Whatever the heck that garbage was on Friday, I hope I never have to see it again.

In the NHL, if you score 3 goals on the road it has to, at the very least, be a close game. Edmonton was never close against the Blue Jackets. I don’t recall ever seeing a team get scored on less than a minute after scoring themselves THREE times in one game.

Brossoit had a poor game. Nikitin started poorly. Nurse looked out of sorts. In fact, the whole 1st period looked like it was played by a team recovering from a hangover. They had played 3 games in 4 nights and were beat down unceremoniously by the Jackets after beating down the Flyers the night before. Edmonton’s schedule stays even for the next 11 games, with the Oilers playing every other night over that stretch.

As the season winds down there are a few things worth watching for the Oilers. Chief among those things is the performance of Connor McDavid. Can the kid win the Calder with less than 50 games played? He’s on pace to be somewhere in the mid-50s for points. He wont win the rookie scoring race but he will likely have the highest points per game and is already one of the most dynamic players in the NHL.

I imagine we’ll touch more on McDavid’s Calder aspirations when we’re even closer to the end of the season.

Another interesting thing to watch is how the bottom of Edmonton’s defense might take shape before next season. Brandon Davidson has locked himself into the bottom pairing. He has played both left and right D, although he is a lefty himself. He has looked good with Pardy (57.8% CF) and Gryba (53.7% CF). Heck, he’s looked good with almost everybody he’s been paired with.

Klefbom and Sekera are locks to play in the top 4 next season. Davidson seems to make for a viable 3rd pair with a variety of combinations. If the plan is to give Nurse somewhat easier minutes, he could be put down on that pairing. If the Oilers want an inexpensive 5-6 combination they may opt to keep Pardy around and let the current duo stay together. If they want to re-up Gryba then it’s a similar outlook but probably more expensive.

In any event, Davidson has given Peter Chiarelli and the Oilers a lot of options because of his ability to play left or right and well no matter which side he’s on. Of course that also means some tough decisions need to be made.

Do the Oilers let Gryba go for nothing?

Will the team send Nurse to the AHL?

What is to be done with Griffin Reinhart?

This final stretch gives Chia a little bit more time to evaluate those options, but decisions need to be made. Personally, I believe Klefbom, Sekera, Nurse, and Davidson are locks to be here next year. I will be surprised if Nurse gets moved, even amid all the rumours that the Islanders asked for him in exchange for Hamonic.

That means the team needs to move out Fayne, maybe keep Clendening or Pardy as a 7, and add 2 new bodies for the top 6 (Hamonic and Demers?) There are lots of balls up in the air right now. What happens between now and game 82 wont change the need for new additions to the top 4, but it might really affect who plays in the 6-7-8 roles. Maybe not exciting, but interesting for those who follow closely anyway.

LINEUP

Talbot will be back in net. The message was sent to Clendening about his decision making. Nikitin was put in, I expect him back out.

Hall Draisaitl Maroon
Yakupov McDavid Eberle
Korpikoski Letestu Kassian
Hendricks Lander Pakarinen

Sekera Fayne
Nurse Clendening
Pardy Davidson

Talbot

OILERS KEYS TO THE GAME

1) McDavid and Hall. Early in the year this combination wasn’t working. Hall wasn’t yet flying and McDavid wasn’t yet comfortable in the NHL. McLellan moved these players away from each other and both played much better. Fast forward to the last game, McLellan moved McDavid up to the Hall-Maroon line part of the way through the game. Unlike early in the year, the duo of McDavid and Hall looked as dangerous as we thought they would in September when the combination was first written down on paper. Maybe they both just needed to get into the season and McDavid specifically needed to know he didn’t need anyone’s help to score in the NHL. Whatever the reason, if McLellan goes back to that duo it has the ability to give the opposition fits.

2) Tired Jets? Winnipeg played the Habs last night in a game where they won and dominated physically. The Jets out-hit the Canadiens 40-26 in the game, with Byfuglien doling out at least one highlight worth hipcheck. The Jets play the role of the hammer in that one. They were also able to keep the minutes for their forwards under control for the most part. It was just the Schiefele line playing more than 20 minutes (Schiefele picked up a hat-trick along the way). The defense, on the other hand, is a little different story. Byfuglien, Myers, and Enstrom all played more than 20 minutes last night. Byfuglien in particular player more than 29 minutes! If the Oilers use their speed and utilize some of the size they picked up, it’s possible to take advantage of the schedule.

3) Pardy Time. Adam Pardy is going to play his old team for the first time and he should be excited for this one. Pardy has looked good in an Oiler uniform so far. Good enough that, to me, his performance is a complete surprise. He’s played 3 games with Edmonton, picked up 2 assists, looked competent shooting from the point, has quality size, and has averaged more than 20 minutes a night so far. His partnership with Brandon Davidson has started off incredibly well. I’m interested in seeing that duo in more games.

Puck drops tonight at 5PM Mountain Time on Sportsnet. Game On!

Follow me on Twitter @Archaeologuy

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