Friday October 29 - Vancouver Canucks vs. Edmonton Oilers - 7 p.m. - Sportsnet One
Vancouver Canucks: 7 GP, 4-2-1, 9 points, third in Pacific Division Edmonton Oilers: 7 GP, 6-1-0, 12 points, first in Pacific Division
The Vancouver Canucks can no longer mark a game against the Edmonton Oilers as a sure-fire two points and a chance for the Sedins to pad their personal stats. Those trends have both been shifting over the past couple of years, and Edmonton comes into Rogers Arena tonight as the hottest team in the Western Conference.
The Oilers are riding a four-game winning streak and have given up just two goals in their last three games—one apiece in their wins over St. Louis and Washington, and a 3-0 shutout over the Jets at the Heritage Classic last Sunday.
They're tied for first in the NHL offensively, scoring at a rate of 3.86 goals per game, while the Canucks are last at 2.00 goals per game. Vancouver does have a slight edge defensively, having given up just 16 goals compared to 17 for Edmonton.
Still—the Oilers have turned into a team that's getting it done at both ends of the ice. How is this happening?
Offensively, the Canucks' top players so far this season are Henrik Sedin and Brandon Sutter, who each have five points in seven games.
I'm surprised to see that the Oiler actually only have three players above that threshold, but one of them is current NHL scoring leader Connor McDavid, who has four goals and 11 points in his first seven games. He's followed by Jordan Eberle and Leon Draisaitl, with six points each.
The McDavid line has been fantastic, but the team is getting contributions from all lines. Nine players already have two goals or more—McDavid (4), Lucic, Eberle, Pouliot and Tyler Pitlick (3 each) and Draisaitl, Kassian, Maroon and Letestu (2 each). That's the kind of balanced attack that served the Pittsburgh Penguins so well during last night's playoffs.
Here's how Todd McLellan deployed his forward lines at practice on Thursday, according to Marc Clampa of EdmontonOilers.com:
Lucic - McDavid - Eberle Pouliot - RNH - Kassian Maroon - Draisaitl - Puljujarvi Lander - Letestu - Pitlick/Slepyshev
Meanwhile, the Canucks are looking to put some pucks in the net tonight after being shut out on home ice by the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday.
After Thursday's practice, the Canucks were busy. First, there was the afternoon pumpkin-carving at Canuck Place.
Tanev, @BrendanGaunce16, @JackSkille, @ABiega4 & @CanucksFIN are at @CanuckPlace this afternoon celebrating Halloween! pic.twitter.com/lOVH2ymRoG
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) October 27, 2016
Then, Ben Hutton and Jake Virtanen took on Zack Kassian and Mark Letestu in NHL 17 at EA headquarters on Thursday night.
Kassian & Letestu visited @EASPORTS in #yvr tonight for some #Oilers vs. #Canucks @EASPORTSNHL action with Virtanen & Hutton. pic.twitter.com/OBgbVznifz
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) October 28, 2016
The Canucks lineup is expected to be the same tonight as it was on Tuesday, with Ryan Miller facing off against new father Cam Talbot in net. Talbot earned the NHL's First Star honours last week, just days after his wife gave birth to twins.
Mike Zalewski is now in Vancouver but is not expected to play. Tonight's game will be a tough test for the slumping Canucks, but also offers a chance for them to redeem themselves and show that they can come back stronger after a couple of days of rest.
The team has been working on the power play. Hopefully Troy Stecher will get the opportunity to show what he can bring to the table tonight!
A note from the infirmary:
Burrows and Dorsett both skated early today with #Canucks skills coach before morning skate.
— Irfaan Gaffar (@sportsnetirf) October 28, 2016
And it sounds like Nikita Tryamkin might not be too far away from seeing some game action:
"I'm looking forward to seeing Tryamkin return to the line-up, he's improved. It's just tough to find a spot for him right now" - Desjardins
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) October 28, 2016
After this weekend, the Canucks will start another stretch of six games in nine nights beginning next Wednesday. Those games are all on the road and include two more back-to-back sets. I'm thinking Tryamkin will get his chance somewhere during that stint.
An important TV note about tonight's game:
Important TV info for #EDMvsVAN tonight: #Oilers broadcast will be on @Sportsnet SN-360, #Canucks broadcast on SN-One.
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) October 28, 2016
If you want to see the game presented by John Shorthouse, John Garrett and Dan Murphy, make sure you tune into Sportsnet One tonight. You'll get the team of Oilers broadcasters over on Sportsnet 360.
Finally, the latest from the waiver wire. Weird how this has turned into a topic that merits daily attention!
McIlrath (NYR) and Paajarvi (STL) clear waivers.
— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) October 28, 2016
Today, we see Teemu Pulkkinen back on the wire, just 17 days after the Minnesota Wild claimed him from Detroit. Pulkkinen had one goal, was a minus-one and averaged 9:09 of ice time during his eight games in Minnesota.
A little perspective: the Wild are waiving Pulkkinen while hanging on to ex-Canuck Zac Dalpe, who can play centre or wing. Probably the bigger reason why Pulkkinen's on the move, though, is the emergence of rookie Joel Eriksson Ek. He was on the radar as a possible Canucks pick when Vancouver took Brock Boeser in the first round in 2015; ended up being taken three spots earlier, at No. 20, by the Wild.
The 19-year-old started the season with the Iowa Wild, where he played just one game. He was recalled by the Wild last Friday and has promptly put up five points in his first four NHL games, including the game-winning goal against Buffalo on Tuesday. Quite a start!