Record: 6-5-1
Leading scorers: Alex Hemsky (3G, 9A, 12pts), Sheldon Souray (3G, 6A, 9 pts)
Blogs: COVERED IN OIL, BATTLE OF ALBERTA, OILERS NATION
For a Pens fan looking in on the action, I was actually hoping for an OT and shootout in last night's game between the Oilers and Blue Jackets. I'm not so concerned about the Oilers getting the point. On the contrary, I'd rather see the game go on as long as it can before the Oilers have to pack it up and shoot out to the hotel in Pittsburgh.
But that didn't happen. With 1:09 left in regulation Columbus fired one past Edmonton's Dwayne Roloson to seal the game. 5-4 final.
Dwayne Roloson definitely got tested last night. Columbus managed to put 38 shots on net, scoring on five of those chances. It's likely, however, that with the back-to-back games scheduled that the Pens will see Mathieu Garon in net. Garon is 3-3 on the season and may very well have been on reserve last night with the intent to get a start against Pitt tonight. Then again, he has also dropped his last three starts. Let's hope a night off didn't provide the rest he needs for a win.
Ethan Moreau, the Oilers' captain, racked up 19 minutes in penalties Saturday against the Hurricanes and still managed to score what proved to be the game-winner.
Speaking of Hurricanes, former Cane Erik Cole is on the Oilers now. You may remember him from the unfortunate hit that Brooks Orpik delivered two seasons ago that nearly broke his neck and kept him off the ice for months. They've thrown down once before, so it wouldn't be far fetched to think they might do it again.
Zack Stortini is the team's tough guy with 29 PIM over six games, although he's been a scratch for the past three games. Will the Oilers toss him on the ice tomorrow for a Stortini/Godard fight? Hard to say. There's not much bad blood between these two teams, aside from the aforementioned personal quarrel between Cole and Orpik. It'll be interesting to see how tomorrow's game plan works out.