Oilers vs Penguins Preview - Oh Connor, where art thou?

TALE OF THE TAPE:

Game: Edmonton Oilers (5-8-0) vs Pittsburgh Penguins (8-4-0)

Location: Rexall Place, Edmonton

Time: 7:00 PM MT

Where to find it: TV: Sportsnet – Radio: 630 CHED

Edmonton Oilers Preview:

Day four post injury, and it’s still a tough pill to swallow. As I pointed out on twitter earlier in the week, I’m disappointed we won’t be able to see the battle of generation talents tonight between Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid. None the less, life goes on and it’s time to look beyond McDavid.

With McDavid down, Jordan Eberle draws back into the lineup and in saying so, the coaching staff made the move to juggle the lines a bit. Draisaitl will center Hall and Eberle, while the Nuge with center Pouliot and Yakupov. Tonight, I am looking forward to seeing how Yakupov plays sans McDavid.

Has Yakupov taken the steps we think he has, or is he just a product of McDavid’s talent? Time will tell but it is an interesting storyline to follow as we move forward.

Interestingly enough, Mark Fayne is a healthy scratch for the third game in a row. BLH speculated today that there could be a potential deal in the works. Fayne has certainly had his struggles, but I would be sitting others like Gryba for three games before I would Fayne. That’s why I’m a blogger, and not a coach I guess.

Tonight, I would look for the team to build off that Philadelphia win where we basically dominated that entire game. Here’s to hoping for the best!

The Otherside:

Pittsburgh was expecting to face Edmonton’s Connor McDavid for the first time, but McDavid sustained a fractured left clavicle Tuesday. “I was looking forward to playing against him, honestly,” center Eric Fehr told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review after practice Thursday. “There’s been a lot of hype the past couple years. He’s one of the up-and-coming stars. It’s always fun playing against those guys.” Pittsburgh has won five straight and is 8-1-0 after starting the season with three losses. Fleury has won seven straight against the Oilers with a 2.15 goals-against average. – nhl.com