Oilers Gameday – @ Panthers

The Oilers, following a tough luck loss on Thursday, return to the ice tonight to battle the Florida Panthers for the second time in six days, this time in the Sunshine State of Florida. It’ll be the second and final meeting between the sides this season, the third series against an eastern team that will conclude. Edmonton split series with Tampa Bay and New York.

The Oilers enter tonight with a healthy roster, while the Panthers only have F Shawn Thornton, the former Bruins’ tough guy, on the IR.

Viktor Fasth will make a rare start for Edmonton tonight, while Roberto Luongo, who was voted to his fourth All-Star game, will get the go for the Panthers tonight.

Last Games:

Edmonton: The Oilers actually played very well on Thursday night in Tampa Bay, playing tough against a true threat in the Bolts. Edmonton dominated the first period, out-shooting Tampa Bay by a 10-5 margin. Edmonton also got the first goal, as Benoit Pouliot chipped home a rebound short-handed at the 13:52 mark.

Tampa got even just 7:10 into the second, as Steven Stamkos perfectly placed a shot over the shoulder of Scrivens. Edmonton would respond however, carrying the play and getting a power-play goal compliments of Benoit Pouliot with just 58 seconds remaining in the frame.

In the third, Tampa would take over, getting a pair of goals from Ondrej Palat off of terrible defensive miscues from Justin Schultz and Nikita Nikitin. Those two goals would be enough, as Ben Bishop would hold strong to give Tampa a 3-2 victory.

Florida: The Panthers also played on Thursday night, hosting the Colorado Avalanche. The teams traded goals between young defenders as Tyson Barrie and Aaron Ekblad each scored within the first five and a half minutes, sending the sides to the second even at one.

At the thirteen minute mark, Gabriel Landeskog and Aleksander Barkov would trade goals, setting up for a third period that would determine the two points.

Colorado took the frame over, and got goals from Nick Holden and Jarome Iginla to snag a huge 4-2 victory on the road from the Panthers, who have now lost two in a row to western teams.

The Last Meeting:

The Oilers and Panthers last met this past Sunday at Rexall Place. Florida had the lone first period marker, as Jimmy Hayes scored just 4:01 into the game. Jordan Eberle tied things up with a rebound goal in the second period, but Florida quickly gained the lead back with a Brian Campbell goal.

Both Tomas Kopecky and Sean Bergenheim would score in the third, with Benoit Pouliot getting a marker in the middle of them to make the score 4-2, which would be the final. It was Florida’s first win at Rexall Place since 2008.

Keys To The Game:

Edmonton: Less Chaos, aka less Schultz, less Nikitin. The Oilers played well enough to win on Thursday night, but had huge gaffes from two of the goats on this season, Justin Schultz and Nikita Nikitin. These guys usually come with chaos, and Edmonton can’t afford that, Edmonton needs steady. If they play at the same level as Thursday and use the steady defenders more, then they should snag two points here.

Florida: If Florida can get their forecheck going tonight like they did last week, they’ll complete the season sweep of the Oilers. Florida has some skilled forwards and some speed, but also has some guys willing to bang, and a lot of guys with solid size. Edmonton struggles against teams that forecheck well, so if Florida can execute here, they’ll snag the win.

Players To Watch:

Edmonton: Nail Yakupov had numerous chances on Thursday, hitting multiple posts. If this guy didn’t have bad luck, he would have no luck at all it seems like! Yak is due to convert on these chances, and I’ll suggest he does that tonight with a pair of goals, yes a pair. Keep an eye on him.

Florida: Panthers D Aaron Ekblad is going to the All-star game, and is in the same point scoring range as Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle. This kid can put up points and play a strong defensive game, and he went just ahead of the Oil’s pick in the draft. Consider this one the one that got away.

Quick Hits:

The Oilers are currently on their worst losing streak in franchise history on the road, having dropped 14 games in a row. Viktor Fasth makes his first start in almost two weeks tonight, a tough luck 4-2 loss to the Red Wings at home was his last outing. Benoit Pouliot is on fire, having scored four goals in the last two Oiler games. Panthers G Roberto Luongo was named to his fourth All-Star game last week.

The Lines:

Edmonton Oilers Lines:

Taylor Hall – Ryan Nugent-Hopkins – Jordan Eberle

Benoit Pouliot – Derek Roy – Nail Yakupov

Matt Fraser – Anton Lander – Teddy Purcell

Matt Hendricks – Boyd Gordon – Rob Klinkhammer

Nikita Nikitin – Mark Fayne

Oscar Klefbom – Jeff Petry

Andrew Ference – Justin Schultz

Viktor Fasth

Florida Panthers Lines:

Jonathan Huberdeau – Aleksander Barkov – Brad Boyes

Jimmy Hayes – Nick Bjugstad – Jussi Jokinen

Sean Bergenheim – Dave Bolland – Tomas Fleischmann

Tomas Kopecky – Derek MacKenzie – Scottie Upshall

Brian Campbell – Aaron Ekblad

Willie Mitchell – Dmitry Kulikov

Erik Gudbranson – Dylan Olsen

Roberto Luongo