The Edmonton Oilers will make the playoffs this year

You know, like Pro, I really hope the Oilers do make the playoffs this year.More than that, I think they might make the playoffs.But the resolution is not about either of those things. It states: the Edmonton Oilers will make the playoffs this year.Some people might have gone nuts on semantics with a word like "will". They might have insisted that it means 100% certainty, and that no team has 100% certainty at this stage and therefore the statement is necessarily false. I chose not to take such a line because it seemed contrary to the spirit of this debate. I am happy to accept that "will" implies near certainty. For example, the statement "The Chicago Blackhawks will make the playoffs this year" can be accepted as a true statement. It is true to the extent that there would need to be a majorly unexpected event, an extraordinary upset, for the Blackhawks not to make it. We can be almost certain that they will.However, despite their win against the Blue Jackets, the Oilers are still not in the top 8 of their division. They still do not have a playoff spot. They're almost there. If they could just push out the Stars or the Sharks.... Unfortunately, the Oilers haven't won against either team this year. The St Louis Sharks have won against them twice (6,3 and 3,2) and the Stars have won once (3,2) (1).It's true, as Pro says, that there are a lot of games to go. The positions may shift. I hope so. However, we making predictions at this point in time. And, right now, the only information we have is the games so far. Based on the games so far, the Oilers are not good enough to make the playoffs. There are eight teams that rank above them in the Western Division.Of course, sometimes extenuating circumstances can mean that a team starts slowly. Injuries of key players, for example, or a few unlucky games at the beginning, or a change of coach could all mean that the rankings misrepresent a team's potential. However, Pro has given no evidence of anything like this. All his arguments in favor of the Oilers - their defence, their power plays, their rookies - have been attributes that the team have possessed since the beginning of the season. These attributes have not delivered them enough wins to make the top eight so far. And there is no reason at all to suppose that this will change.Pro said: "The Oilers are an extremely competitive team with a lot of heart, and the last three games they've played have been close as well as the majority of their games."Well, yes. They lost those three games as well as the majority of their games. That's the point, unfortunately.Pro said: "They are playing the Blue Jackets tonight and they have a good chance of winning, which will give them a playoff birth."Hooray! The did win! However, no, they do not have a playoff birth. They're still not in the top 8.Pro said: "If the Oilers can get on a winning streak, I can assure you they'll make it."Of course. Any team can make it if they have a strong enough winning streak. That's what you need: a lot of wins. That's what's missing.Pro said: "just because a random blogger says that the Oilers finished 2nd last, last year doesn't mean that they can't make it this year" The Oilers did finish second last in the previous season. This is a statement of fact, not opinion. I put in the survey result to show that fans can have faith in their team - that's great - but it's not the same as an objective assessment of the team's chances. Pro said: "The last point I have is about goaltending. The Oilers' goaltending has been extraordinary this season with an average save percentage of .952 and have only allowed an average of 2.4 goals a game." Very impressive. But, given that there have been so few wins for the Oilers this year, it only shows how lacking they are in offense.I hope the Oilers make it this year. They still might. But Pro needed to prove that they will make it and he has failed. (1) http://oilers.nhl.com...