The prodigal son returns. Former 1st overall pick and fan favorite (to some) Nail Yakupov makes his return to Edmonton tonight after being traded to St.Louis for a sack of magic beans. Yakupov has been quite vocal about his appreciation for fans in Edmonton since arriving in town, but for obvious reasons it would seem he’s not at all bitter about the trade and has relished the new opportunity afforded to him in St.Louis: “”I’d like to say thanks to Edmonton… but I have a new team, a new home now. This is my team.” Many Oilers fans are happy for Yakupov (myself included) and hoping he can find his scoring touch again with his new team. Apparently, coach Ken Hitchcock has faith that he can do so:
Hitch on Yakupov: “Yesterday was his best game. We moved him up (the lineup) based on his play. He’s got an element that we need.” #stlblues
— Jeremy Rutherford (@jprutherford) October 19, 2016
You can catch the game at 7pm MT on Sportsnet Oilers.
Keys to the game:
Edmonton: The Oilers are off to a decent start this season (3-0-1) but have some issues to address if they hope to beat the blues. They desperately need to watch their turnovers or the Blues will make them pay. Discipline will be a key factor for the Oilers tonight and they’ll want to stay out of the box to avoid an effective St.Louis powerplay (4 goals on 16 chances for a 25% PP percentage). Connor McDavid has been a bit quiet the last 2 games, and the Oilers will need him to step up.
St.Louis: Keep it simple. St.Louis is currently undefeated in regulation and as long as they stick to their gameplan they should give the speedy Oilers a run for their money. Containing McDavid is a priority (as it is for any team). The Blues will want to take advantage of Cam Talbot and put lots of shots on net. Talbot is the proud father of twins which were born yesterday, so there’s a chance he might not be 100% focused, despite having an excellent performance against the Hurricanes.
Players to Watch:
Oilers: Connor McDavid (he’ll be on this list all season, I’d imagine). McDavid has been quiet the last 2 games and needs to reignite his offence. Tyler Pitlick is another guy to watch after having an excellent game against Carolina. Pitlick has seen a lot of his career affected by injuries but he’s been healthy thus far and is silencing his critics. I’ll be watching Cam Talbot closely to see if his head is in the game. Luckily it’s a home game, so he’ll get to see the new additions to his family after the game, but I can’t imagine he had much sleep last night 😉
Blues:Nail Yakupov (obviously). He’ll be hungry to show the Oilers they made a mistake, and he’ll get the opportunity to do so tonight. Other players to watch are Paul Stastny (2-4-6) and Vladimir Tarasenko (4-2-6). The Blues have the firepower to make the Oilers pay on defensive breakdowns, so it will be a big test for the young Oilers blueliners.
Projected Lines:
The lines for the Oilers are expected to be similar to Tuesday’s game, with the exception of Gryba who will draw in for Mark Fayne after the latter suffered an injury in the game against Carolina.
Oilers:
Blues:
(Lines courtesy of http://www.dailyfaceoff.com)
Game Notes:
The injury train rolls on. The Oilers lost yet another man with an injury to Mark Fayne in Tuesday’s game against the Hurricanes. Ben Betker was subsequently called up from Bakersfield. I’m not really sure why they chose Betker, but it would seem the Oilers don’t actually intend to play him, with Eric Gryba taking Fayne’s spot in the lineup tonight. Fayne, Pakarinen, Caggiula, Davidson, and Matt Hendricks all remain on the Injured Reserve.
Gameday Prediction:
Yakupov scores against the Oilers (naturally), helping the Blues to a 5-3 win over the hometeam. Tarasenko continues his hot streak. Connor McDavid gets on the board after going pointless in his last 2 games, and Tyler Pitlick picks up another point tonight. Draisaitl scores for the Oilers on the powerplay, and Eberle picks up an even strength goal off a sick feed from McDavid.
Enjoy the game my friends, and GO OILERS!
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