Oilers Gameday – @ Jets

The Oilers return to the ice tonight to conclude their six game road trip in Winnipeg for the second of three meetings against the Jets. The sides met in Winnipeg back in December, and will conclude their series in Edmonton in March.

Oilers F’s Taylor Hall, Matt Hendricks and Rob Klinkhammer are out tonight, while D Nikita Nikitin will also miss the game. The Jets will be minus F Matt Halischuk and D Grant Clitsome, both are on the IR currently.

Viktor Fasth gets the start for Edmonton, while Michael Hutchinson gets the go for the Jets.

Last Games:

Edmonton: The Oilers were thoroughly embarrassed on Saturday in Ottawa, getting worked all afternoon by the Senators. It started early, as a defensive breakdown allowed for Milan Michalek to get wide-open and beat Fasth just 7:18 in. Derek Roy would tie things up 15:17 into the opening frame with a quick shot to salvage the frame.

Things fell apart early in the second period, as Viktor Fasth gave up two absolutely unacceptable goals within the first minute. Cody Ceci and Kyle Turris would receive credit for the markers, with Turris’ being the eventual game winner. Mark Fayne would get the Oil within one at the 3:06 mark, but a second Michalek goal would put things away.

Alex Chiasson, David Legwand, and Mike Hoffman would all add goals as well, giving the Senators a 7-2 victory.

Winnipeg: The Jets also last played on Saturday night, visiting Detroit at the Joe. The sides played an even first, and traded goals as Chris Thorburn and Niklas Kronwall would each score.

The Red Wings took over in the second period for a stretch, getting two goals within the first six minutes compliments of Darren Helm and Pavel Datsyuk. The Jets would fight back, however, and tie the game with a strong push in the final fourteen minutes. Blake Wheeler would get the Jets within a goal, and then Drew Stafford would score on the power-play to tie things.

The third period solved nothing, as Andrew Ladd and Datsyuk traded goals to send us to overtime, which also solved nothing. Drew Stafford would score in the fourth round, the lone goal, to give the Jets a huge 5-4 victory to hang on to the top wild card spot.

Last Meeting:

The Oilers and Jets met back in December in Winnipeg in a highly entertaining tilt. The sides played an even first period, with Jacob Trouba and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins trading goals in the later portions of the frame.

The second period went by scoreless, but Edmonton began taking control of the hockey game, getting a few real solid scoring chances. The Oilers finally broke through 1:31 into the third as Teddy Purcell snapped home a shot, putting Edmonton up 2-1. The Jets would push back however, and force overtime thanks to a Dustin Byfuglien goal 16:54 into the third.

Overtime would be quick, as the Jets took the opening draw and that was it. The Jets would set up in the zone and score 17 seconds in as Mathieu Perreault tipped home a shot giving the Jets a 3-2 win.

Keys To The Game:

Edmonton: Play hard, I think that’s all you can ask tonight. Edmonton is in a really tough spot, going into a tough building against a good team while playing short-handed. The Oilers need to just bring their best effort tonight, and make it tough for the Jets in hopes of making something happen.

Winnipeg: Bring the pressure again tonight, just like Saturday. The Jets have the ability to being some real pressure offensively, and can make some things happen with their hard work and skill. If they press on Edmonton tonight and apply pressure to this tired and hurt unit, they could really do some damage and snag two huge points.

Players To Watch:

Edmonton: G Viktor Fasth was awful on Saturday, and must respond tonight. He’s a highly competitive guy, and is much better than what he is showing. I think it is fair to say he is playing for his NHL career right now, and absolutely must be better. I’ll be watching him closely tonight to see if he can rebound against the Jets.

Winnipeg: Recently acquired F Drew Stafford has owned Edmonton throughout his career at the NHL level. He’s a talented goal scorer, and seems rejuvenated by the trade to Winnipeg. Considering he always kills Edmonton, I’ll suggest he gets a goal tonight.

Quick Hits:

Oilers F Rob Klinkhammer is out tonight after his wife gave birth to a baby boy early on Monday. He’s expected to be back on Wednesday night. Oilers F Boyd Gordon is a game-time decision, he was banged up in Ottawa on Saturday and missed practice on Sunday in Winnipeg. The Jets acquired D Tyler Myers and F Drew Stafford as part of a monster deal with the Buffalo Sabres for Evander Kane late last week.

The Lines:

Edmonton Oilers Lines:

Benoit Pouliot – Ryan Nugent-Hopkins – Jordan Eberle

Teddy Purcell – Derek Roy – Nail Yakupov

Luke Gazdic- Anton Lander – Iiro Pakarinen

Ryan Hamilton – Boyd Gordon – Matt Fraser

Oscar Klefbom – Justin Schultz

Andrew Ference – Jeff Petry

Martin Marincin – Mark Fayne

Viktor Fasth

Winnipeg Jets Lines:

Andrew Ladd – Bryan Little – Drew Stafford

Mathieu Perreault – Mark Scheifele – Blake Wheeler

Chris Thorburn – Adam Lowry – Michael Frolik

T.J. Galiardi – Jim Slater – Anthony Peluso

Ben Chiarot – Dustin Byfuglien

Tobias Enstrom – Tyler Myers

Mark Stuart – Jacob Trouba

Michael Hutchinson