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G72: Oilers @ Golden Knights 5/6 Solved On Defense |
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The biggest need Edmonton has going into next season surely has to be more forward depth. The Oilers have two 100 point players with 40 and 50 goal potential, along with a brilliant second line centre in Ryan Nugent Hopkins. If Edmonton could bring in two forwards next season that can score 15-20 goals apiece they will be a playoff team easy.
For years the Oilers biggest need has been...(takes a deep breath) arightshotpuckmovingoffensivedefensemanwhocanquarterbackthepowerplay, and while that is certainly something the team could use moving forward, it has become a slightly less crucial area.
Oscar Klefbom and Darnell Nurse have both shown their ability to run a powerplay and while neither are right shot, both have performed strong in that position. Nurse has 9 points (1G-8A) during the time he was running the top unit. Klefbom has dealt with injuries again this year but has 8 powerplay points himself (1G-7A). As I mentioned in my last blog,
Nurse might crack 40 points this season which is impressive as it needs to be remembered that he is still only 24. There are blemishes on his game; he has been caught puck chasing numerous times and his hockey IQ at times has been suspect. He is fitting in well on the second pairing and I think with the right partner, it is a role he will excel in.
Klefbom and Larsson are the Oilers top unit. They are not one of the more dominant top pairings in the league but they are constantly a positive possession pair and are able to log 24+ minutes a night.
Sekera and Benning have really come into their own which I put squarely on the shoulders of Andrej Sekera. It's really been 2 years since we have really seen Sekera play and it's hard to remember that he was at one point the Oilers top defenceman. Sekera has a brilliant ability to calm the play down and in turn, his partner. Benning has goals in his last three games and is playing as good of hockey as we have seen him play.
The odd man out here... is of course Kris Russell.
The numbers are simple. The Oilers need to clear cap space, and the options on defence to move are likely Sekera and Russell. Having seen what we have from Sekera again, I would much rather keep him and his 5.5 million dollar salary than Russell and his 4 million. This summer, whoever is general manager of this team needs to focus on finding a second pairing right shot, to play with Darnell Nurse.
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LINEUPS
OILERS
Draisaitl – McDavid – Kassian
Khaira – RNH – Gagner
Rieder – Cave – Chiasson
Lucic – Brodziak – Currie
Klefbom – Larsson
Nurse – Russell
Sekera – Benning
Koskinen
GOLDEN KNIGHTS
Marchessault – Karlsson – Smith
Pacioretty – Stastny – Stone
Pirri – Eakin – Tuch
Carpenter – Bellemare – Reaves
Schmidt – Engelland
McNabb – Theodore
Merrill – Miller
Fleury
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4 KEYS TO VICTORY
1) Stoned. It took a couple games to become acclimatized to Vegas but Mark Stone has started rolling for Vegas with 5 points in his last 4 games, including a couple of goals. The Knights have depth throughout their lineup and plenty of weapons. The defence pairings are going to all have their work cut out for them.
2) Wasn't Expecting That. I know I am sounding like a broken record but it needs to be stressed. The Oilers top 3 players have more points than anyone on the Vegas Golden Knights. Alex Tuch leads the GK with 48 points. No single player is dominating for Vegas but they have a team without any passengers.
3) Goalless. Andrej Sekera has not scored a goal for Edmonton since 2017. The third pairing for Edmonton has been rolling as of late with Benning getting the goals. That will change tonight.
4) Regulation. It was great to see Edmonton win last night, but the fact that it was an OT win against a team they are trying to catch in the standings was less than ideal. The chances of Edmonton making the playoffs are slim to none, for them to have any chance they need to win in regulation.
Edmonton Oilers Blogger • 
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