I’ll be honest, it’s going to be very difficult for the Edmonton Oilers and Montreal Canadiens to replicate the entertainment value I got from their last meeting. That as the game of the year so far and it was perfectly accented by the play-by-play of Jack Michaels. That said, I hope to the high heavens that we get to see another beauty!
Should they be in the lineup, here are three players that I think you should keep an eye on for the Habs tonight,
- #34 Jake Allen – He’ll need to have a really solid bounce back performance tonight after being the latest victim of a Connor McDavid Supernova event. If he doesn’t stand on his head, I can’t see Montreal having much of a chance tonight.
- #24 Philip Danault – One could say that his abrasive treatment of the Oilers captain might’ve lead to McDavid changing gears from rabbit to Lamborghini two nights ago. Might we see a more responsible style of play this evening?
- #94 Corey Perry – If there’s one guy that will do anything to get his team a goal, it’s Perry. So it wouldn’t shock me in the least if he gets away with something criminal that leads to a Canadiens’ goal.
For Montreal to have success, they need to get their scorers scoring. They’re in one helluva mire right now and I’m not sure they’ve got the soldiers willing to do what it takes to get out of this slump. However, they do have some highly-skilled forwards who are quick and can find the soft ice. So, if they were to start pounding that puck on net and looking for redirections and rebounds, that would be a good place to start IF they can maintain puck possession in the Oilers’ zone.
With regards to Edmonton, I’ll be watching these three individuals closely,
- #93 Ryan Nugent-Hopkins – Ryan Rishaug is reporting there’s a good chance Nuge will be in the lineup. Edmonton’s PP has looked a little bit disconnected with him sitting in the press box recovering from his alleged concussion.
- #44 Zack Kassian – Somebody poked the wolverine two nights ago and we were witness to a transformation of sorts for Kassian. His Bruce Banner persona gone and in his place an enraged Incredible Hulk. I want know which personality we’ll see in a matter of hours though and was that a one off?
- #22 Tyson Barrie/#75 Evan Bouchard – He didn’t skate in this morning’s optional practice, so I wonder if he might be out this evening and could we see Evan Bouchard get a game now that Ethan Bear is back to his old self.
Three Keys to Success For the Oilers
- Keep the Streaks Alive!
Connor McDavid, Jesse Puljujarvi, and Kailer Yamamoto each have two game point streaks going into this one. McDavid has five points, Puljujarvi has three, and Yamo has two ticks on the scoresheet in their last pair of games.
- Clamp it Down in the First and Second.
Montreal is going to come out hard I think. They’ve outscored their opponents in each of the first two frames this season but their third periods have been their Achilles’ heel, if you will. Conversely, the Oilers have loved scoring in the final period this year outscoring their counterparts 50-39.
- Stay Out of the Box
Edmonton’s PK at home is 24th in the league (75%)… They might want to tidy that up a bit but with RNH possibly returning tonight, he would be a serious help there.
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