OIlers run out of gas in Vancouver and time in Vancouver as 5-2 loss takes them out of playoff contention.

Lineup
Smyth	Horcoff	York	Brewer	Smith
Torres	Nedved	Dvorak	Semenov	Staios
Moreau	Stoll	Laraque	Bergeron	Ulanov
Isbister	Oates	Pisani
			Conklin
			Markkanen
Scratched: Reasoner, Cross are day-to-day. Hemsky, Chimera, Ferguson

Postgame

Even with a win on Saturday night in Vancouver, nothing was assured. Well nothing outside of sitting at home on Sunday afternoon hoping that the Colorado Avalanche could hold the Predators to a point or less.

And it was all lined up so nicely for the Oilers as the two games left to impact their race for 8th place in the Western Conference also affected the race for first in the Northwest Divison and third overall in the conference.

If the Oilers could do the Avs a favour on Saturday night, maybe Colorado could reciprocate on Sunday.

But it was all for naught

16-5-4-4 once the month of Feburary kicked in. 12-0-1-3 in their last 17 home games and a 16 game stretch where they picked up points in every one of those games to finish with 10 wins and 26 points in total.

But the saying goes that a point in December is as good as a point in March and if the OIlers fail to learn that after this season, then they never will.

The funny thing was their last slayers would be the the Vancouver Canucks who were a team that maybe learned a little lesson theirselves. Last year they lost their last game at home to the Kings and thus gave up the division crown. This year they finished out the season without Bertuzzi but with six straight wins and they'll host a divisonal banner for the first time since '94.

Another sidebar had the Oilers netminding failing them after having allowed just 26 goals in their first 12 games since Tommy Salo was moved out of Edmonton.

The game started out scrambley but eventuall it settled down and the Oilers had two great chances off the stick of Radek Dvorak. The man doesn't lack hustle but he lacks finish and Cloutier stoned him twice.

Old foe Mike Keane opened the scoring for the Canucks when he shovelled home the rebound of a botched glovesave attempt by Conklin and after Brad Isbister threw a wrister through a screen to tie it, Conklin managed to turn himself sideways in the net and Markus Naslund snuck one through in the latter part of the frame.

That would be a pattern.

So the Oilers hit the ice for the second frame down 2-1 and the Oilers really pressured the Canucks goal early on but Cloutier came up with a big save on Raffi Torres and Eric Brewer missed an open net.

Then Mike Keane scored again on a two-on-one and in the last minute of the frame Petr Nedved left the Oilers zone without the puck but Brendan Morrison picked it up and went high on Conklin through a Brewer screen.

The Canucks had four goals on 17 shots and the Oilers had a huge hill to climb.

Igor Ulanov would mark early in the third period and Nedved rifled one through Cloutier's legs and out the other side on a late powerplay but eventually Raffi Torres would take a five minute major and Mathais Ohlund would score the last goal of the Oilers season.

Three Stars

Mike Keane - I don't know why this guy has the Oilers number but he owns them. Two goals on this evening.

Mathias Ohlund - a goal and an assist in over 27 minutes of icetime.

Brendan Morrison - a goal and an assist as well and scored the backbreaker late in the third.

Oil Gauge

He finished at -3 in 17:42 of icetime but with this five shots on net and three of them being oppurtunites of the golden variety, Radek Dvorak could've changed the outcome of this game with even just a touch of finish...It's very odd that Fernando Pisani played just 7:29 in this contest given how hot he's been. He did chip in with an assist though...Adam Oates finished his NHL career with fittingly enough a beautiful assist on the Oilers last goal of the '04 season.

Next Game

Next October.