Oilers Gameday – @ Winnipeg

Let’s take it outside, shall we? The Oilers will put their two game winning streak on the line this afternoon as they battle the Winnipeg Jets in The Heritage Classic at Investor’s Group field. I know the buzz around this game isn’t the same as the original version back in 2003, but boy am I excited.

The Oilers are coming off a statement win on Thursday night when they topped the St. Louis Blues 3-1, while the Jets are playing for the first time since Wednesday, when Patrik Laine’s hat-trick goal in overtime knocked off the Maple Leafs.

Cam Talbot, who has started every game so far for the Oilers, will be in the net today while Connor Hellebuyck goes for the Jets.

Keys To The Game:

Edmonton: The Oilers can’t let the emotion of the moment get to them today. Far too often during games where numbers are retired or there are pregame ceremonies, the team comes out flat. Obviously, today is a different animal for a lot of these guys. Treat this like another game and play the way you’ve been playing. If the Oilers do that, they’ll be fine.

Winnipeg: The Jets have to find a way to keep their foot on the gas for a full 60 minutes. In order to do that, the team has to start better. On multiple occasions this year, Winnipeg has fallen behind early in games and had to stage comebacks. In fact, both of their wins include three goal deficits at some point. Winnipeg has to start better today.

Players To Watch:

Edmonton: After two games in the pressbox, rookie Jesse Puljujarvi will make his return to the lineup today. Against Patrick Laine, and with some of the greatest Finnish NHL’ers ever in attendance, how will the rookie respond? I’m expecting a pretty solid game out of him and a burst of energy from the get-go. I’ll be very interested in his performance today.

Winnipeg: This is the first chance for Oiler fans to really see Patrik Laine up close. The second overall pick from June’s entry draft, with far less fanfare than Auston Matthews, has quietly had a tremendous start to his rookie season. After a hat-trick on Wednesday night, and with the same circumstances as Puljujarvi with some of the greats in town, I can’t wait to see what he does next.

The Lines:

Matthew Benning was recalled back on Friday and is the seventh defender tonight. With Ben Betker back in Bakersfield, Benning will slide in if/when another injury occurs. Also worth noting that Jonas Gustavsson will back up tonight after suffering an injury a week ago against Buffalo.

Edmonton Oilers Lines:

Milan Lucic – Connor McDavid – Jordan Eberle

Patrick Maroon – Leon Draisaitl – Jesse Puljujarvi

Benoit Pouliot – Ryan Nugent-Hopkins – Zack Kassian

Anton Slepyshev – Mark Letestu – Tyler Pitlick

Oscar Klefbom – Adam Larsson

Andrej Sekera – Kris Russell

Darnell Nurse – Eric Gryba

Cam Talbot

Winnipeg Jets Lines:

Patrik Laine – Mark Scheifele – Drew Stafford

Nikolaj Ehlers – Mathieu Perreault – Blake Wheeler

Kyle Connor – Alex Burmistrov – Brandon Tanev

Shawn Matthias – Adam Lowry – Joel Armia

Josh Morrissey – Dustin Byfuglien

Tobias Enstrom – Tyler Myers

Ben Chariot – Paul Postma

Connor Hellebuyck

Game Notes:

The Oilers will get to return home after this singular road game, which is just their second of the season. The Oil won their first road game 5-3 over Calgary back on Friday, October 14th. With Jesse Puljujarvi returning to the lineup, it appears that Anton Lander will be the odd man out today for Edmonton. Lander played well Tuesday against Carolina, but I thought he struggled Thursday against St. Louis.

What will Connor McDavid have in store for us today? Remember, Sidney Crosby scored his iconic shootout goal in the snow during his first outdoor game back in 2008 when Pittsburgh beat Buffalo in the first ever Winter Classic. The goal, nearly ten years later, is still shown on highlight reels. Will McDavid have a signature moment today?

I don’t think we need to worry about the Lucic-McDavid-Eberle line. That trio has gotten better by the game and, in my mind, they won the game for Edmonton on Thursday night. Milan Lucic is so unique to this team, and he always shows up in big games. He’s another player to keep an eye on today.

Prediction:

With so much emotion surrounding this game, it’s really tough to make a prediction. That said, this Winnipeg Jets team is not the same as the ones of previous years. They aren’t as physical and they aren’t as tough to play against. They are also giving up a ton of goals, while Edmonton is scoring a ton of goals.

I think the Oilers get ahead early today and stay there, winning the Heritage Classic by a score of 5-2. McDavid, Puljujarvi, Sekera, Lucic and Draisaitl will be your goals scorers for Edmonton, while Laine and Connor find the back of the net for the Jets.