Oilers Gameday vs Anaheim: Playing for First?

The Oilers hit the ice tonight at Rogers Place for the last of an 8-game homestand, one that has seen them clinch a playoff spot for the first time in 84 11 years. They are currently in second place in the Pacific Division, and are playing for first tonight.

With only 4 games remaining after this one the Oilers are within striking distance of a 100-point season for the first time in about 8 million years. That’s quite the turnaround from the past decade.

It’s also important to note that there was a concert at Rogers Place last night, and the ice will probably be spectacularly poor.

Keys to the Game

Edmonton

• While they’ve won their last few, the Oilers need to come out a little stronger in the first few minutes of the first period, and take some of the pressure off the goalie to keep the game close. With playoffs around the corner, it doesn’t make sense to play from behind all the time.
• The Oilers need to stop getting outshot so badly – Cam Talbot is pretty good, but he’s not infallible.

Anaheim

• Get at the Oilers early and don’t let up. The Oilers are good enough now to regroup after they get behind, and Connor McDavid is good enough that he can save the Oilers from themselves.
• Keep the Oilers to the outside and don’t let Connor get the puck. It’s a lot easier than it sounds.

Players to Watch

Edmonton

• Connor. He’s good at hockey things, and we should all remember how lucky we are that he’s an Oiler.
• Leon Draisaitl has been on a tear lately, and it’s been really great to see him producing so well alongside Connor. All of this should bode well for his contract negotiations.

Anaheim

• Andrew Cogliano is playing in his 782nd consecutive NHL game. He’s the current NHL IronMan, and was once seen as not good enough to play in Edmonton. Imagine that.
• Civil War veteran Patrick Eaves is in the lineup, majestic beard and all.
• Corey Perry is also playing, and that means that something dirty will probably happen. It is Corey Perry after all.

Projected Lineups

Edmonton

Patrick Maroon – Connor McDavid – Leon Draisaitl

Milan Lucic – Ryan Nugent-Hopkins – Jordan Eberle

Benoit Pouliot – David Desharnais – Zack Kassian

Drake Caggiula – Mark Letestu – Matt Hendricks

Oscar Klefbom – Adam Larsson

Andrej Sekera – Kris Russell

Darnell Nurse – Eric Gryba

Cam TalBot

Anaheim

Andrew Cogliano – Ryan Kesler – Jakob Silfverberg

Rickard Rakell – Antoine Vermette – Patrick Eaves

Nick Ritchie – Nate Thompson – Corey Perry

Logan Shaw – Chris Wagner – Jared Boll

Cam Fowler – Brandon Montour

Hampus Lindholm – Josh Manson

Sami Vatanen – Kevin Bieksa

John Gibson

Notes

It’s not an April Fool’s Day joke – the Oilers are in the playoffs. Let that sink in for a while. They are in the playoffs, and there are going to be more games than just the 82 we’re used to.

It still feels a little weird to think that the Oilers, the worst team in the league over the last decade, have made a complete turnaround and are playing for first place in their division. In April.

The team has been wandering in the desert for years, and at this point in the season fans have been used to looking at draft lottery odds rather than wondering who the Oilers are going to play in the first round, and whether or not they’ll have home ice advantage.

We’re in the upside down, ladies and gentlemen, and it’s a good place to be.