As I stated in yesterday's blog, while the result wasn't what people wanted, there were still a number of positive things to take from the loss against the Jets in Game 1. Some people seemed to think Edmonton was going to sweep this 4 games without breaking a sweat. The Jets are a tough team to play against and the game on Wednesday was a stern reminder of that. Put that game in the rearview mirror and time to start preparing for tonight.
Tonight things aren't going to get any easier for the Oilers as it looks like Pierre Luc Dubois will return to the lineup and there is still a chance that Nik Ehlers will as well. Edmonton needs their own top guys to pick it up tonight to match the energy Winnipeg is going to have from having at least one of these guys back in the lineup.
OILERS LINE COMBINATIONS Kahun-McDavid-Puljujarvi RNH-Draisaitl-Yamamoto Neal-McLeod-Kassian Chiasson-Khaira-Archibald
Nurse-Barrie Kulikov-Larsson Koekkoek-Bear
Smith
JETS LINE COMBINATIONS Connor-Scheifele-Wheeler Copp-Dubois-Stastny Perrault-Lowry-Appleton Harkins-Thompson-Lewis
Morrissey-DeMelo Forbort-Pionk Stanley-Poolman
Hellebuyck
5 GAME THOUGHTS
1.) Pressure Hellebuyck - While the Oilers did outchance the Jets in game 1, they did not do nearly a good enough job at pressuring Hellebuyck and picking up shots on rebounds. Hellebuyck played great and stopped some grade A chances but Edmonton can't let him ever feel comfortable in net.
2.) Two Can Play This Game - While the focus was on McDavid and Draisaitl being kept pointless, the Oilers did also do a good job at shutting down the Jets top guys too, keeping them off the scoresheet. The defense needs to play smart and avoid the big mess ups such as the blue line turnover we saw by Tyson Barrie.
3.) A Less Tentative Start - I wouldn't say that Edmonton or Winnipeg came out slow to start the game, more tentative and looking scared to make the first mistake. Tonight Edmonton can't come out tepid. They need to dictate a pace early.
4.) Intelligent Physical Play - Wednesday night, Josh Archibald was an example of a player playing intelligent physical hockey. Archibald jumped into a play, made a big hit and picked up the loose puck. In contrast Kassian made a big hit away from they play and the resulting play ended up with a puck in the back of the Oilers net. Physicality is an asset but it can be used against the Oilers as we saw.
5.) Push Through - Playoff hockey is tough checking hockey and teams like the Oilers that generate so much off the rush are hurt the most by that. Edmonton needs to find ways to get the big guys engaged that are more than rush plays. If Edmonton is pressuring hard those opportunities will come but the top guys need to get the pucks in deep and then start generating some shots.