The Oilers got hosed by the refs in the second period of Game 3.
There were some fluky bad bounces that resulted in goals.
Guess what? None of that matters and if Edmonton loses tonight they will be done until the beginning of the 2020/2021.
The last loss hurt Oilers fans more than the Game 1 loss because the team as a whole played much better and if puck luck had been with the team we would have been discussing the Oilers having an opportunity to clinch a Quarter Final spot tonight. That didn't happen and there is no sense whining or complaining about it.
Every team faces these adversities at some point in hockey games and while it is unfortunate, the Oilers also need to remember that is not the only reason they are in the position they are in now.
Was the Athanasiou holding call garbage? Absolutely. But right beforehand did Archibald take a stupid interference call? Yup.
The Hawks have been the far more disciplined team as a whole and have been more tenacious and the more a team does that, the more likely it is for those lucky bounces to happen. Chicago is playing like a team that wants to be in the show. The Oilers are playing like they deserve to and that the Hawks are beneath them; they aren't.
If the threat of elimination doesn't wake the guys up I don't know what will. If each individual on the Oilers roster doesn't lay it on the line tonight, the Oilers will be done.
It's been a bizarre playoffs all around and once these qualifiers are all said and done it will be difficult to make any specific statements about each team.
Pittsburgh is in the same position as Edmonton and could lose to the 12th place seed. The Leafs were the heavy favourites against the Blue Jackets and could be knocked out. Ditto to the Predators. Every team truly has started in the same place for these series and the merits of the regular season mean nothing.
- No official lineup but with some shoddy play by the likes of Zack Kassian and some injuries this is my best guess.
- Koskinen didn't play awful but didn't play great which is not what you want from your netminder in the playoffs. Maybe Tippett goes back to Smith. We will see.
1.) Underdogs - That is what the Oilers find themselves as right now; the underdogs in this series. Chicago played that role well in the first game and pounced on every chance and did whatever they could on every shift to gain the upper hand. Edmonton needs to play with that same desperation tonight.
2.) The Other Guys - Kassian has been mia and I would not be surprised to see him demoted to the fourth line tonight. Maybe Haas or Nygard gets in tonight to provide some new energy to the team. Khaira scores a goal? Regardless Edmonton needs some of these guys to show up in a big way tonight.
3.) Ice Time - Look for Connor and Draisaitl to play 24+ minutes a piece tonight. Elimination is staring the Oilers in the face and the big guns seem like the only players that are rolling right now.
4.) No Tomorrow - If the Oilers lose tonight, not enough people will remember what they did in the regular season, and how they were second in the Pacific by a solid margin. All people will remember is that they lost to the 12th place seed and the worst team in the Central Division. Don't let that be the final chapter in this season. Win.
Edmonton Oilers Blogger • 
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