Oilers Gameday: February 17th vs Ducks

Anaheim (23-18-9) at Edmonton (26-18-3)

It’s almost hard to believe that just last week things were decidedly bleak and existential in Oil Country, when 2 very uninspired efforts led to the dismissal of Coach Tippett. Since then the club has won 3 straight in impressive fashion, raising the team’s record to 7-2-1 in their past 10 games. For a team that had national media preparing for drastic offseason autopsies, as far as openly questioning McDavid’s willingness to stay in Edmonton, it’s been a turn of events that almost seems sudden.

Granted, the Oilers will not be undefeated under new Coach Woodcroft forever, but we have seen some obvious and positive developments in the early goings. The whole vibe of the locker room appears to be more positive, invoking a simpler time, November, when the Oilers were cruising out to an early lead in the Pacific Division. It’s a reminder that playoff standing is volatile and temporary, but the Oilers can punctuate a strong stretch with a win against a divisional opponent in direct contention tonight with the Ducks in town.

Perhaps the clock has struck midnight for the upstart Ducks, who surprised most everyone in the first half of the season. No doubt there are some elite pieces and some veterans leftover from competitive iterations, but the Ducks soared to unexpected heights thanks to younger players vastly outperforming expectations. In particular Troy Terry and Trevor Zegras, whose skills have reinvigorated the offence.

As the end of the season draws near and as games become more intense, we will have to wait and see if the Ducks can keep pace with the increasing demands. 4-4-2 in their past 10 is certainly not good enough to keep in the wildcard race. At the very least the Ducks have surpassed many of the outside expectations that might have been placed on them, which should help the morale of the team headed forward, which might help them to re-sign key pieces like upcoming UFA Hampus Lindholm.

After winning what was essentially a 4-point-game against the Los Angeles Kings, tonight is a similarly important game for the Oilers. There is still a ways to go in the season, but decisive victories against direct competition go a long way towards sealing a future beyond the regular season. The Oilers roster has its flaws, but this team is starting to reclaim its deserved place with Vegas and Calgary atop the Division.

What’s more is that one of the areas of concern for the Oilers, goaltending, is in as good of a spot as it has been this season. With Koskinen activated off of COVID protocols and Smith posting strong efforts the tandem is finally intact. Of course it helps that the team in front of them appears to be more focused and detailed, as many of the players have been quoted, and as Skinner’s first shutout proves. It seems as though it will be Smith getting the start tonight, while the Ducks counter with Stolarz after starter John Gibson had a rough outing in Calgary last night.

KEYS TO THE GAME

Edmonton:

1. Strong showing. The Ducks are just 10-10-3 on the road and played last night, a big loss to the Flames. If the Oilers arrive with focus and intensity there is no reason they shouldn’t be dictating the outcome of the game.

Anaheim:

1. Special teams. The Ducks have been quite mediocre at 5 on 5, but have been able to offset this with their work on the power play and penalty kill, posting top 10 efficiencies in both.

EXPECTED LINEUPS

Edmonton:

Hyman — McDavid — Puljujarvi

Kane — Draisaitl — Yamamoto

Foegele — Nugent-Hopkins — Ryan

Benson — xxxxx — McLeod

Nurse — Bouchard

Lagesson — Ceci

Niemelainen — Barrie

Broberg — xxxxx

Smith

Koskinen

Anaheim:

Henrique — Getzlaf — Terry

Milano — Zegras — Rakell

Grant — Lundestrom — Silfverberg

Deslauriers — Steel — Robinson

Lindholm — Drysdale

Fowler — Pateryn

Benoit — Shattenkirk

Gibson

Stolarz

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Edmonton:

The 11 forward, 7 defender deployment appears to be continuing for Coach Woodcroft, especially as the results continue. McDavid and Draisaitl are both complemented with capable wingers, while RNH is free to centre a third line. It’s a level of depth that seemed impossible in years past.

On defence it certainly helps that coaches Woodcroft and Manson are familiar with the 4 less experienced members of the blueline. Their knowledge and relationships with the players uniquely position them to get the most out of this group. For now it seems that it is putting each member of the blueline in positions to succeed, especially important for young talented pieces like Bouchard and Broberg.

Anaheim:

It’s absolutely a testament to Getzlaf that he’s still able to be a significant contributor at this point in his career. Some of his raw offensive totals in recent years have been slight, but having a better team around him has helped him show that he can still bring a lot to the table. Troy Terry has really great puck skills and has finally been able to translate them into elite point totals.

Speaking of which, the pair of Milano and Zegras are famous for their creative, even status quo challenging, puck skills. Zegras in particular has the talent and personality to be one of the most influential players of the next decade. The pair have been equal parts style and substance, having an established contributor like Rakell on their wing certainly helps.

Elsewhere, Lundestrom has earned a large role in terms of icetime as a checking centre. He is often paired with Silfverberg in this role, although it’s fair to say the Ducks hope and believe that Lundestrom can continue to improve in the coming seasons. Less hope is probably attached to another former 1st round pick in Sam Steel, who is centring a fourth line with a pair of rugged wingers.

The defence is constructed of pairs with opposing skill sets, often a more offensively skilled defender with a partner who is more physical and defensively minded. Drysdale is having a decent rookie season, but is still developing into the elite player he seems capable of becoming. Lindholm, Fowler, and to an extent Shattenkirk are still strong contributors, while Pateryn and Benoit are quiet, unheralded, defensive defenders.