Game 10 preview – Battle of Alberta round 3

There really aren’t must win games in October. No team has ever won the Cup in October and no team has eliminated themselves either. Looks at the Leafs for example, with their stellar 0-6-1 start they find themselves dead last in the Eastern Conference but they’re only eight points back of a playoff spot with 75 games left to play – not exactly an insurmountable lead. But while there might not be must win games there are really would like to win games. Tonight in Calgary the Oilers are playing a really would like to win game.

With a 6-2-1 record out of the gates, a loss tonight will still leave the Oilers with a surprisingly good record through their first ten games. With a new coach and a new system I’d have been very happy with a 0.500 record. Considering the injuries this team has suffered already I would have been thrilled with 0.500. So why is it that the Oilers really would like to win tonight? If they don’t the Flames will have all but locked up the season series on the 24th of October. At the end of the year the season series could be used as a tiebreaker, you’d hate to be losing tiebreaker already, and you’d really hate to give them up to the Flames.

Tonight will be a tough test though. Since the lockout the Oilers have posted just five wins in Calgary against ten losses. Calgary is one of the loudest buildings in the league and that atmosphere is about the only thing that Calgary has that I wish Edmonton had, everything else sucks. And Calgary knows they suck too, that is why the imported Edmonton born and bred players like Iginla, Phaneuf, and Bouwmeester to help build a decent squad in the south half of the province.

Besides the crowd in Calgary the Oilers will again have to use a depleted lineup. On Thursday the Oilers were left with no healthy scratches as the injury and flu bugs have destroyed the dressing room. Two days later things are actually worse and it looks as if Comrie might be unable to go. According to Jason Gregor’s twitter account, if that is the case then the Oilers might move Strudwick up to forward, playing on the fourth line with MacIntyre and Stortini, and recently recalled Theo Peckham would draw in as the sixth defenceman.

Another big performance from their new top line of Penner-Gagner-Hemsky would certainly help out the Oiles cause tonight. I’m not expecting another 13 point night, just seven or eight would be fine by me. Also if Khabibulin could return to his Flame killer form – 22-5-2 before joining the Oilers – that would be fantastic.

I’m also hoping that somebody grabs Iginla early on for some retribution for the hit on Souray. Souray hasn’t played since then and it doesn’t sound like he will be playing anytime soon. I’m not a supporter of guys hangvi to fight to defend a clean hit – like Mitchell did after destroying Toews on Wednesday night – but the hit Iginal threw on Souray was not clean. That night the Oilers did nothing about it other than a lame attempt at a fight by Moreau later in the game, hopefully someone decides to actually do something about it tonight. This is the Battle of Alberta, it’s supposed to be mean lets see some fights.