Oilers Gameday – @ Canucks

After a tough loss at home to the Flames on Thursday, Edmonton picks up the ball and keeps rolling tonight in Vancouver against the hated Canucks. The Oilers, even though they lost on Thursday, have already shown some positives this season, including strong possession play and solid offensive pressure from all four lines. Edmonton knocked off Vancouver twice last season, including a 5-2 victory in the season finale last year at Rexall Place.

The Canucks are 1-0 on the season, and last played on Wednesday night in Calgary. This is Vancouver’s home opener, and will be the first regular season game for Ryan Miller at home.

The Last Game:

Edmonton: The Oilers opened up the 2014-15 season on Thursday night at home against the Calgary Flames. Edmonton came out flying in the first minutes, but quickly got pushed to the ground by the hard working Flames. Mark Giordano blasted a shot from the point that Mason Raymond tipped home, while just one minute later Jiri Hudler fired home a shot that beat Scrivens. The Oilers, after falling behind, pushed back in a major way.

On their first power-play, Teddy Purcell fired home a one-timer off a David Perron feed to get Edmonton on the board, while Taylor Hall blasted home a one-timer mid-way through the second period to tie things up. Both Brad Hunt and Jordan Eberle hit posts in the period, while Edmonton out-shot the Flames 11-4.

The third period was a different story. The shots were even 15 a piece, while Edmonton did have some solid chances but failed to convert. Calgary, however, converted on three of their chances to win the game. Mason Raymond completed the hat-trick with two goals, while TJ Brodie scored his first of the year to give the Flames a 5-2 victory.

Vancouver: The Canucks opened up the season on the road on Wednesday night in a battle against the Flames. The first period was pretty even, but Vancouver was the team that broke through, as Alex Burrows tipped home a shot at the 11:55 mark to give the Canucks a lead.

Calgary tied things up 4:08 into the second as Paul Byron snapped a shot past Ryan Miller after being sprung forward by Joe Colborne. Zack Kassian put home a Linden Vey pass at the 5:16 mark to give the Canucks the lead back, while Radim Vrbata scored the insurance marker about six minutes later to put Vancouver up 3-1.

Calgary drew within one at the 13:19 mark of the second as Jiri Hudler snapped his first of the season home, but that would be all Ryan Miller would give to the home side. Miller squashed a potential Flames rally with nine saves in the final frame, while Henrik Sedin scored an empty net goal to give the Canucks a 4-2 victory on the road.

Keys To The Game:

Edmonton: The Oilers can’t get away from their game plan. Yes, the Oilers lost on Thursday night, but they played a really good game overall. If Edmonton goes out and plays that puck-possession game that they played on Thursday, then they should win and get back to .500. The Oilers can’t panic, they need to stay within their game plan and trust that the puck-possession style they are trying to use will work. It’s simple, play your game.

Vancouver: The Canucks are a team that usually finds a way to shut-down the Oiler attack, it’s become one of three certainties of life. Death, taxes, and Edmonton struggling against Vancouver. The key for the Canucks tonight is to apply defensive pressure on the Oilers, which they have done masterfully the last few seasons. Guys like Bieksa, Edler and Hamhuis need to be on their game tonight, and they will be the key. If Hall and friends are allowed to roam free, it’ll be a long night for Vancouver.

Players To Watch:

Edmonton: Oilers forward Nail Yakupov played arguably his best game in over a year on Thursday against the Flames. Edmonton badly needs him to step up in order to fill their secondary hole, he’s got the talent to do it, it’s just a matter of putting it all together. So far, so good for Nail. He’s flashed his offensive prowess and looks like he finally gets defense. I’ll be looking for him tonight to see how he handles this in a road game. You should be watching him too.

Vancouver: The guy on the Sedin line is always a candidate to break out. This year, Radim Vrbata gets to take a spin on the line. Vrbata scored on opening night, and has a reputation, thanks to his days as a Coyote, as a legit goal scorer. If he can supply the Canucks with one of those thirty goal seasons he gave the Coyotes, then Vancouver is in good shape. I’ll be keeping my eyes on the new guy riding shot-gun with the twins.

The Lines:

Edmonton Oilers Lines:

Taylor Hall – Ryan Nugent-Hopkins – Jordan Eberle

Benoit Pouliot – Leon Draisaitl – Nail Yakupov

David Perron – Mark Arcobello – Teddy Purcell

Matt Hendricks – Boyd Gordon – Jesse Joensuu

Nikita Nikitin – Mark Fayne

Andrew Ference – Justin Schultz

Brad Hunt – Jeff Petry

Viktor Fasth

Vancouver Canucks Lines:

Daniel Sedin – Henrik Sedin – Radim Vrbata

Chris Higgins – Nick Bonino – Alex Burrows

Brad Richardson – Linden Vey – Zack Kassian

Derek Dorsett – Shawn Matthias – Jannik Hansen

Alex Edler – Chris Tanev

Dan Hamhuis – Luca Sbisa

Yannick Weber – Ryan Stanton

Ryan Miller