Hey everyone, this will be my last blog until after Christmas so first off I would like to wish all of you a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, or however you choose to enjoy these next few days!

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Finally we saw signs of balance and engagement over a full 60 minutes when the Oilers faced off against the Dallas Stars. Right up until the puck dropped, Jay Woodcroft was playing games with the fans and the Stars coaching staff as he iced completely different lines... lines that I was fuming over. Once the puck dropped though, Woodcroft immediately switched things up and rolled McDavid, Draisaitl, and Nugent-Hopkins as three centres on three separate lines. The results were very impressive and it is exactly the same lines I would like to see tonight and moving forward.

Hyman-McDavid-Puljujarvi

Funny enough, this was the Oilers line that struggled the most in the early parts of the game. McDavid did not register a shot on net until his great goal in the third to make it a 5-3 game. The line finished 5-7 in shots for/against at 5 on 5 though they did go 1-0 at goals at 5 on 5 and out Corisi'd their opponents with a 58.33%.

Kostin-RNH-Janmark

This was technically the Oilers second line last game as they played 10 seconds more together at 5 on 5 than the Draisaitl line but essentially this line and the Leon line played even minutes. I've given plenty of flack to Mattias Janmark and Woodcroft for keeping the winger in the top six when he hasn't really done much. Janmark played a great game with two goals (one empty net) and both he and Kostin were great energy players. RNH scored a goal as well and we really need to be talking more about what an impressive season Nuge is having. A big factor in making these three lines work is RNH being able to produce away from Draisaitl or McDavid. This trio put up in total 6 points on the night. Nugent-Hopkins is driving play himself which is a huge boost for this team.

Foegele-Draisaitl-Yamamoto

As I said above this was essentially the 2A line for the Edmonton Oilers and took most of their minutes against the Dellandrea-Seguin-Kirviranta line. This line went 1-1 in goals at 5 on 5 but outshot their opponent 9-2. I wouldn't fault anyone on that line for the goal against as it was just an absolute snipe by a great player in Hintz. Draisaitl plays a far better all-round game when he is away from McDavid and is a more aggressive player in pursuing scoring chances instead of trying to thread the needle all the time. Foegele scored what would be the game winner on a beautiful one timer, similar to what Hintz did against them.

Holloway-Hamblin-Ryan

Low event line that didn't score but still outshot their opponents 4-1 at 5 on 5. Hamblin is becoming more and more confident and the coach is using him on the PK. Devin Shore's time on this roster is slowly coming to an end.

As for the defense it was by far the most consistent game we have seen from the whole blueline in quite some time. People who have read my blogs for some time should know by now how I feel about a physical blueline. I don't believe that guys who go out of their way to make a big hit and take themselves out of the play have any use on an NHL roster. The kind of physicality I like is what I saw against the Stars. Ceci had to backtrack fast in the game as Seguin almost had a breakaway. Instead of trying to reach in his stick unsuccessfully, Ceci made contact with Seguin, forcing the puck out of his possession. Nurse did the same thing a few times. That is the kind of physical play I appreciate and want to see more of going forward.

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Tonight against the Canucks and moving forward, these are the lines I want to see the Edmonton Oilers utilizing.

As I was writing this the lines for tonight were announced and it looks like Ryan McLeod will return to the lineup, taking Hamblin's spot on the fourth line between Holloway and Derek Ryan. Edmonton has missed McLeod and the forward was starting to look really strong again right before his injury. He showed great chemistry with Holloway and I'm looking forward to hopefully seeing that continue. Edmonton also desperately missed him on the PK.


Enjoy the game tonight and Merry Christmas once more!

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