The Edmonton Oilers march into Calgary to take on the Flames who are undefeated since Darryl Sutter coached his first game with the team this season. Can Connor McDavid and his band of merry men withstand a reinvigorated Calgary team or will the resurgence of “Big Boy” hockey be too much to withstand?
Buckle up, there’s some talk that James Neal and Zack Kassian may draw in tonight.
Should they be in the lineup, here are three players that I think you should keep an eye on for the Flames tonight,
- #23 Sean Monohan – This guy has to be the happiest fella in Calgary right now. Since Sutter took over, Monohan’s game has taken off and the Flames desperately need this player to performing very well if the team is to have any chance at success.
- #27 Josh Leivo – Sutter seems to have found Leivo and is using him much more efficiently than Geoff Ward was. Had two goals in his last game vs. the Habs.
- #25 Jacob Markstrom – Connor McDavid lit him up like a Christmas light the last time these two clubs played, but he’s been in net for the last two games against the Montreal Canadiens and has only allowed a pair of goals.
For Calgary to have success they’ll need to stick to Sutter’s game plan. It’s heavy defensive hockey, simply put. They attempt to control the offensive zone with heavy pressure, put tons of pucks on the net and crash the crease. Their whole schtick is shot volume and facing a team like the Oilers who tend to allow a lot of shots, it could be a recipe for victory in Calgary’s favor.
With regards to Edmonton, I’ll be watching these three individuals closely,
- #13 Jesse Puljujarvi – I’ve noticed Jesse has been getting a bit more of the soft ice lately but has yet to bury one of those chances. He always seems to do well against Calgary and now that he’s a runaway locomotive out there, I have a feeling he’s going to be quite the shit disturber tonight. He may have to administer one of those Finnish bear hugs on a couple of guys in red…
- #29 Leon Draisaitl – 10pts in his last five games (albeit mostly against Ottawa). Since being put back with Connor, they’ve been lighting the league up. He’s going to be up against a much tougher opponent than anything the Senators threw at him, so let’s see what the reigning MVP can do when he’s pissed off.
- #6 Adam Larsson – He has 16 shot blocks in his last five and will be right in his wheelhouse tonight against a brutally physical opposition. Johnny Gaudreau’d best add an extra layer of protection tonight because The Iron Swede is coming for him.
Three Keys to Success For the Oilers
- Move the Puck, FAST!
Calgary’s puck pursuit is going to be hard and heavy, so Edmonton’s defenders MUST be prepared for a physical battle and they’ve got to get that puck out of danger as soon as they can.
- Support the Defenders
If the Oilers are to have any success getting the puck out of their own zone, their forwards will need to come back deeper to support the d-men. This might be the kind of game where having two or three dedicated puck movers is key to the success of Edmonton’s counter attack as the Flames apply the puck pressure.
- Withstand the Waves of Physicality
Sutter coached teams killed the Oilers in the early 2000s and later on in the 2010’s because they played the game old school when the Oilers had nothing to fight back with.
Now, Edmonton has two of the best players in the game in Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. They’ve got an emerging top-pairing defender in Darnell Nurse and their support structure is much stronger than it ever was when Darryl Sutter was coaching before.
If the Flames are to really lay on the hits and shots early, Dave Tippett’s crew simply has to bend but not break and jump on the scoring chances they do receive, which might not be many if Calgary sticks to what their coach wants them to do.
My feeling is that the Flames may punch themselves out again in the first period as they did earlier this season. Do you remember the game with the Nurse/Lucic fight? That’s the one I’m talking about. There’s nothing more deflating than a goal against when you’re winning the intensity battle…
One more, faceoffs! Good lord, this club’s centermen need to do way better on the draw. It can’t just be Leon winning them, right? I expect more icings than usual this evening, so those defensive zone draws are going to be more important than ever.
A win tonight will whittle down Toronto’s division lead to two points…
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