Oilers Gameday – @ Coyotes

The Oilers conclude their three game road trip with their final road game of the season tonight in the desert against the Phoenix Coyotes. The Oilers and Yotes are meeting for the fifth and final time. The Yotes have won all four meetings, including two one goal decisions in Phoenix earlier this season.

The Oilers come into this game on a three-game losing streak that has seen the team fall to the Rangers, Sharks and Ducks. Edmonton played two good games against San Jose and Anaheim, but their beaten and battered lineup could not hang onto to either third-period lead. Forward Nail Yakupov is not expected to play again this season, while defender Andrew Ference, thought to be shut-down last week, was trying to get back into the lineup tonight.

The Yotes are in a tough spot, fighting to get back into the top eight in the western conference. They are in a dogfight with the Dallas Stars for the final spot, but the Stars are holding games in hand and are currently ahead of the Yotes. For Phoenix, tonight is a must win hockey game. The Yotes top guns have struggled big time, as defender Keith Yandle and forwards Radim Vrbata and Mike Ribeiro have all gone cold in the stretch drive.

Ben Scrivens starts for Edmonton, while Thomas Greiss starts for the Coyotes.

Keys To The Game:

Edmonton: For the Oilers, they’ll want to open things up tonight and play an end-to-end game. The Oilers top line is on fire right now, and the Coyotes are really struggling to score goals. With the Yotes top guns in a funk, Edmonton’s best chance will be to open things up and turn this into a shoot-out style game. While the Yotes offense is better than previous years, it is not suited to that style.

Phoenix: The exact opposite applies for the Yotes. Phoenix’s key for tonight is to follow the system. The Coyotes’ calling card is smart and discipline defensive hockey. The Oilers struggle big time to generate chances against teams like this, and if the Yotes can play their their typical game they will come away with the two critical points.

Players To Watch:

Edmonton: Oilers forward Taylor Hall has been playing his best hockey recently. He is starting to correct things in terms of pushing the river, and he is putting up monster offensive numbers. He’s jumped into the NHL’s top ten scorers, and has been on fire during this road trip. He and his linemates will keep it up tonight, so sit back and enjoy the show.

Phoenix: Yotes forward Radim Vrbata has struggled recently, and is arguably the best goal scorer on the Coyotes’ roster. It’s crunch time in the desert, and all hands will be on the deck. The Oilers have been the slump-busters this season, and I suspect it continues tonight with a Vrbata goal.

Gameday Prediction:

The Coyotes are going to be desperate tonight when they host the Oilers. A loss tonight would be a major blow to their playoff hopes, and could be the loss they look back on after the season as the difference in why they missed. The Yotes will bring it, but Edmonton has kept things close the last few games. I’ll say the Oilers squeeze this one out tonight 3-2.

The Lines:

Edmonton Oilers Lines:

Taylor Hall – Ryan Nugent-Hopkins – Jordan Eberle

Anton Lander – Sam Gagner – David Perron

Ryan Smyth – Boyd Gordon – Steve Pinizzotto

Matt Hendricks – Will Acton – Phil Larsen

Oscar Klefbom – Justin Schultz

Martin Marincin – Jeff Petry

Mark Fraser – Anton Belov

Ben Scrivens

Phoenix Coyotes Lines:

Mikkel Boedker – Antoine Vermette – Shane Doan

Brandon McMillan – Martin Hanzel – Radim Vrbata

Rob Klinkhammer – Mike Ribeiro – Lauri Korpikoski

Kyle Chipchura – Jeff Halpern – Martin Erat

Oliver Ekman-Larsson – Zbynek Michalek

Keith Yandle – Michael Stone

Chris Summers – Derek Morris

Thomas Greiss