Oilers Gameday @ Nashville: Preds on the Prowl?

The Oilers are back in action today in Nashville, where they’re poised to take on PK Subban and the Predators. In a weird scheduling quirk, the Oilers last played Friday in Washington; following that game, both the Caps and the Oilers flew to Nashville for their next games.

The Oilers lost on Friday, but played a pretty solid game against one of the best teams in the league and can’t be disappointed with their effort. They held their own against a better team, which is promising as we inch ever closer to the postseason.

These next two games are important as they’re against Western Conference teams – depending on what happens within the Pacific Division, the points available in this stretch could be the difference between home ice and a wildcard spot.

Keys to the Game

Edmonton

• Honestly, they don’t need to do much different from Friday’s game. They put together a solid, disciplined effort, and almost came away with two points.
• Something that was noticeable last game was the relative absence of Connor McDavid. He didn’t have a bad game, but it felt like the Caps managed to neutralize him more than other teams. He needs to be better.

Nashville

• Get inside Talbot’s head and score early. He’s had a few games in the last little while where he’s been rattled early, and it seems that’s the key to beating him.
• Make sure Lucic gets the puck. The play tends to die on his stick more often than not, so that seems like a safe bet.

Players to Watch

Edmonton

• Adam Larsson is back in the lineup today after missing a handful of games. He’s very strong on the puck and has the ability to stand guys up at the blue line. His presence should make a difference, and make the team a little harder to play against.
• Look for Cam Talbot to have a big game. He’s a big reason why the Oilers are doing as well as they are, and when Talbot is on, he is very, very good.

Nashville

• PK Subban is a joy to watch. He’s sometimes a defensive liability, but he plays with such gusto that it’s hard not to be drawn in by what he’s doing on the ice.
• Viktor Arvidsson is putting together a pretty nice season. He’s riding a 3-game point streak, and has scored 20 goals so far this year.

Projected Lineups

Edmonton

Patrick Maroon – Connor McDavid – Jordan Eberle

Milan Lucic – Leon Draisaitl – Anton Slepyshev

Drake Caggiula – Ryan Nugent-Hopkins – Zack Kassian

Jujhar Khaira – Mark Letestu – Iiro Pakarinen

Oscar Klefbom – Adam Larsson

Andrej Sekera – Kris Russell

Brandon Davidson – Matt Benning

Cam TalBot

Nashville

Filip Forsberg – Ryan Johansen – Viktor Arvidsson

Kevin Fiala – Mike Fisher – Craig Smith

Colin Wilson – Calle Jarnkrok – James Neal

Harry Zolnierczyk – Vernon Fiddler – Austin Watson

Roman Josi – Ryan Ellis

Mattias Ekholm – PK Subban

Matt Irwin – Yannick Weber

Pekka Rinne

Notes

The Predators beat the Capitals 5-2 yesterday. I’m sure fatigue played a little bit into that, but if the Oilers lost to the Caps who lost to the Preds, it stands to reason that this will be a tough game.

The other night, I was talking with some friends about what we’re going to do once the playoffs roll around. I’m not sure anyone’s really ready for it, but it’s so nice to be talking about that than where we’re going to be in the draft lottery.

Progress is steady, and small, but it’s progress nonetheless.