Oilers Gameday – @ Ducks

The Oilers open their final stretch before the All-Star break tonight as they visit Anaheim to battle the Ducks for the third time this season. The home team has won each of the previous two meetings this season, with Edmonton topping the Ducks 3-2 in overtime back on December 3rd. The Oilers haven’t won in Anaheim since November of 2015.

This also opens a back-to-back set which will conclude tomorrow night in San Jose. These are also the team’s final two games before the break and final two road games for the month of January. Edmonton, in four games against the Sharks and Ducks this season, has a combined record of 1-2-1. This is a good chance for the Oil to send a message and improve on that mark.

Cam Talbot starts for the Oilers, while Jonathan Bernier is expected to start for the Ducks.

Keys To The Game:

Edmonton: The Oilers need a good start tonight against the Ducks. The last time Edmonton was in Anaheim, they fell behind early and the Ducks were able to cruise to an easy victory. Getting out to a good start and maybe even an early lead will greatly help the Oilers chances of finally getting a win in Orange County.

Anaheim: Neutral zone play is going to be huge for the Ducks tonight. The Oilers struggle transitioning the puck through that area while the Ducks are usually strong in that regard. If the Ducks can cause problems for the Oilers and force turnovers in the neutral zone, they should be able to pick up two points in this one.

Players To Watch:

Edmonton: Patrick Maroon returns to Anaheim again, this time playing the best hockey of his career. There’s little doubt that the former Duck would love to prove his former team wrong tonight, and he’ll likely have a few chances to do so. Maroon is going to be motivated, and the way his line is going right now, that’s bad news for the Ducks.

Anaheim: Once again, Ryan Kesler will be tasked with slowing down Connor McDavid. So far in the series, Kesler has done a very good job of shutting McDavid down and limiting his line. That said, Kesler is in for a more difficult task tonight as McDavid has settled in with Patrick Maroon and Leon Draisaitl. This will be a great battle within the game.

The Lines:

As mentioned above, the Oilers will turn to Cam Talbot tonight after giving him Saturday night off. Talbot should be well rested as he hasn’t played since Friday’s shootout loss to Nashville. Outside of that, the lineup is expected to remain the same after three days of rest.

Edmonton Oilers Lines:

Patrick Maroon – Connor McDavid – Leon Draisaitl

Benoit Pouliot – Ryan Nugent-Hopkins – Jordan Eberle

Milan Lucic – Drake Caggiula – Anton Slepyshev

Matt Hendricks – Mark Letestu – Zack Kassian

Oscar Klefbom – Adam Larsson

Andrej Sekera – Kris Russell

Brandon Davidson – Matt Benning

Cam Talbot

Anaheim Ducks Lines:

Rickard Rakell – Ryan Getzlaf – Corey Perry

Andrew Cogliano – Ryan Kesler – Logan Shaw

Nick Ritchie – Antoine Vermette – Ondrej Kase

Joseph Cramarossa – Kalle Kossila – Jared Boll

Cam Fowler – Sami Vatanen

Hampus Lindholm – Josh Manson

Shea Theodore – Kevin Bieksa

Jonathan Bernier

Game Notes:

The Oilers currently sit three points behind the Ducks, but hold a game in hand on their rivals from California. A victory tonight would put Edmonton in a spot to jump the Ducks with two more points tomorrow in San Jose. The Oilers could be first place in the Pacific Division with a pair of wins in the next 48 hours.

The Ducks lost forward Stefan Noesen on waivers earlier today as the New Jersey Devils claimed him. Noesen had been apart of the Ducks organization since being acquired for Bobby Ryan in 2013. Anaheim won’t have forward Jakob Silfverberg in the lineup tonight, another player acquired for Ryan, as he is battling an upper-body injury.

This is the third of five meetings between the sides on the season. They’ll next meet on March 22nd back in Anaheim and then conclude the season series on April 1st in Edmonton.

Prediction:

California, to put it nicely, has not been a kind place to the Oilers over the years. Not only have the Oilers lost games in this state, they’ve been absolutely embarrassed in those contests. Even this season, a year of marked improvement, has seen the Oilers go 0-2-1 in Cali.

Tonight will be no different in the end. The Oilers will put up a fight in this game, but ultimately the Ducks take it 4-2, ending the game with an empty net tally in the dying seconds. Maroon and Pouliot get the goals for the Oilers, while Getzlaf, Perry, Vatanen and finally Kase score for the Ducks.