Tonight the Edmonton Oilers are finally stepping on the ice on the their hunt to win the Stanley Cup. Last season the Edmonton Oilers made it all the way the Western Conference Finals only or be swept by the eventual Cup winners the Colorado Avalanche.
The main core of the team is back. This with the addition of the Jack Campbell in net is the reason most expect the Oilers to go far in the playoffs. That starts tonight as they face the Vancouver Canucks.
In order to win in the NHL you still need to play a full and solid game. In this article I am going to lay out 3 keys that will help the Edmonton Oilers guarantee the two points tonight.
1. Do Not Take The Vancouver Canucks Lightly
In the Oil On Whyte Staff Predictions, most of us picked the Vancouver Canucks to be a playoff team in the Pacific Division. You need to be a good team to make the playoffs, so this means they can beat the Edmonton Oilers if they go easy on them.
On paper the Edmonton Oilers are the better team, but sometimes the underdogs do win. Most time an underdog wins is because the favourite take it easy on them because the figure it is going to be a cake walk.
Tonight is not different, the Canucks are a good team and need to be respected. They have a lot of up and coming skill that could give the Oilers team some trouble if they are given the option to.
The Oilers need to play a full 60 minutes if they expect to win this game. Being the first game of the season it should be easy for them to get amped up for this game. For me that is a good thing. They will want to show the fan that they still are a competitive team.
2. Get The Momentum Started Early
In the past the Edmonton Oilers have had the issue of not starting games on time. Hopefully this doesn’t happen as much this year. The Oilers spent to much of last season playing catchup.
If they get the lead in games it put doubt in the mind of the opponent. Imagine being a team that is down one goal early in a game and looking across the ice and seeing the likes of McDavid, Draisaitl and Kane. The Oilers are going to be a tough team to play against. So if they get a lead they should be able to hold it.
3. Let The Edmonton Oilers Stars Shine
The Edmonton Oilers have arguably two of the best players in the league. With this being the first game of the season you want them to get off to a good start. I think the number one way to get McDavid and Draisaitl is get the powerplay going.
The Oilers powerplay has been one of the most deadly in the league in the past few years, The percentage that it runs at it wouldn’t surprise me that the Oilers get more than one powerplay goal tomorrow.
To get on the powerplay you need to draw penalties. In order to draw penalties you need to work hard. This current roster has no lack of determination and drive. This is a dangerous combo for opposing team.
This game tonight could be a tone setter for the rest of the season for this team and the fans. If they play a terrible game the fans are not going to let them get away with it that easy. If they play good it is what the fane expected, but the players will know moving forward that they have the ability to win games. This is why the first game of the season is important.