October 16, 2019 /

2019/20 Edmonton Oilers GM7: Flyers @ Oilers – Three Players to Watch

The Oilers have just finished facing their first bit of adversity of the year. In the past, something like this might’ve crippled any confidence they’d built and so I wonder, what team will we see against the Philadelphia Flyers tonight? By all accounts, Philly played like trash in Calgary last night and I imagine they’re going to be well motivated to turn the ship around vs. Edmonton.

Jesse Puljujarvi Update:

Pulju scored a lovely goal (that would beat any NHL goalie) and added an assist in Karpat’s shootout victory over Skelleftea. He played 23:01 of TOI and had TEN shots… Some folks call him a shooter and some call him a playmaker, I call him YESSA!

Condors News

I’m still trying to catch up on the last two games that Bakersfield has played but by all accounts, they’re playing very well. Kailer Yamamoto has been the most dangerous player in every game played and if I had to guess, I’d say he’s at the top of the recall list should the Oilers run into injuries at some point. His speed and quickness have been very noticeable as has his tenacity.

Someone who isn’t playing as well so far is Kirill Maksimov. Scoreless in his first three games and I believe he was a healthy scratch versus Stockton. He was on a line with Ryan McLeod and Sam Gagner previously, however from my viewings, he wasn’t getting to the open ice. He was asserting himself physically and working hard, but the puck just wasn’t finding him in a timely manner. Early days though. A sniper like him won’t be off the scoresheet long.

The first ten-game segment of the year that I predicted back on Oct.3rd has gone thusly so far,

  • Vancouver (h): I predicted a loss. (LOSS) WIN 1-0-0
  • Los Angeles (h): I like the Oilers chances here against their former coach. (WIN) WIN 2-0-0
  • NYI (a): The Islanders are a tough squad. Skill and grit in excess. (LOSS) WIN 3-0-0
  • NJ (a): This game will feature FIVE former first overall picks… Should be exciting! (WIN) WIN 4-0-0
  • NYR (a): The Rags are gonna be good soon, but I like the Oilers here. (WIN) WIN 5-0-0
  • Chicago (a): I’ll take Edmonton’s young superstars vs. Chicago’s aging ones. (WIN) LOSS 5-1-0
  • Philadelphia (h): The Flyers are always a difficult team to beat and now they’ve got Carter Hart. (LOSS)
  • Detroit (h): Ken Holland’s first game against his old team. DET’s defense is horrid though. (WIN)
  • Winnipeg (a): I’m a huge fan of WPG’s fwd core. I’ll take the Jets here. (LOSS)
  • Minnesota (a): What are the Wild anyhow? They don’t impress me. (WIN)

Three Players to Watch for the Flyers

  • Travis Konecny – This little whippersnapper is leading his team in scoring with four goals and three assists. He’s a threat to score at all times, so keep an eye on him. He’ll be wearing #11.
  • Claude Giroux – The Flyers’ captain only has two assists on the year and seems to always play well against the Oilers. 19 pts in 15 career games vs. Edmonton.
  • Carter Hart – A homecoming of sorts for the Sherwood Park native. The Flyers played Elliott against the Flames last night, thus saving Hart to play in Edmonton. Is he the best Flyers goalie since Hextall? Lindberg? Only time will tell, but at the moment, he’s looking very promising.

These are the lines that Vigneault ran against the Flames. I expect some changes but they haven’t posted the lineup yet and it’s nearly 1am here in Taipei. Need… Sleep… Voracek on the 3rd line? WTF?

Three Players to Watch for the Oilers

  • Alex Chiasson – Chasser got the promotion to the top line late in the game vs. Chicago. He won’t start there tonight as he’s slated in on RNH’s line instead of Jurco. He’s not the fleetest of foot, but he’s great in the trenches and has a hard shot with a quick release. A great net-front presence as well. It’ll be interesting to see how he interacts with Neal and Nuge to form the CNN line.
  • Tomas Jurco – After two pretty decent games earlier in the year, he’s starting to become anonymous and has found himself demoted to the 4th line with Granlund and Archibald. The ice isn’t as free now that the regular season has started and therefor he hasn’t had as much room to get open to use that shot of his. He’s got to find a way to get it done against some potentially less talented opposition.
  • Joel Persson – How will Persson respond after getting roughed up against the Blackhawks? In my opinion, his spot on the team is the most at risk when Larsson returns. That said, we’re not even ten games into his NHL career. Maybe I should cut the guy some slack.

I really don’t know who to take for the win tonight. I feel like both teams have their challenges going into this one, but the Flyers’ forward depth is really good and they are coming off of an embarrassing result in Calgary. They’ve got a bit more to lose than Edmonton, so I’ll take… Edmonton of course. I want to take Philly but I’m going against the gut and in line with the predictions from earlier in the month.

Who do you think will stand out tonight? Do you reckon the Oilers can send the Flyers packing emptyhanded? Let us know in the comments below! Go Oilers Go!

Hey Flames Fans! Neal with it! Click the pic above and grab this beauty!
Hockey players are the toughest athletes on the planet. Click the pic and purchase this shirt right now!
Click the image above to get the new Pulju shirt!

CategoriesBeer League Hero Edmonton Oilers NHL

TagsEdmonton Oilers NHL Philadelphia Flyers

Beer League Hero Written by:

I'm the Beer League Hero! I am from Camrose, Alberta but I make my home in Taipei City, Taiwan. I've been through the ups and downs and the highs and the Lowes, the Bonsignores and the McDavids, the Sathers and the Eakins but I'll never leave my Oilers, no matter what! They're with me until the end and then some. GO OILERS GO!