Oilers Gameday – Vs. Wild

The Oilers return home following a solid 2-2-0 road trip and a week off thanks to the All-Star break tonight. The Oil will host the Wild in the first of three meetings between the teams this season. Minnesota is still in the thick of the playoff chase, while Edmonton has put together a decent run of hockey.

Taylor Hall will miss tonight’s game with a lower body injury for Edmonton, while Minnesota will be without D Keith Ballard, who is on the IR.

Viktor Fasth, who has won two in a row, starts for Edmonton, while former Oiler Devan Dubnyk starts for the Wild.

Last Games:

Edmonton: The Oilers played Washington last Tuesday in a game which might be their signature win for 2014-15. Washington came out flying, as Alex Ovechkin scored a pair of goals before the 15 minute mark. Derek Roy would get Edmonton within one at the 14:51 mark, but Jay Beagle would tip home a shot moments later to put Washington up 3-1 heading to the middle frame.

Edmonton would get the lone goal of the second with just four seconds left, as Nikita Nikitin blasted home a rocket from the point on the power-play. The third period saw Niklas Backstrom score 6:38 in, but then saw Edmonton fight back.

Teddy Purcell and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins would each score to send the game into overtime, which solved nothing. In the shootout, Washington struck first with a goal by Evgeny Kuznetsov, but Roy and Purcell would each score to give Edmonton a huge 5-4 win.

Minnesota: The Wild played a pretty crazy game of their own against the Red Wings last Tuesday night in Detroit. Teemu Pulkkinen and Jonathan Ericsson would score for the Wings early, while a Mikko Koivu marker in between would send us to the second at a 2-1 spread.

The Wings would gain control in the second, as Gustav Nyquist and Xavier Ouellet would each score to put Detroit up by a commanding 4-1 margin. Minnesota didn’t back off however, and had a monster third period.

Zach Parise would score twice, while Thomas Vanek would add a marker to send things to OT. OT solved nothing, and the sides headed to a shootout. Pavel Datsyuk and Gustav Nyquist would both convert, giving the Red Wings a hard earned 5-4 win.

Last Meeting:

The Oilers and Wild last met in March of 2014 in a crazy game in St. Paul. Zach Parise, Jason Pominville and Jared Spurgeon would each scored to put the Wild up 3-0 early in the first, within the 15:23 mark to be exact. Jeff Petry would add a marker late to draw Edmonton within two, but it seemed meaningless.

Neither side found the back of the net in the middle frame, but in the third, Edmonton came alive. Both David Perron and Jordan Eberle would score to force overtime, while Viktor Fasth would stand tall and help force a shootout.

The sides went back and forth, lasting four rounds, but Taylor Hall would score the winner to give Edmonton a stunning 4-3 comeback win.

Keys To The Game:

Edmonton: A quick start is huge tonight for the Oilers. Minnesota is a fragile team right now, and if Edmonton gets their confidence going with a big play early, they could actually carry the pace here. Get in Minnesota’s face early, and this could be two points for Edmonton.

Minnesota: Keeping shots to the outside is huge tonight. The Oilers have been doing a good job of making things happen down low, but haven’t had much success from long range this year. Devan Dubnyk is pretty good from long range, and should be able to hold his own if the Wild keep Edmonton to the perimeter.

Players To Watch:

Edmonton: Oilers F Benoit Pouliot has been playing some really good hockey lately, and tonight gets shifted to the top-line. Pouliot was good here earlier this season, and I’m expecting more of the same tonight. He’ll get some chances, and is certainly a player to watch in terms of scoring a goal and making an impact.

Minnesota: Wild F Zach Parise has been through a lot this season, mainly the death of his father. That said, he’s really turned it up lately, and is riding an insanely hot stretch. He’s a gifted scorer, and always gives Edmonton fits. Keep a close eye on him tonight.

Quick Hits:

F Taylor Hall was hit by a shot in practice on Monday and is still banged up. He’ll miss tonight’s game and is currently day-to-day. Viktor Fasth starts his third game in a row, matching a season high streak for him. Fasth has yet to win a game at home this year for the Oilers. The Wild acquired G Devan Dubnyk from Arizona for a draft pick before the All-Star break.

The Lines:

Edmonton Oilers Lines:

Benoit Pouliot – Ryan Nugent-Hopkins – Jordan Eberle

Nail Yakupov – Derek Roy – Teddy Purcell

Matt Fraser – Anton Lander – Luke Gazdic

Matt Hendricks – Boyd Gordon – Rob Klinkhammer

Nikita Nikitin – Mary Fayne

Oscar Klefbom – Jeff Petry

Andrew Ference – Justin Schultz

Viktor Fasth

Minnesota Wild Lines:

Zach Parise – Mikko Koivu – Jason Pominville

Jason Zucker – Mikael Granlund – Thomas Vanek

Ryan Carter – Charlie Coyle – Nino Niederreiter

Matt Coke – Kyle Brodziak – Justin Fontaine

Ryan Suter – Jonas Brodin

Jared Spurgeon – Marco Scandella

Nate Prosser – Christian Folin

Devan Dubnyk