For the sixth time in seven seasons, the Edmonton Oilers finished in one of the bottom three positions in the standings, and stretched their absence from the Stanley Cup playoffs to 10 seasons -- the longest active slump in the NHL.With a healthy Connor McDavid, another great draft, a blockbuster trade, and a big signing topping their free agent haul this offseason, do the Oilers finally have what they need to take a stride forward?A closer look at the numbers reveals that this summer was more of a re-structuring to find the right mix, as opposed to an upgrade in the teams available talent. If its successful, then a healthy lineup and the natural development of the teams younger players might be enough for the Oilers to finally get into the Western Conference wild-card race -- with a lot of luck. Preston Smith Super Bowl Jersey . 10 VCU 85-67 on Thursday night at the Puerto Rico Tip-Off. The Seminoles (4-0) have scored at least 80 points in each of their games. Lane Taylor Super Bowl Jersey . Denis Coderre, the former federal MP who was elected mayor on Nov. 3, has drawn the ire of some Montreal Canadiens. During last nights game he tweeted: "Hello? Can we get a one-way ticket to (minor-league) Hamilton for David Desharnais please. http://www.officialgreenbaypackerspro.com/Bart-starr-packers-jersey/ . He says so-called TRT is only one problem and he wants to go even further than the ban. "Its about time," St-Pierre told reporters at a promotional event in Montreal on Friday. "I think its a good thing. Tramon Williams Super Bowl Jersey . The Cleveland Indians, Tampa Bay Rays, and Texas Rangers all won on Sunday meaning the Rangers will host the Rays in a play-in game on Monday. Elgton Jenkins Super Bowl Jersey . Any real chance at payback wont come until the playoff. Still, Pittsburgh knows its taut 3-2 win over the Bruins on Wednesday night is a pretty good place to start laying the groundwork. "They are a very good defensive team," Penguins forward Brandon Sutter said. SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Blaine Gabbert had the stage to himself in San Franciscos quarterback competition with Colin Kaepernick nursing a sore shoulder and provided a strong finish to an uneven performance in the exhibition opener.Gabbert overcame a shaky start to throw a 43-yard touchdown pass to Vance McDonald before the Houston Texans rallied in the second half against San Franciscos reserves to beat the 49ers 24-13 on Sunday.There were ups and downs, Gabbert said. But we saw when we got into the groove what we can do as a unit.Brock Osweiler didnt fare as well in his Texans debut, failing to lead Houston to any points in three drives. Houston got on the board early when John Simon returned a fumble by Carlos Hyde 41 yards for a touchdown but struggled to generate any offense with its starters.Was it completely what I wanted tonight? Absolutely not. But rarely is it ever, Osweiler said. I think the biggest thing about tonight is we did some really good things offensively and we know we have some things that we need to work on and grow and get better at.With Kaepernick sitting out with tightness in his throwing shoulder, Gabbert got to make his case in the battle to win San Franciscos starting quarterback job for first-year coach Chip Kelly.Gabbert, who started the final eight games last season, did little to improve his position in the first two drives. He was off-target on his first two passes as San Francisco went three-and-out in 41 seconds on the opening drive and started the game 1 for 6 overall.But he was much more effective on the third drive when he scrambled 13 yards for a first down and then hit McDonald for the long score when Benardrick McKinney slipped in coverage.The good thing is that he did settle down, Kelly said. There were some real positives that we can build on but there were some throws that even if you ask Blaine, hed say he wished he had those back.Gabbert finished 4 for 10 for 63 yards and a touchdown.Osweiler, who signed a $72 million, four-year contract with Houston in the offseason, went 4 for 7 foor 27 yards.dddddddddddd He took one sack and left for good after throwing an incomplete pass to Braxton Miller on fourth down early in the second quarter.To put on the Texan uniform, and run out of the tunnel as a team for the first time, it was certainly special, Osweiler said.Tom Savage threw two TD passes in the second half for Houston, connecting on a 9-yarder to former California receiver Stephen Anderson and a 9-yarder to Akeem Hunt in the fourth quarter.ROOKIE WATCHTexans: Miller, a third-round pick, had four catches for 34 yards, including an acrobatic 24-yard gain in the third quarter from Savage. First-round pick Will Fuller had just one catch for 4 yards.49ers: First-round DL DeForest Buckner was pushed around a bit in the running game and finished with one solo tackle and two assists.INJURY UPDATETexans: CB A.J. Bouye sat out after injuring his groin Friday in practice and will have an MRI on Monday.49ers: Backup QB Thad Lewis was 12 for 21 for 97 yards before leaving the game with a lower-leg injury. ... DL Arik Armstead sat out the game after being limited last week in practice by a shoulder injury.POSITION BATTLESTexans: DL Christian Covington made a good showing as he got a look with the starters with J.J. Watt sidelined with a back injury. Covington forced the fumble by Hyde that led to Houstons first score.49ers: RT Anthony Davis, who sat out last year in temporary retirement, played with the second string behind Trent Brown in his first game in more than 19 months and was beaten by Eric Lee for a sack late in the first half.QUOTABLETexans: Knowing my family and friends are in the stands really supporting me, that was a dream come true, said Anderson, who grew up in nearby San Jose.49ers: Colin isnt 100 percent, Kelly said. It wouldnt have been fair to put him in and judge him on that competition.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL Twitter feed: http://twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '