Allison a true leader in Edmonton

Captain Jason Allison has stepped up to take the lead of his Edmonton squad as of late. Allison has had points the last 8 games in a row, and he has scored a total of 19 points in the last 12 games. Finally, Edmonton managment is getting their bang for their buck as far as their Captain is concerned.

Paul Kariya, Although not as successful on the scoreboard as Allison, has been a major contributor to Allison's success as well, with those two power houses on the ice, it's dangerous for even the best defense in the league, Kariya in the last 12 has scored 16 points, just 3 shy of Allison.

Defensive depth has finally become a reality in Edmonton, With the 1st line duo of Boughner & Aucoin being solid as they have been all year, the problem lied with their 2nd and 3rd string defensman, The #2 duo is a very solid defensive minded duo containing of newly acquired Smith and previously acquired Wallin, These two players don't contribute much on the offensive end but in their own end they are almost unbeatable. The #3 tandem is still up for grabs, Tough-Guy's McAllister, Moro & Grand-Pierre compete with decent all around defensman Benysek for the spot, who will get the nod during playoff time could vary but right now it looks like Grand-Pierre & McAllister will win the starts.

After getting rid of Ference and adding some more disciplined players, the Oilers Average Penalties/Game has dropped signifcantly and that will be a key factor in the Oilers making the play-offs this season.