The Oilers are in Boston looking to extend a winning streak beyond 5 games. If they happen to do it the club will (at least for now) be in sole possession of 3rd place in the Pacific Division and own a Playoff spot.
They would also be doing something they haven’t done in forever.
Oilers have won 5 straight, tonight they play in Boston where they haven't won since the week before Taylor Hall turned 5
— Kevin Gibson (@TSNResearch) December 14, 2015This 5 game home-stand sweep has raised the Oilers out of the muck and back into the thick of things. Sure, the Pacific division is one of the worst in all of the NHL (and yet 5 of 7 teams have winning records against the East), but right now there are only 3 points separating 2nd and 7th. This win, should they get it, would jump them from 6 to 3rd.
The moral of the story is that somehow the Oilers are still in the race for the postseason. With Klefbom, Pouliot, Yakupov, and McDavid all slated to return from injury over the next month, the Oilers have the best opportunity to make the playoffs since this rebuild began. For a lot of teams it’s probably too early to use the “P… word, but in Edmonton it’s been so long that it’s now unavoidable.
Edmonton has entered the top 10 in the NHL for Goal Scoring with 82 Goals For in 30 games. The team can actually put the puck into the net. Unfortunately they are 25th in Goals Against. Nilsson gave them pretty good goaltending right up until the Rangers game, but the team needs to extend that over longer stretches.
In terms of the common analytics numbers, Edmonton sits in the mid 20’s for Shots For % and Fenwick for %, but 19th in Corsi For %. That’s an improvement over where they finished in 2014-2015, but ultimately not by much (47.8% vs 47.1%).
However, like the goal scoring, points in the standings, and all of the underlying metrics, the big caveat is that Edmonton hasn’t played a game with their full lineup yet. The team isn’t perfect, not even close, but they should be better when healthy. That’s what nakes their current run of 5 in a row an d6 of their last 7 so much sweeter.
LINEUP
Pouliot and Klinkhammer were practicing with the team but neither are expected to play tonight. Klefbom has a cracked finger which will keep him out of action in the short term. Ference practiced in Klefbom’s place but Nikitin will play.
Hall-Draisaitl-Purcell Khaira-RNH-Eberle Korpikoski-Letestu-Hendricks Gazdic-Lander-Pakarinen
Nurse-Sekera Nikitib-Schultz Davidson-Gryba
Talbot
OILERS KEYS TO THE GAME
1) Teddy Bear. Teddy Purcell is playing the kind of hockey that earned him his current contract and may well buy him another. It still might not be with the Oilers, but an extended scoring push from Purcell could elevate his status as an asset and Free Agent in the summer. He has 6 points in his last 3 games and looks like a great fit as the trailer on the Hall line. He had 5 points in his first 15 games this year. He has had 14 points in his last 15 games this year.
2) That 2nd Pair. No Klefbom for a short while means a massive downgrade as the 7th/8th defender steps in. Andrew Ference was activated from the IR but it’s Nikitin getting into the game. Going from Klefbom to Nikitin will be difficult to handle for the Oilers. We may see the Davidson-Gryba pairing take a jump in the kind of opposition they face tonight. If things start to go south it could fall apart in a hurry. This will be a big test for Davidson. So far he keeps exceeding expectations.
3) Krejci-Bergeron. It’s no secret that I’ve long admired Patrice Bergeron. He is the premier 2-way player in the NHL as far as I’m concerned. Fantastic in the faceoff dot, a quality scorer, and always maintains stellar possession numbers. Even in what might be deemed a down year by possession he is still well ahead of 50% for the Bruins. Krejci is more up and down with his scoring, but always a quality performer by points. This year those two Bruins have an identical 9-18-28 in 28 games played.
Puck drops tonight at 5 PM Mountain Time on Sportsnet West. Get Better, Connor!
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