If you missed out on the first part of my series preview, you can read that right here!
Now, that post recapped the season series between these two division rivals. Of course, a season series means nothing when it comes to the Stanley Cup Playoffs but, it is still interesting stuff to keep in mind. The Oilers seemed to get better as the season wore on while the Sharks….well they struggled mightily.
In part 2 of this preview, I wanted to step away from comparing the two teams and look more at the Edmonton Oilers. Sure, we know how they compare to the Sharks now but what storylines will end up becoming most important to the boys in blue…er…I mean Orange!
Will Connor McDavid carry his otherworldly plan into the postseason? Can Cam Talbot continue to be the Oilers workhorse? What about playoff experience? I’ll hit on all these discussion points below and a little more cause I feel like it! So, let’s get on with Part 2!
Can Connor McDavid continue to be Connor McDavid?
This is a question I found to be really difficult to answer. The playoffs are an entirely different animal and I don’t think McDavid has really proven that he can handle this sort of thing.
What am I saying!? Of course Connor McDavid will continue to be Connor McDavid. Sure, the playoffs are an entirely different challenge for McDavid but these are the exact moments that McDavid was built to succeed in. #97 is a big game player and that will continue to be the case when the Oilers take to the ice tonight.
The Oilers captain is primed to follow in the footsteps of the great players before him, and those players crafted their legendary status in the playoffs. The Oilers captain will be ready to please a rocking Rogers Place.
When he returned from injury he dazzled the hockey world with an amazing goal. In the Rogers Place debut, he scored on center stage with a penalty shot. In the playoff-clinching game he pitched in with a goal. What he will do tonight…all we can do is wait and see.
Will Talbot withstand the grind that is the playoffs?
This is perhaps the second most talked about storyline following the Oilers into the playoffs.
No other NHL player has player has played as many minutes as Talbot had this season. He started in a league-high 73 games, and many people outside of Edmonton have been waiting for the fatigue to set in for the Oilers starter, and well…they’re still waiting. I don’t know if the dad strength is still giving him some extra juice but, it seems as though Talbot has been even better in the second half of the season. There was time after the all-star break where it seemed as though he had finally hit his limit but, just as quickly as he fell, he got right back up.
And it’s not like Talbot is playing against his will. He wants to be playing this much. He wants to be the go-to guy for the Oilers. This is his net, and he won’t give it up. So, I don’t see a reason why Talbot wouldn’t be able to take this next challenge. If anything, Talbot will be more motivated than anything!
Let’s just hope we don’t accidentally dump Jumbo Joe on him this year…*cough* Bergeron *cough*
Will the Oilers be able to compete with San Jose’s experience?
Look, playoff experience is a valuable asset to have. It takes one who has been through it to understand how to better prepare for it. The problem I have with the whole discussion is that people tend to overvalue the importance of playoff experience. Sure, it’s valuable to have but it isn’t end all be all of the NHL playoffs. The Stanley Cup isn’t handed out to the most experienced team.
The Edmonton Oilers are a young team compared to the San Jose Sharks. The Sharks have built up a reputation as being one of those perennial contenders every spring. Just last year they were in the finals. That’s a big deal, and the Oilers aren’t exactly ill prepared to handle that. In the offseason, Chiarelli set out to find some muscle and experience to equip the Oilers for just this thing. Milan Lucic has 101 playoff games under his belt going into it this year. Kris Russell has 36 postseason games.
As Dan Barnes of the Edmonton Journal pointed out in this fantastic article, playoff experience is important…unless you don’t have it. The Oilers are a young, fast, and extremely skilled team. If they out skill and outplay the Sharks in this series, which they are capable of, they will trump all that experience that San Jose has. Simple as that.
Can the Oilers afford to rely solely on the McDavid line?
The simple answer to this question is no. The Oilers can’t be a one-line team if they wish to make some noise in this year’s playoff. The good news is that this may not be the case.
Much was made at the midway point of the season that the Oilers were struggling in terms of secondary scoring. Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and Patrick Maroon were still putting up crooked numbers but, players like Milan Lucic, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Jordan Eberle were close to invisible. Well, that does not seem to be the case as of late. Milan Lucic and Jordan Eberle have been rolling as of late on that second line, anchored by the Nuge. The team is also finding production from the blueline this season! Oscar Klefbom and Andrej Sekera are both above the 30-point mark.
The Oilers have a chance to show the hockey world that they are more than just Connor McDavid…it is in their hands.
How important is Home-Ice Advantage?
In Edmonton, HUGE! The Oilers are more than a mere sports team in the public’s eye. The Edmonton Oilers more closely resemble a religion, and like every member of a devout religion, they are quite proud of it. All it takes is one google search of Rexall Place during the 2006 run to realize how a crowd can influence a playoff series.
Rogers Place will be an absolute madhouse tonight, and the Oilers should be able to harness the building’s energy in their favour.
Buckle up everyone, this’ll be fun!
How Excited are you for this?
I think I speak for every Edmonton Oiler fan that I am beyond excited for tonight’s game! How I will be able to think of anything other than tonight’s matchup is beyond me. So, yeah, maybe this does hold a little bit of a homer perspective in it but, screw it! The Oilers are in the playoffs and I don’t see any purpose of spreading negativity in the Oilers writing circles!
Lets get this going, Playoff hockey is back in Edmonton!
Thanks For Reading!
You can find me on Twitter @PrestonKixFM
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