Oilers Gameday – Vs. Avalanche

The Oilers hook up with a former Northwest division rival for the first time this season when they collide with the Colorado Avalanche for the first of three meetings on the season. The two sides will hook up again two weeks from tonight in the Mile High city, and will conclude their season set in Edmonton in April.

The Oilers made a number of roster moves yesterday, highlighted by goalie Ilya Bryzgalov being shifted to the IR after a concussion he suffered Sunday night in Dallas. The team sent struggling forward Will Acton and struggling defender Denis Grebeshkov to the AHL and recalled veteran defender Corey Potter, 2010 2nd round pick and defender Martin Marincin and forward Anton Lander from the Barons.

All three players missed morning skate due to travel issues coming from OKC, but will be in town before puck-drop and in the line-up tonight. The team also sent defender Anton Belov to the AHL earlier this afternoon as well.

We can expect some Oilers regulars to be seeing press box time soon too. Coach Eakins said yesterday that it might be time to “reset some players”. To me, this signals that a few guys who aren’t getting the job done might be watching a game or two. Jeff Petry and Sam Gagner stick out to me as the top two options to watch from above, and I don’t think many fans will object to that.

In the last 18 meetings between Edmonton and Colorado, the Oilers are 11-3-4, dominating the series as of late. The Oilers, who are looking to avoid back-to-back losses, hope that continues tonight.

Last Games:

Edmonton: The Oilers and Coyotes met Tuesday night at Rexall in what ended up being an ugly affair. The Oilers were the better team early, but the Yotes got a PP and capitalized, as Mikkel Boedker would open the scoring. David Perron would tie things at one late, and that is where we stood after 20.

In the second, the Yotes took over, getting goals from Radim Vrbata and Shane Doan 58 seconds apart. Perron would score late in the period to bring it to 3-2, but it simply wasn’t enough. The Yotes got goals from Mike Ribeiro, Keith Yandle and David Moss in the third and ended up with the 6-2 victory.

Colorado: The Av’s took on the Wild this past Saturday in a closely battled game. The Av’s opened the scoring 2:22 in with a goal from captain Gabriel Landeskog. Semyon Varlamov would stop all 11 Wild shots, and the Av’s would lead after one. In the second, Nathan MacKinnon would make it 2-0 nearly 13 minutes in, and Varlamov would remain perfect to keep the Av’s on top.

The third period was all Wild however, as they desperately tried to tie the game. Matt Cooke would score 16:33 in to get things within one, while Mikko Koivu would tie things up with just six seconds left. Overtime would solve nothing, and the sides went to a shootout, where Ryan O’Reilly would score the lone goal in round three to give the Av’s a 3-2 victory.

Last Meeting:

The Oilers and Av’s last hooked up on April 19th in Colorado in a game with both teams sliding into oblivion. The Oilers, who just over a week before were in a playoff spot, where in the midst of a terrible losing skid, and the Av’s in the midst of a last place death march. The Oilers opened the scoring 2:33 in with a Taylor Hall wrist shot, off a feed from Jeff Petry.

The Av’s tied it thanks to a goal from PA Parenteau, but Edmonton would get the lead back late as Justin Schultz would activate down low and tip-home an Eberle shot.

The Oilers would get goals from Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Jordan Eberle in the second period, and Devan Dubnyk would be perfect the rest of the way to seal the 4-1 victory for Edmonton, which snapped at the time a six game losing streak.

Players To Watch:

Edmonton: Defender Martin Marincin comes to Edmonton with a lot of hype. The 2010 2nd round pick will make his NHL debut tonight and will wear number 85. He’s a bigger defender with some real puck-moving skills and some raw defensive talent. That said, he still makes mistakes from time to time and needs a little work. He could be auditioning for a trade or a roster spot next year, so keep an eye on this young defender who has potential through the roof.

Colorado: As Oilers fans know, the 1st overall pick brings a lot of excitement. Tonight, the Oilers get a look at 2013 first overall pick Nathan MacKinnon, who makes his first appearance in Edmonton. The kid has a lot of talent and is yet another young budding superstar in Colorado. Keep an eye on MacKinnon, who has had a tremendous rookie season thus far. He’s a fun guy to watch play.

The Lines:

Edmonton Oilers Lines:

Taylor Hall – Sam Gagner – Nail Yakupov

David Perron – Ryan Nugent-Hopkins – Jordan Eberle

Ryan Smyth – Mark Arcobello – Ales Hemsky

Luke Gazdic – Anton Lander – Ryan Jones

Andrew Ference – Philip Larsen

Nick Schultz – Justin Schultz

Corey Potter – Martin Marincin

Devan Dubnyk

Colorado Avalanche Lines:

Gabriel Landeskog – Paul Stastny – PA Parenteau

Ryan O’Reilly – Matt Duchene – Nathan MacKinnon

Jaime McGinn – John Mitchell – Max Talbot

Cody McLeod – Marc-Andre Cliche – Patrick Bordeleau

Jan Hejda – Erik Johnson

Tyson Barrie – Nate Guenin

Andre Benoit – Cory Sarich

Semyon Varlamov