Advertising Opportunities

head coach: Ron Low

roster: C - Doug Weight, Todd Marchant, Tony Hrkac. LW - Dean McAmmond, Rem Murray, Valeri Zelepukin, Ryan Smyth, Mats Lindgren, Bill Huard, Mike Watt. RW - Bill Guerin, Mike Grier, Andrei Kovalenko, Kelly Buchberger, Georges Laraque, Dennis Bonvie. D - Bobby Dollas, Sean Brown, Greg deVries, Kevin Lowe, Roman Hamrlik, Boris Mironov, Drake Berehowsky, Frank Musil, Janne Niinimaa. G - Curtis Joseph, Bob Essensa.

injuries: Rem Murray, lw (returned April 15, missed three games with flu); Andrei Kovalenko, rw (suffered back spasms April 1, day-to-day); Kevin Lowe, d (returned from inner ear infection, placed on IR Oct 23, played April 18).

transactions: None.

standings:

Western Conference - Pacific Division
Team         GP   W   L   T   PTS   GF   GA   
y-Colorado   82  39  26  17    95  231  205  
x-Los Angeles82  38  33  11    87  227  225  
x-Edmonton   82  35  37  10    80  215  224  
x-San Jose   82  34  38  10    78  210  216  
Calgary      82  26  41  15    67  217  252  
Anaheim      82  26  43  13    65  205  261  
Vancouver    82  25  43  14    64  224  273  

x - Clinched playoff spot
y - Clinched division

game results:

4/06 Vancouver       W 3-2
4/08 at Anaheim      L 4-2
4/09 at Los Angeles  W 4-0
4/11 at Calgary      W 5-4
4/15 Anaheim         W 5-3
4/18 Toronto         W 4-3

team news:

by Simon D. Lewis, Edmonton Oilers

Not with a Whimper, but a Bang

Last season the blue and bronze Oilers backed their way into the playoffs and a date with the Dallas Stars. They played 1-3-2 hockey in the final two weeks of the schedule and just didn't look good qualifying.

This year they are in basically the same place only they did it by winning. The Oilers went 5-1-0 in the last two weeks and qualified for the playoffs as Chicago went into a late-season tailspin.

Actually, Edmonton earned one less point than last year, but the team feels better and looks better. Since the Olympic break they have been one of the five best teams in the league. There will be 12, count `em 12, Oilers dressing for game one against Colorado who have never represented Edmonton in a playoff game. They are: Roman Hamrlik, Bill Guerin, Janne Niinimaa, Scott Fraser, Bobby Dollas, Frank Musil, Drake Berehowsky, Tony Hrkac, Valeri Zelepukin, Bill Huard, Georges Laraque and, believe it or not, Dean McAmmond.

The Guys to Watch

Aside from your obvious targets like Weight, Joseph, Mironov and Hamrlik there are three Oilers who deserve special attention. They are the second line of Dean McAmmond, Todd Marchant and Scott Fraser. This trio has been denting the twine with some regularity. McAmmond has become the guy who coach Ron Low calls his most steady and reliable player. He's second in team scoring. Marchant has always had wheels and a big heart.

But it is Fraser who is really opening eyes. In what amounts to about a third of a season he's popped in 10 goals, mostly in the stretch run for the playoffs. He's a 26-year-old rookie who couldn't stick anywhere. Last fall he was in the first batch of cuts the Oilers sent down to Hamilton.

"He just developed late. I can see why people would miss the guy and think he's not that great," said Low. "He's got great hands but other than that you look at him and say, 'Geez, he doesn't do a lot of other things.' But you know he's been terrific here -- good defensively, good on the wall."

In the AHL he was recognised for his scoring prowess, but when it came to defence, everyone saw Fraser as a liability. In Edmonton he has shown that he knows how to play at both ends of the ice.

"He has no panic point around the net," said Low. "Believe me, Scott has been a pleasant surprise."

The only fly in the ointment here is the fact that Fraser will be an unrestricted free agent this summer who wants about $600,000 per season. So far this has proven too rich for Glenn Sather's blood.

Lowe and Behold

Number 4 was patrolling the blue line for the Oilers on April 18 against the Leafs and looking mighty fine doing it. Kevin Lowe looks now like he has his game back after almost a full season fighting an ear infection. The condition left him with dizzy spells and effectively useless as a hockey player. There was some thought that he might have suffered a long-term disability.

As it turns out, Lowe has fought it off and played