I’ve read that you should never start your post with a quote, but I’ve never done anything on this site by the book anyhow, so why start now. This is what I said at the beginning of my last “Three Players to Watch” post,
The Winnipeg Jets will be a rested and pissed off hockey club tonight so it will behoove the Edmonton Oilers to slam their foot down on the gas pedal early and not let up. They can’t give the Jets even a little bit of daylight in this one because there’s a little bit of desperation creeping in here. Going home to play the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-4-0 would ease the pressure a lot more than 3-5-0.
It’s like the team read that and then decided to do the exact opposite… If this team is so predictable that a random hockey fan can see what’s coming, what does that say for the club itself?
Good Lord… These Oilers have not one but TWO golden geese and these are the results we’re getting… Do you think that there are players on the club that let up because they know that Connor and Leon will score? That’d be a pretty shitty attitude to have as a professional, but not one that is totally unbelievable.
Here are three players that I think you should keep an eye on for the Leafs tonight,
- #16 Mitch Marner – Has eight points in his last five games, six of those coming in his last three skates. I’d say he’s on fire right now. This generation’s Denis Savard is an electrifying hockey player but somehow always finds himself on the wrong side of a body check when he plays in Edmonton. Nurse has nailed him a couple of times and Puljujarvi wiped him out this season already.
- #44 Morgan Rielly – Five points in his last five games has him labelled a threat for this series with Edmonton. He must not have had much to do against Calgary if he had time to get on the scoresheet like that because he only had one point in all of his previous games total.
- #11 Zach Hyman – He has only one assist in his last five games and no goals on 18 shots. Pointless in his last three. He might be due for one tonight.
For Toronto to have success, outwork Edmonton. It’s as simple as that. I feel like that’s always been the recipe for two points against the Oilers. I mean, can you remember a lot of lucky wins for any team against them?
More specifically, make Mikko Koskinen work a lot and early on because it looks as if he’s starting to fatigue. Watch, I bet the Leafs will target Koskinen’s glove hand again and increase the volume of shots as the game goes on if they’re winning the momentum battle.
With regards to the away team, I’ll be watching these three individuals closely for Edmonton,
- #19 Mikko Koskinen – How tired is the big man getting? He’s been doing his damnedest to keep this boat afloat but signs of leakage are starting to pop up. Does he have one or two more good games in him before Troy Grosenick and Mike Smith return?
- #74 Ethan Bear – His short game is coming along but I’m still noticing some problems with his passing. He’s not hitting the tape like he was last year. I would imagine that has something to do with not having a place to play proper hockey in the off-season. His shot is still there though as we witnessed against Winnipeg on Connor McDavid’s tip-in goal.
- #82 Caleb Jones – Jones had a really nice bounce back game. It wasn’t smooth given the nature of the final score, but he looked better than he did in his first couple of outings. The Maple Leafs are a team he should have an easier time with since they’re not the most physical of teams.
Jason Gregor said that Mike Smith is dealing with a knee injury but should be returning soon.
A lot of pundits were flabbergasted as to why d-man Slater Koekkoek was scratched against the Jets a couple of days ago. This mystifies me, were they not watching him play? He has been an improved version of Adam Larsson on the left-side with how hard he’s been playing. Surely, he was given a recovery day to deal with some bumps and bruises.
I’m not sure who’s going to be coming in, as I’m writing this at around 4am Edmonton time. I’ll tell you who I’d like to see though. Joakim Nygard and Koekkoek. Maybe Kris Russell and Jujhar Khaira come out. I just feel like Nygard’s forecheck is a sonofabitch for opposing dmen to deal with and if Edmonton has at least one of those kinds of players on the ice at all times, they’re better off for it.
Keys to Success For the Oilers
The top six, keep doing what you’re doing. The chances are coming and that is far more important right now than scoring the perfect goal. Pulju and Kahuna are a bit snakebitten right now but they’re working their asses off, which, in my opinion, will pay off sooner than later. Hopefully, both! Let the Ketchup flow!!!
For the bottom-six, it’s time to take off the bubble wrap and get into the muck. I haven’t seen anything that would resemble a respectful scrum this year at all and that baffles me. The Oilers must be so frustrated right now, when are they going to let loose some of that frustration? I see Puljujarvi and Larsson and Archibald out there throwing the body around, what’s everybody else’s excuse? Shoot the puck, drive that f*cking net, and make the other team notice you!
In their first meeting of the year, Edmonton shut Toronto down. Didn’t let them have so much as a sliver of a chance of winning. I think they’d love to do that again and it’s something I would also love to see because I think there’s a modicum of defensive talent on this team but unfortunately, it takes everyone on the roster to buy in and realistically, that might happen every time there’s a full moon.
Overall, they can’t let a bad 20 minutes sink the game for them. Where’s the team that could bend but not break? Have they broken already? Eight games in…?
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