Edmonton Oilers Potential Playoff Opponents: Calgary Flames
By Phil Gretzky
Defence
The Oilers’ D corps are actually built perfectly for the playoffs – it’s a very balanced corps. They have one puck mover on every pairing, and solid stay at home guys who are also capable of producing secondary offence. It’s a thing of beauty, as far as I’m concerned.
Darnell Nurse is the guy on the first pairing, while on the second pairing you have the Bouch bombs of Evan Bouchard and on the third pairing you have Tyson Barrie. Barrie and Bouchard may switch pairings for the playoffs, we’ll see if Woodcroft trusts Bouch enough to elevate his game in the playoffs even more or would rather play him against easier competition in the third pairing. All three of Bouchard, Nurse, and Barrie have put up 30+ points this season. Those are great numbers for your D corps.
Meanwhile, the stay at home guys are impressive as well. Cody Ceci partners with Nurse on the top pairing, and he’s got 25 points on the season all on his own. Duncan Keith is that guy on the second pairing, he’s only a single point away from 20 points and I guarantee you he’ll get it. On the third pairing we have trade deadline acquisition Brett Kulak, who’s put up one goal and four points in 10 games already (fun fact – he was drafted by Calgary and spent the first four seasons of his career with the Flames).
The Flames, meanwhile, have the higher producing guy on the top pairing, Noah Hanifin, who has produced 41 points on the season to Nurse’s 33. But after that it drops off significantly. Oliver Kylington is next on the list, but he might be injured at least for one game as he’s a game time decision for the Flames’ next game. He’s got 27 points, not impressive when you consider the Oilers stay at home guy on the first pairing has 25. His partner is Chris Tanev, who’s put up 24 points this season. OK, but not standout numbers. I’d bet on Duncan Keith if the two are matched up against each other in the playoffs.
The bottom pairing is Nikita Zadorov and Erik Gudbranson, who have put up 16 and 17 points respectively this season. Kulak and Barrie still outscore them by seven points.