Man, the coaching changes this season are befuddling. Montreal with the best 5×5 scoring in the league drops sure HOF coach Claude Julien after his goaltenders let him down and last night the Calgary Flames fired Geoff Ward after putting up a touchdown on the Ottawa Senators… Did anybody else give a little chuckle when they saw it was Darryl Sutter announced as Ward’s replacement?
This game between the Edmonton Oilers and Flames could go any way. The club from the south is coming off of a 7-3 win over the lowly Sens and will be feeling really good about themselves. Confidence will be high with a fresh(ish) voice manning the ship. Whereas the club from the north, their confidence couldn’t be any lower right now.
However, this will be the latter half of a back-to-back for the Flames and it’s possible we’ll be seeing the return of Jacob Markstrom. We do remember what happened last time the Swedish netminder played in the Battle of Alberta, right?
Speaking of touchdowns…
That night, there was talk that Darryl Sittler’s record for most points in a game was in jeopardy because Connor McDavid had 5 pts before the 2nd period was out and everything he shot was going in.
That performance added to the fact that Edmonton’s stars are chomping at the bit to hit the scoresheet since the Maple Leafs shut them down thricely will be playing on the minds of whoever is in net for Calgary.
For Dave Tippett’s crew, they’ve got to be mindful of the return of Sean Monahan and Derek Ryan. During those three games against Toronto, Edmonton was not very successful on the faceoffs and this an area of the game where Ryan especially shines.
In that romp of the Senators, Dillon Dube had his first NHL hat trick and Matthew Tkachuk put up three assists. So it’s safe to say they’ll be feeling it going into this one with Edmonton.
The Flames are going to lean on the Oilers and it’ll be a big change from the type of game Toronto beat them with. Sutter will have them playing a very honest brand of hockey. I’m hoping that Edmonton’s coaching staff will adjust accordingly.
For me, this is the roster I’d like to see sent out:
RNH-Draisaitl-Yamamoto
Ennis-McDavid-Puljujarvi
Neal-Khaira-Chiasson
Kahun-Haas-Archibald
I do think if Dominik Kahun is healthy that he deserves to get back in. His tenaciousness and skill were missed last game out. I’d reunite Neal/Khaira/Chiasson to combat some of Calgary’s heaviness, and I’d like to see Ennis’ angry jitterbug style along with McDavid and Pulju for a game. If that doesn’t work, maybe sending Archibald up there would suffice as well as he’s shown to be a good substitute from time to time.
Nurse-Barrie
Russell-Larsson
Bouchard-Bear
I can’t take both Caleb Jones and Ethan Bear out, so Jones will have to be the guy. Those two have been very disappointing so far but that’s something as fans of a club who are working young defencemen into their roster full-time have to accept. There’ll be high highs and low lows, it’s just how it is until they show us different. Evan Bouchard should come back in though, his offense is so much better than anybody else on the team aside from Tyson Barrie at the moment.
I can’t wait for William Lagesson to return. I told you about that guy… He’s been a stud on every team he’s played for… Very dependable he is and he forms a really good pairing with Adam Larsson.
Koskinen
There’s a part of me that thinks Dave Tippett will go back to Smith because of their relationship and he wants to show some faith in the veteran goaler, but I really feel Koskinen is the play here.
Should they be in the lineup, here are three players that I think you should keep an eye on for the Flames tonight,
- #93 Sam Bennett – If there’s one guy that should benefit from the coaching change, Bennett is that guy. His style of play is right down Darryl Sutter’s alley.
- #11 Mikael Backlund – Another skater who should feel good about the new coach. The Swedish pivot has 4pts in his last 3 games and was 67% on the faceoffs last night.
- #25 Jacob Markstrom – Hope he’s ready to be ridden like one of Sutter’s horses from the farm out in Viking, AB because that’s what’s about to happen. Darryl had Miikka Kiprusoff at the prime of his career when he coached from 2003-2006 and the Finnish netminder, as a Flame, only played fewer than 70 games twice. In his first year and his last.
For Calgary to have success they’ll need to find a way to replicate what Toronto did and attempt to shut down Draisaitl and McDavid. Do that, and it’s almost a guaranteed win.
What Edmonton has failed to do in almost every game this year is limit shots on net and all of a sudden, they’re prone to letting in the first goal of the game which lends itself to a poor record at home. I do believe they’ve yet to win a game this season in which they’ve allowed the visiting team to score first.
I don’t know what kind of officiating we’ll get but if the refs decide to put their whistles away that might favor the Flames. We know that Backlund, Tkachuk, Rasmus Andersson, and Mark Giordano play a very honest brand of hockey and with enough leash, they can impact a game in a way that benefits their club. The Oilers without Zack Kassian, don’t necessarily have those kind of players… Yet.
With regards to Edmonton, I’ll be watching these three individuals closely,
- #13 Jesse Puljujarvi – Only played 10 minutes against the Leafs on Wednesday and was up and down the lineup in the bottom half of the game. Nobody knows why either… He usually plays well against Calgary, so I could see him getting a goal or an assist tonight.
- #25 Darnell Nurse – Played his worst hockey of the season against Toronto. I expect him to be up for this one knowing that he’ll be seeing a healthy serving of Calgary’s best players.
- #97 Connor McDavid – Do I really need to explain this one?
Three Keys to Success For the Oilers
- Continue this trend of hot starts
Against the Maple Leafs this past week they started every game like it as the final minute of a playoff elimination game with the series tied at three and they were down a goal. If they can do that, I think it will destroy what the little bit of confidence the Flames have at this moment.
- Get Connor the puck AMAP (as much as possible)
He has to ready to explode right now. His team lost three games on the trot where they were absolutely dismantled. The captain’s ready to fire back and if he’s got 5 points before the middle of the 2nd period again, I don’t know if he’ll stop this time nor would I want him to.
- More shots and more traffic
Has it occured to anybody that the reason Tippett inserted Patrick Russell into the lineup twice last week was because he knew that the Dane would be willing to do whatever it took in the offensive zone?
This team needs a bit of puck luck from time to time and a goal off of a skate or somebody’s ass brings an element of relief to an anxious bench.
So, if Bouchard, Bear, and Nurse are all good to go, there are your point shooters! Their instructions should be to open a shooting lane and let ‘er rip. The forwards should be parking their glutes right in the face of Calgary’s netminder in preparation of these shots and looking to redirect them any way possible.
There’s nothing worse than watching a team full of skilled playmakers try to pass the puck into the net… F*ck me do I hate that.
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