Scouting the Oilers

It’s a notable night off the ice for the Edmonton Oilers, as longtime radio play-by-play voice Rod Phillips will call his final game after 37-plus seasons. Tonight’s game is the finale of Phillips’ 10-game “farewell tour,” and ends a career that began when the Oilers were still in the World Hockey Association. As for the on-ice Oilers, they’re nearing the end of a tough season. The Oilers enter the game with a 0-6-3 record in their last nine games, the last one being perhaps the most heartbreaking. On Saturday, the Oilers lost to the rival Calgary Flames 5-4 in a shootout, after the Oilers led 4-1 early in the third period. Here’s a sampling of pregame reports from the Edmonton media, followed by the expected lineups for the Oilers and the Kings…

The Voice prepares to say goodbye (Edmonton Journal)

Penner expects `fun’ game against old team (Edmonton Journal)

Oilers’ Brule back from concussion (Edmonton Sun)

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OILERS LINEUP
Magnus Paajarvi-Andrew Cogliano-Linus Omark
Teemu Hartikainen-Chris VandeVelde-Jordan Eberle
Liam Reddox-Ryan O’Marra-Ryan Jones
Steve MacIntyre-Colin Fraser-Jean-Francois Jacques

Theo Peckham-Jason Strudwick
Ladislav Smid-Tom Gilbert
Jim Vandermeer-Jeff Petry

Nikolai Khabibulin

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KINGS LINEUP
Penner-Handzus-Moller
Smyth-Lewis-Brown
Ponikarovsky-Stoll-Simmonds
Clifford-Richardson-Westgarth

Mitchell-Doughty
Johnson-Scuderi
Martinez-Greene

Bernier