Oilers Gameday – @ Red Wings

The Oilers conclude a set of back-to-back games tonight and play game three of a four game road trip as they make their lone visit to Detroit to battle the Red Wings. This will be the second and final meeting between the teams, who played a lopsided 5-0 game that saw Detroit run the Oil out of Rexall earlier in the year.

The Oilers fought hard Thursday night, and were tied with the Blues at two after 40, but an awful third period saw St. Louis run away with a 6-2 decision, completing the season sweep. The Oilers are expected to have the same lineup as last night tonight when they battle the Wings, including a banged up Sam Gagner.

The Wings are in danger of missing the playoffs for the first time in over two decades, and are desperately trying to claw back into playoff position. The Wings currently sit in the 9th spot out east, and are rapidly falling. Detroit is without star Henrik Zetterberg, and has seen Pavel Datsyuk go in and out of the lineup in recent weeks, and he isn’t expected in tonight. The Wings recently acquired David Legwand from Nashville.

Viktor Fasth is expected to get the start for Edmonton, while the Wings are likely to send Jimmy Howard.

Keys To The Game:

Edmonton: 60 minutes of effort tonight for the Oilers is their key to the game. The Red Wings are a desperate team, but they are also a very injured team and one that has been struggling recently. The Oilers hung in with the Blues through forty minutes last night, but fell off the cliff in the third. If Edmonton brings sixty full tonight, they can beat the Wings.

Detroit: The key for the Wings is simple, structure. Detroit has owned Edmonton in their last 44 meetings, with the Wings getting points in 42 of them. The Wings structure has always given Edmonton fits, and if they are able to come out tonight and execute that structure then they will collect the two important points.

Players To Watch:

Edmonton: Oilers defender Oscar Klefbom hasn’t looked too out of place in his two NHL games. He got noticeably better as the game went on Tuesday in Minnesota, and wasn’t, by my eye, the main reason for any of the six Blues goals last night. If he can develop the way Edmonton believes, it will be a major boost to this team. Keep an eye on him tonight.

Detroit: Red Wings forward Johan Franzen has been white-hot since returning from his concussion, and has helped keep a banged up Wings attack afloat. Franzen is a big body with a ton of skill, and has been a thorn in the side of Edmonton for years. I’ll say that continues tonight, as the mule will find the back of the net on Edmonton.

Gameday Prediction:

A tired Oilers squad against a team that has their number and is desperate for points to keep their playoff hopes alive, oh, and did I mention the game is on the road? Yes, I know the Oilers recent record is actually pretty good, but their play is not. Tonight is a reminder of that, as the Wings win this one 3-1.

The Lines:

Edmonton Oilers Lines:

Taylor Hall – Sam Gagner – Nail Yakupov

David Perron – Ryan Nugent-Hopkins – Jordan Eberle

Matt Hendricks – Boyd Gordon – Jesse Joensuu

Luke Gazdic – Ryan Smyth – Ryan Jones

Martin Marincin – Jeff Petry

Oscar Klefbom – Andrew Ference

Mark Fraser – Justin Schultz

Viktor Fasth

Detroit Red Wings Lines:

Justin Abdelkader – David Legwand – Johan Franzen

Gustav Nyquist – Riley Sheahan – Tomas Tatar

Teemu Pulkkinen – Corey Emmerton – Daniel Alfredsson

Drew Miller – Luke Glendening – Todd Bertuzzi

Niklas Kronwall – Jonathan Ericsson

Kyle Quincey – Danny DeKeyser

Brendan Smith – Brian Lashoff

Jimmy Howard