Anemic power play leaves Oilers gasping

	It's understandable if Oilers coach Craig MacTavish is afraid to watch his team's sputtering power play. Tim Smith/Getty Images

The Oilers charter to Raleigh was delayed in Edmonton yesterday for several hours because of mechanical problems, proving that there is at least one thing in Alberta that functions worse than their power play.

For the statistically inclined among you, the Oilers power play is batting .040 -- or 1-for-25 -- well below the Mendoza Line average that, in hockey at least, is considered more than acceptable.

Edmonton has kicked away three five-on-three advantages in the Stanley Cup Finals (in the old days, a team wouldn't have seen that many in four rounds, let alone four games), including a squandered 1:12 in the first period of Game 4. The only goal that the Oilers have scored with a man-advantage was on an Ales Hemsky rush, which doesn't exactly scream that the Oilers have been wizards at setting up in the offensive zone, isolating two-on-ones down low and creating fat scoring opportunities.

Coach Craig MacTavish noted early in the series that if the power play didn't start clicking, his team would be hard-pressed to win the series. Now in Carolina for Game 5, and facing the daunting prospect of having to win three straight, including two on the road, his words might be prophetic.

For the Oilers, MacTavish's pronouncements have sometimes been the best thing they've had going for them. Their coach often has been a delight. He has likened Carolina to poisoning from carbon monoxide, a lethal gas that knocks you out before you realize what has hit you. He has used the words "manifest" and "ilk." He joined in the mock-fest aimed at Ryan Smyth after the left winger scored a game-winner in Edmonton, noting that when Smyth shoots the puck, you can still read Commissioner Gary Bettman's signature on the puck. He has been doing everything but reminding the media that he'll be there all week, and to to make sure they tip their waitresses.

Only after another power failure in Game 4 did MacTavish turn testy. He bristled at the notion that the dandy Hemsky would rather dangle with the puck than shoot it and politely scoffed at the notion of putting enforcer Georges Laraque in front of the net on the power play. Laraque is a big body who could block Carolina goalie Cam Ward's vision if not quite block out the sun. MacTavish indicated he was quite satisfied with Smyth crowding the crease but indicated that he would be open to suggestions to improve his power play. Sardonically, of course.

But since he mentioned it ...