December 6, 2019 /

Edmonton Oilers GM31: Kings @ Oilers – Three Players To Watch

Boy, that last game for the Oilers was a real let down. After what they were showing in the first period, they should’ve had the Sens all sealed up and delivered. But, as with all developing teams, there will be peaks and valleys and these Oilers only seem to go as far as their two megastars will allow them to go. Maybe going after Taylor Hall isn’t such a bad idea after all. This team has to be able to rely on other players apart from Connor and Leon and if they’ve got a second line that features Hall, Nugent-Hopkins, and Neal, in theory, that should relieve some of the scoring pressure on 97 and 29.

I just worry that if you’re putting all your eggs in that basket, what other parts of the team will be sacrificed…

It’s been mused by some of the Oilers media types that perhaps Taylor Hall would sign a Marian Hossa-like deal for one year. Something close to but not more than what Leon Draisaitl makes. Now, I assume that means he wouldn’t be getting traded for, right? Because that would be a bit silly unless Holland was offloading William Lagesson, Cooper Marody, and one of their Russian prospects playing over in the KHL’s system in addition to sending a contract over to cover Hall’s salary. New Jersey isn’t doing that though and it sounds like Arizona and Colorado are going to go to war over him.

A funny thing I remember about Hossa back then was that he flip-flopped teams (First Pittsburgh and then Detroit) and they played each other in the Stanley Cup finals for two years in a row and the team he wasn’t playing on won the championship. Talk about tough luck! But it doesn’t stop there. For a third consecutive year, he went to the Cup final, this time with Chicago, and that year he’d win his first of three Stanley Cups with the Blackhawks. Hockey is a funny game like that.

The Next Ten Games (31-40)

  • vs. LA Kings (11-16-2) – A pissed off Oilers team will make short order of the Kings in this rubber match. (WIN)
  • vs. Buffalo Sabres (13-10-5) – No Dahlin for Buffalo but Jack Eichel is on a tear. Captain Jack will get his points but his team will not. (WIN)
  • vs. Carolina Hurricanes (16-11-1) – Carolina is too deep for this Oilers team plus Andrei Svechnikov is making a mockery of the NHL as a 19-year-old. (LOSS)
  • @ Minnesota Wild (13-11-4) – The Oilers seem to have trouble against teams like this for whatever reason. Immaturity in the club maybe? (LOSS)
  • vs. Toronto Maple Leafs (13-13-4) – The Leafs defense is soft like a Wendy’s Frosty but they’ve got the kind of offense that could really tear open the Oilers. It’s a toss-up for me but I’ll say Edmonton takes it. (WIN)
  • @ Dallas Stars (15-11-3) – Tough match-up for Edmonton here. Dallas already beat them once this year but that was when they were struggling. Now that they’re playing well, will the Oilers’ mindset going into this one be different? (WIN)
  • @ St. Louis Blues (18-6-6) – Edmonton’s been performing very well against the league’s top teams. I don’t expect that to stop in St. Louis. (WIN)
  • vs. Pittsburgh Penguins (15-9-4) – The first game of a back-to-back at home and the Oilers are one up on Crosby’s Pens. Pittsburgh is going through one hell of an injury crisis mind you but as we’ve seen, the Oilers have failed to take advantage of these situations in the past. (LOSS)
  • vs. Montreal Canadiens (12-10-6) – I feel like the Habs usually give Edmonton a hard time when they come to town and their team is a lot better than their record tells us. (LOSS)
  • @ Vancouver Canucks (14-11-4) – I like the Oilers chances against Vancouver here and it’s the last game before the Christmas break. (WIN)

(Standings as of December 5th, 2019)

Three Players to Watch for the Kings

  • #11 Anze Kopitar – No goals in his last five games. Kopitar will be itching to score and if you’re a player who’s on a slump, there’s no better team to play than the Oilers.
  • #77 Jeff Carter – 20 shots in his last five but only one goal to show for it. Carter seems to always score when he plays Edmonton. He’s slowed down in recent years, but that shot is still elite.
  • #8 Drew Doughty – What kind of shenanigans will Doughty engage in this time. If Kassian is out, expect him to be all over McDavid and Draisaitl.

Here are the lines the Kings were running most recently. They are susceptible to alteration before puck drop.

Three Players to Watch for the Oilers

  • #10 Joakim Nygard – Not playing well. I wonder if he’s playing hurt or has reaggravated an earlier injury. I barely notice him on the ice and he’s not as aggressive as he was earlier in the season. He has to get things going because Edmonton is a better team when Nygard is on his horse.
  • #91 Gaetan Haas – The other half of European Showtime had a couple of looks against Ottawa and drew two penalties in the third if I’m not mistaken. The production has to come at some point here.
  • #6 Adam Larsson – The Iron Swede had a really tough game vs. Ottawa and has been struggling a bit since coming back from that fractured leg. Edmonton needs him to find his game though if he’s going to be pair with Klefbom. LA’s a bit slower team, so I expect him to be better.

The Oilers haven’t posted their lines yet and I’m wary of posting anything with the likes of Zack Kassian, Matthew Benning, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins on the verge of returning from the IR, but here is what they ran vs. Ottawa. I’d expect changes.

Hey Flames Fans! Neal with it! Click the pic above and grab this beauty!
Click the image above and get this sweet Leon’s parody shirt!

CategoriesBeer League Hero Edmonton Oilers NHL

TagsEdmonton Oilers Los Angeles Kings NHL

Beer League Hero Written by:

I'm the Beer League Hero! I am from Camrose, Alberta but I make my home in Taipei City, Taiwan. I've been through the ups and downs and the highs and the Lowes, the Bonsignores and the McDavids, the Sathers and the Eakins but I'll never leave my Oilers, no matter what! They're with me until the end and then some. GO OILERS GO!