After a rare weekend off the Oilers will be getting back to hockey against the perennial weak sisters of the Central division, the Chicago Blackhawks. This is a franchise in complete disarray that has little to no hope of ever competing on the ice or off of it, however big power forward Mark Bell has..wait…Mark Bell? Ah, crap. These are my notes from 2004. This is embarrassing.
Take 2. The Oilers will take on defending Cup champions, the Chicago Blackhawks, after what feels like a long layoff. Chicago is the team the Oilers desperately want to be; stable in their coaching staff, their thoroughbred’s performing on the ice, and gathering wins in bunches. It’s easy to forget that the Blackhawks were a joke in the NHL for some time before they shot up the standings. In 2008-2009 the Oilers actually finished higher than them in the standings, tied for points but higher due to tie breakers. That’s really not all that long ago. Now, of course they represent a rebuild done right while the Oilers represent a rebuild done forever.
No doubt new GM Craig MacTavish still wants to keep moving this team into a winning direction long term and that’s why the rumours that he is still trying to find a replacement for Smid persist. Yes, the team has found itself in a nice little three game winning streak but there is always room for improvement. Bruce Garrioch tells us that the league execs that he’s spoken to think that Edmonton values its young players too high. And thus deals are not getting done for that reason. I have no problem with this. We have seen in this 3 game stretch what the young stars in Edmonton are capable of when playing well. The Oilers just need to surround them with the complimentary cast that can get the most out of them every night. Also of note, he suggests that the Oil could get a decent pick for Hemsky, which represents a massive jump in his perceived value over this time last year.
In terms of defense, Garrioch brought up another interesting name in Dimitri Kulikov from Florida, who may choose to play in the KHL after his contract runs out this year. Kulikov, 23, is playing almost 20 minutes a night for a bad Panthers squad and while he isn’t putting up points he is providing some physical play. If the concern is that he may bolt to the KHL then the Oilers may want to take a stab at him. The Oil have made themselves very accessible to Russian players with the likes of Bryzgalov, Yakupov, Belov, and more in their system. It may be enough to keep the young man in the NHL.
Also of note, Martin Erat has publicly confirmed that he has indeed asked for a trade. The Caps traded Filip Forsberg for him, which at the time seemed like an overpayment. Now it has the potential to be disastrous for the Caps if they cant get something of value in return. Normally this is a 50ish point player, but he doesn’t believe he has been given an opportunity in Washington. I wonder what becomes of that situation and if it may spark a few other deals.
LINEUPS
The Oilers seem to be sticking to their guns with the lineup, and understandably so on a winning streak. If Arcobello landed in jail because he rolled doubles 3 times in a row then he must be able to buy his way out soon. I think that’s how the rules work. Meanwhile, Larsen’s back continued to keep him on the outs for practice this weekend so we should not expect him to come back, and at this point even when he’s healthy the team may choose not to use him. Dubnyk was just named the NHL’s 3rd Star for last week. Expect him to start.
Hall RNH Eberle Yakupov Gagner Hemsky Smyth Gordon Perron Gazdic Acton Joensuu
Ference Petry Belov J. Schultz N. Schultz Potter
Dubnyk
The Blackhawks have been without Hossa for personal reasons and Handzus because of a hand injury. It doesn’t seem like either will play but things change in a hurry so we can keep an eye out for that. Otherwise the team beat the Canucks on the back of a great performance by Crawford Saturday night for their 2nd Win in a row. Tonight they plan on making it 3 but the Blackhawks have brought out the best in the Oilers before so they likely wont take Edmonton lightly.
Sharp Toews Saad Handzus Pirri Kane Versteeg Shaw Morin Bolig Kruger Smith
Keith Seabrook Oduya Hjalmarsson Leddy Brookbanks*
Crawford
*Thank you Blackhawks fans for helping me find out which D-man was playing the wing.
OILERS KEYS TO THE GAME
1) Keep Rolling On The PP. That 5 man Power Play has looked really good since the Oil started using it. They stay in motion and have the right people in the right places to take advantage of their skillsets. If they want to win against the Blackhawks they need their special teams going.
2) Let Dubnyk See the Shots. He’s in the zone right now. He was named the NHL’s 3rd Star of the weeks due to a 0.50 GAA and a save percentage in the .970’s. He is stopping the shots that he sees and the Oilers need to do their best to use that confidence to their advantage. Keep the front of the net clear and there’s a good chance, right now, that Dubnyk will make the stop.
3) Get In The Game Early. Last time it was an early PP that Eberle scored on, but it doesn’t have to be a goal. The Oilers best players just need to start off the game well. We’ve seen what happens when it takes them a period to get their legs going. Whatever works is fine but I’m a proponent of hitting someone early.
Puck Drops tonight at 7:38PM Mountain Time on Sportsnet. Game On!
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