TALE OF THE TAPE:
Game: Edmonton Oilers (4-8-0) vs Philadelphia Flyers (4-5-2)
Location: Rexall Place, Edmonton
Time: 7:00 PM MT
Where to find it: TV: Sportsnet West – Radio: 630 CHED
Edmonton Oilers Preview:
What Todd McLellan is doing as head coach is quite interesting, and I think he is still unsure of what he has with this team.
For the second game in a row, Mark Fayne is sitting in the press box and we are featuring another weird defence.What McLellan is doing is that he’s sending a strong message to players like Fayne by making him a healthy scratch. The new regime has no connection to any of these players, so I am glad to see they are not being kind. This teams needs like nice guys.
I was looking at some stats and Brandon Davidson leads the Oilers in 5v5 CF% with 51.5% which is impressive; next on the list, Mark Fayne at 51%.
We have seen some good things from Davidson this season, and he has slowly begun to grow on me. His two goals this year are more than any other Oilers defencemen. His first was against Montreal two games ago where he scored early in the third which was a big part of that comeback game. His second goal was against Calgary Saturday night and was a huge slapshot from the point to aid in our comeback. At 24 years old, Davidson has been a fighter his whole career after being doubted at every level and after beating cancer only a few years ago. Tonight, he draws in on the top pairing beside Oscar Klefbom.
Here’s to hoping he can keep it up.
Matt Hendricks will return to the lineup tonight after missing seven games with a foot injury. The bottom six of this Oilers roster has become quite a concern and Hendricks will be a welcome addition back to that group. On top of Hendricks returning, Griffin Reinhart is off the IR after missing six games with an undisclosed injury.
Tonight, the key to the game is getting off to a strong start which is something Todd McLellan stressed during his pregame interview. You should really go listen to it here.
The Otherside:
Philadelphia enters having lost its past four games (0-3-1). The skid continued Monday when the Flyers dropped a 3-1 decision at the Vancouver Canucks. Philadelphia is 1-3-1 on the road this season. “We have to come back. It’s a quick turnaround for [Tuesday night],” coach Dave Hakstol said. “A tired group, as they always do, stick together and come back with a similar effort [Tuesday.” Michal Neuvirth could get the start in goal after Steve Mason made 30 saves Monday. Neuvirth is 2-1-0 with a 1.91 goals-against average and .939 save percentage. – nhl.com
Walter Foddis’ Pre-Game Shooting Metrics
Line Combos:
Oilers via oilers.nhl.com:
Taylor Hall – Ryan Nugent-Hopkins – Leon Draisaitl
Benoit Pouliot – Connor McDavid – Nail Yakupov
Matt Hendricks – Mark Letestu – Teddy Purcell
Luke Gazdic – Anton Lander – Iiro Pakarinen
Brandon Davidson – Oscar Klefbom
Darnell Nurse – Andrej Sekera
Griffin Reinhart – Eric Gryba
Anders Nilsson
Flyers (Via Left Wing Lock):
The website I use for my line projections is down for some reason, so I will update the Flyers lines when I find them.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2ZjPVsALx0]