Game 4 of the preseason is the rubber match between the Jets and the Oilers, this time back in Winnipeg. The Jets played a lineup of slugs against the Oilers, albeit I would characterize them as “tenacious… slugs—to be fair. Tonight in Winnipeg (naturally) they are playing a significantly better squad against the Oilers.
The Oilers, by my eye and by number, held onto the puck and controlled possession quite a bit more than the slug Jets did. The score remained close but the Oilers 5v5 were the better team, in large part to their mobile and smart defenders. Darnell Nurse was a little uneven, but he is capable of finding the puck in his own zone and moving it away from danger areas. His willingness to skate it out and up into the attack has also been used against him by some pundits who believe he should be playing more low event hockey.
The player who personified that low event style was Griffin Reinhart. The former Oil King Captain is the Ice to Darnell’s Fire. He used some good mobility to make himself available to his defensive partner all night long and to quickly move the puck (by pass) out of danger. His night was fantastic by possession number too, finishing with a 75% CF on the night. I’m excited about how good he’s looked so far. It is in stark contrast to what many Islander fans have said about the big man in the comment sections of these posts.
With Edmonton playing tonight at 6 PM and again tomorrow at 4 PM, there’s every reason to believe that the squad will consist of many from the AHL group. Jets fans might be a little disappointed that they wont get to see McDavid just yet, but considering the team they sent into Edmonton, it’s only fair that the Oilers don’t give them their best yet as well. I’m sure it factors into what the Oilers are trying to do only vaguely, but they probably don’t feel too bad about holding back a little.
With Teddy Purcell out due to a “minor injury… there should be more opportunity for Korpikoski to establish himself in the lineup. Like several others, his contract gives him an inside lane to the job, but his recent history suggests he might not be able to live up to said contract. He’s battling with guys like Miller and Klinkhammer who have been effective in their own right, but are much easier to bury. This is one of the few Training Camp battles that are actually happening in Edmonton.
LINEUP
The Jets appear to be playing a group that includes Stafford, Schiefele, Wheeler, Perrault, Lowry, Ehlers, and about half of their potential top 6 defensemen.
So far I haven’t seen exact lines, but the roster for the game has been tweeted out. I’m not sure how much of that is subject to change. No McDavid, as expected, but it wont be without Oiler stars. I’m going off of just the roster info that’s available until someone gets something more reliable.
Hall Draisaitl Korpikoski Slepyshev Lander Yakupov Gazdic Miller Pitlick Klinkhammer Khaira McRae
Sekera Fayne Hunt Nikitin Musil Davidson
Scrivens
UPDATE:
So McLellan is putting Korpikoski on the top line instead of Yakupov and I'm TOTALLY NOT GOING TO GET ANGRY ABOUT PRESEASON LINE COMBINATIONS BUT WHY ON GOD'S EARTH WOULD ANYONE EVER DO THAT?????
OILERS KEYS TO THE GAME
1) Post Traumatic Goal Disorder. Cam Talbot stopped 30 of 32 in the last game but somehow came away without onlookers feeling good about it because of the 2nd goal in particular. That one (the last one he would allow) was a weak one that he should have had. I think the Oilers are a group that was so victimized by terrible goaltending the last 2 seasons that any hint of it makes it feel like the walls are closing in around us. The question is how much of that is felt by the team. McLellan didn’t like the club’s mental game against what was mainly an AHL squad. He’s going to have to get these guys in the right head space, quick.
2) Game Management. Further to the last point, McLellan took great issue with the way his team managed the game. He didn’t like when they attacked, where they attacked, and the general lack of awareness about the on-ice situations. McLellan is a teacher by all accounts. He wont have them up to speed on his philosophy and expectations overnight, but I am expecting the team to get better every day. The facts are that the Oilers have a lot of young, high hockey IQ players in their forward group specifically. I think we should see progress sooner than maybe you might imagine.
3) Yakupov Awakens. Nail Yakupov had a quiet game against the never-will-be Jets although he finished with the highest Corsi For rating among the forwards and made a couple plays. Unfortunately his most memorable play was starting a passing sequence in OT where he gave it to Draisaitl early then drove the net (presumably to be in position to get the puck back) but then failed to get his stick on the puck when it went back his direction. McLellan has stated that he wants to get Yak playing his natural game again, but with slight adjustments that he wont have to overthink. There is no way that 2 years of Eakins trying to make him a 3rd line checking winger can be undone in a couple of weeks, but this kid just needs to get back to playing the kind of hockey that made him the 1st Overall pick. He showed he could still do it when Nelson took over last year. He can get back to it under McLellan too.
Puck drops tonight at 6 PM Mountain Time on the Oilers Website (TSN 3 in Manitoba). Game On!
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