Somebody, ANYBODY,feel free to put the biscuit in the basket.

Carolina's PK killed Buffalo's PP in a similar fashion by owning the half walls. Carolina are great at winning wall battles and turning pucks over on their kill unit. Buffalo lost confidence, and, it would appear as though the Oilers are another knotch on the Carolina PK gunbelt. Edmonton are trying to be way too cute- throwing stupid passes around the perimeter- in desparartion, to find the open man.

Problem is: there are no open men.

Credit to Aaron Ward, Brett Hedican, Nick Wallin, Frank Kaberle, The Bathrobe,and, and Glen Wesley.

Good on 'em.

Creditthe Carolina forwards, as well. They've taken away every centimetre of open ice and they are strangling Edmonton's5 on 3, and, 5 on 4 units.

Chris Pronger looked like a mobile home being tossed around by Category 1 force winds last night. When #44 is falling down and causing havoc for his goaltender, you know that you've got problems, eh? Pronger is playing on vapour and fumes; he's spent. He's been logging 30-35 minutes per game for the past month and a half. He's been The Oilers backbone for this glorious playoff run.

As Pronger goes, so go the Oilers.

The Hockey Gods were smiling down on The Oilers in the first period last night. The Oilers were the beneficiaries of four consecutive minor penalties, and, they could not muster anyserious scoring chances. Cam Ward saw most, if mot all point shots- when there were point shots. The Carolina Dhave beenstout andthey have not backeddown.

The Oilers had Game Four handed to them in the first period. There it was on a silver platter.

Oilers fans couldn't have prayed for a better recipe for success.

Its as if Oiler Fan rubbed Mark Messier's shiny, magical gord for good luck.

They were granted three 5 on 4's, and one, 5 on 3 in one shocking eleven minute sequence of the first period in a game that they needed to win, to make create a best of three series.

The Net Result: Stugots. Nada. Zip.

Forgive me for overstating the obvious:

The Oilershave beenwoefully inept on the PP this whole series.

The time has come to cut the crap and cash in onits chances.

Can Edmontonswitch over to generator power, and, salvage this series by getting their down-low game working on the PP ?

Or has this impressive storm knocked their power out for good?

The Oilers have to fight like Hell to keep the plywood and nailgun in the Carolina toolbox---- for one more Game.

****

Here's a question that was emailed to me from Mike in Denver:

"What doLuke DeCock of the News Observer, Roman Hamrlik, and,Dick Tarnstromhave in common?"

What do you mean by that, Mike?

Garth

[email protected]