2020-21 Edmonton Oilers GM44: Oilers vs. Canadiens – Three Players to Watch

The Edmonton Oilers are in Montreal for a couple of games in an attempt to leapfrog the Winnipeg Jets and catch a slumping Toronto Maple Leafs club who surely will be low on morale after losing to the near-crippled Vancouver Canucks last night…

The Canadiens have not fared any better as of late and are 2-3-0 in their last five and 4-6-0 in their last ten games played. Conversely, the Oilers are coming in like Clark Griswold’s greased up SR775CV Racer. 3-1-1 in their last five and in their last ten, 6-2-2.

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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 Habs tonight,

#73 Tyler Toffoli – He leads Montreal in scoring this year with 21 goals and 11 assists but only has two helpers in his four games against Edmonton.
#26 Jeff Petry – The former Edmonton Oiler has four points this season when facing his old club and he’s due for another as he’s not scored in at least Montreal’s last ten but he has 26 shots in that time…
#17 Josh Anderson – What a handful he was the last time these two teams got together. He gave Caleb Jones and Ethan Bear a really hard time and I don’t imagine that’ll be stopping tonight with his speed, massive frame, and abrasive playing style.

For Montreal to have success, I think they should do their best to pressure Edmonton’s defense as much as possible in order to create some chaos in the offensive zone. The Canadiens have some very quick and physical bottom sixers who can do just that in Lehkonen and Paul Byron and then they have really good veterans like Eric Staal and Corey Perry who can work the boards and play in the muck leaving the likes of Tatar or Danault to finish.

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

#29 Leon Draisaitl – One of a handful of Oilers who are -5 on the season vs. Montreal, he has seven points in his last five games but he hasn’t scored a goal against the Canadiens despite throwing 15 shots on net against them this year.
#14 Devin Shore – Is one of the leading scorers for the Oilers when they play the Dominic Ducharme’s with a brain-blistering TWO points! All facetiousness aside, this player has been a good signing for Edmonton this year and I think we should nickname him The Ultimate Shorrior! I don’t know why, it just sounds good.
#97 Connor McDavid – One would think that choosing the highest-scoring player in the NHL right now (71pts) would be kind of a lay up for a player to watch but this young man has not scored a single goal against Montreal this year… I’m picking tonight for that little drought to… Dry up.

Three Keys to Success For the Oilers

Score First

The Montreal Canadiens have a record of 2-11-5 when their opponents have scored first. Logically, that tells me that if the Oilers strike early, they should have a higher chance of taking home the two points.

Boss the Special Teams

Montreal has horrendous special teams for the amount of NHL depth they possess. Their powerplay is 21st in the league and their penalty kill is 22nd. That being said, Edmonton has to be very careful if they get the mad advantage as the Habs are tied for first in the NHL for shorthanded goals with eight.