They're a good team. They won the NHL's Presidents' Trophy last season and came within a game of a Stanley Cup Championship.

They've earned respect as one of the league's elite, and perhaps that's why they're seen as a hated bunch in and around Oil Country. Following the Oilers' 20-minute morning skate, that much became clear.

"I don't know," Ryan Whitney laughed when asked about why the Canucks aren't liked in the Oilers locker room. "I think it has something to do with the Canucks being a really good team. Nobody really likes a good team. Everyone gets pissed off when we lose to these guys.

"They've got some guys that try to get under your skin, play hard and walk that edge out there. Obviously there's some rivalry between players that gets going, too. It's a team that you like beating because they win and they're a good team."

Head Coach Tom Renney, who spent two seasons as the Canucks bench boss from 1996-98, agreed with his team's assessment but understood the challenge the visitors present as the NHL's reigning Western Conference champions.

"They're a very good team; they're well put together, they play the game at a very high pace, I think they're well-coached and they make you bring your ‘A' game," he explained. "We need to get well-acquainted with ‘A' as much as we possibly can if we want to be considered one of those teams down the road."

Vancouver certainly brought that back on Oct. 15 when the Canucks escaped Rexall Place with a 4-3 triumph. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored three times to record a hatty, but it wasn't enough.

"Yeah," Renney deadpanned. "They've upped the anti a little bit with a couple additions since then, too.

"We don't like any of our opponents. If we do, we're playing the wrong game."

SINKING THE WHALE

Overcoming the odds this time around will require a dedicated game plan. Whitney, 28, was still rehabbing his hobbled ankle when the teams last met 10 days ago, but fully expects to see a hungry Canucks squad again tonight.

"I think it's all about getting pucks in and not letting them get so much speed in the neutral zone," he said. "If we can make them come 200 feet, it's tough for them to get speed going. We want to not turn the puck mover and we'll be in solid shape."

Indeed. The Oilers have allowed only 10 goals this season and are rolling into tonight's contest with a 2-0 shutout in the not-too-distant past. Spirits are high and the group has stepped up as a unit to dismantle some talented squads early in 2011-12.

"The D has been playing great," Whitney added. "Sutton's been great and Potter's been awesome. It's a good group here.

"It's obviously still a little bit of a struggle for me. When you come back, you battle with minor stuff that you haven't had to for some time. You're sore and it's tough to get the speed of the game down, but I feel pretty good. Considering I didn't play for pretty much a year, it's been really good."

Tom Gilbert has averaged 24:54 in ice-time this season, almost three minutes more than anyone else and four minutes higher than the next closest rearguard, Cam Barker, who's averaged 20:35 this season.

He, too, has seen an increase in the team's commitment to own-zone play.

"I think we're more responsible [this season]," he said. "We're playing better and it obviously helps that our goalies are playing phenomenal, so it's a combination of a couple things."

Gilbert also sees an incredible challenge on the evening's horizon.

"You've got to be aware when they're on the ice, but you've got to focus more on the way your team is going to play," he explained. "It's more of how we want to play. We've had a couple games that we've let get away, so we've just got to learn from that."

That's particularly important, considering the Oilers' record this season against Northwest Division counterparts is 0-4. With 26 more games to come, wins are imperative to help anchor a potential post-season berth.

"These are obviously huge games," Gilbert said. "Against your division, you need these points. It separates you from being on the top of the division to the bottom. We need a win tonight and that's our main focus."

38-year-old Nikolai Khabibulin gets the start in net tonight; his third straight call between the pipes.

-- Ryan Dittrick, edmontonoilers.com - Follow me on Twitter | @ryandittrick

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