Edmonton Oilers Ready for Pre-Deadline Match With Blues
By Sammi Silber
The Edmonton Oilers are ready to face off in their last game before the trade deadline, taking on the St. Louis Blues. It is the final game of the Oilers American road swing, which they’ve had mediocre success on. The puck drops at 6 p.m. MT.
Edmonton will square off with the Blues, who will play their first game without Kevin Shattenkirk. St. Louis traded Shattenkirk, who has been on the outs, to the Washington Capitals Monday.
Edmonton Oilers
Lineup Changes
The Oilers appear to be rolling with the same lines of late, but they will make a couple fo changes to the lineup. First off, Drake Caggiula will be a healthy scratch. Anton Slepyshev, Iiro Pakarinen and Jujhar Khaira are the ones to fill his void on the roster.
On defence, Brandon Davidson is a healthy scratch, with Darnell Nurse taking his spot on the bottom-pairing RHD. Matthew Benning is also out; Eric Gryba is drawing back in.
It is unclear what the Caggiula scratch is about, as he has been one of the better players on the forward lines of late. As for Davidson, Nurse needs more ice time, so he is likely scratched to let Nurse draw back in. Besides, he finds himself as the odd man out. At this time, it’s not believed this has to do with the trade deadline.
Game Notes
– Nurse looked rusty in his long-awaited return to the lineup Sunday. He must step up and prove his worth Tuesday, especially if he wants to keep his spot in the lineup over Davidson.
– Edmonton’s penalty kill surrendered three PPG against Nashville Sunday. This team is going to have to tighten up on the PK and make sure that they do more to maintain possession of the puck and win critical draws, while also avoiding lazy turnovers. By the same token, the team should stay out of the box.
– Cam Talbot will start between the pipes yet again for the Oilers. He has been keeping this team in each game. However, the defence will have to help him out, as he has surrendered seven goals in his last two games.
– This is the last game before the deadline, meaning the team will likely evaluate their performance and see if anything has to be done the next day by 3 p.m.