Edmonton Oilers: Gameday 44 Notes vs. Devils

The Edmonton Oilers will face the New Jersey Devils for the second time in five days. Again, the story revolves around former Oiler Taylor Hall, who will be returning to town for the first time since the deal.

With another important two points on the line, Edmonton is looking to break a two-game skid and get out of their funk as they vie for the Pacific Division lead with the San Jose Sharks.

Lineup Notes

The lines are pretty much expected to stay the same, with the exception of a couple of changes to the bottom-six, as well as the defence pairings.

– Edmonton reassigned Anton Lander and recalled Jujhar Khaira. With Anton Slepyshev also making a return to the NHL lineup, both of them are expected to suit up Thursday. Slepyshev will play in place of Puljujarvi, and Khaira will take Lander’s spot. With both of them in, Matt Hendricks will draw out of the lineup.

– Brandon Davidson is slotting back into the lineup, meaning that the defense will shift over with his return. Kris Russell is expected to return to the top-four on the right side. Matthew Benning will stay in over Eric Gryba, who will be a healthy scratch Thursday.

– The Oilers recalled Laurent Brossoit Wednesday and assigned Jonas Gustavsson to the Bakersfield Condors. Brossoit will back up Talbot and get the opportunity to earn a full-time job in the NHL.

Keys to Victory

The Oilers seem to be having problems defensively, where players aren’t necessary backchecking. By the same token, the defence is struggling to cover their men and keep track of the play. Because of this, they’ve left our goaltenders with no chance to stop the play.

Also, Edmonton’s offence has faltered and failed to gain a lot of momentum, which in the end, resulted in them struggling to score at key moments. Though the first line has been phenomenal, the rest of the lineup can’t muster up too many chances. Because of this, they were stopped in their tracks.

If the Oilers want to win, they will have to show a stronger effort on both sides of the rink. That means keeping track of the puck, starting the breakout and finding the weak spots in the other teams’ plays.

Next: Oilers Recall Khaira, Brossoit, Assign Lander, Gustavsson

Edmonton also needs a better performance from Cam Talbot, who’s had a couple of shaky showings of late. If he is at the top of his game, the Oilers should have no problem escaping with a win against the Devils.