Tonight the Oilers play the Sharks. Cool.
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Okay fine, I suppose I should write a bit more than that. The truth is these games don't matter in terms of the standings at least. It doesn't matter if the Oilers lose all of these games or win all of these games, they are locked into 2nd place in the Pacific and will have home ice advantage against whoever it is they will play in the first round.
As of today that team is the LA Kings but with the Kings up only a single point on the Golden Knights that could still change. LA has a game against the Wild and the Blackhawks to finish their season while the Golden Knights play the Hawks and the Ducks.
I know teams will never explicitly condone throwing a game, but part of me wonders who the LA Kings would rather face in the first round, Edmonton or Dallas? The Kings are 1-2-1 in matchups against the Oilers this season and have lost their last two first round matchups against Edmonton. Meanwhile the Kings are 0-3 against the Stars this season. If I am LA, my obvious guess is that they try to win as much as possible going into the post season and face the Oilers.
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Quick thoughts of the Oilers game against the Canucks.
I liked the Oilers game through most of their matchup against Vancouver. Edmonton dominated in High Danger Chances going 14-8 against the Nucks but timely goals by Vancouver and ill timed mistakes cost Edmonton. The Oilers were swept by the Canucks in this season series.
Vancouver fans on social media were absolutely insufferable and acting like beating the Oilers in all four games was their Stanley Cup. Honestly, I love it. The Oilers and Flames rivalry will likely be falling to the wayside over the next couple seasons as the Flames are starting to retool. Meanwhile, the Canucks and Oilers both have elite high end players and are poised to make long playoff runs.
If both these teams win their first round matchups they will play each other in the second round of the playoffs. That would be some high end and intense hockey both for the players and the fanbases. It could get rowdy.
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These final games for the Oilers are about two key things; ensuring that everyone on the team is healthy and rested and ensuring that every player is fine tuning their understanding of the systems in place. These final games will also help Knoblauch to evaluate and determine which players he will be going to for Game 1.
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Edmonton Oilers Blogger • 
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