Oilers Gameday – @ Capitals

The Oilers open up a very important five game road trip tonight in Washington against the Capitals in the second and final meeting between the sides on the season. This is Edmonton’s first trip to the east coast this season.

The Oilers will be without F’s Connor McDavid and Rob Klinkhammer along with D Justin Schultz tonight. All three are on the IR currently. D’s Griffin Reinhart Andrew Ference and F Anton Lander will be healthy scratches tonight. The Capitals are completely healthy with no players on the IR.

Anders Nilsson starts for Edmonton while Braden Holtby gets the start for Washington.

Last Game:

Edmonton: The Oilers last took the ice on Friday night when they hosted the New Jersey Devils. Edmonton dominated this tilt, getting the better of the scoring chances right from the get go. Leon Draisaitl got the Oil off and running just 6:59 in with his seventh of the season.

Kyle Palmieri tied things up 6:04 into the second with a power-play marker, but Edmonton would respond just over a minute later as Oscar Klefbom beat Keith Kinkaid with a shot from above the circle.

Jordan Eberle, Mark Letestu and Taylor Hall would all add insurance markers in the third period, while Anders Nilsson would stop four third period shots to seal Edmonton’s 5-1 win over the Devils.

Washington: The Caps last played on Saturday night as they hosted the Colorado Avalanche. Washington absolutely dominated, scoring four first period goals. Justin Williams opened the scoring 3:05 in, while Alex Ovechkin, John Carlson and Nate Schmidt all got in on the fun before the horn sounded.

Cody McLeod and Nathan MacKinnon would get Colorado within two by scoring in the middle frame, but Washington would wake up again in the third period to put this tilt away.

Evgeny Kuznetsov, Dmitry Orlov and Karl Alzner would all score for Washington in the final twenty minutes of play. Andreas Martinsen would score his first for the Avs, but it didn’t matter as Washington’s offensive onslaught resulted in a 7-3 victory for the Caps.

Last Meeting:

Washington and Edmonton last met exactly one month ago today in Edmonton in a high scoring tilt. The Caps and Oil traded the first four goals as Evgeny Kuznetsov, Benoit Pouliot, Nicklas Backstrom and Rob Klinkhammer took turns lighting the lamp. Marcus Johansson would give Washington the lead in the final minute of the first.

Connor McDavid would answer just 36 seconds into the second period, tying things at three, but the Caps took over from there. Kuznetsov, Andre Burakovsky and Justin Williams all scored to put the Caps up three before Ryan Nugent-Hopkins got Edmonton within two late in the second. Kuznetsov completed the hat-trick in the third period to seal the Caps’ 7-4 win.

Keys To The Game:

Edmonton: The Oilers need to stick to the system tonight. A month ago, they played far too loose defensively and Washington made them pay. They need to make a skilled Washington team fight for their scoring chances. If they can do that, they’ll have a chance.

Washington: The Oil are a speedy and skilled team but so aren’t the Caps. Washington is also more experienced and much deeper. If Washington can get a weak Oilers defense to trade chances with them tonight, they should fill the net here.

Players To Watch:

Edmonton: Leon Draisaitl has been a complete revelation since his recall form Bakersfield. He and Taylor Hall have teamed up to form one of the NHL’s deadliest duos. Hall usually has more success against the east, meaning he and Leon could be primed for a massive road trip. Will Dr. Drai keep producing? I’ll be watching that tonight.

Washington: Justin Williams is one of the most underrated players in the NHL. The veteran forward routinely plays a key role on strong teams and produces at a high level. This is the last chance for Oiler fans to see him this season, so I’ll be watching him closely.

Quick Hits:

The last two season series between the sides have been sweeps. In 2013-14, Washington swept the set, while Edmonton swept it last season. Washington will look to complete the season sweep tonight. Leon Draisaitl leads the NHL in points-per-game on the season. Evgeny Kuznetsov had five points (three goals, two assists) in the win over Edmonton last month.

Lines:

Edmonton Oilers Lines:

Taylor Hall – Leon Draisaitl – Teddy Purcell

Benoit Pouliot – Ryan Nugent-Hopkins – Jordan Eberle

Matt Hendricks – Mark Letestu – Nail Yakupov

Lauri Korpikoski – Lauri Korpikoski – Iiro Pakarinen

Darnell Nurse – Andrej Sekera

Oscar Klefbom – Mark Fayne

Brandon Davidson – Eric Gryba

Anders Nilsson

Washington Capitals Lines:

Alex Ovechkin – Nicklas Backstrom – T.J. Oshie

Marcus Johansson – Evgeny Kuznetsov – Justin Williams

Jason Chimera – Jay Beagle – Stanislav Gailev

Brooks Laich – Michael Latta – Tom Wilson

Nate Schmidt – John Carlson

Karl Alzner – Matt Niskanen

Dmitry Orlov – Taylor Chorney

Braden Holtby