How important is this game? Welcome To TheOilersRig.com, Madison Moroz!

WELCOME!

Please give a warm welcome to TheOilersRig.com’s newest writer, Madison Moroz! Maddy comes to us from ThePressboxx.com and we are very excited to have him share his opinions with you all on a consistent basis. For Maddy’s first post, he takes a look at the importance of tonight’s matchup against the Florida Panthers!

Tonight’s game against the Florida Panthers, surprisingly is one of significance. The Oilers are coming off of an abysmal 2 game home stand in which they got crushed and finished it off with a disastrous loss 5-0 against the Red wings. This left not just the fans disgusted, but almost every media person in the city. Now you might be thinking to yourself “how is a game in front of 8,000 people and against the Panthers a game of importance?” well the Oilers have a lot to prove on this upcoming road trip, a road trip against teams they have had success against in the past starting with the Panthers, who are a far worse team than the Oilers and who they should easily beat,but we have seen the effort the past few games and tonight’s game which would usually seem like an easy win,is telling us otherwise. The Oilers could potentially come out tonight and be blown out by the Panthers. They may be playing in front of what is estimated to be around 8,000 people, but that just makes the game that much more important. This could in turn open their eyes to the fact that if they continue to play the way that they are, that is what they might be playing in front of every home game. It could make them realize that they have one of the biggest fan bases in the NHL as well as one of the most loyal who show up and sell out every home game. It could be part of the wake up call they need

If the Oil don’t get their act together tonight this is going to be the first game in a long road trip, this is a team that our oh so highly skilled forwards should be able to light the lamp against, and our average defence should look like they are the St louis Blues defence,but its our goaltending that could be the one fault in this game, the one catalyst to disaster. Dubnyk is getting his first start since Richard Bachman took hold of the job and would be starting if he didn’t get injured in my opinion , and this is a big game for Dubnyk to prove all the haters and critics wrong including myself.
He has to be the one they can count on tonight because he’s the key to success. If he has a bad game, the Oilers will lose and will be embarrassed again. If he plays good not great it should build enough confidence in the defence and the forwards for them to take a few more risks and chances to try to put the puck in the net knowing that their goalie is going to bail them out if they turn the puck over. This game is all about building the teams confidence back, showing that they aren’t as bad their rec
ord indicates, showing they have a team that can compete every night and that wants to WIN.

Make no mistake though, this is a big game for everyone. The forwards failed to score a goal in two consecutive games. Thats 120 minutes without scoring a goal. With an offence like ours that shouldn’t be the case. They need to get a good start early and get lots of shots on net and not just muffins thrown at the front when no one is there to create any traffic or pick up a rebound. The shots need to be hard placed shots not necessarily ones that are going to score but ones that are going to create chances to score and create havoc for the opposing team. This forward group has a lot to prove tonight and i mean a lot, they havent scored in 2 games only put up 14 shots last game and couldn’t finish a scoring chance in Toronto if their lives depended on it.These guys have to stop acting as individuals and start acting as line mates and as a group that collectively wants to score not just individuals wanting to pad their stats.
Nail Yakupov in particular who has played a little better since being scratched has to use that quick release and start shooting 10-12 times a game. He has the potential to score 50 goals, but his lack of confidence and trust in his team mates is costing him and the Oilers opportunities to put the puck in the net.Look for him to step up tonight and get some of that confidence back, this is a game that caters to him extremely well. Its going to be an open ice game with lots of defensive breakdowns meaning he should be able to capitalize on a few of the chances he gets tonight.This group has a lot to prove tonight and to show everyone they are a team and not a group of individuals, look for them to hopefully break out in a big way.

There isn’t much to say on the defensive aspect for tonight. They will need to take risks and jump into the play to try to create as much offence as possible.They still need to make sure their risks are still somewhat calculated. This a team that needs to continue to keep the opposing team on the perimeter but that being said they have to make sure its tough for them to get into the scoring areas.They have to play harder and tougher and force a player to think twice before trying to cut into the middle or drive to the net. They need to close their gaps and stop giving up the blue line, make sure Dubnyk can see the puck and help him out in every way possible. As the great coach Ted Orion would say (see D3: The Mighty Ducks movie reference) make them make the first move and clear the garbage in front of the net. They can’t give the Panthers an opportunity to find loose pucks and win those battles in front of the net, they have some very skilled players as well who jump on those opportunities to bury the puck. Taylor Fedun is playing in his first regular season NHL game and i predict he will be the best Oiler defenseman on the ice.He skates well, he has a calm demeanour to his game and makes a great first pass itll be a big test to see how he handles and adjusts to the pace of the game.Luckily for him he’s not facing an overly physical team and should have time and space out there to make some plays.

Playing the Panthers to start this road trip is either going to be the best or worst thing for them right now. Tonight is going to be a test and after some harsh words by captain Andrew Ference,its time to see how this team reacts to its leader calling his team out!

Just want to say thanks to Alex, Dave and Jeremy for bringing me on im super excited and hope to provide some entertaining articles!

Thanks and feel free to tell me your opinions on twitter @Madi39