After the Edmonton Oilers sent a weak roster to Calgary to face a stacked Flames roster on Wednesday the Oilers get a chance to turn the tables. Just like the last game when the Flames at home brought out the bug guns, I expect the Edmonton Oilers to do the same today.
I have noted this many times, during the preseason don’t expect your team to send their top players on the road until the last couple games of the preseason. So look at last game for an example. Yes the Calgary Flames won and it was with their stars, but look at the competition they played against.
Does playing your stars playing against subpar players help anyone in anyway? Yes, it may get them some game action, but it’s not like they are trying 100% so they might as well just practice and work their skills. This is why I think we haven’t seen most of the Edmonton Oilers top players yet.
Unfortunately I believe the Calgary Flames will not be send a high skill group of players up to Edmonton tonight. So if the Edmonton Oilers do put in players like McDavid and Draisaitl tonight, they likely will be playing against subpar players.
What to watch for if the Edmonton Oilers stars play?
If the Edmonton Oilers do play their big name players tonight there is still a few things to watch out for.
- Chemistry
- Even if the competition is low this is still a good opportunity to see how the top lines play together. Also a good chance to see what the lineup may look like on opening day.
- The Powerplay
- In past seasons the Edmonton Oilers have had one of the leagues best powerplay. If the Oilers send out their regular season powerplay unit, I would be surprised if they don’t score especially if the Flames send a majority of AHL players.
- Stay Healthy
- When it comes down to it these games don’t mean anything when it comes to winning the Stanley Cup. The real games don’t start for another couple weeks. It is more important to be healthy for game one than to push hard during the preseason. This is why I think that the Edmonton Oilers playing so many preseason games makes no sense.
How To Watch
You can watch this game on EdmontonOilers.com today at 7PM MST. It will be a stream, so don’t expect the best quality of video or instant-replays, but it is still Edmonton Oilers hockey in September and we can’t be picky.