Some might say there's black magic practiced in Anaheim.
As the Edmonton Oilers continue to get hit by the injury bug, it almost seems someone is mysteriously putting a hex on the club.
With apologies to Billy Bob and Angelina, I'm sure that Brian Burke doesn't exactly wear a vial of Kevin Lowe's blood around his neck.
But he could be practicing voodoo.
Every time Burke is reminded of Lowe's signing of Dustin Penner last summer, another well-placed jab of a pin plunges into the doll.
Hey, it's better than a kick to the groin.
And with each hex comes another key injury to the Oilers. The further the Oilers fall, the wider the grin gets on Burke's face.
The Oilers now risk a serious plunge in the standings on the heels of the season-ending setback to leading scorer Shawn Horcoff combined with injuries to Sheldon Souray and Raffi Torres.
As the injuries mount, the potential of a last-place finish increases.
Now this is about the time that Burke gets downright giddy.
Considering the Ducks now own the Oilers' first round pick thanks to the Penner signing, Burke will get the last laugh if he is standing at the podium this summer calling out the name of one Steve Stamkos.
There's a certain irony to Lowe wooing Penner by offering an obscene amount of coin to a mediocre player. Eventually, it will be a move that comes back to haunt the Oilers' GM, and possibly even cost him his job.
Call it voodoo magic, or plain stupidity on the part of Lowe, but it's evident that the unraveling of the Oilers could bring Burke's organization one blue-chip prospect and perhaps the first pick in the NHL entry draft.
If so, and as hard as it is to fathom, Brian Burke may end up sending a thank-you note to Kevin Lowe.