A few positives

I have been pretty negative about our Oilers lately so I am going to note the positives from the road trip.

The team didn't really get the results it wanted as they were only able to get 4 out of 10 points on the road trip but there were some encouraging signs.

You really appreciate what Sheldon Souray means to this team even though he has only been back for two games. He makes the powerplay better. His shot and the opposition's fear of that shot opens up space for the team and particularly Ales Hemsky to dangle. The opposition can not cover all the options and with Hemsky's passing ability he will find you open. It also opens up the shooting lane for Hemsky if he can't find a pass to his liking.

So it was really no coincidence that Ales Hemsky had his best game tonight and as much as there are many in Oilersnation that think trading Ales Hemsky is a good idea. As Ales Hemsky goes, so do the Edmonton Oilers.

The Emergence of Brule, Brule still gives me fits defensively but he is starting to create offence. Every time he gets the puck he creates something in the offensive zone. He looks confident. I think we start seeing more offense and production.

Dustin Penner just continues to shine. I really thought that he would slow down but I was wrong. We are now seeing the emergence of Dustin Penner as a legitimate star power forward.

Team concept. It was slow in coming but this team is starting to look more and more like a team and not a bunch of individuals.

Team Health. They Oilers are starting to get healthy again and they are still in striking distance of a playoff spot. I still think they are a playoff bubble team but perhaps we saw the beginning of what could be a productive homestand?