The Oilers will be tuning their game up against the Blackhawks tonight and I'd wager that the Blackhawks TC team is roughly equivalent to most fully fleshed out Oiler squads from years 2009-2013.
CROWDED
One the issues with the Oilers Training Camp is the schedule calls for a few back to backs and it seems as if that is preventing the team from making some necessary cuts. As Patricia Teter notes the Barons are starting their Training camp tomorrow and the focus is going to be 1 on 1 instruction based on the fact that there will be about 10 players there. There are a lot of bodies still at camp with just a week to go. This camp is supposed to be about getting the NHL team ready, not making every prospect in the system feel warm and fuzzy.
I anticipate some big cuts as early as tomorrow morning and it should feature a few names in the game tonight. Kessy, Hamilton, Williams, Gernat and Simpson are all on the chopping block if we apply any sort of logic to the situation. None of them look ready to compete for the final spots on the team.
YAK ON THE RIGHT
Last year Eakins played Yak on the left quite a bit and eventually it just seemed as though they were determined to make it work there. No doubt when building my version of the potential lineup I did so based on Eakins' stubbornness regarding playing wingers at their "natural" positions. Well it looks like Eakins is willing to try Yak on the right for a bit.
It's TC so Eakins should be experimenting while he has the time, but I like that he's opened up to the idea that Yakupov might be most effective on the right side. If you watched the last game then you saw Yak transform after he was put on the right side. It was as if he has an evil twin that plays on the LW and the real him only gets to play on the RW.
It really goofs around with potential line combinations and means that Perron plays LW too, but it could be the best thing for Yak and ultimately the Oilers. He's a difference maker on the right, and very regular on the left. I've never seen anything quite like it.
LINEUP
Bachman should be getting the full start tonight so it's his time to shine. I would say that this is his chance to establish himself with the organization but I think they know exactly where he fits already. The pressure is on Lander to bring Offense with Eberle on his wing.
Perron Draisaitl Yak Pakarinen Lander Eberle Kessy Arco Purcell C Hamilton Williams Joensuu
Marincin Gernat Ference Simpson Oesterle Schultz
Bachman Brossoit
OILERS KEYS TO THE GAME
1) Switch. That top line is key. If they can show off their offensive potential then it could become a line on opening day. If they show nothing then it places Eakins in a position to make a difficult call with regards to where Yak and Perron play. Draisaitl in the middle there is a big test for him too. He's 1C in this game and will be catching the best defenders.
2) Vowels. Oesterle has gained the attention of the management and coaching staff with his ability to move the puck. Being paired with Schultz should put him in the position to show those skills off quite a bit. He's putting himself in the conversation to be called up first, even if he's destined for OKC. He will have to raise his game to play the minutes Schultz pulls down.
3) Big Starts For a Couple Hawks. Versteeg and Teravainen are both making their Pre-season debut for Chicago and the Oilers should take special note of this too. Teravainen is an extremely well thought of prospect and should be running on adrenaline.
Puck drops tonight at 4:00PM on the Oilers' website. Game On!
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