Last night, <a href="http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/oilers-now-focusing-returning-form-not-playoffs/">Mark Spector wrote a piece</a> after speaking with Oilers netminder Cam Talbot.
The very first quote is one that smacks you right in the craw on a sleepy Tuesday morning during the second week off of Oilers hockey we have had in three weeks.
“We’re going to make the playoffs.”

That is some bold talk coming from a guy who has a .901 SV%, well off his career .918 SV%, not to mention the fact that at 5v5 he is a far more respectable .916 (CURSE YOU PENALTY KILL).  And Gord darn it we love him for it. Anyone who is a citizen of the Nation can remember the deflated attitudes and quotes coming from the Oilers locker room and management during the DOD. It sounds to me like one of the team&#8217;s leaders is fixing to go on a run this year.
Is it possible? Sportsclubstats.com has the Oilers at 0.4% playoff chances for the year. The Oilers now sit on pace for a 79 point season; way down in the bottom of the league from the 104 points they had last year. They sit ten points behind Colorado, eleven back of the suddenly sliding Flames, and giving up a game in hand to the Avs. There is also four and five teams between them and the playoffs that they will have to leapfrog.
All that being said, sure, fans of other teams are going to poke fun at it:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" align="center" data-width="550" data-lang="en" data-dnt="true" data-partner="jetpack"><a href="https://t.co/yVn6bAaboQ">pic.twitter.com/yVn6bAaboQ</a>&mdash; Cam Lewis (@cooom) <a href="https://twitter.com/cooom/status/958375237694889986?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 30, 2018</a></blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" align="center" data-width="550" data-lang="en" data-dnt="true" data-partner="jetpack">Sure, it’s good to always think about next season... Oh.. you meant THIS season? Oof.. <a href="https://t.co/cl42BQ0hIQ">https://t.co/cl42BQ0hIQ</a>&mdash; GameTimeArt (@GameTimeArt) <a href="https://twitter.com/GameTimeArt/status/958351060908691456?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 30, 2018</a></blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" align="center" data-width="550" data-lang="en" data-dnt="true" data-partner="jetpack">Cam Talbot: “We’re going to make the playoffs.” <a href="https://t.co/W7bwvQhNbU">pic.twitter.com/W7bwvQhNbU</a>&mdash; alyssa (@alyssaacorrine) <a href="https://twitter.com/alyssaacorrine/status/958358762896658433?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 30, 2018</a></blockquote>
And they can go ahead and have at it. It&#8217;s nothing we haven&#8217;t seen before as fans of the Oilers and citizens of the Nation.
If you ask me, having a goalie who is capable of far more, convinced that the Oilers can be better&#8230; I am locked in for the final 33 games of this season and hope will never die that we will all be in Rogers Place (and on the streets partying afterwards) come playoff time this spring.
What say you, Nation?
<hr />
<img class="aligncenter wp-image-51960" src="https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/logo.png?w=161" alt="" width="408" height="175" />
January Alzheimer&#8217;s Awareness Month, and we&#8217;re starting conversations to help people see dementia differently.
We&#8217;ve spoken to people living with dementia from across the country who&#8217;ve shared openly about their challenges and triumphs. 
Like Mary Beth, who was diagnosed when she was 45 and became a fierce advocate for the rights of people with dementia. There&#8217;s also Mario, who got his diagnosis a year after he retired and, while it changed what he expected of his future, he has embraced it anyway, volunteering in his community, and taking up photography to express himself creatively. And then there&#8217;s Naomi, whose mum was diagnosed at 54, and who is a dedicated daughter, caregiver, and advocate for change in the way dementia is viewed in Canada.  You can read about each of their journeys via the web-link below.
<a href="http://www.ilivewithdementia.ca">http://www.ilivewithdementia.ca</a>

Last night, <a href="http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/oilers-now-focusing-returning-form-not-playoffs/">Mark Spector wrote a piece</a> after speaking with Oilers netminder Cam Talbot.

The very first quote is one that smacks you right in the craw on a sleepy Tuesday morning during the second week off of Oilers hockey we have had in three weeks.

“We’re going to make the playoffs.”



That is some bold talk coming from a guy who has a .901 SV%, well off his career .918 SV%, not to mention the fact that at 5v5 he is a far more respectable .916 (CURSE YOU PENALTY KILL).  And Gord darn it we love him for it. Anyone who is a citizen of the Nation can remember the deflated attitudes and quotes coming from the Oilers locker room and management during the DOD. It sounds to me like one of the team's leaders is fixing to go on a run this year.

Is it possible? Sportsclubstats.com has the Oilers at 0.4% playoff chances for the year. The Oilers now sit on pace for a 79 point season; way down in the bottom of the league from the 104 points they had last year. They sit ten points behind Colorado, eleven back of the suddenly sliding Flames, and giving up a game in hand to the Avs. There is also four and five teams between them and the playoffs that they will have to leapfrog.

All that being said, sure, fans of other teams are going to poke fun at it:

[tweet https://twitter.com/cooom/status/958375237694889986 hide_thread='true' align='center']

[tweet https://twitter.com/GameTimeArt/status/958351060908691456 hide_thread='true' align='center']

[tweet https://twitter.com/alyssaacorrine/status/958358762896658433 hide_thread='true' align='center']

And they can go ahead and have at it. It's nothing we haven't seen before as fans of the Oilers and citizens of the Nation.

If you ask me, having a goalie who is capable of far more, convinced that the Oilers can be better... I am locked in for the final 33 games of this season and hope will never die that we will all be in Rogers Place (and on the streets partying afterwards) come playoff time this spring.

What say you, Nation?

<hr />

<img class="aligncenter wp-image-51960" src="https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/logo.png?w=161" alt="" width="408" height="175" />
January Alzheimer's Awareness Month, and we're starting conversations to help people see dementia differently.
We've spoken to people living with dementia from across the country who've shared openly about their challenges and triumphs. 
Like Mary Beth, who was diagnosed when she was 45 and became a fierce advocate for the rights of people with dementia. There's also Mario, who got his diagnosis a year after he retired and, while it changed what he expected of his future, he has embraced it anyway, volunteering in his community, and taking up photography to express himself creatively. And then there's Naomi, whose mum was diagnosed at 54, and who is a dedicated daughter, caregiver, and advocate for change in the way dementia is viewed in Canada.  You can read about each of their journeys via the web-link below.
<a href="http://www.ilivewithdementia.ca">http://www.ilivewithdementia.ca</a>

Cam Talbot Is Still Thinking Playoffs And We Love Him For It

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