In Monday’s encounter we were presented with a throwback game of sorts between the Edmonton Oilers and the Winnipeg Jets in a high-scoring affair that ended 6-5 in favor of the visitors. To me, it felt like a junior game with all the sloppy puckhandling and dodgy netminding, but I’m fairly certain we’re going to see some buttoned-down ice hockey this evening.
That being said, you never know in the Smythe~ er, I mean the North Division. These two clubs might just say f*ck it and go for the goals. Either way, buckle up Oilers fans! Your club is under some increasing pressure to get their heads screwed on straight and buck this near-.500 record and with a back-to-back Battle of Alberta on the horizon, they’d best take advantage of Winnipeg’s tendency to win one and then lose one recently.
Should they be in the lineup, here are three players that I think you should keep an eye on for the Jets tonight,
- #4 Neil Pionk – Was an absolute force last time out. Without Zack Kassian in the lineup to make him pay for being as physical as he was with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, he was unhinged. I’ll be curious to see if he continues that behavior.
- #17 Adam Lowry – He had four goals and six assists in 49 games last season but he’s already matched that in ten games this year. He’s well on his way to a career year if he keeps up this pace. The 6’5″ 210lb behemoth is one of the best third-line centers in the NHL and has been for a couple of seasons now.
- #27 Nik Ehlers – Traditional and advanced metrics had Ehlers the best player in their 6-5 win against the Oilers. He’s always dangerous against Edmonton and for some reason, the defenders on the Oilers either respect him too much or simply can’t handle him. Either way, he’s been quite the challenge to shutdown since he joined the league.
For Winnipeg to have success they can’t get into another shooting gallery with the Oilers. Playing as physical as they did against their stars was a decent game plan before but their goaltending and defense let them down. I reckon they got lucky with some shoddy netminding care of Mike Smith too because Edmonton was all over them save for a little bit of the third period.
The Jets will need to mark a helluva lot closer and much much better if they’re to have a chance at the two points. Even on an average night, their offense will be good enough to carry them the rest of the way.
With regards to Edmonton, I’ll be watching these three individuals closely,
- #21 Dominik Kahun – The giveaway that preceded Winnipeg’s GWG landed Kahun in Tippett’s doghouse for the rest of that match and from the looks of the line rushes at practise, he’s been replaced on the second line by Tyler Ennis. He needs a really positive bounce-back game to say the least.
- #97 Connor McDavid – The greatest player of this generation and the favorite for the Hart Trophy this year hasn’t scored a 5v5 goal in some time. To say he’s due is an understatement.
- #75 Evan Bouchard – The swell of boyish fandom for this lauded defender is growing by the day. For rookies who’ve played 5 games this year, he’s already 5th in points per game at 0.67. Fans have to stay realistic though, he’s going to have some bad games and that’s completely acceptable too. Let’s just keep ourselves from rushing him into the top-4 before he’s absolutely ready.
Keys to Success For the Oilers
Almost the same as Winnipeg’s, Tippett’s crew will need to tighten up the defense in an enormous manner. If Gaetan Haas is good to go, it wouldn’t shock me to see Kyle Turris given a break soon. He and the head coach had a long talk at practise yesterday and I assume there was a pointed message given to the veteran to shape up or sit down and let someone else do the job he’s not doing.
The line of Kahun, Khaira, and Archibald line needs to continue playing as well as they’ve been. Their physical and controlling play in the oppositions zone down low and along the boards has limited their ability to create offense. If they want to let Pionk know his style of play is unacceptable at some point (or multiple points), I would be okay with that.
This team needs to get a game from their goalie. Be that Mike Smith or Mikko Koskinen, there has to be a feeling conveyed to the players that the nets are fine and in good hands. That way the players can focus and not have to worry about sacrificing their games to cover for the goaltenders.
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