Every company should have the Edmonton Oilers' magic for producing fourth-quarter results.
Once again, Edmonton seems to have saved its best for the last part of the 82-game schedule, putting together a homestretch charge that has lifted them into the seventh playoff seed after being all but out of the race a month ago. The Oilers lost in overtime Wednesday to Dallas, but they haven't been beaten in regulation for 30 days, going 8-0-2-4 in 16 games while erasing the 10-point gap that stood between them and the last playoff spot.
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| Edmonton's Ethan Moreau has 20 goals, all at even strength.(AP) |
Not that it means that much yet, because with six games remaining, Edmonton isn't assured of postseason place. But the Oilers are in far better shape than they were Feb. 25, when Anaheim became the last team to get regulation victory against them, and considering the team's recent history, it isn't that surprising.
The Oilers turned on the taps over the final 21 games in 2001, going 13-4-3-1 to squeeze into the sixth seed. The following season, they went 12-4-2-2 to finish with 92 points, two short of a playoff spot. Last year, Edmonton went 10-5-4-1 down the stretch to grab the eighth seed, and now this.
"We're just used to being in this position," Oilers forward Georges Laraque said "To us, it's not even pressure anymore, it's normal. We just get ourselves together and we play better."
Edmonton has been playing its best hockey since the beginning of March, when management was still trying to decide whether to buy or sell at the trade deadline. The Oilers started getting hot at the beginning of the month, so instead of shipping off veterans such as defenseman Jason Smith and forward Ryan Smyth, who were widely rumored to be available, they made some additions.
Edmonton sent prospects and draft picks to the Rangers for center Petr Nedved, who has been rejuvenated with nine points in 11 games since being rescued from the mess on Broadway, and goalie Jussi Maarkanen, which allowed them to ship away Tommy Salo's expensive contract to Colorado. Maarkanen has combined with Conklin to give the Oilers an adequate tandem.
Aside from the newcomers, the Oilers have been getting a big effort from center Ethan Moreau, who is drawing comparisons with a young Mark Messier. Moreau has scored 20 goals for the first time in his career, and all of them have come at even strength.
"We're getting some timely scoring, some good goaltending, and we're using everybody," said Oilers coach Craig MacTavish. "It's been quite a ride, but we have to finish it off."
From Russia, no love
Nice to see that capitalism is alive and well these days in Russia.
Seems several teams in that country's elite league have decided they have some valuable player assets and should get top dollar for them.
Russian league teams now get a transfer fee for players who cross the ocean to play in the NHL, based on a formula worked out between the league and the International Ice Hockey Federation on behalf of its member counties. But that contract expires after this season, and several Russian teams are looking change things by negotiating transfer payments directly with the teams interested in their players.
The NHL says it isn't interested and won't work out a new deal if all the current parties aren't on board.
"We informed the IIHF that we don't have an interest in doing a new player-transfer agreement if they don't have the Russians included," said Bill Daly, NHL executive vice president and chief legal officer. "That's kind of where it sits right now."
If the two sides don't work out a deal, it could affect the team winning the draft lottery, among others, this year. The big prize in this year's draft is Russian Alexander Ovechkin, an 18-year-old forward who some scouts believe is the best prospect since Mario Lemieux. But getting him over to North America could be a problem for the team drafting first overall.
The Columbus Blue Jackets had to wait until Christmas to get Nikolai Zherdev, the fourth pick last June, into their lineup because of a problem with the Russian hockey federation. The Russians said Zherdev couldn't leave until fulfilling military obligations, which was another way of saying they wanted the Blue Jackets to grease a few palms to expedite things.
Zherdev was playing for the Central Army but left the country in December and joined Columbus. The Russians protested, but earlier this month in Zurich, Switzerland, an international arbitrator ruled in favor of the Blue Jackets
"Mr. Zherdev's purported conscription into the Russian military was conducted in violation of Russian law," wrote arbitrator Stephan Netzle. "Therefore, all requests for relief were denied in their entirety."
In other words, Columbus has lived up to its end of the agreement. The question is what will happen if there are no guidelines.
Let me explain
When it comes to Scott Stevens, New Jersey Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello says the problem is all in his head.
Lamoriello used the word "concussion" in relation to Stevens for the first time this week, trying to diffuse a potential controversy about the reason for the team captain's absence. Stevens has been sidelined since early January with what was generally assumed to be a concussion, but until Wednesday, the Devils had kept a tight lid on information, saying initially that he was suffering from the flu and more recently describing him as "ill" in the team injury report.
When Stevens canceled a conference call with reporters, rumors that he was actually suffering from burnout or fatigue began resurfacing, prompting Lamoriello to come clean.
"There is a question this might not be post-concussion syndrome, I want to put that to rest 100 percent," Lamoriello told the Newark Star-Ledger. "He's recovering from a concussion. He's been treated as such. Scott Stevens wants to play. I wish I had his strength and determination. I apologize for the team if we're calling him ill, but I'm not a doctor. I don't know what a concussion is or isn't. He is in a post-concussion situation."
Stevens, who hasn't spoken to reporters since he was sidelined, began skating this week. But he hasn't been cleared to practice with the team, and there is no firm timetable for his return. And while the general manager is optimistic about Stevens coming back, new coach Pat Burns is preparing as if he won't.
"Scotty is not here right now, so I have to go and coach my team as if Scotty Stevens is not there," Burns said. "I don't know if he's going to be there in the future and until he is there, I can't comment on what I think."
They said it
"It's a lot better than watching from the roof." -- Calgary Flames veteran Dave Lowry after his first game as an assistant coach. Lowry, who has taken in games from the press box since undergoing abdominal surgery in January, helped out behind the bench while coach Darryl Sutter served a suspension.
