TUESDAY CAT COUNTRY COMMENTARY: THE REAL EDMONTON OILERS

(Listen daily for the Rod Pedersen Commentary at 9:50 am and 5:20 pm on Cat Country 98 FM)

WILL THE REAL EDMONTON OILERS PLEASE STAND UP?

IN SATURDAY’S GAME 1 OF THEIR STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS PLAY-IN ROUND AGAINST CHICAGO, THE OILERS LOOKED EVERY BIT THE SAME TEAM THAT HASN’T ADVANCED OUT OF THE SECOND ROUND SINCE 2006.

THEY WERE DOWN 4-1 AFTER THE FIRST PERIOD ON THE WAY TO A 6-4 LOSS AND CAPTAIN CONNOR MCDAVID SAID AFTER THE GAME “WE WEREN’T READY”.

AND THEN MONDAY NIGHT – IF YOU STAYED UP TO WATCH IT – THAT SAME MCDAVID SCORED HIS FIRST CAREER HATTRICK AS THE OILERS ROUTED THE BLACKHAWKS 6-3 TO EVEN THE BEST-OF-5 SERIES AT 1-1, AND WE START ALL OVER AGAIN.

BUT IF YOU’VE WATCHED THE GAMES, MCDAVID IS DOING IT PRETTY MUCH ENTIRELY BY HIMSELF, EXCEPT FOR A CAMEO BY JAMES NEAL WHO’S SCORED IN BOTH GAMES.

SO NOW THEY GO TO GAME 3 ON WEDNESDAY IN THE EDMONTON BUBBLE AND IT’S CLOSE TO MUST-WIN. TEAMS WHO WIN GAME 3 IN A TIED SERIES GO ON TO WIN IT ALL 75-PERCENT OF THE TIME.

IF ANYTHING, IT MAKES THE OILERS “MUST-SEE TV”, BUT THEY’VE ALWAYS BEEN THAT WAY.

AT SOME POINT, I THINK WE’D ALL PREFER SOME STABILITY – I.E. WHEN WE TURN ON THE TV, WE HAVE AN IDEA WHAT WE’RE GOING TO GET.

THAT, ALMOST WITHOUT EXCEPTION, IS WHAT WE GET FROM THE VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS. IN THEIR PLAYOFF OPENER MONDAY, THEY SPOTTED DALLAS A 3-1 LEAD AFTER TWO PERIODS BEFORE CHOKING THE STARS OFF IN THE THIRD PERIOD AND COMING BACK TO WIN 5-3.

THAT WAS MONDAY’S SHOT HEARD AROUND THE HOCKEY WORLD, AND SHOULD SCARE THE SPIT OUT OF ALL THE OTHER PLAYOFF TEAMS.

SORRY OILERS, I’M GOING WITH THE SURE THING.

THAT’S TODAY’S ROD PEDERSEN COMMENTARY ON CAT COUNTRY 98