Edmonton Oilers: Five things to watch for against Red Wings
The Edmonton Oilers will play on the road in eight of the next ten games. Up first, the Detroit Red Wings. Here’s what to watch for.
After starting the year off to a historic 9-1-0 record, the Edmonton Oilers are back at it on Tuesday in Detroit. The first game of a five-game roadtrip, the blue-and-orange will not return to Rogers Place until November 18.
One-Timers
- Oilers have won their last 10 road games, going back to last season. Their last loss was April 10, 5-0 in Calgary.
- With Devin Shore going on injured reserve, Oilers called up Ryan McLeod.
- Dylan Larkin returned to the Red Wings on Sunday after leaving the club to deal with a family emergency. He helped spark the club to a 5-2 win over Vegas.
- Zack Kassian with his thoughts on the upcoming road trip: “I enjoy it, you get to spend time with the guys. It’s nice to go for dinners again and kind of do the road life.”
Tale of the Tape
Powerplay
EDM: 50.0%
DET: 18.2%
Penalty-Kill
EDM: 86.2%
DET: 71.1%
Faceoffs
EDM: 53.8%
DET: 49.7%
Goals Per Game
EDM: 4.40
DET: 3.00
Goals Against Per Game
EDM: 2.80
DET: 3.40
Top Scorer
EDM: Leon Draisaitl – 10 goals, 13 assists, 23 points
DET: Tyler Bertuzzi – 9 goals, 6 assists, 15 points
1. Goaltending situation
Mikko Koskinen is off to a fine start this season, recording a 7-1 record through his first eight games, but he’s coming off a performance in which he allowed five goals to the New York Rangers last Friday. The 33-year-old was leaky in the second period, allowing three goals over a 4:04 span that put the Oilers in a three-goal deficit.
With Mike Smith‘s timetable to return still unknown, the team is bringing three goalies on the road trip, but the question remains if or when will we see Stuart Skinner get the nod?
Head coach Dave Tippett was asked this question on Sunday, responding, “We’re going to talk about it this afternoon as coaches here and just see where it is. I am going to get an update on Schmidty [Mike Smith] here today and how he felt.”
Smith skated for approximately an hour in Sunday’s practice, but he’s been sidelined since October 19. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to give Koskinen a mental breather and let Skinner showcase himself.
2. Detroit’s young talent is shining
For a team that finished in the bottom-two in goals in each of the last two seasons, the Detroit Red Wings are off to a respectable start in that department. They are getting terrific contributions from their young talent as Tyler Bertuzzi leads all skaters with 15 points. He’s been red-hot over his last two games, collecting three goals and three assists.
Aside from Bertuzzi, the Wings’ prospects are blossoming right before our eyes. Lucas Raymond drafted fourth overall in 2020, is right behind Bertuzzi with 14 points. Over his last five games, the 19-year-old has two goals and four assists.
Perhaps the biggest surprise has come from 20-year-old blueliner Moritz Seider, who has a goal and nine assists for 10 points through the first 13 games played. He’s been deadly on the powerplay, chipping in five helpers.
3. Oilers 5v5 defense against Red Wings’ 5v5 offense
The Oilers lead all teams with 14 goals forced on the man advantage as they have been converting at an absurd 50.0 percent clip. However, Dave Tippett’s even-strength defense will get a good test on Tuesday. Through their first 10 games, the Oilers have allowed 21 goals in 5v5 situations, the 12th-most in the league.
Conversely, Detroit’s 5v5 offense has been quite sharp in the early goings, tallying 23 goals and tied with the Oilers in that department. However, for Edmonton, you’d ideally like to see them not to allow nearly as many goals as they are scoring in even-strength situations.
4. Oilers friendly competition
In case you haven’t heard, the Oilers have two superstars in Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. The duo has been electric this season, and they are off to a record-breaking start. The two are the first teammates with 20 points within a team’s first 10 games of a season since Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr, and Ron Francis (Penguins) in 1995-96.
As we previously touched on, a little friendly competition between these two guys can be good for the overall team’s success as more points generally lead to more wins. So far, so good in that department.
Just in case you are curious – each player’s career splits against Detroit:
- McDavid: 2 goals, 8 assists, 10 points in 9 games
- Draisaitl: 2 goals, 5 assists, 7 points in 9 games
Time to catch up, Leon?
5. One game at a time
Tuesday marks the first game in the five-game road trip, and while Detroit can be viewed as a lesser opponent, the Oilers have to avoid overlooking them to Thursday’s big matchup with the Boston Bruins.
The Wings are ahead of the B’s in the standings entering Tuesday, but that could obviously change as the season unfolds. The Bruins are so talented, with players like Taylor Hall, David Pastrnak, Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron, and Nick Foligno roaming the ice on a nightly basis. They will certainly be a handful.
However, first thing’s first. Take care of the Red Wings, then get ready for Thursday.