The Oilers Are in The Windy City Tonight

Boy, was Sammy ever doing a lot of that last night. What a game by Sam Gagner and Ales Kotalik against the Colorado Avalanche; the chemistry between these two looks like it deserves another look, or maybe 12. The second line, these guys plus Nilsson, showed up sometime around the middle of the second period and took the game by storm. In fact, the three stars were comprised of: 3) Robert Nilsson (3 assists); 2) Ales Kotalik (1 goal, 3 assists); 1) Sam Gagner (3 goals, 1 assist). Gagner with his first career hat-trick, and perhaps his first four-point game as well, though I'm not sure about that.

I am still a little worried about Hemsky, he had a few plays that would've been highlight real goals had they been just that--goals. It sounded as if the first line was not very good 5 on 5, and they didn't get as much time as they usually do--in light of the game the second line had though it is not hard to see why that is. I still think that Hemsky and O'Sullivan have some pretty sweet chemistry, the play last night where Hemsky pinched along the right-side boards to keep the puck in and got it over to O'Sullivan who was all alone in the slot was beautiful, and there's no other way to describe it; had O'Sullivan's back-hand went in it would have been pure magic.

The Oilers come into Chicago hoping to continue the momentum from last game to tonight; a game against a team that the Oilers have been owned by all-season. I was at that 9-2 loss; it was not pretty; especially considering I had an English midterm the following morning at 9:00. I got an A- so all is forgiven in that regard. The Blackhawks have been struggling as of late, and are currently on a 4 game losing streak. This, of course is cause for concern, because the Oilers have had trouble beating teams when they're down.

Stop being so noble you guys! Kick them while they're down!

One thing is for sure: the Oilers will have to come with their A game tonight if they wish to come out with a W. Also, if JDD is going to get a start any time soon it will likely be tonight, so this is where we decide if we run with a single goaltender or a tandem on our drive for the playoffs. 2 is healthier, but 1 may be smarter.

Oh, and Sam? I don't blame you for celebrating your hat-trick goal. In any other circumstance that would have been inappropriate, but I don't think that this was.

As Always: Go Oilers Go!