Hey y’all! Welcome back for another season of Edmonton Oilers hockey! I’m BLH and I’ll be giving you the skinny on today’s game!
If you’re new here and are wondering what 3P2W means, well, it stands for Three Players to Watch and seeing I’m as lazy as I am, I figured we’d shorten it to 3P2W.
So with that out of the way, let’s talk a little bit about what’s been going on lately in the Oilogospehere and then get into the player’s I’ve put under the spotlight for today’s matchup!
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Random Pontifications
Bob Stauffer says Brad Holland also scouted the Nashville vs Toronto game.
Last night, he scouted Montreal vs Nashville. So who is he scouting?It’s not Jusse Saros so please don’t get excited about him guys!
— Karman Gill (@Kgill39) December 12, 2023
- I mentioned early in the year that the Oilers are seriously considering Ryan McLeod’s career and the feeling I’ve got from talking to various sources is that they want somebody with a bit more muscle and isn’t afraid to bang in that 3C role.
- Now, that doesn’t necessarily mean that they’ll move McLeod to get that done because he could very well be an effective winger on this team, but at the same time, he’s probably the guy most likely to be included in a trade to bring in a more desired pivot.
- That brings us to Colton Sissons. He’s definitely not as fast as McLeod as not many are, but he brings a more “meat and potatoes” style to the rink and probably most importantly, he’s a right-shot.
- Other aspects of his game that appeal to the Oilers are:
- Career FO%: 53.6% and it gets better in tighter games.
- Contract: team controlled for two more years (until 25/26)
- Age: Only 30
- Shorthanded Goals: Three this year so far
- McLeod making $2.1 and Sissons making $2.857 without trade protection for either. On paper it appears to me to be such a Ken Holland trade. Get Nashville to retain some cash, include a prospect as a sweetener and Bingo Bango, Edmonton’s got their ideal 3C.
- Do you include Broberg and ask for the massive Yakov Trenin at 50% retained too? The 4th line is pretty tiny at the moment and the Oilers did okay acquiring a big tough Russian last year.
- Blue skying it here, but is there a scenario where Edmonton finds a way to re-acquire Klim Kostin? Could you imagine a 4th line of Trenin-Hamblin-Kostin going into the playoffs and having the luxury of being able to rotate Gagner and Ryan in whenever?
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Three Players to Watch for the Bad Guys
- #98 Connor Bedard (11g 12a 23pts) – No goals in his last five according to Daily Faceoff. The next big thing has cooled off considerably but that doesn’t mean he’s not going to light up Edmonton tonight. That said, he’s playing with Philip Kurashev and Anthony Beauvillier, so he’s in tough to put a big dent in the Oilers.
- #5 Connor Murphy (1g 3a 4pts) – Murphy and Leon Draisaitl have a thing. It seems like every time they face each other they get into it. I’m up for a bit of in-game violence. It’s been kinda dry this week in the NHL in that regard, has it not?
- #16 Jason Dickinson (9g 5a 14pts) – I think Dickinson is a fantabulous 3rd line center. He’s got the size, speed, grit, strength, IQ, and he plays the game the right way. He’s also a mainstay on Chicago’s PK. It’s a shame he’s left-handed.
Three Players to Watch for the Good Guys
- #97 Connor McDavid (10g 26a 36pts) – Do you need a reason as to why you should keep an eye on him tonight? Will he even let Bedard touch the puck?
- #2 Evan Bouchard (8g 20a 28pt) – I could be wrong but If he scores tonight he’ll be the first Oilers dman to get a point in 12 straight games since Paul Coffey did it way back in the Civil War era.
- #18 Evander Kane (12g 10a 22pts) – He’s starting to slow down production-wise as his last 5v5 goal was in the win vs. Anaheim on Boxing Day. I wonder if Knoblauch swaps him and Nuge at some point.
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