The Edmonton Oilers are coming in hot. Red hot. More like this… they’ve won five straight games… red hot.
The Oilers face the Bruins for the second time this season after defeating the Bruins in a thrilling shootout 3-2 win. I was able to watch that game live and Anders Nilsson was outstanding.
However, I do have some questions about this game and frankly, I am a bit nervous.
From Boston
From Causewaycrowd.com, the Boston Bruins site on Fansided:
"In an awful beginning to a mediocre road trip through Western Canada, The Edmonton Oilers beat the Bruins in Overtime a shootout. Look for the Bruins to be determined to take the full two points this time around and dominate the play. The Oilers have been playing better as of late and have also managed to defeat some of the league’s best teams.Coach Claude Julien never takes any team lightly and so it is vital that he gets his shutdown lines to make quick work of the talented youngsters on the opposing side. For these games, and the ones against Pittsburgh, I would like to see Patrice Bergeron and Brand Marchand play with either Loui Ericsson or Jimmy Hayes and focus on primarily on defending against the other team’s top unit. For Edmonton, I say that the Bruins will take the game 4 to 1, with two late third period goals."
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Keys to the Game
When I watched the game against the Bruins, I felt like Anders Nilsson had to stand on his head. Make no mistake: Nilsson has been playing outstanding, outside of that New York Rangers game. However, it would be a nice change of pace for the Edmonton Oilers to not rely on goaltending in this one.
The Bruins are not a slouch at the moment: They are a very good 7-1-2 in their last ten games played. That’s pretty darn good. However: Their home record is below five hundred with a 6-7-1 (in contrast to their road record where they are road warriors, sitting pretty with a 10-2-2.) The Edmonton Oilers, even though they are coming off a really great streak of their own, cannot afford to start the game sluggish.
The Bruins are going to be hungry. They are big, they are physical and they have a darn good goalie in Tuukka Rask. The Oilers have to play with that dire fire from the start.
It’s going to be a tough game. Oscar Klefbom is out. I mentioned this on Beerleagueheroes.com weekly recap about Woodguy55’s tweet RE: Klefbom
Oilers' 5v5 shots during 5gm win streak with and without Klef
— Woodguy (@Woodguy55) December 12, 2015
With Klef 61-47
Without 63-99
He's kinda important.
Even though Klefbom’s injury is not as severe as originally thought (this from Peter Chiarelli), it’s a huge blow to a team playing well. Klefbom has been arguably our best defenceman. Those shot totals really reflect that.
Who to Watch Out For
Edmonton Oilers: The Trio of Taylor Hall, Leon Draisaitl and Teddy Purcell. This line is probably one of hockey’s hottest lines currently. With good reason too: the line combined for 11 points against the mighty New York Rangers on Friday night. Draisaitl had four assists, Purcell had a goal and two assists and Hall had two goals and two assists. It’s a scary efficient line right now and drives the offence. I expect them to continue their torrid pace and will be the drivers for tonight’s game on the Oilers side of things.
Boston Bruins: Loui Eriksson. Eriksson, a UFA after this season, is having his best season with the Bruins yet. So far he has 25 points in 28 games. While the Bruins absolutely got fleeced on the Tyler Seguin trade, Eriksson has been playing reasonably well. Currently riding four points in his last five games. Eriksson is a solid two way winger who is bound to get some top quality minutes in tonight’s game.
Projected Line Ups
Edmonton Oilers
Taylor Hall– Leon Draisaitl– Teddy Purcell
Jujhar Khaira– Ryan Nugent-Hopkins– Jordan Eberle
Matt Hendricks– Mark Letestu–Lauri Korpikoski
Luke Gazdic–Anton Lander–Iiro Pakarinen
Brandon Davidson–Justin Schultz
Boston Bruins
Brad Marchand– Patrice Bergeron–Brett Connolly
Matt Beleskey–David Krejci–Loui Eriksson
Frank Vatrano–Ryan Spooner–Jimmy Hayes
Zac Rinaldo– Max Talbot- Landon Ferraro
Dennis Seidenberg–Colin Miller
Prediction and Notes
Andrew Ference is slated to play . Ference was a non factor in his last game played on November 27th against the Detroit Red Wings: He played seven shifts for a total of 4:24 and was -2.
At this point, it’s hard for Ference to keep up. Losing a guy like Klefbom and putting Andrew Ference in, is going to hurt. I’d almost want to put Nikita Nikitin in instead.
This is also Peter Chiarelli’s first game back in Boston since being fired last season. Chiarelli was hired in the summer of 2006 and was part of two Stanley Cup appearances in 2011 and 2013, including a Stanley Cup victory in 2011 over the Vancouver Canucks.
I think the Oilers are in tough this game and I think it’s a vital game to get a point out of, especially with the Rangers tomorrow and the Blackhawks on Thursday.
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- Three Battles To Watch At Edmonton Oilers Training Camp
- Keys to Success: What the Edmonton Oilers Need to Focus on for a Successful Season
- The Edmonton Oilers Mean Business This Season
- Pacific division predictions
Without Klefbom, I think the Oilers are going to miss him quite a bit tonight. It’ll be a low-scoring affair, but I see the Bruins winning this one 2-1.