The Edmonton Oilers continue to ride hot and cold streaks and tonight will look to keep riding the hot wave and build on their three game winning streak. The Oilers conclude their brief two game road trip with a visit to Glendale to battle the Arizona Coyotes, a team that has owned them over the years.
The Oilers haven’t beaten the Coyotes in Arizona since the end of the 2013-14 season, having been swept by the Yotes in 2014-15 and only winning one game (in a shootout) against them last year in Edmonton. Gila River Arena has been, simply put, a house of horrors for the Oiler franchise the last few years.
Cam Talbot is back in net for the Oilers after a strong outing on Wednesday night, while Mike Smith gets the nod for the Coyotes.
Keys To The Game:
Edmonton: The Oilers could use a quick start against a fragile and young Arizona club. The Yotes fell behind early on Wednesday and got routed by Vancouver, so a few early chances and a quick goal or two could be enough for the Oilers to snap a nasty streak against Arizona. A good first period is an absolute must tonight.
Arizona: The Coyotes must find a way to slow this hockey game down tonight. Arizona’s defensive group has some quick bodies, but overall it is a young and less than stellar group of rearguards. Instead of trading chances with Edmonton, they have to find a way to play a system oriented game and keep things at a good pace.
Players To Watch:
Edmonton: Benoit Pouliot missed the last three games as a healthy scratch, but he’s back in tonight. It’s been a tough month for the veteran, but I’m willing to bet he’s hungry and ready to go in this tilt. Pouliot will start in the bottom six, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he still found a way to make a difference in this one. I’ll be watching him closely.
Arizona: Anthony DeAngelo is a former first round draft pick who the Oilers were rumored to be interested in around deadline time last year. In the end, the offensive defender was traded from Tampa to Arizona and has adjusted nicely. He dominated the AHL to start the year and is currently finding the range in the NHL. I’ll be keeping an eye on him tonight.
The Lines:
Some movement for Todd McLellan tonight. Eric Gryba will remain a healthy scratch, but he is joined by Matt Hendricks and Anton Slepyshev. Both Benoit Pouliot and Mark Letestu draw into the lineup, while Drake Caggiula shifts from center to the wing.
Edmonton Oilers Lines:
Milan Lucic – Connor McDavid – Jesse Puljujarvi
Patrick Maroon – Ryan Nugent-Hopkins – Jordan Eberle
Benoit Pouliot – Leon Draisaitl – Drake Caggiula
Zack Kassian – Mark Letestu – Tyler Pitlick
Oscar Klefbom – Adam Larsson
Andrej Sekera – Kris Russell
Darnell Nurse – Matt Benning
Cam Talbot
Arizona Coyotes Lines:
Max Domi – Martin Hanzal – Radim Vrbata
Jamie McGinn – Christian Dvorak – Anthony Duclair
Tobias Rieder – Jordan Martinook – Shane Doan
Lawson Crouse – Laurent Dauphin – Ryan White
Oliver Ekman-Larsson – Connor Murphy
Alex Goligoski – Anthony DeAngelo
Kevin Connauton – Michael Stone
Mike Smith
Game Notes:
The Coyotes have recorded a point in 23 straight meetings against the Oilers, going 19-0-4 in that stretch. The last time Edmonton knocked Arizona off in regulation time was back in January of 2011, nearly six years ago. Mike Smith, who is in net tonight, has been a big reason for that success. He’s 13-1-1 against Edmonton in his career.
Connor McDavid’s 27 points is good for the NHL lead. He currently has a three point cushion in Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov, who has hit the scoresheet 24 times this season. Jordan Eberle is the second Oiler on that list, clocking in at 42nd overall with 16 points. He’s tied with teammate Leon Draisaitl and a host of other players.
This is the first meeting of the season between the division rivals, who will meet again on Sunday afternoon in Edmonton to conclude a home-and-home set to open the season series.
Prediction:
Edmonton is hot right now while Arizona sits at the bottom of the Western Conference standings and just got dismantled by Vancouver. On paper, the Oilers should win this hockey game. That said, Arizona has dominated Edmonton this decade regardless of how good or bad the Yotes have been.
The Oilers never win in the desert and I don’t think that will change tonight. It won’t be for a lack of effort, the Oilers will push this to overtime, but it will be to no avail.
Arizona takes this contest 2-1 in extra time. Maroon scores for Edmonton while Martinook gets the regulation tally for the Coyotes. Shane Doan wins it in overtime.
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