Article content continued

— Now that I think about it, no more A&W for breakfast, either. You can’t start the day without some good, wholesome, grease.

If you’re thinking that the gripes mainly have to do with food and booze, well, you’ve just discovered the only two true motivations for journalists.

On to the Skate!

IT’S GAME TIME

Canucks-Oilers, 7 p.m., Rogers Arena

Who would have predicted this? The Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks, first and second, respectively in the Pacific Division. What had annually been a meeting of cellar-dwellers is now must-see hockey.

Sure, the Canucks have scored fewer than all but three teams in the league, while the Oilers are at the other pole, leading the NHL with 27 goals, but finally, for the first time since what feels like the Cretaceous or Ed Willes’s 10th birthday, these two teams are relevant.

Well, for now at least.

It’s pretty apparent that the talent disparity between the two rosters will begin to exert itself soon enough, if it hasn’t already. The Canucks have dropped three in a row after their inspiring 4-0 start to the season, while the Oilers have won four straight after dropping their opener to the Sabres.

Goal-scoring — as Jason Botchford wrote about Tuesday — remains the biggest challenge for Vancouver. For comparison, Edmonton’s forwards have twice as many goals as the Canucks’. When they need a goal, they turn to Connor McDavid. When the Canucks need one, they turn on Sportscentre.

“We’re not going to be a power offence team, that’s just the way it is,” said Vancouver captain Henrik Sedin. “That’s the way we have to win. We have to realize that.