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 tonight’s matchup!
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Random Pontifications
- Dallas is 6-1-1 on the year the entire team is firing on all cylinders. The absolutely dismantled the Flames like it was no big deal and even though I predicted a win for the Oilers, I think if they do take the 2pts it’ll be because the Stars played last night and it’s a scheduled loss for them.
- I think the big thing for me in this one is that the Oilers take control early and refuse to give it to Dallas at any point.
- Another bothersome thought going through my head is the idea of the Oilers getting goalie’d again by Scott Westwood seeing as Oettinger got the start last night. I mean, it’s completely in the realm possibility that Edmonton gets done in by a backup goalie as it’s happened time and time again in recent years.
- Ryan McLeod… Gets his big raise after doing the organization a “solid” by taking less on his last contract and he’s doing f*ck all to earn it so far this season and with that, he’s letting down some in the Oilers organization to the point to where his name is in play.
- There are some loud voices within the club who aren’t exactly enamored with McLeod’s lack of production, his lack of physicality, his failure to sort out the faceoff dot, and just his inability to tap into his potential.
- The Oilers need production from their third line at the very least because when it comes time and Woodcroft reaches into his trusty tickle trunk to pull out the Draisaitl-McDavid line, all the TOI that those two aren’t on the ice becomes even more critical.
- Woodcroft spoke about having a team that comes at you in waves but as it stands, this team doesn’t even come at you when 97 and 29 are on the bench. So to address that, there’s a thought that the younger players and future assets may need to be sacrificed.
- I mean, look at Dallas’ third line tonight, it consists of Mason Marchment, Matt Duchene, and Tyler Seguin. Are you f*cking kidding me?!!! Edmonton cannot compete with that even with Connor and Leon, but that’s what I’m talking about. I’ll be very interested in seeing how Woodcroft matches the lines tonight.
- Don’t tell me that Nuge, Kane, or Hyman can’t play on the 3rd line when the Stars are sending out over $16M in salary on theirs.
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Three Players to Watch for the (team)
- #53 Wyatt Johnston (3g 4a 7pts) – This young sniper has 6 of his 7 points on the year in his last five games. He’s fast, smart, and he fills the net at will. There’s some who think that Tyler Wright got the axe because the Oilers passed on Johnston at the ’21 draft to take Xavier Bourgault.
- #14 Jamie Benn (3g 5a 8pt) – He takes a licking and keeps on ticking. The former Art Ross winner is having an excellent start to the year. I like to point him out because he can influence the game in multiple categories if you’re a fantasy guy.
- #95 Matt Duchene (1g 3a 4pts) – Nashville let him go and he decided to take his guitar over to Dallas. He’s still got the wheels and one helluva wrister. Four points in his last five during this heater for the Stars tells me he’s not lost his mojo.
Three Players to Watch for the Oilers
- #5 Cody Ceci (0g 1a 0pts) – Ceci is seemingly back to where he was a couple years ago when he was healthy, playing a solid brand of defensive hockey. I still think that Adam Larsson is the better dman, but if Ceci can keep this up, he might not get traded this year.
- #18 Zach Hyman (3g 6a 9pts) – He’s 2nd on the team in scoring for the time being. I’ve enjoyed his tenacious manner this season. I feel like he’s been quite effective on the forecheck and that he’s been keeping things very simple.
- #89 Sam Gagner (0g 0a 0pts) – He’s back. Hopefully his return will spark some emotion in this team because I don’t think their goaltending is going to have their backs tonight. You know what would be cool is if Gagner could have a bit of a revival and give the Oilers that cagey old vet who can put some points up on the board. Sort of in the same way Joe Pavelski does for Dallas.
The Next Twelve Games (#2-#13)
- 10/14 vs. Canucks – I think the Oilers will take 2/2 vs. Vancouver to start the year. (W)
- (4-3 LOSS)
- 10/17 @. Predators – The Pred don’t scare me. Their roster is in shambles. Poor Jusse Saros and Roman Josi. (W)
- (6-1 WIN)
- 10/19 @ Flyers – Their forward group looks entertaining but they’ve got nobody on defense. (W)
- (4-1 LOSS)
- 10/21 vs. Winnipeg – The Jets are always a tough out. I like their chances. (L)
- (3-2 OTL)
- 10/24 @ Wild – Minny isn’t as good as they used to be but still very solid. (W)
- (7-4 LOSS)
- 10/26 vs. Rangers – I like NY’s defense and goaltending here. (L)
- (3-0 LOSS)
- 10/29 vs.Flames – Calgary is going to surprise a few this year. (L)
- (5-2 WIN)
- 11/2 vs. Stars – This will be a very tight game. (W)
- 11/4 vs. Predators – Leon will continue to light the Preds up. (W)
- 11/6 @ Canucks – I’ll take Edmonton for a third time here, Alex. (W)
- 11/9 @ Sharks – I don’t even recognize half the names on SJ’s roster… (W)
- 11/11 @ Kraken – I like Seattle’s roster. Well-rounded. (L)
(predictions made 10/11/2023)
