Tonight’s game versus the Vancouver Canucks could be a very dangerous one for the Edmonton Oilers. I say that because Vancouver really has nothing left to lose and the Oilers have a lot. That can produce an extreme amount of volatility and do you know what professional hockey players and coaches hate? Unpredictability.
If you thought the turmoil in Montreal was even remotely bad, what’s going on in Vancouver is abundantly worse. The Canucks can’t seem to differentiate their asses from a hole in the ground right now and there’s a festering open sore in their dressing room that nobody is addressing (I think they might’ve caught something from the Calgary Flames). This might result in a very angry set of hockey players who have stopped caring and have the taste of blood in their mouths. Getting their pound of flesh if they believe their season is lost already is potentially part of their game plan.
Should they be in the lineup, here are three players that I think you should keep an eye on for the Canucks tonight,
- #26 Antoine Roussel – He’s got a bell to answer after that bullshit move he pulled on Puljujarvi last time out. I don’t reckon he’ll have to go with Nurse (nor would he want to after getting his ace handed to him the previous time they fought) but maybe Khaira will have to take the reins on this one. I like players like Roussel except when they cross a line, then they deserve whatever comes to them.
- #53 Bo Horvat – There’s only so much a team leader can do when his club is slumping but if there’s one player on this team who could put his teammates on his back and carry them across the finish line, it’s Horvat.
- #49 Braden Holtby – Had a tough outing in his last appearance and the Canucks really need some stops right now.
For Vancouver to have success they should do exactly what they did the other night and that’s get on the Oilers ASAP and establish a lead and a presence on the ice that says to Edmonton that they’ve shown up and to get ready for a battle. They cannot get the lead and give it up for a third game in a row. That’ll destroy whatever bit of confidence and dignity they’ve got left.
The Oilers give up a lot of shots, so Vancouver should take that and run with it. The more shots you have, the more chances you’ve got at scoring a goal.
At the other end of the ice, simply box Edmonton out and keep them to the perimeter. Block as many shots as possible and pressure hard and fast but with support.
With regards to Edmonton, if they make it into the lineup, I’ll be watching these three individuals closely,
- #10 Joakim Nygard – It’s been some time since we seen the nimble Swede and with James Neal staying home for this trip, it makes sense to split the games between Nygard and Patrick Russell. It would be nice to see him score a goal if he actually gets the call, wouldn’t it?
- #74 Ethan Bear – He’s taking part in practice now, so that must mean he’ll be ready to go sooner than later. I’m very curious to see how Tippett handles having all of these young guys on his blueline. Bear and Evan Bouchard as a pairing has been intimated by the media recently. Would coach Tippett give Kris Russell the night off in order to insert Bear into his defense? Probably wouldn’t hurt but who’d be the fourth d-man on the penalty kill, Barrie (no), Bouchard (maybe), or Jones (…)?
- #19 Mikko Koskinen – He said all he needed was more time with the goalie coach before when he was starting all of those games when Mike Smith was out injured and he wasn’t tired. Since Smith’s return, Koskinen is 1-1-0 with a 1.88GAA and a .947SV%… Pretty good numbers I’d say, can he sustain this form?
Keys to Success For the Oilers
I wrote yesterday that I’m cautious that Edmonton’s inability to cut down on the shots against and their unsavory possession metrics might be forecasting a future that has them golfing early this summer and I’m going to stick to that.
The Vancouver Canucks aren’t some juggernaut and I don’t think it’s too much to ask for the Oilers to up their defensive game a tad. They are capable as we saw them do it to the Toronto Maple Leafs earlier in the season.
What they cannot do this evening is take the Canucks lightly. As I mentioned at the beginning, this Vancouver team is about to go off the rails and if they decide to go all the way off, they could be big trouble for anybody playing them. The Oilers need to start great and end great. None of this allowing three goals and then having to battle back or scoring three goals off the bat and then taking the foot off of the gas…
Vancouver’s defense is in shambles right now and low on confidence. My advice would be to get pucks in behind them and track them down hard. Jordie Benn is the only guy that’s going to try to push back as the rest of their defenders tend to shy away from the physical stuff. Plus aside from Quinn Hughes and Nate Schmidt, they’re not all that mobile. Tyler Myers in a straight line is okay, but get him going side-to-side and things get comical.
Give me three periods with a consistent good effort both offensively and defensively and lets let the chips fall where they may. At the end of the evening if I’ve watched the team and I feel they gave an honest effort but where unlucky, I can handle that.
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