Tag Archives: Preview

Edmonton Oilers, NHL, Zach Laing

Game Nine Preview – Oilers vs Kings: Bounce Back

GAME NINE VS KINGS

TALE OF THE TAPE:

Game: Edmonton Oilers (3-5-0) vs LA Kings (4-3-0)

Location: Rexall Place, Edmonton

Time: 7:30 PM MT

Where to find it: TV: Sportsnet, Sportsnet 360 Radio: 630 CHED

Edmonton Oilers Preview:

Well, that Washington game was less than ideal but we have to remember we did face the one of the team’s widely considered to be a cup favourite. As the team learns and grows as a group, these games will unfortunately still happen. At this point, it’s about how we rebound after a rough game, and that is what I am excited to see from tonight’s matchup.

Brandon Davidson draws back into the lineup but I really don’t know if Davidson is the right fit to be in Edmonton right now.

Walter Foddis’ pregame Analytical Preview:

Pre-Game Analytics: LA vs. EDM – Oct 25/15 Against Los Angeles, Edmonton will be facing their toughest defensive pairings. Toughness can be measured using a Quality of Competition index such as each pair’s Shot Attempt differential (SAT%).

I list the Kings’ defensive pairs, which are organized by time-on-ice. This also implies how Sutter deploys them and against whom. I would expect, then, that because Doughty and Muzzin receive the most ice-time, they and their respective D-partners, will be facing the Oilers top-two lines.

1. Doughty & McNabb – 50.6%
2. Muzzin & Martinez – 64.7%
3. Ehrhoff & McBain – 56.4%

Note that all 3 pairs have a positive (i.e., >50%) shot attempt differential, with the Muzzin/Martinez pairing having exceptional numbers. (This is pretty standard for Muzzin, who has lead the LA defense in SAT% since 2012/13.)

How does this compare to the Oilers’ D-pairs?
1. Schultz & Klefbom – 48.6%
2. Sekera & Fayne – 48.5%
3(a). Gryba & Ference – 44.9%
3(b). Gryba & Reinhart – 36.9%

Comparing the 3rd pairings, the difference is as wide as 20%, which is a raw shot attempt differential of about 44 per 60 minutes. In effect, in a typical game at 5v5 (15 min.) we’d expect that with Ehrhoff/McBain on the ice, the Kings would out-shoot a Gryba/Reinhart-backed Oilers by 11 shot attempts.

We all know that’s the Oilers weakest area is their defense, so the above comparisons are not too surprising. The Oilers top-2 lines are going to be challenged not only by the King’s top-4 defenders, but the strong possession-dominant top-2 forward lines, which are centered by Kopitar and Carter.

I do not expect the Oilers to win the possession game, but can they keep it close, or at least better than last season. In 2014/15, Edmonton’s score-adjusted SAT% against LA was 43.6% and their score-adjusted Scoring Chance differential was 44.8%. If the Oilers improve these differentials by 3% to 4%, I would consider that a significant improvement.

The Otherside:

Goaltender Jonathan Quick, 9-0-2 in his past 11 decisions against Edmonton, is likely to start. He and forward Tyler Toffoli have helped Los Angeles win four in a row after it started with three losses. “We’re playing harder and a little more desperate,” center Anze Kopitar after a 3-0 win against the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday. “We didn’t start off very hot and now we’re building.” Quick has allowed two goals on 89 shots in winning his past three starts. Toffoli has six goals, including two against the Hurricanes, and has a four-game streak. – NHL.com

Line Combos c/o Daily Faceoff:

Oilers:

Taylor Hall – Ryan Nugent-Hopkins – Rob Klinkhammer
Benoit Pouliot – Connor McDavid – Nail Yakupov
Lauri Korpikoski – Anton Lander – Teddy Purcell
Luke Gazdic – Mark Letestu – Iiro Pakarinen

Oscar Klefbom – Justin Schultz
Andrej Sekera – Mark Fayne
Brandon Davidson – Eric Gryba

Cam Talbot

Kings:

Marian Gaborik – Anze Kopitar – Dustin Brown
Milan Lucic – Jeff Carter – Tyler Toffoli
Tanner Pearson – Nick Shore – Trevor Lewis
Kyle Clifford – Andy Andreoff – Jordan Nolan

Brayden McNabb – Drew Doughty
Jake Muzzin – Alec Martinez
Derek Forbort – Christian Ehrhoff

Jonathan Quick
(unconfirmed)

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVprz0nm0Y4]

Edmonton Oilers, NHL, Zach Laing

Game Eight Preview – Oilers vs Capitals: Special Teams

GAME EIGHT VS CAPITALS

enigmatic russians.

TALE OF THE TAPE:

Game: Edmonton Oilers (3-4-0) vs Washington Capitals (5-1-0)

Location: Rexall Place, Edmonton

Time: 7:00 PM MT

Where to find it: TV: Sportsnet Oilers, Radio: 630 CHED

Edmonton Oilers Preview:

4 and 4! 4 and 4! 4 and 4!

That’s what I hope the Oilers will be after tonight’s matchup. The Capitals, who are widely considered to be Stanley Cup contenders, come into Edmonton after beating up on both the flames and the Canucks. It will a fantastic matchup. The Oilers with their number one (!!) ranked penalty kill will be put to the test against a firey Capitals squad who hold the third best power play in the league.

McYakuvid will look to continue their success together against a strong defensive group. To be honest, the pair blew me away in the game against Detroit. Nail looks like a whole new Yakupov and that is fantastic. The kid is a natural born talent, and I’m glad to see him finally get to play with a legitimate center.

The key to tonight’s game: get to 500.

The Otherside:

Goalie Philipp Grubauer will make his first start of the season. Washington is third in the NHL on the power play after going 0-for-2 in a 3-2 victory against the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday, its fourth win in a row. Forward Alex Ovechkin scored his fifth goal in as many games this season late in the third period to win it for the Capitals. The third line had the other two goals; left wing Jason Chimera scored in the first period and center Jay Beagle tied the game early in the third. “It was really the Beagle line, they were the ones that put the work boots on and just went to work, and they sort of pulled the rest of the group into the fight,” coach Barry Trotz said of Beagle, Chimera and right wing Tom Wilson. “We were able to tie it up and then cash in on a controlled breakout and two skilled players (Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov) making a pretty good play … but today we won because of the Beagle line.” Carlson extended his point streak to four games with an assist on Beagle’s goal. – nhl.com

Line Combos c/o Daily Faceoff:

Oilers:

Taylor Hall – Ryan Nugent-Hopkins – Rob Klinkhammer
Benoit Pouliot – Connor McDavid – Nail Yakupov
Lauri Korpikoski – Anton Lander – Teddy Purcell
Luke Gazdic – Mark Letestu – Anton Slepyshev

Oscar Klefbom – Justin Schultz
Andrej Sekera – Mark Fayne
Andrew Ference – Eric Gryba

Anders Nilsson

Capitals:

Alex Ovechkin – Evgeny Kuznetsov – TJ Oshie
Marcus Johansson – Nicklas Backstrom – Justin Williams
Jason Chimera – Jay Beagle – Tom Wilson
Andre Burakovsky – Chandler Stephenson – Brooks Laich

Brooks Orpik – John Carlson
Karl Alzner – Matt Niskanen
Dmitri Orlov – Taylor Chorney

Philipp Grubauer

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfCOJLRk2D4]

NHL, Zach Laing

Game Seven Preview – Oilers vs Red Wings: An Age Old Story

GAME SEVEN VS DETROIT

TALE OF THE TAPE:

Game: Edmonton Oilers (2-4-0) @ Detroit Red Wings (3-2-0)

Location: Rexall Place, Edmonton

Time: 7:30 PM MT

Where to find it: TV: Sportsnet One, Radio: 630 CHED

Edmonton Oilers Preview:
Aaah, another game against Detroit. For me, I love watching the Oilers play Detroit even though they have gone 63-36-13-11 all time against us. Strange, I know.

I always remember back in 2006 when I first began watching the eighth seeded Oilers play the President Trophy winning first seeded Red Wings in the first round of the playoffs. We won the series 4-2 after a remarkable game six comeback, and the rest was history.

Tonight begins a new era in the Red Wings – Oilers series as rookies Dylan Larkin and Connor McDavid are set to go head to head for the first time ever. Recently, I have been doing new gameday posts at Copper and Blue where I ask opposing team’s blogs three questions. I spoke with Graham Hathway, a writer for SB Nation’s Winging It In Motown and this is what he had to say about Larkin:

Larkin had a strong season last year at every level he played at, and in camp and the preseason was a very noticeable player. It’s hard to pinpoint one specific thing that Larkin did that ultimately earned him his spot. He’s a fantastic skater, has good hands, and is praised by teammates for his work ethic, something I’m sure the coaches noticed.

Connor McDavid certainly has his work cut out for him to win the Calder Trophy this year. Tonight, he could gain an early leg if he has an impressive performance and Larkin has an off night. That could go both ways though.

Building off of the weekend’s success will be key for the Oilers who have had a few days without any game action. Andrew Miller was called up the other day, and will slide in on the first line beside Taylor Hall and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. The 27-year old Miller has one goal and two assists in four games with the Bakersfield Condors this season.

The Otherside:

Detroit begins a three-game trip to Western Canada and will try to improve its special teams. The Red Wings ranked 20th on the power play (15.4 percent) and their penalty kill ranks 22nd (80 percent). “I think we need to be a little more dangerous [on the power play],” forward Justin Abdelkader said Tuesday after practice, according to the Red Wings web site. “[We need] better zone time, execution off face-offs, winning face-offs [and] trying to keep the puck in their zone as much as possible. It can’t be just one and done.” Petr Mrazek will start against the Oilers and again Saturday at the Vancouver Canucks. Jimmy Howard will start Friday at the Calgary Flames. – nhl.com

Line Combos c/o Daily Faceoff:

Oilers:

Taylor Hall – Ryan Nugent-Hopkins – Andrew Miller
Benoit Pouliot – Connor McDavid – Nail Yakupov
Lauri Korpikoski – Anton Lander – Teddy Purcell
Rob Klinkhammer – Mark Letestu – Anton Slepyshev

Oscar Klefbom – Justin Schultz
Andrej Sekera – Mark Fayne
Andrew Ference – Eric Gryba

Cam Talbot

Red Wings:

Dylan Larkin – Henrik Zetterberg – Justin Abdelkader
Tomas Tatar – Riley Sheahan – Gustav Nyquist
Darren Helm – Brad Richards – Teemu Pulkkinen
Drew Miller – Luke Glendening – Landon Ferraro

Niklas Kronwall – Jonathan Ericsson
Danny DeKeyser – Mike Green
Kyle Quincey – Jakub Kindl

Petr Mrazek

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjojPX1SCjQ]

Zach Laing

Game Three Preview: Oilers at Stars

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDbEX666G3Y]

never forget

GAME THREE VS DALLAS

TALE OF THE TAPE:

Game: Edmonton Oilers (0-2-0) @ Dallas Stars (1-1-0)

Location: CT American Airlines Arena, Dallas, Texas

Time: 6:30 PM MT

Where to find it: TV: Sportsnet – Radio: 630 CHED

Edmonton Oilers Preview:

It’s crazy to think that the Oilers have only scored one goal* in two games, but the matter of fact is that we needs goals to win. Crazy concept, I know. There have been some great chances for the team to score through the first two games so there is no lack of trying. Loosening up on the sticks may help out a little bit.

*- We didn’t really score a goal.

Taylor Hall is feeling ill and is questionable tonight, per Todd McLellan so there has been some juggling of the lines. I’m looking forward to seeing what Yakupov can do beside McDavid and Korpikoski in the Top 6.

McDavid has really impressed me through two games. He does lots of things that you don’t see experienced NHLers do and he does them at full speed. His anticipation on the play is what gives him a major advantage. Although he has been held pointless, I think that he is doing a lot of good things out on the ice.

Systematically, the Oilers have played well and are looking more comfortable as things progress. We have to remember it is a slow process and things will have to work themselves out.

The revolving defensive door besides Gryba continues with Brandon Davidson sliding into play.

The otherside:

Dallas moved Patrick Eaves to the top line with Jamie Benn and Seguin, and Cody Eakin to the third line with Mattias Janmark and Ales Hemsky, at practice Monday. Forward Valeri Nichushkin, pointless in two games, alternated at right wing with Colton Sceviour on the fourth line. Lindy Ruff did not reveal his starting goaltender, but Antti Niemi skated late with goaltending coach Jeff Reese, an indication Kari Lehtonen could get the call. Ruff’s message Monday was defending with passion two days after the Stars lost 6-3 to the Colorado Avalanche. – oilers.nhl.com

Line Combos c/o Daily Faceoff:

Oilers:

Benoit Pouliot – Ryan Nugent-Hopkins – Teddy Purcell
Lauri Korpikoski – Connor McDavid – Nail Yakupov
Anton Slepyshev – Anton Lander – Rob Klinkhammer
Matt Hendricks – Mark Letestu – Luke Gazdic

Oscar Klefbom – Justin Schultz
Andrej Sekera – Mark Fayne
Brandon Davidson – Eric Gryba

Anders Nilsson

Stars:

Jamie Benn – Tyler Seguin – Patrick Eaves
Antoine Roussel – Jason Spezza – Patrick Sharp
Mattias Janmark – Cody Eakin – Ales Hemsky
Travis Moen – Vernon Fiddler – Colton Sceviour

Alex Goligoski – John Klingberg
Johnny Oduya – Jason Demers
Jyrki Jokipakka – Jordie Benn

Kari Lehtonen (unconfirmed)