I'm actually really disappointed in all of you. I went on vacation for 8 days and I come back to find out that Nail Yakupov is going to be a healthy scratch so Roman Horak can get into the lineup. You had ONE job...
There's no doubt that Yak has struggled under Eakins with just 14 points and -25 at the halfway mark of the year. The Rookie coach has taken a hardline approach with the young sniper that he hasnt used on any other struggling player so far this year, and perhaps Nail will be better for it in the long run. That said, it's hard to believe that he has been getting a fair shake in the last few games.
In the 3 Oiler games since the 23rd he's had 8, 9, and 12 shifts. In limited time against the Jets he had the European equivalent of a Gordie Howe Hat-Trick and his reward the next game was less ice-time. Now tonight he sits in the press-box.
Moving forward there is apparently a deal in place between the coach and the former 1st overall pick, but the details remain private. What we can discern from the tidbits of information that Eakins and Yakupov have divulged is that the deal is to get Yak some offensive linemates if he can use them appropriately and can pay attention to his defensive assignments.
LINEUPS
I havent seen official word on the Starting goaltender but Bryz kept the Oil in their last game almost single-handedly, so I believe he gets the nod tonight. That 4th line is clearly an attempt to add some size into the lineup but I wonder how much ice time they will get. Size on the bench does very little for a team. Roman Horak should be jacked up to play tonight as he makes his debut in Oiler silks. He gets to play with offensively minded players right away so we should get to see Horak a fair bit, at least early on in this game.
Hall RNH Perron Horak Gagner Eberle Smyth Gordon Hemsky Gazdic Lander Joensuu
Ference J. Schultz N. Schultz Petry Marincin Belov
Bryzgalov
OILERS KEYS TO THE GAME
1) Shoot Shoot Shoot. Being limited to 16 shots is embarrassing, more so when its done at the hands of the Flyers. The Coyotes are coming off a game against the Ducks in which they gave up 45 shots. The Oilers are not the Ducks, I know, but they need to put puck to net.
2) Pushback. The Oilers have had their show run by the Coyotes under Tippett to the tune of 13-2-2 and it always seems as if a Yotes player ends up taking liberties that never results in any kind of pushback. "No, thats OK Mr Doan, I really dont mind you hitting me from behind."
3) Hall & Friends. There's no doubt that the Engine that runs the Oilers offense is Taylor Hall. At more than a point per game he's picked up where he left off last season and the coach has him with RNH and Perron. That is loading up on offense. If they are shut down then the burden to score falls on Eberle. The drop off from there is steep.
Puck Drops tonight at 7:08 PM Mountain Time on Sportsnet Oilers. Game On!
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