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If I was to rate the Oilers first game out of 10 I would have given them 1/10.
Last game against the Bruins I would give them a 2.5/10.
So the good news is they are improving?
Here were my Keys To Victory for their last game
1. Don't Do That Again. They did that again.
2. Second Pairing Woes. Nurse had a stronger game but Benning continues to struggle, getting completely undressed by Pastrnak and made poor plays throughout the game including a blatant giveaway for the empty net goal.
3. Don't Let Their Top Line Score...Too Much. Marchand-Bergeron-Pastrnak each scored a goal.
4. Facing The Backup? Halak played a good game but the Oilers didn't challenge him nearly enough.
This morning the Oilers face off against the New York Rangers and three games in people are already looking at this game as a must win. The schedule for October only gets more challenging from here; the Oilers should be a better team than the Rangers.
The best news for the Oilers right now is that most of the Pacific is also off to a rough start aside from the Ducks. The Oilers have some games in hand and a couple wins in a row will at the very least put them into the middle of the pack.
1. Prove You're Better. The New York Rangers are in a self proclaimed rebuild while the Oilers are a team vying for the playoffs. This is the closest thing Edmonton has to an easy win this October. Edmonton needs to not just beat the Rangers but dominate them.
2. Yamamoto Running Out Of Chances. Kailer Yamamoto has the tools to be an effective NHL player but he is still young and very small and it shows in regular season games. Kailer played with Draisaitl throughout preseason and into the first few games and so far no real chemistry seems to be there. Yamamoto needs to start showing something or he could be AHL bound.
3. Fix The Special Teams. The PK and PP look as bad as they did last season. Mind it is a very small sample size but the Oilers already once again find themselves dead last on the PK. I do not blame Talbot for any of the goals scored on him yet... I blame the system put in place.
4. Chemistry. I touched on it with Yamamoto but McLellan has opted to stick with the same lineup once again, with the exception of Brodziak back in and Khaira out. The players have stated they want less line juggling and the coach is giving them every opportunity to work things out themselves. If the players don't want to be juggled around they need to start producing.
FILM OF THE DAY
Taking my title very literal so here is a trailer for the extremely cheesy movie Opposite Day
Edmonton Oilers Blogger • 
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