Oilers Gameday: February 11th vs Islanders

New York (17-17-6) at Edmonton (23-18-3)

Welcome to a new era. Yes it’s time for the debut of a new coach, something that the longest tenured Oilers are all too familiar with. Perhaps the move should have been made last month, as January saw the Oilers with a lot of spare time between games, a luxury that is not on the horizon going forward.

A win streak headed into the All-Star break and the signing of Evander Kane were only enough to delay the inevitable it seems. In the end it was with obvious desperation that Tippett turned to Mike Smith on back to back nights, a symbolic ending to the long path the two have shared. Having missed most of the season with recurring injuries Smith had not even found his groove yet, asking an old, cold goalie to play back to back is desperate, especially considering Skinner has played well enough to at least get a start here and there, and the lowly Blackhawks were in town. It is almost inexcusable to have asked so much of Smith at this point.

It wasn’t Smith’s fault the Oilers lost either of the games since the break. The team was completely flat in both performances, clearly the second best team on the ice both nights. It really doesn’t matter if one thinks Tippett was a good coach still, ever, or for this team, the signs were clear that the time for a change was upon us.

Looking to the future, Woodcroft comes in as the new Head Coach. We should be expecting some systems or structure changes, but mostly we should see a team that is much more likely to trust younger players, particularly those which have spent time with Woodcroft in the AHL. Yes, that group includes some that have been with the Oilers all season, like McLeod, Benson, and Skinner. It will also include a further influx coming with the coach amidst some injuries that have popped up.

Keith, Kassian, and Turris were moved to the IR. In subsequent moves Niemelainen, Broberg, and Brad Malone are moving up to the big club. We’ll see how many get into the lineup right away. In general the Oilers young players have been good this season, and we should expect that to be the case even more so now that the Coach trusts them. This is the surest way for the Oilers roster to improve, from within. There should be some line shuffling and adjustments in general as the team gets acclimated, but first and foremost the effort needs to be rekindled.

In their way tonight is another team that has disappointed this season in the New York Islanders. Coming off of back to back trips to the conference finals, losing to the eventual Cup champion Lightning both times, a flat start marred by COVID outbreaks and a road heavy schedule saw Trotz’s group fall behind the pace early. In an eastern conference that has 8 other strong teams it seems like a deficit that the Isles can not work their way out of. The veteran laden group can still check well and has turned their record around as of late.

We’re expecting to see Mike Smith get the start once again for the Oilers, while the Isles seem to be starting Ilya Sorokin.

KEYS TO THE GAME

Edmonton:

1. Energy and attitude. The Oilers might not play a picture perfect game under their new Coach, but a revitalized spirit and focus needs to be the backbone of any turnaround here in the second half of the season.

New York:

1. Commit to defence. The Oilers have struggled against teams that are able to shut down their attack, an identity that the Isles pride themselves on.

EXPECTED LINEUPS

Edmonton:

Hyman — McDavid — Puljujarvi

Kane — Draisaitl — Yamamoto

Foegele — RNH — Ryan

Benson — McLeod — Shore

Nurse — Bouchard

Lagesson — Ceci

Niemelainen — Barrie

Smith

Skinner

New York: Palmieri is a game time decision.

Lee — Barzal — Beauvillier

Johnston — Nelson — Bailey

Parise — Pageau — Wahlstrom

Martin — Cizikas — Clutterbuck

Pelech — Mayfield

Chara — Dobson

Greene — Pulock

Sorokin

Varlamov

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Edmonton:

Up front it’s nice to see Puljujarvi back with McDavid. There’s been no spot where Jesse has been more effective, and arguably no player that has been more effective in that spot since. It’s nice to see Draisaitl back with some legitimate top 6 talent after some makeshift lines the past game or two. Similarly Foegele should be on the 3rd line, even if it’s on the right wing. On cue Tyler Benson works into the lineup with McLeod, a duo that has had a lot of success for Woodcroft in the past.

There’s been some chatter amongst those who understand Woodcroft’s systems more than myself. The thinking seems to be that more will be asked from the centres down low in the defensive zone. This will surely help the Oilers get out of their end more effectively and could translate into more rush chances. It’s also likely that it will take a greater toll on the centres, which means icetime for McDavid and Draisaitl might be eased back a little, while RNH and McLeod are more than capable enough to handle whatever is left over.

The defence remains about what you’d expect to see given Keith is out. Woodcroft and Assistant Coach Dave Manson are obviously quite familiar with the Oilers depth and they will need to rely on that knowledge. Niemelainen is a good partner for Barrie as he brings an opposing skillset, and has surprising skating abilities for someone with his size and physicality.

It’s fine that Mike Smith is getting the start tonight, but I can’t help but point out that I think it’s been a disturbance to Skinner, Koskinen, and the team as a whole that he hasn’t gotten more starts. At the best of times the combination of Smith and Koskinen is just good enough to be at an adequate level. Both need to stay fresh and overtaxing either can lead to the inconsistencies and injuries that we both expected and have seen come to fruition. Hopefully both can stay healthy and get a nice rhythm of splits going in the future, but I certainly hope that until then Skinner can see a bit more action.

New York:

This Islanders lineup is quite similar to that which we’ve seen make deep playoff runs in recent years. It’s a lineup marked by a spreading of talent on both forward and defence.

In general the offence has been hard to come by this season, punctuated by Barzal’s modest offensive totals. With Nelson, Pageau, and Cizikas behind him it’s a stout group of centres, with a blend of size and skills.

There are some wingers with offensive abilities, like Beauviller, Bailey, Parise, and captain Anders Lee that have been around long enough for us to be familiar with. On the rise is the talented Wahlstrom.

Each of the Isles’ more notable defencemen, Pelech, Pulock, and the young Noah Dobson are partnered with a steady presence.