Edmonton (22-16-3) at Washington (25-12-9)

We’ve all felt it, but it was Coach Tippett who summed it up recently as “It’s the halfway mark and it’s been a tale of two halves”. Yes, we’ve seen a lot, as much as being a hockey fan is concerned, from this Oilers team. Roaring highs, existential lows, and now one final game before the brief reprieve he NHL all star break provides.

Ahead lies a chance for our mercurial group to find centre, for the wisdoms that distance and perspective afford us to set in. A chance to regroup before a jam packed ride to the end of the regular season.

The Oilers are in the thick of it, part of a group of teams battling for the few spots that don’t quite seem accounted for yet in the West’s playoff race. Yet, with all that there are still hints and hopes that the Oilers might be headed in a more positive direction.

All that is to say that the Oilers will have a long time to think about what happens in this game. Washington is a formidable opponent no less, taking after their Captain, Ovechkin. Each year as the core group ages very smart hockey minds predict that the Capitals will take a step back, but here they are once more, defying expectations and cruising into a playoff spot.

It is true that the Caps are coming off an overtime win against the Penguins last night, however the Oilers cannot afford to take this finely tuned Caps squad. Even with Ovechkin being a last minute addition to COVID protocols, the Caps are not to be taken lightly.

Vanecek got the start last night but exited and is listed as day-to-day. With Samsonov playing most of the game last night we might see Phoenix Copley get the nod. He’s had some good moments filling in over the past few seasons. Meanwhile the Oilers will likely start Koskinen given the upcoming break.

KEYS TO THE GAME

Edmonton:

1. Empty the tank. With some time off ahead, and against as tired of an opponent as you can get the Oilers will need to be the harder working team.

Washington:

1. Power Play. The Caps efficiency here is a measly 15.7% on the season. Yes, missing key contributors like Backstrom and Oshie for long stretches hasn’t helped. The group could use a boost on the 2nd half of a back-to-back.
2. Goaltending. Whether it’s Copley or an unrested Samsonov the Caps do not have a full complement of options, yet a strong performance might be crucial for a victory tonight.

EXPECTED LINEUPS

Edmonton:

Kane — McDavid — Yamamoto

McLeod — Draisaitl — Puljujarvi

Hyman — Nugent-Hopkins — Ryan

Foegele — Shore — Kassian

Nurse — Bouchard

Keith — Ceci

Lagesson — Barrie

Koskinen

Skinner

Washington: Ovechkin was just added to COVID protocols.

Protas — Kuznetsov — Wilson

Sheary — Backstrom — Sprong

Hagelin — Dowd — Hathaway

McMichael — Eller — Snivley

Fehervary — Carlson

Orlov — Jensen

van Riemsdyk — Schultz

Samsonov

Copley

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Edmonton: Well the lines are back in a blender after a loss. Let’s start with McLeod on the 2nd line. Part of the issue with RNH at 3C is it pushes McLeod down the lineup, and it’s fair to say given his age and level of play he deserves more than a fourth line spot. I do believe he is best served as a centre. The Capitals, for example, have Eller listed at 4C but use special teams to raise his icetime. Of course, it would be fantastic to see him gel with a pair of offensive linemates.

Derek Ryan caught a few strays regarding his offensive production at points this season, but the veteran is still crafty enough to contribute. It’s likely that he’s more often on the 4th line going forward unless he can find some fast chemistry here.

The Oilers continuing evolution at forward depth sees roughly 6 million dollars worth of cap space allocated to the 4th line, with Foegele and Kassian. In part it’s a good sign regarding a deeper group, as for most of this season the pit has constituted the 3rd line, if not pinching up into the top 6.

On the blueline Barrie returns. Against all odds it seems Lagesson has taken hold of a regular spot, beating out the likes of Russell and Koekkoek.

Washington: There is nowhere else to start besides the Great 8, as Ovechkin is going as strong as ever. One standout stat among his many is that he currently leads the league in even strength points. Just hours before game time it’s become public knowledge that he will miss tonight’s game.

With a major lineup change we could see several adjustments, but for simplicity’s sake I’ve air dropped Aliaksei Protas into Ovi’s spot. Protas is one of the tallest forwards in the league, and projects as a centre. He has a lot of skill, no doubt he will be intriguing to track in the years ahead. For now he’s a young player, toolsy but raw.

It’s a testament to this core group, Kuznetsov, Backstrom, Wilson, Eller, that the team is performing so well still. Often without changes to spruce up excitement things become understated, and it’s probably true that our familiarity with this group has let that set in.

Without another pair of top 6 wingers (Oshie and Mantha) this lineup looks a bit lacking. Sheary is a solid compliment and Sprong has some speed and skill, enough to fill in on a secondary scoring line.

The 3rd line must have some mojo going, Hagelin of course has great speed, Dowd is responsible, and Hathaway is intense.

McMichael in his rookie year is getting small amounts of icetime. He can play centre and has a good enough shot to be a danger in tight, perhaps similar to Oshie in that they can play the bumper on the power play. There is still a ways to go for the young player, but the Caps do have some youth working their way closer to impact positions.

Speaking of youth, Fehervary has quickly risen up the depth chart, finding himself alongside Carlson on the top pair now. He plays a quiet game which should help his star offensive d partner.

The rest of the d is well balanced, experienced, and capable. Perhaps the forward group looks a bit lacking tonight but the same cannot be said about the back end.