Edmonton Oilers: Five Players That Need To Rise To The Occasion

The playoffs start tonight for the Edmonton Oilers. The first-round matchup against the Winnipeg Jets is set and things are going to be interesting.

Before the puck drops tonight I want to talk about five players that need to be on their A-game if the Oilers are going to walk away with a win in this series. While everyone expects Connor McDavid to be at his best, everyone around him needs to match it for Edmonton to win game one.

All that hard work to get home ice in this series could be for nothing if the Oilers lose one home game, plus with no fans in the stands the home-ice advantage really doesn’t mean much and neither does the fact that the Oilers beat the Jets in 7 of their 9 matchups this season.

So today I want to highlight a group of Oilers that need to rise to the occasion this playoff run. A lot of these guys had great regular seasons, and now they need to find another level in the playoff, similar to what I was talking about regarding James Neal the other day.

Jesse Puljujarvi

Jesse Puljujarvi just had his best regular season with the Edmonton Oilers. The former fourth overall pick in 2016 put up 25 points this season including 10 goals. Puljujarvi really came into his own on a line with Connor McDavid and I think it should only grow in the future.

Puljujarvi has some pretty good stats all around this season, his play with the puck is as good as his play without it and he has been physical at times as he is fifth on the team in hits. Playing on a line with McDavid I hope Puljujarvi can bring the physicality and skill that McDavid needs on his wing.

This playoff run could cement Puljujarvi as an NHL forward and can help make him a staple in the lineup. There is a lot to play for in the next couple of days.