Oilers Gameday vs Buffalo: 4 In A Row?

The Oilers hit the ice hosting Jack Eichel and the Buffalo Sabres. For the first time this year(!), the Oilers could have a 4-game win streak. It seems incredible that it’s January 23 and the Oilers haven’t yet won more than 3 in a row, but here we are. Last time these teams met, the Sabres defeated the Oilers and sent the fanbase into a tailspin. Or maybe it was the play of the team that did that. Who knows.

The last few games have been better, and have seen a resurgence of sorts of Jesse Puljujarvi, who is precious and pure and everything good in the world and who spent his bye week in Edmonton skating on outdoor rinks. Hopefully the organization doesn’t kill his spirit before he wants out.

Keys to the Game

Edmonton

• Keep doing what they’ve been doing. They’re getting pucks to the net and those pucks are going in and that matters, apparently.
• The penalty kill still isn’t great but it feels like less of a liability so that’s something.

Buffalo

• Score early and don’t let up. The Oilers still can’t seem to get a lead with any consistency, so getting up by two or three goals seems like an easy way to get a win.

Players to Watch

Edmonton

• Jujhar Khaira has had quite the week, and it’s good to see him getting the attention that deserves.
• Jesse Puljujarvi is a wonder and I hope he scores a million goals.

Buffalo

• Jack Eichel is the face of the Sabres, and is generally the key to their success.

Projected Lineups

Edmonton

Patrick Maroon – Connor McDavid – Drake Caggiula

Milan Lucic – Leon Draisaitl – Jesse Puljujarvi

Jujhar Khaira – Ryan Strome – Anton Slepyshev

Iiro Pakarinen – Mark Letestu – Zack Kassian

Darnell Nurse – Adam Larsson

Oscar Klefbom – Matt Benning

Andrej Sekera – Kris Russell

Cam Talbot

Buffalo

Zemgus Girgensons – Jack Eichel – Kyle Okposo

Scott Wilson – Ryan O’Reilly – Sam Reinhart

Evander Kane – Johan Larsson – Jason Pominville

Jordan Nolan – Evan Rodrigues – Nick Baptiste

Marco Scandella – Rasmus Ristolainen

Jake McCabe – Nathan Beaulieu

Casey Nelson – Justin Falk

Robin Lehner

Notes

Playoffs are still a very long shot. How long, you ask?

It might now take 98 or 99 points to make the playoffs in the West. That makes things really tough on the Oilers, who could go 24-6-6 and only get to 97.

— James Mirtle (@mirtle) January 20, 2018

Assuming Mirtle is correct, the Oilers STILL have play at a 124 point pace to hit that 98 point threshold. (That means they have to win 25/35 games outright, and then get a few points in OTL games.)

It’s a long way to the top.