Tonight sees the Oilers back in action against Joe Thornton’s beard (along with the rest of the San Jose Sharks). The Oilers are 4-1 in their last 5, and are playing considerably better now that the trade deadline has passed. It might not look like they’re any better but the Oilers have already won 26 games this season, which beats last year’s total by two, AND they still have 14 games to play. This is what progress looks like, y’all.
Last Game
The Oilers were in Winnipeg on Sunday, and came away with a 2-1 regulation victory. It wasn’t the best game they’ve played all year, but they showed some promise. Pat “I can grow a beard like nobody else” Maroon (on a feed from Taylor “King of my Heart” Hall) and Lauri “What are you doing playing on a line with McDavid” Korpikoski scored, and Cam Talbot was absolutely lights out again to steal the win for the Oilers.
Unfortunately, Brandon Davidson went down with what is being called a “lower body injury”, though if you take a look at the replay, it looks pretty clear that it’s a knee injury and it looks like he’ll be out for a while.
Keys to the Game
- More pucks to the net. The Oilers don’t get garbage goals anymore, partly because they don’t have Ryan Smyth taking a beating in the crease and partly because they’re really good at cycling the puck down low and getting a weak shot toward the side of the net.
- Friday night notwithstanding, the Oilers have been playing pretty decent hockey of late. If they keep doing that, stay out of the penalty box, and get some actual quality chances on net, they’ll probably come away with a win.
- The Oilers need to take advantage of the Sharks having played last night in Calgary and come out flying. I think that the Sharks are beatable, and I think that if Talbot plays well and the Oilers keep the puck away from their own net (because as well as Talbot’s been playing, he can’t be asked to stop the puck 35+ times a game)
Players to Watch
I’m liking how Patrick Maroon looks out there. He’s not quite as skilled as Hall and Draisaitl, but that seems like a good fit on that line right now.
It’s a joy to watch Connor McDavid play hockey. When he gets his wheels under him, he’s sublime.
Taylor Hall is my obvious choice for players to watch. So do that.
Projected Lineups
Edmonton
Taylor Hall – Leon Draisaitl – Patrick Maroon
Lauri Korpikoski – Connor McDavid – Jordan Eberle
Nail Yakupov – Mark Letestu – Zack Kassian
Matt Hendricks – Anton Lander – Adam Cracknell
Andrej Sekera – Mark Fayne
Darnell Nurse – Adam Clendening
Griffin Reinhart – Adam Pardy
San Jose
Tomas Hertl – Joe Thornton – Joe Pavelski
Matt Nieto – Logan Couture – Joel Ward
Nick Spaling – Patrick Marleau – Joonas Doonsko
Dainus Zubrus – Christ Tiernery – Melker Karlsson
Marc-Edouard Vlasic – Justin Braun
Paul Martin – Brent Burns
Brendon Dillon – Roman Polak
Martin Jones
Final Thoughts
This isn’t hockey related, but I wrote a piece about Erin Andrews and her settlement, and I’d love it if more people read it.
It’s fitting, for International Women’s Day, because there’s still a lot of discussion surrounding women in sports (particularly in sports media). There’s much to be said, but I think it’s best done outside of a gameday post.
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