The Oilers return to the ice in game number four of their five game home-stand, looking for their first win on the stand and their first win in over a week and a half. Edmonton has lost four games in a row, all by one goal, including an overtime defeat last Thursday night. Tonight, the Oilers open up a set of back-to-back games by hosting the New Jersey Devils in the first meeting of the year between the sides.
Edmonton enters tonight with a decently healthy lineup, defender Nikita Nikitin is battling a back injury, but is expected in the line-up tonight. The lone change from Wednesday will be Keith Aulie coming out in favor of young defender Martin Marincin.
Viktor Fasth gets the nod for the first time since last Tuesday in Nashville, while Cory Schneider starts his 20th game in a row for the Devils in their 20th game of the season.
Last Games:
The Oilers last played on Wednesday night, hosting their rivals the Vancouver Canucks. The sides played an even first period, but Edmonton made a bad mistake on the power-play, resulting in a Canucks shorthanded break-away goal compliments of Jannik Hansen.
The Canucks would extend their lead early in the second on the power-play, as Radim Vrbata blasted a shot past Scrivens. Steve Pinizzotto’s first NHL goal would get Edmonton within one, but the Canucks would answer right back with a Chris Higgins tally. Edmonton would get two goals in eleven seconds compliments a Teddy Purcell power-play bomb, and a Boyd Gordon shot from a strange angle.
The Canucks would again answer however, this time with Vrbata’s second goal of the night. Andrew Ference would tie things with a point shot in the third, but a defensive break-down for Edmonton would prove costly as Yannick Weber found a way to beat Scrivens for the game winning goal in a 5-4 decision for the Canucks.
The Devils last took the ice on Tuesday in Winnipeg, and were totally outmatched by a surging Jets team. The first period was a scoreless one, but was dominated on the shot clock and chance wise by the Jets. Winnipeg broke the dam with a pair in the second, as Mathieu Perreault and Mark Scheifele each found the back of the net.
Patrik Elias would get the Devils within a goal early in the third, but it wasn’t enough as Michael Frolik put the game away at the 16:07 mark, making it a 3-1 final in favor of the Jets.
The Last Meeting:
The Oilers and Devils last met in New Jersey right before the Olympic break in February. The sides played an even first period, but the Devils got on the board first as Andrei Loktionov capitalized on a bad defensive break-down. Taylor Hall answered just 29 seconds later however, tying the game at one.
The second and third would see a goaltending battle between Ilya Bryzgalov and Cory Schneider, as neither goalie buckled. In overtime, the Devils would start setting things up, and found some chances. Rookie defender Jon Merrill got the best chance, and beat Bryzgalov clean for his first NHL goal, and the win for the Devils, 2-1. This forced a split in the season series.
Keys To The Game:
Edmonton: The Oilers are playing a team that doesn’t post a lot of offense, but possesses the puck and plays a tight defensive style. Edmonton’s key tonight is to play the cycle game. Keep the Devils defense moving a little bit, and try to get some looks at Schneider. You can’t get too pretty, but you have to establish a cycle.
New Jersey: The Devils are a strong defensive hockey team, it’s that simple. Their key tonight is to keep Edmonton to the outside. The Oilers have no threats from the point, and struggle to create offense from the outside. If you keep them there, you’ll easily walk away with the two points tonight.
Players To Watch:
Edmonton: Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl got his most ice time in a few games on Wednesday, and will tonight be playing with Taylor Hall. Leon needs to keep building offensively, and I think tonight we see him get some solid looks. I’m not sure if he’s going to find the back of the net, but I’m looking for a solid game from him. He’s been good against the east.
New Jersey: Devils forward Jaromir Jagr is 42 years old, but is still firing on all cylinders. Jagr leads the Devils in scoring, and has been nothing less than his usual spectacular self. Jagr still has that killer shot, and is a threat every single time he takes the ice. I’ll be keeping an eye on the legend tonight, who could be in his final game at Rexall Place.
Quick Hits:
The Oilers and Devils split the season series last year, with the home team winning both meetings and each meeting going to overtime. Cory Schneider has started all twenty games for the Devils this season, the only goalie in the NHL to do such a thing. Edmonton was trailing 3-0 last year against New Jersey at home before coming back and scoring four straight goals, New Jersey tied it in the last minute, sending the game to overtime.
The Lines:
Edmonton Oilers Lines:
Benoit Pouliot – Ryan Nugent-Hopkins – Jordan Eberle
Taylor Hall – Leon Draisaitl – Teddy Purcell
David Perron – Mark Arcobello – Nail Yakupov
Matt Hendricks – Boyd Gordon – Steve Pinizzotto
Andrew Ference – Justin Schultz
Martin Marincin – Mark Fayne
Nikita Nikitin – Jeff Petry
Viktor Fasth
New Jersey Devils Lines:
Michael Cammalleri – Travis Zajac – Jaromir Jagr
Patrik Elias – Adam Henrique – Martin Havlat
Tuomo Ruutu – Jacob Josefson – Michael Ryder
Dainius Zubrus – Stephen Gionta – Steve Bernier
Andy Greene – Damon Severson
Eric Gelinas – Marek Zidlicky
Adam Larsson – Seth Helgeson
Cory Schneider
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