Hey, we’re back! I hope the Oilers enjoyed their last long break of the season. From here on out, there will be no more than two days off between games. One has to believe that for this team, the playoff drive starts today. You can hardly blame the players if they had drawn a line on the calendar separating the season in these parts. There was pre-break, post-break, and playoffs.
The Oilers are third in the Pacific and fifth in the West. San Jose and Anaheim are in striking distance if Edmonton has a strong showing down the stretch. I recognize that there is a strong belief that teams have to “learn… to win by incrementally getting better, but Edmonton is capable of going from the bottom of the Pacific to the top in one year.
The Chicago Blackhawks aren’t the best team in the West, but they are still one of the most esteemed clubs in the league. They have the talent and the experience. Their young superstars are expected to be great. That Jonathan Toews is having what appears to be a very ordinary year is a big deal. The older players are reaching the end of their impactful time in the NHL. Brent Seabrook’s contributions are going to be under the microscope for the rest of his contract. Heavy is the crown, so the saying goes.
Edmonton is a team on the rise, but the Blackhawks are still standing guard. Edmonton’s window is opening now. The Oilers cannot afford to wait for a time when their greatness begins. Like all teams who want to reach the upper echelons of their sport, they have to knock someone out of the limited seats at the top. The Blackhawks sit in one of those seats. The Oilers want it for themselves.
Connor McDavid’s Edmonton Oilers don’t have a Brent Seabrook or Duncan Keith. They have don’t have a great young duo on the blueline that rose up to become synonymous with winning. What they have are players like Larsson, Klefbom, and Nurse who are dying for a chance to make their own names in the NHL. That is the real truth behind being a young team on the rise. That is the truth behind being “an upstart team… like the Oil. It’s about carving out a reputation for yourself and it’s about doing it at the expense of the established players in the game.
On one side of the ice tonight will be players who have the respect of the league, championships, and futures in the Hall of Fame. On the other side of the ice will be a bunch of kids who have never won before, who are expected to fold, who aren’t anybody yet. The Oilers have a great record against the West this year, but that doesn’t mean squat if you cant beat the Chicago Blackhawks.
Edmonton beat the Hawks once this season in the only game they’ve played. That’s as many wins against Chicago as they’ve had over the last three seasons combined. Their record against the Blackhawks over the previous three season is a combined 1-6-2. There’s a reason that a healthy skepticism exists about Edmonton’s place in the west. They haven’t earned that respect yet. One win in a good year hasn’t erased Edmonton’s past.
LINEUP
The practice lines from last night look like McLellan is going with consistency to come out of the bye week. Russell didn’t practice, should still be out. Hendricks a scratch. Benning is back.
Maroon McDavid Draisaitl Lucic RNH Eberle Pouliot Caggiula Slepyshev Lander Letestu Kassian
Klefbom Larsson Sekera Benning Davidson Oesterle
Talbot Brossoit
OILERS KEYS TO THE GAME
1) Connor McGreatness. Over the five days off that he enjoyed, Sidney Crosby tied him for the lead in points at 60. There’s no question in my mind that McDavid wants to win the scoring race. He’s in tough to do it with Crosby’s point per game pace outmatching him. Of course, McDavid isn’t shooting almost 20% this season. That said, we should see a supercharged McDavid. Great players rise when challenged. Connor is in several races which are coming down to the final stretch. He’s racing for the scoring lead. He’s racing for a playoff spot. It is in his DNA to win and failure will weigh on him. It’s why he has never gone 3 straight games without a point. He hates not contributing.
2) Kane and Panarin. The Oiler will throw McDavid and Draisaitl over the boards. The Hawks will respond with Kane and Panarin. The most dangerous offensive players for Quenneville’s are among the NHL’s elites. Kane has 56GP, 18-37-55 and Panarin has 56GP, 19-32-51 this season. Between the two of them, they have 335 shots on net this year. Draisaitl and McDavid have a combined 283 shots, so we’re talking about a 50 shot difference. And it isnt just power play production for this duo. They are leaders in 5v5 points per 60 and possession on their club. This will be a tough task for the Klefbom/Larsson pair.
3) Young Defenders. This game looks to feature both Jordan Oesterle and Matthew Benning. Both have looked good in Oiler silks, though Benning has earned his spot as an NHL regular. Benning is coming backed after being knocked out of the game against the Hurricanes. Oesterle is playing again after a great outing in the last game before the break. These two play the “modern… game. They move the puck quickly and they can skate. They don’t rely on physicality. They rely on smart decision making. This is a huge test for them. With Russell still out, the opportunity for Benning to etch a spot on the 2nd pairing presents itself. For Oesterle, he can play with Davidson and prove that he belongs with the Oilers as no less than the 7th defender.
Puck drops tonight at 8PM Mountain Time on Hockey Night in Canada. Game On!
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