Oilers vs Kraken Preview

The Seattle Kraken are back in town to face the Oilers. After defeating the Oilers in Edmonton back on January 3rd, the Oilers look to take back their home-ice advantage and come away with a big win against the red-hot Kraken. The Kraken currently sit 2nd in the Pacific division with a 26-13-4 record, while the Oil sit fifth in the division with a 24-18-3 record.

The Oilers are expected to get Stuart Skinner back in the net after the birth of his first child, baby boy Beau, which caused him to miss the previous two games. Although not yet confirmed, they are also expected to get Evander Kane back up front, as long as the Oilers can create the cap space in time for puck drop.

The lines for tonight are expected to be as follows, but are subject to change:

Draisaitl-McDavid-Hyman

Kostin-RNH-Janmark

Kane-McLeod-Foegele

Holloway-Ryan-Puljujarvi

Nurse-Ceci

Kulak-Barrie

Broberg-Bouchard

Skinner

Klim Kostin comes in red hot, with seven goals in his last nine games, while Connor McDavid looks to continue his unbelievable season.

The team loaned Markus Neimalainen to the Bakersfield Condors yesterday, so the seventh defenseman job has likely been won by Vincent Desharnais. Woodcroft could make a last-minute change and run an 11/7 setup like he loves to run, and has been successful with in the past.

The Oilers need to ride the wave of confidence they’ve built up in their last few games and need to try and get two points out of this game against the Kraken. Every game is crucial as teams fight for better playoff seeds but in the Oilers’ case currently, they’re fighting for a spot in the playoffs entirely.

The defensive zone play will be key against an offensive powerhouse like the Kraken. A sound defensive game will win the game for the Blue and Orange.

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