When the 3rd period against the Sharks looked like it was going to be a repeat of the Flames game my stomach started to turn. Not again. Not another 3rd period collapse. Well, it happened, but then the Oilers managed to come back in the game and Fasth was brilliant in the Shootout.
It was enjoyable to see them find a way to win, but I can’t wait for the days when “Up 2 goals in the 3rd… is no longer a situation where the Oilers need to find ways to win. One day those games will be the ones where their opponents should be hard-pressed to find points in. One day.
The news from last night was that Iiro “The Hero… Pakarinen has been recalled from Oklahoma City. The 23 year old Finn is 39GP, 17-11-28 with the Barons and leads their team in goal scoring. He is also their best volume shooter. He has 125 shots in his 39 games and that’s a 20 shot lead on the next closest Baron.
Even when he came to the Oilers he was producing shots on net. In 5 games this year he has 9 shots despite only averaging 6:24 per game. He will likely be playing more tonight as we can probably assume Todd Nelson trusts Pakarinen more than Eakins did considering their past experiences with each other. In addition to coming into a situation where he might get more ice time, Pakarinen is playing with two guys who can make a play in the offensive zone. If he can keep putting himself in good shooting positions Purcell and Roy should be able to find him if he plays on that line. If he plays with RNH and Eberle then there’s even more playmaking skill.
I like that Pakarinen’s goal scoring in the American Hockey League is fueled by more than just great shooting percentages. It’s a lot more likely that the skills he uses to find open shooting lanes will transfer to the NHL than a great shooting percentage would. The goalies are better in the NHL and there’s significantly less time to pick your corners, but over time volume shooters will find the back of the net.
With Pakarinen up there is really only 1 other player in the AHL that I would like the Oilers to recall and that’s Marincin. Unfortunately the impression is from those who get to watch him live, is that he might be getting into a bit of a rut in the AHL. That is to say, the intensity that the Oilers wanted to see more out of him just hasn’t been there some nights.
Marincin’s offense is nowhere to be found in Oklahoma this season. As much as I want to see him up with the Big Club, I doubt the 22 year old is being hurt playing in the Minors. Even if some are saying he looks disinterested on a few nights, I would be fine letting him figure it out in the AHL until the Oilers really need him up here. I’m sure there will be at least one spot on the Defense after the trade deadline for him.
LINEUP
Obviously the big change to the lineup is Iiro Pakarinen coming in as he’s been recalled from the AHL Barons club. The Oilers were in a really tough spot in the last game when both Hall and Pouliot were unable to return in the 3rd period with foot injuries. I shouldn’t have been surprised but I was when the Oilers opted to put Hall in the lineup after it was clear that he was not really that close to 100% after the morning skate and then again in the pregame skate. No matter how it affects their chances of winning they need to let the kid heal. Fasth will get the start but there is some debate as to whether Yak will stay with Roy where they have had success or get moved to the top line. The decision will be made later today it seems
Yak RNH Eberle Pakarinen Roy Purcell Hendrick Gordon Klinkhammer Fraser Lander Gazdic
Petry Ference Klefbom Schultz Aulie Fayne
Fasth
OILERS KEYS TO THE GAME
1) Curse of the Ex-Oiler. David Perron has 9 points in 12 games with the Penguins and I’m sure he would love to add a few more against the team that couldn’t seem to find any ice time for him. While the Oilers (with their incredible depth and success) couldn’t find a way to play Perron more than 16:59 per game, the lowly Penguins have managed to give him 19:14 per game. Isn’t it a shame what teams are forced to do when they have no other choices?!
2) Filthy Moves. That first Eberle goal against the Sharks was pull you out of your seat good. With RNH and Hall moving to the net all Eberle needed to do was get by the first defender to find a lot of room. How he did it was spectacular. Jordan Eberle now leads the Oilers in scoring and has 4 points in his last 2 games. He is the trigger man on that top line right now.
3) Malkin Coming Back? With Malkin potentially coming back the Penguins may get back the most deadly 1-2 Center combination in the NHL. Crosby and Malkin have 52 and 51 points respectively and the Oilers will be extremely hard pressed to match them in any capacity. The RNH line will have to match up against one of them and the Gordon line another if the Oilers want to even try to neutralize one of the major scoring threats on the Pens.
Puck drops at 6:08 PM Mountain Time on Sportsnet. Game On!