Good Lord, we finally have some HACKEY to watch! After a week off, the Edmonton Oilers stroll into the Big Smoke and are aiming not to choke on it. They were on a helluva roll before Montreal screwed it all up by catching The ‘Vid, but there’s an opportunity to keep this truck rolling down the highway because the Toronto Maple Leafs are sucking the hind tit since running the gamut on Edmonton thricely a few weeks ago.
The number one question on my mind, did Dave Tippett and his staff learn anything from that trio of losses or will they fall back into old habits and cost the Oilers some extremely valuable points in the standings?
Should they be in the lineup, here are three players that I think you should keep an eye on for the Buds tonight,
- #34 Auston Matthews – He’s on a big of a drought lately and you know what the cure to a scoring drought is in the NHL? A game against the Edmonton Oilers…
- #11 Zach Hyman – According the dailyfaceoff.com, Hyman’s got three goals in his last five games and four points in that time. He’s a menace to opposing defenders plus he’s on an expiring contract, so he’s got a pretty good incentive to produce.
- #36 Jack Campbell – Is Campbell the unbeatable entity or is there a human underneath all of that goalie equipment? We’ll soon find out.
For Toronto to have success, I think they should simply smother Edmonton’s top-six and give them no room to breath. Let the bottom-six players battle it out and allow the chips to fall where they may. Sheldon Keefe’s group are deeper than Coach Tippett’s and he’s at home, so he’s going to get the last change.
The Oilers are prone to some brain farts and collapsing completely when the game is out of reach as we witnessed in Toronto’s 6-1 win previously.
With regards to Edmonton, I’ll be watching these three individuals closely,
- #56 Kailer Yamamoto – Killer’s first game back since getting dinged up last week. Edmonton is going to need his tenacity and there are some wondering how he’ll mesh with RNH on the second line if the Oilers decide to go with the “Nuclear Option” on line 1.
- #25 Darnell Nurse – I think he’s going to see A LOT of TOI tonight and he’s been really great this season to date aside from some poor games versus the Leafs. The moment of truth comes in these types of games and the Oilers are going to require 100% of his concentration tonight.
- #44 Zack Kassian – I really wonder how a physical element like Kass will change the complexion of the game against Toronto. The Oilers will have some really heavy players in their lineup and things could go either way on that front, to be honest. Kassian and his band of brothers could make tonight a living hell for Toronto’s skillers and defensemen or they could have their asses handed to them by the Maple Leafs’ talented forwards.
Three Keys to Success For the Oilers
- Keep Toronto’s Chances to the Outside
Toronto has big problems playing against teams who force them to take their chances from the outside. They’ve got a handful of players who make their livings in the muck but those aren’t their best players and their all-stars tend to avoid those areas. Edmonton has a much better chance if Toronto’s big boys have to take low-chance shots.
- Protect the House
If the Oilers do manage to keep the Leafs to the perimeter, they’re going to switch it up and start crashing the net and going for garbage goals and deflections. Edmonton’s Defensemen will have a great responsibility to keep the front of the net clear. So, it’s probably a good thing Adam Larsson and Darnell Nurse are having the seasons of their lives. As well, it will be a fantastic test for Kris Russell and William Lagesson.
- Play Patiently
We’ve see three times now where the Oilers have started games against Toronto like their balls were dipped in acid and three times where the Maple Leafs withstood the pressure and countered it with a goal.
I’d love to see Edmonton control this game from the get-go. Play with some composure and not push too hard after the puck drops. Own the possession game in a manner that appears as if they’re bullying Toronto. We all know when they ring that alarm that they can turn on the pressure, but can they play like the old Russian squads of the 70s and 80s?
One more thing, Toronto has caught Edmonton’s d-men out more than once this season and made them pay for it. The Maple Leafs have some big depth forwards who can skate like the wind like Engvall and Mikheyev or are highly skilled like Joe Thornton and Jason Spezza… The Oilers blueliners are going to have to be very cognizant of their on-ice decisions and positions.
Give us a follow on the socials!
- Youtube: Beer League Heroes Channel
- Twitter: @beerleagueheroe
- Instagram: @beerleagueheroes
- Facebook: Beer League Heroes
