\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The Oilers start their 2022 amid the fervour of poor play, tough losses, and an anxious fan base, going 2-7-1 in their last 10 games. For the second day in a row they will face a Metro Division team in an early start, this time against the Islanders.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The good news is that some Oilers have been playing their best hockey of the season, which is necessary if the team wants to fare any better going into the second half of the season.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The Islanders had a dreadful start, mostly on the road (new arena) and like the Oilers need to get their game in order in a hurry to keep in the wildcard race. Coming off several strong playoff runs, this is certainly the worst things have looked in the Lamoriello\/Trotz era, as the team has struggled to generate offensively.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The task at hand will be difficult, as the Islanders have the reputation as the type of tight-checking team that gives the Oilers trouble. We\u2019re expecting to see Koskinen and Sorokin in goal.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n KEYS TO THE GAME<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Edmonton<\/b>:<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n New York<\/b>:<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n EXPECTED LINEUPS<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Edmonton<\/b>: We saw this 11\/7 deployment yesterday, featuring a lot of icetime disparity.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Hyman \u2014 McDavid \u2014 Puljujarvi<\/span><\/p>\n RNH \u2014 Draisaitl \u2014 Yamamoto<\/span><\/p>\n Foegele \u2014 Ryan \u2014 Sceviour<\/span><\/p>\n McLeod \u2014 Shore<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Nurse \u2014 Barrie<\/span><\/p>\n Keith \u2014 Ceci<\/span><\/p>\n Koekkoek \u2014 Bouchard<\/span><\/p>\n Lagesson<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Koskinen<\/span><\/p>\n Smith<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n New York<\/b>:<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Lee \u2014 Barzal \u2014 Bailey<\/span><\/p>\n Bellows \u2014 Pageau \u2014 Dal Colle<\/span><\/p>\n Parise \u2014 Czarnik \u2014 Johnston<\/span><\/p>\n Martin \u2014 Cizikas \u2014 Clutterbuck<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Pelech \u2014 Mayfield<\/span><\/p>\n Chara \u2014 Dobson<\/span><\/p>\n Salo \u2014 Greene<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Sorokin<\/span><\/p>\n Varlamov<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n PLAYERS TO WATCH<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Edmonton<\/b>: <\/span>Yamamoto<\/b> has come alive of late, which this team desperately needs, as no one was able to grab hold of his top 6 spot amidst his offensive troubles. <\/span>Ryan<\/b> seems to be at his best with a pair of physical wingers, some mix of Foegele, Kassian, and Sceviour, as they compliment his game. It would however be nice to see <\/span>McLeod<\/b> get featured in this role, after a 2 assist game in a mere 8 minutes of ice yesterday.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Bouchard<\/b> seems to be in Tippett\u2019s doghouse as he\u2019s been demoted to the 3rd pair in the recent stretch, with <\/span>Barrie<\/b> switching back to Nurse\u2019s side. <\/span>Keith<\/b> can still move the puck and is clearly attached to <\/span>Ceci<\/b> whenever both are available. <\/span>Koekkoek<\/b> and <\/span>Lagesson<\/b> played very little yesterday, so we\u2019ll see if they get any kind of regular shift. Both have looked capable at points this season.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n New York<\/b>: A lot of the heat has fallen at <\/span>Barzal<\/b>\u2019s feet when it comes to the Isles offensive struggles, but especially with their current absences, this lineup doesn\u2019t offer the centre much support. Lee and Bailey are staples, but more in the mould of complimentary pieces than focal points. <\/span>Bellows<\/b> and <\/span>Dal Colle<\/b> have high draft pedigrees, but have yet to play up to their slotting in the top 6 here. <\/span>Parise<\/b> is not what he once was, but is still highly competitive. The fourth line is the Islanders classic <\/span>identity line<\/b>, sometimes called the M\u2022C^2 line. They will forecheck hard and put pressure on the Oilers defencemen.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Things are equally rigid on the back end. <\/span>Pelech<\/b> has started to gain the reputation as one of the league\u2019s foremost shutdown defenders, likely the Isles top option. <\/span>Mayfield<\/b> is a rugged option better slotted lower than the top pair. <\/span>Dobson<\/b> is the top puck moving option today, and the young player is still coming into his own. <\/span>Greene<\/b> is a Lamoriello classic and has been in a depth\/mentor role for a few years now, with <\/span>Robin Salo<\/b>, a 23 year old rookie with some 2-way potential. <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Oilers (18-12-1) at Islanders (9-12-6) \u00a0 The Oilers start their 2022 amid the fervour of poor play, tough losses, and…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":1247411,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[191955770],"tags":[8066,191307],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n
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