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Oilers vs Lightning Preview – Jan 19, 2023

By Jesse Courville-Lynch

Tampa Bay Lightning center Brayden Point (21) defends Edmonton Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse (25) Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Tampa Bay Lightning center Brayden Point (21) defends Edmonton Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse (25) Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Tampa Bay Lightning are in Edmonton to take on the Oilers, and both teams come in on a hot streak, each winning their last four games. Steven Stamkos is coming off of a milestone game where he scored his 500th career goal, while Connor McDavid looks to continue his push to 100 points on the year.

Jack Campbell is the confirmed starter for the Oilers tonight, while Andrei Vasilevskiy is the expected starter for the Lightning. Campbell has been solid lately, winning his last four starts, and looking much more confident between the pipes compared to the start of the season.

The Oilers come in at 4th in the Pacific with a 25-18-3 record, while the Lightning sit 3rd in the Atlantic with a 29-13-1 record.

Tonight will be Evander Kane‘s second game back, and he is expected to move up to the top line as Woodcroft seemingly plans to stack that line.

The lineup is subject to change, but is expected to be as follows:

Kane-McDavid-Draisaitl

Kostin-RNH-Janmark

Foegele-McLeod-Hyman

Holloway-Ryan

Nurse-Ceci

Kulak-Barrie

Broberg-Bouchard

Desharnais

Campbell

As expected, Woodcroft will continue to run his 11/7 setup with Desharnais slotting in as the seventh defenseman. Hyman will shoot down to the bottom six for the first time this season, likely in an attempt to boost McLeod and Foegele’s offensive game.

A quick note, Jesse Pujujarvi will be a healthy scratch for the second straight game.

These lineups are tentative, as Woodcroft is known to change the lines as soon as the game starts. The 11/7 setup gives him the opportunity to do that, and it seems to have been working the last few games.

If the Oilers continue to play a sound defensive game, they won’t have a problem handling the Lightning. The two teams are similar in special teams as they both have a strong power play and a decent penalty kill. While Tampa is a bit better defensively overall, the Oilers should be able to push through that as one of the most lethal offensive teams in the NHL.

The official Oilers’ key to the game remains the same as the last few: Defence wins games.

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