Marincin is back! The last AHL call up I want to see all year has finally transpired. His exile from the NHL club was fuelled by 2 things:
1) His contract status allowed him to be sent to the AHL without requiring waivers 2) Sideburns
Very early in the season the lanky Slovakian defender struggled while being paired with Mark Fayne. It looked obvious to me that the extra 15 or so pounds that he added in the summer had messed around with his game and he looked very ineffective. The story became how this guy the numbers really liked last season looked very poor this year and that kind of stuck even after his play improved.
With Fayne for more than half of the time he played this season, Marincin played against tough opponents and they were abused possession-wise. While on the ice they were just 41.3% Corsi For and had only 27.2% of their starts in the Offensive Zone. It was a disaster in the very metrics that made Marincin stand out the year before.
Before he was assigned to the minors the results started to turn around significantly though.
When paired with either Petry, his partner from the year before, or Schultz the Oilers dominated the shot attempts significantly. Away from Fayne the numbers are night and day.
Marincin had a 62.2% Corsi For and 39.4% Offensive Zone starts. Fayne gets tasked with difficult match ups and doesn't get rewarded with sugar time in the offensive zone. Any player that plays with him and does well should be commended, but if a player with less than 80 games of experience struggles it shouldn't be held against him too much.
For reasons that I don't agree with or necessarily understand the Oilers didn't value the things that Marincin did well enough to keep him in the NHL. What I can appreciate though, is that more time seasoning in the AHL isn't going to hurt a 22 year old Defenseman.
At any rate, Marincin has been recalled and the next 30ish games are going to go along way to determining if he's going to be a big part of the Oilers moving forward or not. With Klefbom emerging as a solid player and a management favourite and Andrew Ference likely unmovable there is probably only 1 spot on the left side next season. And unfortunately for Marincin, Nurse will be graduating to pro. If the Slovak can establish himself as a quality player for Edmonton it could mean Nurse will start in the AHL. If his play is shaky then the door will be wide open for MacTavish's first ever draft pick to make the big club.
So Marincin returns to the lineup. Oh, and he's probably playing with Fayne.
LINEUP
It is still unlikely for the team's top 2 LWs to play in today's game. With Hall and Pouliot out the Oilers are significantly downgraded offensively. Hall even at 75% is capable of driving the play the right direction and Pouliot has made a career pushing the puck in the right direction. The 1st year Oiler was also the hottest goal scorer on the team before going down to injury again. Nelson rejigged the lines to hopefully spark something, but the team has struggled with 1/3 of their top 6 out.
Purcell RNH Eberle Fraser Roy Yak Hendricks Gordon Klinkhammer Gazdic Lander Pakarinen
Ference Petry Klefbom Schultz Marincin Fayne
Fasth
OILERS KEYS TO THE GAME
1) Streak Killer. Of the few teams more pathetic than the Oil right now, the Toronto Maple Leafs are among them. They have lost approximately 74 games in a row (actually 11) and the nosedive seems eternal. The analytics people thought they would be bad, but this is pushing it. Edmonton's record over the same stretch is significantly better but they can't take any team lightly with their lineup watered down as it is. The Leafs should be looking at this game as an opportunity to end their slide.
2) Full Speed This Time. Against the Penguins Edmonton looked like they were skating at 3/4 speed. Pittsburgh skated circles around the Oilers and the score was more flattering than the actual performance. The Leafs played last night and that has to be exploited by the well rested club. The Oilers need to dictate the pace of play. To me that starts with better breakouts. Too many pucks were hastily chipped out of their own zone with no hope of regaining control. They need to get the puck in the neutral zone with speed and control.
3) The "Top Pairing". The Oilers continue to push the idea that the Klefbom/Schultz pairing is number 1 unit on the team. Despite this, the coach has been hiding the two of them from the fiercest competition, and they are looking better for it. MacT called Klefbom the element that is calming Schultz down out there, which I don't think he realizes is the damning statement that it is. If Nelson can keep them out of danger those two WILL contribute to Wins. If they get exposed on the Road? Yick.
Puck drops at 5:10 PM Mountain Time on CBC. Tank On!
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