Tonight, the Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks will embark on a journey together that will last the week and see them play each other a mind-boggling four times!
On the surface an average fan would look at these four match-ups and where these two teams sit in the standings of the North Division and come to the conclusion that the final scores of these four games really don’t matter all that much and the points are Edmonton’s to lose, but I beg to differ…
- Each team has a number of younger players who need reps.
- VAN: Kole Lind, Nils Hoglander, Jalen Chatfield
- EDM: Evan Bouchard, Ryan Mcleod
- Edmonton has a few vets coming off of the IR who need to get back into game shape before the post-season.
- EDM: Slater Koekkoek, Jujhar Khaira, Joakim Nygard
- The backups for each team will get the opportunity to get in a few extra starts so the starters can rest. This is more important for the Oilers obviously.
- Statistical milestones (for the Oilers at least),
- Connor McDavid is gunning for 100pts.
- Leon Draisaitl is closing in on 80pts.
- Darnell Nurse is very close to his 20th goal of the year.
- Tyson Barrie is within reach of 50pts.
- Ryan McLeod is still looking for his first NHL point.
- Mike Smith has his 20th win of the year in his sights.
- Alex Stalock could play his first game in over a year still.
Maybe more importantly, for both organizations, there’s room to move up the standings still. Edmonton would love to somehow catch the Toronto Maple Leafs and finish first in the North and conversely, Vancouver wants nothing more than to leave the basement of the division to the Ottawa Senators or Calgary Flames.
Oh! And one more thing, if Edmonton secures one point this evening, they’ll clinch a playoff spot.
Should they be in the lineup, here are three players that I think you should keep an eye on for the Canucks tonight,
- #78 Kole Lind – Two games into his career and he’s got two shots and is -1. No biggie. When I watched him ahead of the 2017 draft, I thought he reminded me of a younger Ryan Smyth with his work ethic, drive, and playing style. I’ll be looking forward to seeing if that’s the sort of player he’s developed into.
- #43 Quinn Hughes – There’s nothing more entertaining to watch in hockey than a defenseman who can go coast-to-coast with regularity and do it with such effectiveness. Hughes is this guy.
- #6 Brock Boeser – Since March 3rd, Boeser only has one goal despite firing the puck on net 23 times. He’s due I’d say.
For Vancouver to have success, they need to play Edmonton very hard and in nearly every aspect of the game, they’ll need their goaltender to stand on his head, and for the Oilers to have a game full of tough luck. Aside from that, I have a really hard time seeing the Canucks winning this game let alone the other three this week. That said, stranger things have happened.
With regards to Edmonton, I’ll be watching these three individuals closely,
- #56 Kailer Yamamoto – ZERO points in his last five games. Two of those being alongside two of the best players in the NHL… Is Killer dealing with a hand or wrist injury? I can’t be the only one who’s noticed that he’s shooting very little this year.
- #97 Connor McDavid – It’s only fair to put him on this list every game until he hits 100pts, right?
- #15 Josh Archibald – Three points in his last five and in the bottom six no less. Archie is going to be a key contributor down the stretch and into the post-season for Edmonton thanks to his aggressive nature and intense gameplay. It wouldn’t shock me if Coach Tippett moved him up the lineup in the event Yamamoto continues to put up donuts on the scoresheet.
Three Keys to Success For the Oilers
- Fast Farmin’
The Canucks are a team who are coming off a devastating spell on the IR with the ‘Vid. We saw how that affected the Sabres, Devils, and others already this year and without sounding completely ruthless, all Edmonton has to do is play their game at a high pace in order to secure the win.
- Protect the House
In the past, the Oilers’ netminders have had troubles with deflections and redirections coming from the slot that have originated from point shots. The Canucks have at least four defensemen who have fantastic shots (Schmidt, Edler, Myers, Hughes) and Edmonton has played the opposition’s points with relaxed concentration quite a bit this season.
- Beware of the Man Who Has Nothing to Lose
The Canucks know they’re not making the playoffs. They also know that that they could ruin Edmonton’s playoff experience in one way or another. The Oilers have to be quite careful that they don’t get themselves into a spot of bother here because the worst thing that could happen right now is if somebody got hurt.
Give us a follow on the socials!
- Youtube: Beer League Heroes Channel
- Twitter: @beerleagueheroe
- Instagram: @beerleagueheroes
- Facebook: Beer League Heroes
