March 20, 2021 /

2020-21 Edmonton Oilers GM34: Oilers vs. Jets- Three Players to Watch

The Edmonton Oilers can become only the third team to win 21 games on the season tonight against the struggling Winnipeg Jets. Only the Tampa Bay Lightning and Vegas Golden Knights have 21 wins so far with the Carolina Hurricanes and Washington Capitals sitting alongside Edmonton with 20 wins at the moment.

That’s pretty good company if you ask me.

But hey, why focus on that when we’ve got an elite point-producing defenseman with a few secondary assists or some goaltenders who are playing lights out but aren’t starters…

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Should they be in the lineup, here are three players that I think you should keep an eye on for the Jets tonight,

  • #37 Connor Hellebuyck – I fully expect this game to be a helluva lot more different with Hellebuyck in net. He’ll bring a certain confidence to Winnipeg’s game that wasn’t there on Thursday evening.
  • #23 Trevor Lewis – It’s not often that a 4th line RWer makes this list but the other night Lewis’ line was running rough shot over whoever Coach Tippett sent out against them. They even scored Winnipeg’s only goal. Lewis himself is a big bodied grinder who has scored well in the past given his role. He also skates well and is pretty tough.
  • #4 Neil Pionk – With the Jets being a rested club and being backstopped by Hellebuyck, it wouldn’t shock me one bit of Pionk’s form was much better tonight. The question is, how hard will he go at the Oilers big boys?

For Winnipeg to have success they’re going to need to bring much more energy and much more intensity. Thursday’s game wasn’t the most entertaining affair and the Jets stayed in it despite not being able to generate much offense, but I think we’re going to see a different team tonight. A team that’ll need to bring their shot volume way up, their neutral zone transition game way up, and their turnover game way down.

The things that make this club dangerous are its elite top-six, its big and physical bottom-six, and the goalie. Hell, you know this though. That said, the way that the Oilers are playing right now, the Jets are going to need all three of those motors I mentioned above running.

With regards to Edmonton, I’ll be watching these three individuals closely,

  • #13 Jesse Puljujarvi – Jesse Puljujarvi is about due for a goal here. He’s been working his ass off (something he’s known to do) and has had multiple glaring scoring chances in the last couple of games and sooner or later the puck’s going to go in for him. I’d like to see him get some more PP time to help facilitate this event.
  • #84 William Lagesson – His last outing wasn’t great but he’s still the kinda player you want in your lineup against a team like Winnipeg who have a lot of big bodies in their lineup. Somebody has to clear the front of the net out and break up the cycles, Wild Bill is that guy. He’s a lot more skilled that people give him credit for too by the way. I’ve seen him dangle off the wall and up the ice a few times this year. There’s a part of me that’s waiting to see who the first one is to get him to drop the gloves too. Apparently, he can hold his own in that regard.
  • #16 Jujhar Khaira – Heeeeeee’s Baaaaaack! I’m looking forward to having JJ back on the ice for the Oilers and even more so the competition between him and Lowry or Thompson.

Three Keys to Success For the Oilers

  • Under Pressure

They’ve got to keep the Jets under pressure, especially their defenders and forwards in the offensive zone. Force them to make bad passes and jump on the turnovers. Also, the more shots on the goalie, the better. I’d like to see Edmonton win the shot volume battle tonight.

  • The Battle of the Bottom Six

Jujhar Khaira is set to return to the lineup this evening and I think I’m not the only one really hoping that the knockout he received in that fight with Calgary’s Brett Ritchie hasn’t set his form back. The matchup against Adam Lowry he’s set to take on should be a beauty if he’s the same JJ he was before that injury.

The Ennis/Haas/Kassian line is one to really keep close tabs on. It has speed, aggressiveness, and skill, but it’s a fresh combination too. Whereas Winnipeg’s 4th line of Perrreault/Thompson/Lewis have been together for some time and there’s a certain chemistry there that, on paper, should give them the advantage. It doesn’t help that they’re much better defensively than the Haas line.

  • GTP2McD

Get the puck to McDavid. Simple as that. He’s on another level this year and it only makes sense that he gets as much ice time as possible (while the game is close) and he gets as many shots as possible. I mean, the way he placed his shots last time out… It reminded me of how Mario Lemieux used to do it. You knew #66 would go top shelf glove or 5-hole and there as nothing that could be done about it… McDavid’s stickhandling is so rapid that goalies don’t have any idea when the shot is going to come off the blade. So now, he’s just picking them off like they’re shooter tutors.

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CategoriesArmchair GM Beer League Hero Edmonton Oilers NHL Rumors

TagsEdmonton Oilers NHL Winnipeg Jets

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!