Three Things To Watch From The Oilers In The Heritage Classic
The Edmonton Oilers host the Calgary Flames tonight down at Commonwealth Stadium for NHL’s Heritage Classic. The last time there was an outdoor NHL game in Edmonton it was the very first Heritage Classic 20 years ago.
As much as this game is going to be a spectacle to watch it is still an NHL regular season game. This means there still are two points up for grabs. For the Edmonton Oilers and the Calgary Flames, it is a much-needed 2 points.
After 8 games played the Flames are 2-5-1 while after 7 games the Oilers are 1-5-1. Both the teams were expected to have better seasons than the way they have started so far. This doesn’t mean they can’t turn it around as it is still early in the season.
From an Edmonton Oilers perspective, this game has the makings to be a real momentum builder. Playing the Calgary Flames is always a heated game, but once you add in the fact that it is the Heritage Classic, it makes it even more of a must-win game.
I believe if the Oilers win today it will put this team on the right path and they will start putting some wins together. To do that they need to win tonight though. Heading into tonight’s game here are 3 things that we need to watch for to show signs of improvement.
A Healthy Connor McDavid
Heading into tonight’s game the biggest question from an Edmonton Oilers perspective was Connor McDavid’s health. The good news from all reports is that McDavid looked good in the outdoor practice last night.
McDavid doing all the drills. pic.twitter.com/V7G5QvRJK4
— Jason Gregor (@JasonGregor) October 28, 2023
He was skating on a line with Leon Draisaitl and Warren Foegele. To me, this is a good sign that he may be ready to play. You wouldn’t have him practicing on one of the top lines if you didn’t think he would be there, but then again it is Jay Woodcroft.
There has been no official word on whether he will be playing tonight or not, but if I was to take a guess I would say unless he sleeps wrong and somehow makes it worse McDavid will be in the lineup tonight and having the best player in the world in the lineup can only be a good thing.
Edmonton Oilers Defensive Coverage
Over the first 7 games, the Edmonton Oilers defensive coverage has been a bit of a tire fire. They are leaving players wide-open and giving players wide-open looks. To me, it just appears to be a lack of mental sharpness.
I don’t know if it is because they are being lazy, not communicating or some other reason. It doesn’t matter either way what the actual issue is. What does matter is fixing it. There is no way on paper this team should be doing that bad.
I think tonight’s game is going to have a playoff vibe to it, so hopefully the team will sharpen up and play harder to get the win. If the Oilers defense comes out and play a terrible game I think that there will need to be some big changes made to try and fix them.
Starting Goalie Needs To Be Sharp
So far this season the Edmonton Oilers goaltending has been one of the bright spots. That being said there have been a few mistakes that have either taken away momentum or cost them a lead.
This rings true for both Jack Campbell as well as Stuart Skinner. As for which goalie is starting tonight, it appears it will be Stuart Skinner.
Stuart Skinner, in his Grant Fuhr replica gear, is in the starter’s net.
— Daniel Nugent-Bowman (@DNBsports) October 28, 2023
If this is the case then SKinner should bring his A game as he will be playing at home in front of all his family and friends, since he grew up in Edmonton.
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At the end of the day, this game is going to be worth more than just the two points for these two teams. It will give the winning team some bragging rights as well as give them a much-needed momentum boost moving forward. Both teams would love both of those things.