The Edmonton Oilers will look to become the second 10-game winner in their division tonight as they face the Pierre-Luc Dubois-less Jets. Can Jesse Puljujarvi’s return to the lineup after a COVID scare spark the Oilers to the two points or will the Jets’ elite top-six carry them up the standings past their opponents?
Should they be in the lineup, here are three players that I think you should keep an eye on for the Jets tonight,
- #55 Mark Scheifele – 18pts in 14gp so far this season. It doesn’t look like he’s slowed down at all since his injury in the play-ins. Only seven shots in his last five games though…
- #3 Tucker Poolman – One of Winnipeg’s better shutdown d-men, he’s been out most of the year with COVID but has only just returned to the team playing their three most recent games. The Jets are a better team with him in the lineup.
- #9 Andrew Copp – Has four goals this year, half of them coming against the Oilers. His physicality has caused Edmonton’s defensemen some troubles this year and as a result the ice has been more open for him.
For Winnipeg to have success they’ll need to beat Mike Smith early and if possible, often. I believe the Oilers gain a lot of mojo from having his fire in the net and should the Jets be able to throw some water on that fire, they’d have a much better chance of winning.
Edmonton’s bottom-six has been on fire the last couple of games but they’ll be up against it with Winnipeg’s group. The third line consisting of Mathieu Perreault, Adam Lowry, and Mason Appleton have been hot the last five games combining for nine points and 23 shots. They’re as dangerous-a-third line as they come.
With regards to Edmonton, I’ll be watching these three individuals closely,
- #63 Tyler Ennis – Has three points in his last five and is skating as well as he ever has in an Oilers jersey since being put on a line with JJ Khaira and Josh Archibald.
- #41 Mike Smith – Hasn’t let in a shot from the opposing team since re-joining the team. He’s undefeated in that time and sports a 0.50 GAA and a .985SV% with one shutout. Simply put, the team plays hungrier when he’s in the pipes.
- #13 Jesse Puljujarvi – One could argue that he’s been the 3rd best forward on the team this season. Who knows how, or even if, that COVID scare in Montreal will affect him, but I expect him to be a tidal wave of terror for Winnipeg to deal with and he always plays well against the Jets.
RNH – McDavid – Puljujarvi
Kahun – Draisaitl – Yamamoto
Ennis – Khaira – Archibald
Shore – Turris – Chiasson
Neal – Nygard – Haas – P. RussellNurse – Barrie
Lagesson – Larsson
Bouchard – Bear
K. Russell – Koekkoek
Jones(D pairs on 1st rushes)
Smith in starter’s net (FWIW) pic.twitter.com/SG1V9qNwqj
— Tom Gazzola (@TomGazzola) February 14, 2021
Keys to Success For the Oilers
Edmonton’s periphery wingers on their top-two lines need to start scoring here. The team has, in a sense, been lucky with the bottom-six and defense have picked up the slack goal-wise but Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Puljujarvi, Dominik Kahun, and Kailer Yamamoto should be scoring more at this point. Amongst Edmonton’s wingers, Pulju has three goals, Tyler Ennis has one and Josh Archibald has one in the Oilers past five games according to DailyFaceoff.com
It sounds like Ethan Bear will make his return to the ice and his partner will be Evan Bouchard. Now, I’m not saying that’s a bad idea, but Winnipeg can really make a young d-pairing look bad with their ability to forecheck so well. I don’t know if Tippett will be able to shelter those two as well against the Jets as he could if he were playing someone else.
That said, the smarts and skills between Bouchard and Bear are high-end and these men are looked at as a major part of the future of Edmonton’s defense. We could witness something amazing but if they look overwhelmed and struggle, it shouldn’t come as a surprise. The Jets are a very good checking team.
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