WEDNESDAY COMMENTARY – SLUMPBUSTERS

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

BACK TO HOCKEY TODAY, AND THE LEAGUE THAT’S LUCKY ENOUGH TO ACTUALLY BE PLAYING.

THE EDMONTON OILERS CLEANED THE OTTAWA SENATORS’ CLOCKS IN A PAIR OF GAMES AT ROGERS PLACE THIS WEEK, WINNING BY SCORES OF 8-5 AND 4-2.

THE WINS HAVE IMPROVED THE OIL TO .500 HOCKEY AND THEY ARE NOW BACK IN THE MIX IN THE ULTRA-COMPETITIVE CANADIAN DIVISION.

ULTRA-COMPETITIVE THAT IS, UNLESS YOU’RE THE OTTAWA SENATORS, WHO’VE LOST NINE IN A ROW.

THEY PROVED TO BE THE SLUMP-BUSTERS FOR DAVE TIPPETT’S OILERS, WHO HAD BEEN PLAYING SHELLSHOCKED TILL THE SENS SHOWED UP IN THE ALBERTA CAPITAL.

SOMETIMES THAT’S ALL YOU NEED, ESPECIALLY EARLY IN THE SEASON; TO BEAT ON A DOORMAT IN ORDER TO GET YOUR CONFIDENCE UP.

NEON LEON AND CONNOR MCDAVID SCORED LIKE SLOT MACHINES ARE NOW 1-2 IN NHL SCORING, ROOKIE GOALIE STUART SKINNER GOT HIS FIRST CAREER WIN, AND ENIGMATIC FORWARD JESSE PULJUJARVI SCORED HIS FIRST TWO GOALS OF THE SEASON IN HIS RETURN TO THE CLUB.

NOT BAD EH?

IN SOME OF THE OILER LOSSES THIS YEAR, THEY’VE BEEN CRITICIZED FOR BEING EMOTIONLESS AND AFRAID TO MAKE A MISTAKE.

BACK-TO-BACK WINS OVER OTTAWA SEEM TO HAVE CURED THEM OF THAT.

AND WE COULD LOOK BACK AND SAY THIS IS WHERE THE SEASON TURNED FOR THE OILERS. I WASN’T WILLING TO WRITE THEM OFF BECAUSE IN FOOTBALL TERMS, THIS WAS ONLY WEEK 2 OF THE SEASON.

IT WAS CLEAR THE DALLAS COWBOYS SEASON WENT UP IN SMOKE IN WEEK 5. YOU COULD SEE IT FROM A MILE AWAY.

BUT YOU CAN SEE WHERE A TEAM COMES TOGETHER JUST AS EASILY, AND FROM JUST AS FAR AWAY.

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