The Oilers continue their death march road trip tonight in Buffalo for a battle against the Sabres. Edmonton enters tonight on the second half of back-to-back games, while Buffalo is opening up a pair of back-to-back tilts.
The Oilers will be without forward Taylor Hall, who is battling a knee injury, and defender Andrew Ference, who is serving a three game suspension. The Sabres will be without forward Marcus Foligno tonight.
The Oilers will turn to Viktor Fasth in net tonight, while Buffalo counters with Michal Neuvirth, who has been hot as of late.
Short version today as I am in a rush, so here is what I’ve got for you:
The Last Games:
The Oilers played last night in Boston, and overall played a good game. Edmonton dominated the second period, and looked good for 50 minutes. The Oil were leading in the third 2-1, but fell apart and ended up losing 5-2 to Boston.
The Sabres meanwhile hosted Montreal on Wednesday night and forced a shoot-out against their rivals. Montreal would outlast the Sabres however, and snag the win over Buffalo 2-1.
The Last Meeting:
Edmonton and Buffalo last met in March at Rexall Place in an eventful game. Edmonton struck first on a Taylor Hall goal, but Buffalo took over from there and scored three unanswered goals to score a big victory in Edmonton, 3-1. Cory Conacher scored twice and Drew Stafford added the insurance marker.
Keys To The Game:
Edmonton: This is it, it’s must win time in Edmonton. These Oilers are no longer playing for the playoffs, they are now playing for their jobs, their coach’s job, and possibly even their GM’s job. It’s desperation time in Edmonton.
Their key tonight? Hard work. The Oilers need to put their hard hat on, pick up their lunch pail and put in a good effort tonight. On paper, they can win.
Buffalo: The Sabres are a solid defensive team, but they can’t score. Buffalo’s key tonight is to play a lock-down defensive style. If they can do that and shut-down the Oiler attack, they will get their chances and set themselves up to win.
Players To Watch:
Edmonton: The Oilers need a number of players to step up right now, but Viktor Fasth is at the top of the list. The Oilers need some solid goaltending, and Fasth has the ability to provide it. A solid night where he calms things down would go a long way. I’ll be looking towards him tonight.
Buffalo: I’m very interested in seeing Sabre defender Rasmus Ristolainen tonight. Ristolainen is a top prospect of the team, and has the potential to be a true superstar in the NHL. Ristolainen is one of the brightest lights in this rebuild, and Oiler fans should keep an eye on him.
Quick Facts:
Edmonton and Buffalo split their series last year, with the road team winning both games. Matt Hendricks scored the game winner for Edmonton short-handed last year in Buffalo. Buffalo has won seven of the last eight meetings between the teams.
The Sabres are riding a two game point streak, while Edmonton has lost four in row, with two of them coming on the road.
The Lines:
Edmonton Oilers Lines:
Benoit Pouliot – Ryan Nugent-Hopkins – Jordan Eberle
Teddy Purcell – Mark Arcobello – Jesse Joensuu
David Perron – Leon Draisaitl – Nail Yakupov
Matt Hendricks – Boyd Gordon – Iiro Pakarinen
Nikita Nikitin – Justin Schultz
Oscar Klefbom – Mark Fayne
Keith Aulie – Jeff Petry
Viktor Fasth
Buffalo Sabres Lines:
Torrey Mitchell – Tyler Ennis – Chris Stewart
Matt Moulson – Zemgus Girgensons – Brian Gionta
Nicolas Deslauriers – Cody Hodgson – Drew Stafford
Johan Larsson – Cody McCormick – Brian Flynn
Josh Gorges – Tyler Myers
Andrej Meszaros – Rasmus Ristolainen
Nikita Zadorov – Andre Benoit
Michal Neuvirth
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