The first half of the season for the Edmonton Oilers was a roller coaster and not a fun roller coaster like one you would find at a Six Flags, I'm talking about one like the Mind Bender at West Edmonton Mall. It went by fast. Had some steep ups and downs. We all got whiplash from it. And we were left there at the end thinking, "what the hell was that."
Currently the Edmonton Oilers are 6th in the Pacific Division after a brutal December and most of January. The team picked it up more in their last few games but then against a weak Senators team the Oilers ended up looking like the second best team for most of the night. Ottawa outworked Edmonton at both ends of the ice. Overtime was all Ottawa as the Oilers couldn't seem to hold onto possession and ultimately the game was ended from a combination of Nurse staying out far too long and Stueztle beating Koskinen over the shoulder.
Now the team needs to reset and look forward to the second half of the season. Tonight I expect a far more organized team game and far more dedication to play at both ends of the ice. We will be seeing a bit of a new look for the Oilers lines as well.
Kane-McDavid-Yamamoto McLeod-Draisaitl-Puljujarvi Hyman-RNH-Ryan Foegele-Shore-Kassian
Nurse-Bouchard Keith-Ceci Lagesson-Barrie
Koskinen
McLeod gets the bump up to the second line alongside Draisaitl and Puljujarvi while Foegele is dropped down to the fourth line. Kassian and Derek Ryan also change positions.
Right now I am hearing from the organization that Tippett is growing increasingly frustrated with the lackluster play of Zack Kassian but Ken Holland wants to keep him in the lineup because he is trying to find a way to move the forward out, prior to the deadline. Kassian has two more years remaining on his deal after this season at 3.2 million. It's a deal that was bad when it was signed and is only growing worse with age. Kassian not only is not finding ways to get involved in the play offensively, but he also is not engaging physically either. I don't know how he gets dealt without retaining salary.
Tyson Barrie will draw back in tonight which sadly means we can probably kiss Bouchard on the top unit PP goodbye. Barrie brings offensive but he brings far more chaos in his own end and I'm glad at least to not see him immediately up with Nurse on the top pairing.
After the game tonight, the Oilers have a five day break thanks to the All Star Game. From there they have a back to back against the Golden Knights and Blackhawks, followed by a day off, followed by a game against the Islanders, followed by two days off, followed by back to back games against the Sharks and Kings. Edmonton has to pack in a number of games in a tight amount of time due to the past postponements. The games are only going to get tougher from here on out.
Winning against a Capitals team that is without Alex Ovechkin due to entering COVID Protocol (guy really hates the All Star Game) would be a great way to start this second half of the season on the right foot. It's going to be a battle from now to the very end of the season.