Well, it looks like the honeymoon is over. The Oilers have all but squandered the cushion they built for themselves after storming out of the gate to start the season, and have come back down to earth after going 4-5-1 in their last 10 games. This is the team that most of us expected, and I’m not sure anyone could have realistically expected the Oilers to maintain a .700 pace for the rest of the regular season.
I found it somewhat comical that people were posting betting odds for the Oilers to win the Stanley Cup only 10 games into the season. This team still has the same glaring holes it did in the preseason (mainly, a lack of a right handed offensive D-man with a bomb from the point). While the winning streak was fun, Oilers fans are now faced with the grim reality that this team is middle of the pack at best. After the last 10 years, that is actually a marked improvement.
I still contend that the Oilers would have finished with a much better record last year had they not been decimated with injuries all season. This season’s squad has certainly taken it’s bumps and bruises, but the difference last year was injuries to key players and point producers (something the Oilers have managed to avoid so far *knocks on wood furiously*).
Tonight the Oilers open a 3 game road trip against the Ducks, and will face the Kings and Stars after that. They will be in tough to win even one of those games given their recent troubles, but a win against the Kings and the Ducks would go a long way towards helping them regain lost ground in the Pacific Division. Although they still sit 1st in the Pacific, they are only 1 point ahead of L.A and 2 points in front of Anaheim. They need to win both of those games in regulation.
Keys to the game:
Edmonton: I sound like a broken record here, but Edmonton must find a way to stop giving up early goals and come out with a lead early. They’ll also need to find a way to get pucks past John Gibson, who has had a fair amount of success against the Oilers. Screening Gibson and getting as many shots on net as possible will be key here, and they’ll need to rely on tip ins and “garbage goals”. Sustained offensive zone time is key, and the Oilers can’t afford to let the Ducks dictate the pace of the game.
Anaheim: Score early, and then trap. Forecheck the Oilers like crazy and prey on their mistakes, and wear them down physically.
Players to Watch:
Oilers: Patrick Maroon returns to Anaheim and will likely be pumped up to play against his former team. Maroon has been on a bit of a tear since being promoted to McDavid’s line, and has 2 goals and 2 assists in his last 3 games. Eberle is another player I will be watching intently after having a somewhat disappointing game against the Rangers on Sunday night. Eberle needs to be better, and he has typically rebounded after poor games. He’s everyone’s favorite whipping boy right now (because grit, apparently), but I remain a fan and I think he’ll respond.
Ducks: John Gibson seems to stand on his head against the Oilers, and he’s expected to get the start tonight for the Ducks. For the Oilers sake, I’m hoping he has an off game (although I’ve been a fan of his for some time now). Getzlaf and Perry lead the Ducks in scoring and are always threats to score. I’ll be watching Ryan Kesler as well in the hopes that someone wipes the ice with his face, just because I hate Kesler.
The Lines:
The lines have been shaken up a little bit with Lucic drawing in alongside RNH (something I was hoping to see after last games failed experiment with Draisaitl and Looch). Talbot gets yet another start for the Oilers and Gibson is in the crease for the Ducks.
Lines courtesy of http://www.dailyfaceoff.com and are subject to change
Game Notes:
Drake Caggiula, Matt Hendricks, and Mark Fayne all travelled with the team to California, so hopefully that means the Oilers are a bit closer to getting some players back from injury. Anaheim is coming off a 5-0 drubbing at the hands of the Nashville Predators and will be hungry for a win tonight.
An interesting stat via the Oilers official site:
“The Oilers have outshot opponents by 10 or more shots four times this season. They have lost all four of those games. However, the Oilers have been outshot by opponents by 10 or more shots three times so far this season, and have won all of those games.”
So hopefully the Oilers get outshot? ¯_(ツ)_/¯
Gameday Prediction:
I’m batting 0% every time I’ve predicted the Oilers to win in a pregame blog, so I’m going to do the team a solid and predict a loss. The Oilers give up the first goal YET AGAIN and drop a 4-2 decision to the Ducks in regulation.
Eberle and Maroon score for the Oilers. Getzlaf, Perry, Kesler, and Cogliano score for the Ducks. Let’s hope I’m wrong (again).
The game gets underway at *8pm* on Sportsnet Oilers, so I guess I’ll just sit here and wait for awhile…
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