Right now, the Edmonton Oilers are on a roll. It seems impossible. The team looked bad enough on paper before assistant captain Ales Hemsky and Captain Shawn Horcoff were sidelined by injuries that will keep them out for one and two months respectively.
Before Horcoff was injured (Hemsky was already injured at the time), the Oilers had won four straight. Now they have put themselves just eight points out of a playoff spot. And they're still in last place in the west with 29 points in 31 games! They could finish with 75 points, and have a chance at the first overall pick! And there are some gems this year. Defenseman Adam Larsson, centre Sean Couturier, and forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins are among the young guns in the 2011 draft. Chances are they'll get one of these guys to help GM Steve Tambellini continue to trick us into thinking that we'll be a contender soon. Thinking we will actually be good someday for getting AL, SC, or RNH in the upcoming draft isn't a bad tradeoff.
Back to the present, though.With Ryan Whitney as the on-ice captain without the C, and Tom Gilbert and Dustin Penner as alternate captains, and Hall, Gagner and Eberle playing together on the first line, and Linus Omark and Ryan O'Marra playing their first NHL games replacing Horcoff and Hemsky, the Oilers are scraping together some wins.
It seems impossible, but the Oilers may be on the rise. Or, of course, they might just be on a fluky hot streak that will end with disappointed Oilers fans. Either way, they're on a hot streak!
I have attached a video of Linus Omark's game-winning shootout goal, for those of you who haven't seen it. It was his first NHL game. What a beauty!
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