March 5, 2020 /

2019/20 Edmonton Oilers GM68: Oilers @ Blackhawks – 3P2W – Will the Torch Be Passed Tonight?

I’m not gonna sugarcoat things here, I’m not so sure the Edmonton Oilers deserved to win that game against Dallas. They were holding on for dear life for nearly the entire 60+ minutes, were they not? My feeling is that they got damned lucky that the Stars couldn’t find a way to beat Bill Burr’s larger Finnish doppelganger, Mikko Koskinen. No taking away the big man’s performance, but the Stars were all over the Oilers’ asses in that one.

The good guys came away with the two points at the end of the night, so there’s not really that much to complain about. I’m just wondering how much gas is left in the tank for tonight’s match.

So we head into Chicago to play the Blackhawks who just got done wiping the floor with the Ducks. They could be feeling pretty good at the moment and Edmonton is ripe for a poor game.

Some are wondering if we’re seeing a passing of the torch so to speak. From the legendary duos of Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane or Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin to the newest 100pt strike force in Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.

I think we are… And it’s going to be awesome.

RANDOM PONTIFICATIONS

  • Some really cool people have asked us over at the IG account about Jesse Puljujarvi’s potential trade return (IF he’s actually traded…) this summer and the common thought is that he’ll bring back a near NHL-ready prospect and a 2nd round pick OR something similar to what Ken Holland traded for Andreas Athanasiou. But I wonder if Holland can snag himself a 1st round pick from one of the teams who have multiple first-rounders in this year’s draft? Ottawa and New Jersey have THREE picks in that round but they’re not the only teams who will be planning to head to the podium more than once on the draft’s opening day. The Rangers, Wild, and Ducks have TWO picks as well. Holland did a lot of talking with the GMs of the Sens, Devils, and Rangers this year… Was he placing down the foundations of a draft-day trade?
  • If Leon Draisaitl and Dave Tippett aren’t walking up to the stage to accept an award at the end of the season in Vegas there’s something very wrong with the voting process…
  • Is it about time we started giving consideration to Ryan Nugent-Hopkins for a place on Team Canada? If the Olympics were today, I’d have him on my roster ahead of Jonathan Huberdeau and possibly Taylor Hall.
  • It’s being reported that the NHL’s salary cap could go up as much as $7M dollars this summer. Now, I’m not confident it’ll go up that high. Maybe somewhere in the middle of $3M and $7M, but that would give the Oilers a little bit extra wiggle room to upgrade the roster.
  • But maybe depending on how this season goes, Holland keeps his powder dry and heads into next year’s campaign hell-bent on making a major splash on a big player at that trade deadline. What would Alexander Ovechkin look like playing alongside McDavid or Draisaitl?

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Three Players to Watch for the Blackhawks

  • #8 Dominik Kubalik – According to dailyfaceoff.com, the rookie has four goals in his last five games. I think there’s a good chance he finishes the year as the highest goal-scoring first-year player this season and should be a finalist for the Calder Trophy.
  • #27 Adam Boqvist – This young Swede is one to watch because of his ability to jump into the play and make an impact offensively for the Blackhawks. He had comparisons to Erik Karlsson in his draft year and there’s a good reason why that is. It’s because that’s how his game is modeled. Now, hopefully playing alongside a cagey vet like Duncan Keith will reduce the learning curve a bit for him and we’ll have another great point-producing blueliner from Sweden sooner than later.
  • #17 Dylan Strome – I want to keep track of the middle Strome tonight because he was a healthy scratch the last time these two teams played. Since then he’s been producing though. Five points in his last five matches I read and he’s up to the 2nd line now. So we’ll see here with him. I did hear prior to the trade deadline that the Oilers have some real interest in him. Imagine an Oilers GM bringing in Connor McDavid’s good friends as opposed to trading them away…

Here are Chicago’s lines from their previous game,

Three Players to Watch for the Oilers

  • #6 Adam Larsson – The Iron Swede has hit his stride folks! He hasn’t been this good since the last time the Oilers went to the playoffs… His edge is back and he’s started to regain some of that puck composure he’s only shown in flashes the last season plus. While Stephen Johns was giving it to the Oilers skilled forwards in their last matchup, Larsson was returning the favor to Dallas’ scorers at the same time.
  • #39 Alex Chiasson – Chaser scores in bunches and that OT winner in Dallas might just be the tip of the iceberg for him. What a time to be heating up too eh? For those of you that are still confused, I guess we know why he’s on the PP now.
  • #18 James Neal – Boy did Neal look good against the Stars. Lots of pep in his step that’s for sure. I don’t know if Tippett is ready to promote him quite yet but I wouldn’t be shocked at all if at some point in the next week or so he was playing on a more offensive-leaning line instead of Andreas Athanasiou.

These are the lines that the Oilers went with against Dallas. I don’t know how much they’ll change given the success Edmonton has had running them out like this.

The Next Ten Games (61-70)

  • vs. Minnesota Wild (28-24-7) – Edmonton is 0-2 against the Wild this year and it’s about time the Oilers beat Bill Guerin’s boys. (WIN) LOSS
  • @ Los Angeles Kings (22-34-5) – I have to say, the Kings are a dangerous team right now. They have nothing to lose and can spoil a lot of teams’ seasons. The Oilers have won 2/3 this year against their old coach but Connor McDavid might be back in this one. Keep an eye out to see if anybody out of the ordinary is sitting for this one because the next day is the trade deadline. (WIN) WIN
  • @ Anaheim Ducks (24-29-7) – Last time out the Oilers put up six on Dallas Eakins’ Ducks. I expect Edmonton to equal that this time around and who knows how the roster will look as this is the game that follows the trade deadline. (WIN) OT LOSS
  • @ Vegas Golden Knights (32-22-8) – The Golden Knights record might hover around Edmonton’s but I feel like this team is a bit better on paper plus this is the second game in a back-to-back. (LOSS) LOSS
  • vs. Winnipeg Jets (32-25-5) – Big Buff sank this team when he decided he wasn’t going to play but the Jets have stuck in the race the whole season pretty much. You have to love the heart! (LOSS) WIN
  • @ Nashville Predators (29-23-7) – I think the Oilers can sweep the season series with Nashville. The Preds defense isn’t what it used to be and there seems to be a bit of a dark cloud floating over the team at the moment. Pekka Rinne has hit a wall too… (WIN) WIN
  • @ Dallas Stars (35-19-6) – Edmonton and Dallas have each won one game-a-piece against each other this season so far. This will be the rubber match and I like Dallas here. (LOSS) WIN
  • @ Chicago Blackhawks (26-26-8) – Going into Chicago to play the Blackhawks is never an easy task and the Oilers have always had a tough time winning in the Windy City. (LOSS)
  • vs. Columbus Blue Jackets (30-19-3) – Edmonton is 21-8-0 at home vs. Columbus all-time. It’s hard to argue with those numbers, right? On the other hand, John Tortorella has his team right in the running for a playoff spot in the East. This game should be a war of attrition to see who comes away with the two points. (WIN)
  • vs. Vegas Golden Knights (32-22-8) – I like Edmonton’s chances at home against the Golden Knights. History tells us they have a better chance at beating them in Edmonton than in Vegas. (WIN)

(Standings as of February 21st, 2020)

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CategoriesBeer League Hero Edmonton Oilers NHL

TagsChicago Blackhawks Edmonton Oilers NHL

Beer League Hero Written by:

I'm the Beer League Hero! I am from Camrose, Alberta but I make my home in Taipei City, Taiwan. I've been through the ups and downs and the highs and the Lowes, the Bonsignores and the McDavids, the Sathers and the Eakins but I'll never leave my Oilers, no matter what! They're with me until the end and then some. GO OILERS GO!