Oilers Gameday – @ Boston

After one of their worst efforts of the season on Tuesday night, the Oilers return to the ice tonight in Boston to take on the Bruins in the first of two meetings this season. The Oilers swept the season series a year ago, and have actually won three straight against the Bruins. All three games have gone past 60 minutes, with Edmonton winning two shootouts and an overtime decision.

The Oilers are in the second game of a four game road trip, and have now lost two in a row after a big win over Los Angeles last Thursday night. The club will need a bounce back effort tonight after getting blasted in Columbus on Tuesday night. That was a game that saw both Benoit Pouliot and Jordan Eberle end up in the doghouse.

Cam Talbot starts for the Oilers, while Tuukka Rask will be his opposite in the Boston net.

Keys To The Game:

Edmonton: The Oilers will need to be a lot more aggressive tonight against a Boston team that has been dominating possession wise. The Oilers were not aggressive on Tuesday and it cost them as the Jackets ran all over them. Tonight, the Oilers need to have that aggressive forecheck and backcheck going at 100%. If they can do that, like they did against LA last week, then they’ll have a shot to win this one.

Boston: The Bruins will need to play a matchup game tonight if they want to top the Oilers. Getting Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand out against Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl will be key for Claude Julian, and if the Bruins can do that, they’ll be in a good spot to shut down Edmonton’s attack.

Players To Watch:

Edmonton: Milan Lucic is back in Boston tonight, and you just know he’s ready for this one. When Lucic gets rolling, he’s one of the most dominant power forwards in the NHL, and I expect him to be ready for this one. Lucic scored in this building against his former team one season ago, and I suspect we see a repeat performance of that tonight.

Boston: David Pastrnak has been one of the NHL’s best goal scorers this season. While he’s been a little cold as of late, he’s a player with a lot of skill, speed and finish. Tonight will really be the first chance Oiler fans get to see a confident Pastrnak in action. I’d keep a close eye on him.

The Lines:

Brandon Davidson did not skate in practice yesterday but did take the morning skate today for the Oilers. He’s apparently battling an illness and will not be available tonight. Matt Hendricks also looks to be out of the rotation for tonight for Edmonton.

Edmonton Oilers Lines:

Patrick Maroon – Connor McDavid – Leon Draisaitl

Milan Lucic – Ryan Nugent-Hopkins – Zack Kassian

Benoit Pouliot – Drake Caggiula – Jordan Eberle

Anton Lander – Mark Letestu – Jesse Puljujarvi

Oscar Klefbom – Adam Larsson

Andrej Sekera – Matt Benning

Kris Russell – Eric Gryba

Cam Talbot

Boston Bruins Lines:

Brad Marchand – Patrice Bergeron – David Pastrnak

Ryan Spooner – David Krejci – Frank Vatrano

Tim Schaller – Austin Czarnik – Jimmy Hayes

Anton Blidh – Dominic Moore – Riley Nash

Zdeno Chara – Brandon Carlo

Torey Krug – Adam McQuaid

Kevan Miller – Colin Miller

Tuukka Rask

Game Notes:

Anton Lander looks slated to return to the lineup tonight for the first time since being recalled from the AHL earlier this week. He’ll replace Matt Hendricks in the lineup, who has had two tough games in a row for the Oilers. Jesse Puljujarvi, as a result of being on the roster for tonight’s game, will burn a year of RFA eligibility. This is the 40th game he’ll be on the roster for.

David Backes, who has missed Boston’s last two games with a concussion, is expected to miss tonight’s tilt even after taking the morning skate. The Bruins signed him to a multi-year deal this past July 1st and he’s been one of their better forwards during the first half of the season.

The Oilers have just five wins against the east this season, with their most recent win coming back in December against Tampa Bay in a shootout.

Prediction:

It’s been over 15 years since Edmonton defeated Boston in regulation time, seriously. The Bruins are also coming off of a lackluster road game, but they were hot with a pair of wins over Buffalo prior to the defeat. Boston also matches up quite well against the Oilers, and will present a lot of problems.

The biggest killer? I’ll be in the crowd tonight and am a combined 1-7-1 in Oiler games I’ve attended. Sorry in advance folks.

Boston wins this one 3-1, as McDavid gets Edmonton’s lone tally. Marchand, Vatrano and Colin Miller will pot the goals for the Bruins.