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Sunday, 09 October 2011 12:01

Written by Seth Rorabaugh

A preview of the Oilers.

When and where: 9 p.m., EDT; Rexall Place.

TV: Root Sports, SportsNet West.

2010-11 Record: 25-45-12, 62 points. The Oilers had the worst overall record in the NHL.

2010-11 Leading Scorer: Jordan Eberle, 43 points (18 goals, 25 assists).

Last Game: 4-3 overtime road loss to the Avalanche, April 10. Kurtis Foster had a goal and an assist for the Oilers.

Last Game against the Penguins: 5-1 road loss, March 13. Chris Kunitz had two goals for the Penguins.

Oilers Player We Would Bet Money On Scoring: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (right). The last time the Penguins faced a No. 1 overall pick who was making his NHL debut, the Islanders' John Tavares collected a goal and an assist. And it gives us a convinent excuse to post his photo to the right.

Ex-Penguins on the Oilers: Kelly Buchberger, assistant coach; Corey Potter, D; Ryan Whitney, D.

Ex-Oilers on the Penguins: Bill Guerin, player development coach; Steve MacIntyre, left wing.

Useless Oilers Trivia Vaguely Related to the Penguins: Buchberger is one of two former Penguins who have served as the Oilers' captain. The other is left winger Glen Sather.

Best Flames Video We Could Find: An oldie but a goodie for long-time EN readers. The pre-game introductions to Game 3 of the 2005 Stanley Cup Final between the Hurricanes and Oilers:

Probable goaltenders: Brent Johnson (13-5-3, 2.17 GAA, .922 SV% in 2010-11) for the Penguins. The Oilers have not announced if Nikolai Khabibulin (10-32-4, 3.40 GAA, .890 SV% in 2010-11) or Devan Dubnyk (16-23-10, 3.00 GAA, .907 SV% in 2010-11) will start.

Injuries: For the Penguins, center Evgeni Malkin (undisclosed) is questionable. Defenseman Brook Orpik (abdominal) is out. Defenseman Roberto Bortuzzo (knee), Boris Valabik (knee), center Sidney Crosby (concussion), left winger Dustin Jeffrey (knee) and right winger Nick Petersen (concussion) are on injured reserve. For the Oilers, center Eric Belanger (undisclosed) and defenseman Ladislav Smid (shoulder) are probable. Defenseman left wigner Ben Eager (head/neck), Taylor Fedun (leg), center Sam Gagner (ankle), defenseman Ladislav Smid (shoulder) and defenseman Ryan Whitney are out.

Potential lines and defensive pairings: The Penguins' primary lines and defensive pairings against the Flames last night were:

Steve Sullivan - Evgeni Malkin - James Neal
Chris Kunitz - Jordan Staal - Tyler Kennedy
Matt Cooke - Joe Vitale - Pascal Dupuis
Arron Asham - Mark Letestu - Craig Adams

Kris Letang - Deryk Engelland
Paul Martin - Zbynek Michalek
Ben Lovejoy - Matt Niskanen

-The Oilers primary lines and defensive pairings listed on their Web site are:

Taylor Hall - Ryan Nugent-Hopkins - Ales Hemsky
Ryan Smyth - Eric Belanger - Jordan Eberle
Magnus Paajarvi - Shawn Horcoff - Linus Omark
Lennart Petrell - Anton Lander - Ryan Jones

Theo Peckham - Tom Gilbert
Andy Sutton - Jeff Petry
Cam Barker - Corey Potter

Notes:

-Dan Bylsma is resting Orpik for the entire road trip. (PG+)

-Adams, Engelland and Letestu each feel at home in Alberta.

-Pascal Dupuis has 149 career assists.

-Kunitz has 98 career points with the Penguins.

-“He wouldn’t be here if I didn’t think he could deal with it." - Oilers coach Tom Renney on Nugent-Hopkins.

-Hemsky has 395 career points.

-Our live blog begins at approximately 9 p.m. Please tune in.

(Photo: Dale MacMillan/Getty Images)

Comments (1)

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written by GenoSid, October 09, 2011 - 03:24 PM

Eric Lindros and John Tavares were both No. 1 overall picks who played their first games against the Pens. Both scored.

I wonder if RNH does the same tonight?

I know a few other high profile players have also scored their firsts against us but can't think of them now...

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