Game Preview: Oilers @ Canucks & Palin bad omens + carpet on ice = bad idea

What is that? A fishing hook? A hockey stick? The head of a smiling sperm whale? Proof of Global Warming? No, silly. That's the Vancouver Canucks' excuse for a hockey team logo. Now feel free to point and laugh.

Prediction: I made predictions for both teams yesterday but now I'm gonna commit to the Oilers for a comeback win.

4-2 Oilers

The key for the Oilers: playing a solid, simple game where they grind it out for the full 60 minutes; finding chemistry early and sticking with the formula; surviving the 1st period assault from the Canucks; be as solid on the PK as on the PP (we have 10+ million commited to special teams specialists); best players must be best players: expect Garon to play as he always does against the Canucks

The key for the Canucks: with weird things happening all week and coming off a unsuccessful 6 game road trip, they need to come out hard early and set the tone; roll 4 lines; timely saves from Luongo; secondary scoring from Wellwood (repeat performance)

The Oilers have looked as dreadful as the Canucks lately, but the Oilers are playing the 3rd game in 4 nights unless something as weird as Todd Marchant's goal happens tomorrow, expect the Canucks to have the early jump (very similar to the Calgary @ Edmonton last weekend)

Oilers player picks: Pisani, Hemsky, Cole update: I forgot that Pisani will be sitting this one out with an injury. Looks like I'm going to have to pick Penner and Moreau instead of Pisani and Cole
Cancucks player picks: Bernier, Wellwood, Raymond (always seems to perform well against us)

GOILERS!

Palin is a bad omen not just for the USA, but for the game of hockey

Manny Legace on his minor hip injury:

"She's been pretty good for our game," Legace said. "I'm starting to like her more and more. No grudge."

- Manny Legace on Palin carpet mishap

Yeah right Manny, you're not allowed to complain about how she almost broke your hip so you came up with this safe answer for the media. Legace would leave the game in the 1st and the Blues would go on to lose 4-0 in the game.

Here's an idea... hockey ceremonies should lay out skate friendly red mats instead of the red carpet. Screw the celebs, the Blues have a season to salvage. The Blues don't want to end up like the Flyers, losing their first 6 games after another Palin-related event in which she dropped the puck at their season opener.

Why did the Flyers win tonight? Simple. The curse passed on to the St. Louis Blues. Mike Richards and co. breathed a collective sigh of relief tonight.

If you want to do the Blues a favour, invite Palin to come drop the puck for your team. It will be dandy.