Tonight we find out if Yak can deliver on his end of the deal that was put in place between him and his coach, but he has to do it against the Sharks. The Oilers as a whole are in a bad spot because their next 5 games are against a murderer’s row of clubs from the East and West. The mighty Oil will really need to put together a string of games where they elevate their play. The team hasn’t been in the playoffs since The Da Vinci Code was in theatres and it’s stretches like this that bring them closest to any kind of playoff-like competition.
Ignoring for a moment how difficult the task of winning is tonight, I really am looking forward to seeing Yak get his chance. I don’t believe for a second that he has been given an easy task this year by Eakins. We learned yesterday that the rookie head coach told Yakupov that he didn’t want him playing the way he did last year at all. As a reminder, the way Yak played last year resulted in him leading the Oilers in goal scoring and finishing the year as the NHL’s highest scoring rookie. It’s no wonder his adjustment to the new coach is taking considerable time. He’s being asked to abandon everything that made him effective to adopt an approach that doesn’t come naturally for him and with which he has had no success.
Nonetheless, Yak will be inserted on a line with Gagner and Eberle, effectively taking the spot that Horak was given before the Oilers sent him down to the farm. I thought it was a stretch to ask the talented winger to use his linemates more when they were 4th line plugs. The reality is that guys like Gazdic simply don’t have the skill required to keep up offensively, but Gagner and Eberle surely do. If Yakupov was trying to do too much on his own when the other option was to give the puck to a fringe NHLer then I certainly don’t blame him for going solo. It’s now that he has quality options that selfish plays ought to really count against him.
WAIVER WIRE
Zenon Konopka has been placed on waivers today and I think the Oilers should put a claim in for him. His offense is negligible (just 2 points in 36 games) but he’s a solid faceoff man who can also drop the mitts. He plays 4th line minutes but is 65.7% on the dot for the year. For the Wild he very rarely gets Offensive Zone starts, getting the bulk of his work in the Defensive Zone (46.9% of his faceoffs come in the DZone). The Oilers have smaller more skilled options like Arcobello and Lander, but neither of those guys will drop the gloves. Konopka brings a different element than the rest of the team and even if he isn’t a regular he brings options.
The Oilers have had ample opportunities to sign this guy before and they haven’t, but the season is lost and maybe adding another player who can stand up for his teammates makes Konopka more appealing right now. Konopka makes 925K on the season and is a UFA at the end of the year. This would not be a very big commitment.
LINEUPS
Horak was sent to OKC and Yak is in. Arcobello and Jones are apparently physically ready to go but Eakins wants to give both an extra day before they play again. There really isn’t anywhere to go with the defense so the same crew that blew the last game is expected to play again tonight. I am as of yet unaware who will start tonight in net but after the performances Bryz has given of late I don’t know how you can justify going with Dubnyk.
UPDATE: Dubnyk is indeed playing tonight. Sigh.
Hall RNH Perron Yak Gagner Eberle Smyth Gordon Hemsky Gazdic Lander Joensuu
Ference J. Schultz Belov Petry Marincin N. Schultz
Dubnyk
OILERS KEYS TO THE GAME
1) Show Up On Time. I don’t know how a team can so frequently wait until halfway through the game to show up. Shots were 21-6 for the Coyotes after the 1st period in their last game. HELLO. IS ANYBODY HOME???
2) Lines 2-4 Contribute. Ok, last game was all about Hall. Now if the Oilers want to win they will need to add to that from ANYWHERE ELSE in their lineup. Yak is with higher profile players and will have something to prove. We should expect energy from him at least.
3) Defense Smartens Up. That last game was a complete defensive meltdown late in the game, and it wasn’t just the defensemen, but it was spearheaded by Petry and Belov. I cant imagine either of them enjoyed a cheerful couple of days since then. This is a defense that will ONLY be capable if they are on top of their games.
Puck drops tonight at 8:38 PM Mountain Time on Sportsnet West. Game On!
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