Tonight, the Edmonton Oilers will for only the second time this season, come into a game looking to avoid losing in back to back games. Last time Edmonton was in this scenario, they won 6-3 against the Philadelphia Flyers due to a 10 minute period of excellent powerplay work and an elite goaltending performance but were otherwise outplayed and outchanced. Coach Dave Tippett will be looking for a much better performance tonight against a team that once again, should be considered a lesser skill team to Edmonton.
While I harbour now ill will towards the team in Minnesota or the fanbase, I must admit it is satisfying to hear about a coaching controversy and team frustrations about losing and have it not be about the Edmonton Oilers. Those conversations have been beaten to death here and unfortunately for Minny, it is likely just beginning for them.
Three of the top four players in point production for the Wild are defensemen. Brad Hunt is tied for first on the team in goals with 3 and tied for first in production with Suter with 5 points. Jared Spurgeon has 4. The decisions made by now ex GM Paul Fenton have severely crippled this team... again, Oilers fans should be able to relate.
Edmonton is finding ways to win games early in the season which is huge but the bottom two lines are still massive areas of concern. No offense is being generated by these players; Tippett will hope the addition of Sam Gagner will help jump start some offense.
LINEUPS
OILERS
- Will update Edmonton's roster after noon. We know Gagner will be in the lineup but there is also the potential for Persson to return or for Lagesson who was called up by the team to be inserted as well.
Gagner quite simply did not deserve a roster spot when the season opened for Edmonton on October 2nd. He did not provide any offense or skill to play in a top 6 position, though Tippett gave him the opportunity and he was outworked by the players in the bottom 6. Sammy put up 2 goals and four points in the AHL and he should be coming out tonight to prove he should not be sent down again.
WILD PLAYER PROFILE - JASON ZUCKER
Zucker Gate was not really a thing. A frustrated player called out that his entire team needed to be better and said the coach's name as well. It's a non-story and he was also correct. Nevertheless Zucker apologized and came out the following game with a goal and an assist. Zucker is a skilled guy and you can bet he will look to add some more points to his totals tonight.
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3 KEYS TO VICTORY
*It's been 540 minutes of regulation play since the Oilers bottom six scored a goal.
1.) Don't Fall Asleep - The Wild are a boring hockey team without any real marquee players to enjoy playing against but they are still a team of professional hockey players. If Edmonton strolls into town expecting an easy win they could find themselves down two goals after the first period.
2.) Give The Top Guys Some Rest - First time I will specifically call out Tippett as he is riding McDavid and Draisaitl way too hard. Both have been used heavily on the PP and PK units as well. When overtime hit against the Jets both men looked completely gassed. They might be the only players putting up points but Tippett needs to find ways to ease up on their minutes.
3.) Shots are Good - I hate people who yell for players to shoot on the powerplay, but as the last 10 seconds ticked down in the first period against Winnipeg I found myself doing just that at my TV. Some of the issues we saw last season are seeping into that powerplay unit, where they are looking for that highlight worthy cross ice, one-timer combo. The PP has been effective this season because of shot volume and the players aggressively attacking. Go back to that.
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FILM OF THE DAY
For my American readers who may not have known, Canada held it's Federal Election yesterday. With that in mind I was searching my brain for a film about politics as well as the theme of not underestimating an opponent. With that I present a scene that surely helped Forest Whitaker win Best Actor back in 2007, from The Last King of Scotland.
Edmonton Oilers Blogger • 
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