May 1, 2021 /

2020-21 Edmonton Oilers GM49: Oilers vs. Flames – Three Players to Watch

Unless the Calgary Flames (22-24-3) pull off some sort of miracle, tonight’s Battle of Alberta will be the last one of the 2020-21 season. The Flames will look to tie the season series up at five-a-piece whereas the Edmonton Oilers (29-17-2) will be attempting to win the 10-game series outright.

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Should they be in the lineup, here are three players that I think you should keep an eye on for the Flames tonight,

  • #19 Matthew Tkachuk – I reckon he’s going to leave a lasting impression on the Oilers tonight since he won’t be seeing them until next season. Getting elevated to the top line (according to dailyfaceoff.com) to play with the red-hot Elias Lindholm and team scoring leader Johnny Gaudreau won’t hurt his chances of hitting the scoresheet either.
  • #24 Brett Ritchie – This guy has been a real pain the ass for Edmonton. His ability to dominate in the muck and on the wall has caused the Oilers all sorts of problems. Not only that but Edmonton doesn’t have anybody to nullify Ritchie. The last person to try to take him on got knocked out cold.
  • #8 Chris Tanev – I’ve been impressed with Tanev’s work on Edmonton’s star players this year. I’ve been equally impressed with his ability to stay healthy. What’s up with that? This guy couldn’t stay off the IR in Vancouver. Either way, we’ll see if he’s up to the task of keeping McDavid and Draisaitl at bay one more time

For Calgary to have success, just mimic the effort they gave on Thursday. Take away the middle of the ice and dominate the board battles. If Jacob Markstrom can play like he did the other night, the Flames will have a puncher’s chance.

The one thing they’ll have to contend with tonight is a rested Oilers team and one that is looking for a bit of retribution. So Johnny and the boys will have their work cut out for them.

With regards to Edmonton, I’ll be watching these three individuals closely,

  • #71 Ryan McLeod – Gets the promotion to line #2 alongside Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Jesse Puljujarvi. McLeod has surely shown his worth to the team in the two games since he’s been called up and now we’re going to see how he does when he’s forced to play up the lineup and in turn against better players.
  • #13 Jesse Puljujarvi – So much for the DNY line. Sounds like Pulju might be in Tippett’s doghouse after being sat in Thursday’s game. Now we’re going to see how he does when Connor McDavid isn’t his center, how his role will change playing with McLeod and RNH, and if some chemistry can’t be created here. It’d be a massive revelation if these three could be an impactful second line going into the playoffs.
  • #82 Caleb Jones – If this fella can have a good game tonight, I don’t know if there’ll be much of a reason to see Kris Russell back in the lineup other than for an injury. I’ve enjoyed the improved urgency in his game and one aspect of his game that really stood out on Wednesday versus Winnipeg was his pinching and closing off the boards. I hope he has similar success in that aspect tonight.

Three Keys to Success For the Oilers

  • Capitalize

The Oilers had a handful of point blank scoring chances in the first game of this series earlier in the week but failed to do so. They’ve got to do much better tonight.

  • Move It!

I don’t think Edmonton moved the puck that well in their loss to Calgary two nights ago. They were fatigued, no doubt, but Calgary took advantage of that and used their aggressive forecheck very effectively. The Oilers had no answer.

The one thing that will counter an hard checking team like this is quick and efficient passing. The Oilers could also spread out a bit more and open up the ice so as to force the Flames to skate a lot more.

  • Don’t Play Into Sutter’s Hands

Darryl Sutter’s teams check hard and shoot a lot. They also love the overly physical games. He’s “Heavy Hockey” personified. His whole family is. So the Oilers have to turn up the skill tonight and play fast hockey. It’s the one thing that heavy hockey hates because it can’t catch it. It takes dumb penalties trying to and that plays right into skill’s silky soft hands.

All of that said, at one point or another, Edmonton is going to have to get into the muck and work some pucks out of there. The Oilers have the soldiers to do it, but tonight’s probability of success will depend on how fast they can do it and make a possession-positive play out of it.

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CategoriesArmchair GM Beer League Hero Edmonton Oilers NHL

TagsCalgary Flames 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!