The Oilers completed their five game rodeo road trip with a 2-3 record, which is exactly what I predicted they would finish with. Problem was, it wasn’t good enough, I suggested 3-2 was what the team needed. Tonight, Edmonton gets a chance to gain some ground as they start a five game home-stand. I’ll say the Oilers go 3-2, which is what I think they need to do. Tonight, they host the Ottawa Senators in the opening game.
The Oilers will once again be without forward Taylor Hall, who is battling a knee injury but close to returning, while Ottawa enters tonight with a close to fully healthy roster. The Oilers also made the lone transaction between the teams this week, recalling F Luke Gazdic back on Tuesday.
Ben Scrivens, who came in on Tuesday in relief, reclaims the starting role tonight, while veteran Craig Anderson is expected to start for Ottawa.
The Last Games:
Edmonton concluded their road trip on Tuesday in Nashville. The Oilers had a chance to finish above .500 on the trip, but came out beyond flat. Nashville dominated the opening frame, and got a trio of goals from Mike Ribeiro, Matt Cullen and Filip Forsberg to take a commanding 3-0 lead after one.
Benoit Pouliot and Nail Yakupov would score in the middle frame to make it 3-2, but Nashville would play suffocating defense the rest of the way, and Pekka Rinne would shut the door for the 3-2 win for Nashville.
On the other hand, Ottawa last played on Tuesday night in Vancouver, opening their Western swing. The first period was scoreless, but the second saw the dam break. Shawn Matthias opened things up at the 6:13 mark, but Ottawa quickly responded with a Mike Hoffman goal four minutes later. Alex Burrows and Kyle Turris would trade goals late in the frame, taking us to the third all tied up.
The third period saw Kevin Bieksa give his team the lead just over five minutes in, but Ottawa would quickly respond with a Mark Stone goal, which eventually forced overtime. The Canucks dominated the extra frame, and got a Daniel Sedin goal in the final minute to clinch the 4-3 overtime win for Vancouver.
The Last Meeting:
The Sens and Oilers last met in March at Rexall Place on trade deadline eve. The Oilers came out fired up, and took it to the Senators early. That said, Ottawa struck first on a Jason Spezza goal 5:22 in. Edmonton didn’t quit however, and were rewarded with an Ales Hemsky power-play goal late to tie things.
Hemsky scored his second of the night on a beauty mid-way through the second period, in what would be his final goal as an Oiler. Jordan Eberle would add the insurance marker at the 4:26 mark of the third, which would be the game winner because of a late Erik Karlsson marker. Ben Scrivens stopped 34 shots, sealing the 3-2 win and sweep of the season series for Edmonton.
Keys To The Game:
Edmonton: Tonight’s key for Edmonton is to use their speed to create offensive pressure. Ottawa has good goaltending and a solid group of wingers, but struggles defensively. If Edmonton can keep the Senators’ defenders on their heels tonight, then they should generate their fair share of chances, and come away with a win.
Ottawa: The Senators have an extremely skilled group of wingers, and can create offense like no one’s business. Their key tonight is to put pucks on net, because Edmonton possesses a weak defensive unit and struggles to clear the puck when the other team starts firing it. We saw Nashville execute this on Tuesday. If Ottawa can do that, they can easily snag two points here.
Players To Watch:
Edmonton: Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl struggled big time on the road trip, but his best games have come at home against eastern opponents. Dallas Eakins will get to pick and choose who he plays against, and will get to set him up for success tonight. Ottawa has a weaker defensive unit, so I could see Leon breaking his slump in this game with a favorable zone start and weaker opponents. Keep an eye on him.
Ottawa: Senators’ forward Bobby Ryan is the next generation of star player in Ottawa, taking over for Dany Heatley, Jason Spezza and Daniel Alfredsson. Ryan has killed the Oilers before, and is an extremely talented goal scorer. Don’t be surprised if Ryan finds the back of the night tonight. You’ll want to keep an eye on this elite goal scorer who was once laughed at by Kevin Lowe.
Quick Hits:
Edmonton enters tonight with a 6-2 record against the eastern conference. The Oilers also swept the season series between the teams last year, including a meeting last November in Ottawa. The Oilers have won the last three meetings overall between these teams, dating back to the winter of 2013. Ben Scrivens has a career record of 2-2 against Ottawa, and is 1-0 against them as an Oiler.
The Lines:
Edmonton Oilers Lines:
Benoit Pouliot – Ryan Nugent-Hopkins – Jordan Eberle
David Perron – Mark Arcobello – Nail Yakupov
Iiro Pakarinen – Leon Draisaitl – Teddy Purcell
Matt Hendricks – Boyd Gordon – Jesse Joensuu
Nikita Nikitin – Mark Fayne
Andrew Ference – Jeff Petry
Keith Aulie – Justin Schultz
Ben Scrivens
Ottawa Senators Lines:
Clarke MacArthur – Kyle Turris – Alex Chiasson
Milan Michalek – Mika Zibanejad – Bobby Ryan
Zack Smith – David Legwand – Chris Neil
Mike Hoffman – Curtis Lazar – Mark Stone
Chris Phillips – Erik Karlsson
Jared Cowen – Cody Ceci
Mark Borowiecki – Eric Gryba
Craig Anderson
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