If the season were to end today and it was a traditional one consisting of 82 games, the Edmonton Oilers would have accrued around 51 wins. Last season their points percentage when the pause hit was .585, this season it’s .630 and if you check the standings for the last five seasons or so, a team with around 102 points or a points percentage of .630 would be finishing in the top-8 of the entire league, if not higher.
The Edmonton Oilers have arrived.
Next step…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVdhrzCjuSE
Should they be in the lineup, here are three players that I think you should keep an eye on for the Jets tonight,
- #13 Pierre-Luc Dubois – It’s been a season to forget for PLD. Not only did the trade demand out of Columbus not turn his season around, Jesse Puljujarvi set to pass him by on the scoresheet. Dubois has a very unique skillset in that he’s a big boy who can skill. In addition to that, he has a mean streak and that makes him a potentially very dangerous hockey player.
- #44 Josh Morrissey – If Kris Russell were a top-pair defender he’d be Josh Morrissey. Leon Draisaitl’s former junior teammate is a fantastic two-way defender who does all the things that would make Don Cherry smile like a butcher’s dog. This is the kind of player you want on your team heading into the playoffs.
- #22 Mason Appleton – A Lowetide favorite from years past, Appleton is going to get a shot on the top line tonight. It’s a good opportunity for the young man to see if he can inject a shot of something into the arms of the Jets’ scoring ability.
For Winnipeg to have success, I think they’re going to have to do two things,
- Catch the Oilers on a very bad day.
- Have the Montreal Canadiens come in and play in Winnipeg’s jerseys.
The fact of the matter is that the Oilers have the Jets’ number this year. Things could chance in the post-season if they meet but right now Winnipeg can’t seem to buy a win. All of their important players who could help them win are mired in a ridiculous slump and they don’t look to be getting out of it anytime soon. Edmonton is partying 24/7 in their heads…
With regards to Edmonton, I’ll be watching these three individuals closely,
- #97 Connor McDavid – The hunt for 100pts on the year is on baby! All McGreatness has to is average a shade over two points per game until the season ends in nine games. It should be a breeze considering four of those are against the Vancouver Canucks, right?
- #13 Jesse Puljujarvi – My boy has 8pts in his last eight games! It’s all coming together for him right now and he’s not even at 100%. Over the years we saw some big bodies like Pat Maroon, Milan Lucic, and Zack Kassian have periods of success on Connor’s wing and everybody was aware that McDavid needed a big body who could work the boards and the corners, but only a few of us knew that man would be Pulju.
- #56 Kailer Yamamoto – Killer’s light is flickering and I’m just waiting for it to catch that current full-on and to see him go supernova. He’s not hurt the team, but it feels like we’ve been waiting all season for him to get into his flow state and I think it’s coming. Players like this, they don’t shrivel up when the games get important and with this team bound to make the playoffs, Yamo will be there with bell’s on ready to pound the shit out of whoever meets him in the muck.
Three Keys to Success For the Oilers
- Ride the Wave
It will be apparent early in the game tonight whether or not the Jets have shown up. So should the Oilers have their eyes on first place in the North, they have to keep the pressure on and score first.
But maybe the team’s goal is simply the playoffs and where they finish in the standings is secondary. In that case, it’s still important for them to carry the play and maintain the possession. Just because the club is in a comfortable spot doesn’t mean it’s time to get sloppy. I’d argue it’s time to start implementing some of those post-season strategies so they’re not caught with their pants down again…
- Play Their Game
The Oilers are a team that scores off the rush. I think at least four of their goals Monday night were just that. However, I do suspect that Winnipeg will try to shut that option down. To what sacrifice, I’m not sure they’ve got the horses to turn off Edmonton’s offense AND score some goals themselves.
- Secondary Scoring
Maybe I’m just being greedy, but I’d love to see some of the players down the lineup get their names on the scoresheet. It can’t be Connor and Leon doing all of the scoring and I just feel like Gaetan Haas or Josh Archibald are due.
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