The Edmonton Oilers once again find themselves playing a tough opponent tonight. The Washington Capitals pretty much have locked onto a playoff spot. The only question now is if they can get themselves out of a wildcard spot.
The Oilers on the other hand are currently 3 points out of a wildcard spot, so every game becomes important now. Their current 3 game winless streak can turn into 5 pretty quick if they lose again tonight as they play the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday. They can no longer afford to lose consecutive games in a row.
Their hot start was washed away with their terrible December, now they need wins or this team will be on the outside of the playoffs looking in. If they lose tonight they need to win 3 of the next 4 games or they will quickly become sellers at the deadline.
Want your voice heard? Join the Oil On Whyte team!
Edmonton Oilers Special Teams Need To Improve
On Monday they single handedly lost the game on special teams. They went 0-4 on the powerplay, and while on the powerplay they gave up more chances than they got. They got no good looks and could barely get set up in the zone.
They penalty kill wasn’t much better getting tagged for one against in 4 tries. The last game the Oilers didn’t give up a powerplay goal against, aside’s from the Flyers shutout, was February 15th against the LA Kings where they killed off all 5. That was 10 games ago.
A contending team needs to be able to score on the powerplay when they are given the chance. They also need to kill penalties, in those last 10 games they are starting the game at least down one as the other team is guaranteed to score a powerplay goal.
If the Oilers win the special teams battle it will do a lot in helping them win this game.
Maybe Try Scoring First
If the Edmonton Oilers score the first in a game they win. If they don’t score first they usually battle back and keep it close. I much prefer the first option. If the Oilers get scored on I get the “here we go again feeling”, if they score first I get to breathe and enjoy the rest of the game.
I don’t know if it is something mental with Oilers or lack of prep, but they need to play hard the first couple minutes. They can’t go short handed early in the game either, because as mentioned above that will likely end in a goal against.
It is a simple and obvious point, but score first, win the game. Don’t score first they need to buckle in for a tough game.
I think the Edmonton Oilers are going to come into this game ready to play. After a poor effort against their rivals on Monday, the Oilers will come in with a chip on their shoulder. I also think the powerplay will get back to having success tonight by getting two goals.
They will still let in a powerplay goal against tonight, and the goal will come from Alex Ovechkin who will break the tie with Jaromir Jagr on most goals scored list.
Edmonton Oilers Projected Lines
McLeod – McDavid – Hyman
Kane – Draisaitl – Yamamoto
Foegele – Shore – Ryan
Benson – Malone – Turris
Nurse – Ceci
Keith – Broberg
Lagesson – Bouchard
Koskinen
Washington Capitals Lines
Capitals at practice today:
— Tom Gulitti (@TomGulittiNHL) March 7, 2022
Ovechkin-Kuznetsov-Wilson
Mantha-Backstrom-Oshie
McMichael-Eller-Sheary/Sprong
AJF-Dowd-Hathaway
Fehervary-Carlson
Orlov-Jensen
TvR-Schultz
Kempny-Irwin
Vanecek
Samsonov
Game #58
Date: 3/09/2022
Opponent: Washington Capitals
Location: Roger Place, Edmonton
Time: 6:00 PM
Live Stream: FuboTV
fuboTV has live NHL games on ESPN in which you can stream from your phone, television, and all your favorite devices. This is a service that broadcasts live TV over the internet, no cable required. Watch your favorite teams, network shows, news, and movies on 100+ channels. Plus on-demand entertainment including full TV series. fuboTV is currently available in the United States, Canada, and Spain
Betting Odds: WynnBET
The Edmonton Oilers and the Washington Capitals betting odds on WynnBET have Washington as +1.5 point underdogs tonight, while the Oilers are the favorites at -1.5. Edmonton is favored with a Moneyline odd of -125 on the night while the Capitlas are sitting at +105. Tonight’s game is expected to be high-scoring with an over/under of 6.5 goals on the night.