Here we are Oilers fans! It’s time!!! In just a couple of hours, our Oilers will take on the Winnipeg Jets in preseason action. I’d do a full game preview but I believe that’s already been covered within the Oilers blogosphere. So… I’m gonna give you five players to watch tonight for both rosters.
If you’re not in the blacked-out area (dumb idea), you’ll be able to watch this game online at Edmontonoilers.com.
Five Players to Watch for the Jets
Here is the Jets lineup for tonight’s game,
Chibisov-Little-Shaw
Bourque-Letestu-Roslovic
Luoto-Gustafsson-Appleton
Harkins-Suess-Lipon
Stanley-Pionk
Beaulieu-Bitetto
Schilling-Poolman
Comrie
Berdin
Jack Roslovic might be the best player on the Jets tonight save for Brian Little. He’s got a lot to prove this year as there are rumblings that he’s not happy with his usage in Winnipeg. He should be a noticeable player each time he hits the ice as his speed is one of his biggest assets. He might remind you a bit of Mathieu Perreault.
Mason Appleton has been a highly touted player for a few seasons now. He was quite productive at the AHL level (98pts in 116gp), therefor leading some to think that would translate directly to NHL success, but that hasn’t been the case (10pts in 36gp). He’s a big body (6’2″ 201lbs), he skates well, shoots well, and has good vision. I expect him to stand out for the Jets this evening.
Jansen Harkins is a gritty hard-working forward. You’re not going to mistake him for Nik Ehlers or Patrik Laine, but he will stand out for his abrasive style of player. Blue-collar hockey fans will appreciate the way this former Prince George Cougar plays.
Speaking of standing out, Logan Stanley is a player that you won’t have any trouble finding on the ice. He’s massive. Listed at 6’7″ 231lbs, he’ll be a factor for Winnipeg. I imagine he’ll get a ton of TOI as the Jets are looking for some dmen to graduate to the big club with the losses of Tyler Myers and Jacob Trouba over the summer. I’ll be watching to see if the Oilers quicker players give him any trouble.
Tucker Poolman is another one of those college players who came into the league with some heavy hype, but as with Appleton, he hasn’t quite put it all together at the NHL level yet. In 60 games with the Manitoba Moose (AHL) he’s put up a tidy 35 points. He’s a good puck mover who gets his shots on the net.
Five Players to Watch for the Oilers
Here is the Oilers roster going into game this evening,
Neal-RNH-Gagner
Khaira-Sheahan-Archibald
Nygard–Haas-Chiasson
Benson-Cave-P. Russell
Klefbom-Persson
Jones-Benning
Lagesson-Bouchard
Wells and Skinner.
I think it would be easy to point out the Neals and the Sheahans or the Bouchards and the Joneses, but I am more interested in watching how Sam Gagner performs on a top-6 line with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and James Neal. I believe that despite some inefficiencies in his skating, his experience, skill, playmaking, and smarts can, at the very least, show us that he can keep up with his linemates.
Joakim Nygard and Gaetan Haas present a very intriguing scenario going into this season. Both players are quick, they’re older, and they’ve shown an ability to find the net in their respective leagues before joining the Oilers. Now, I’m not expecting breakout seasons, but I do think that they could find themselves in the Oilers top-6 from time to time. I believe the plan is to give them significant roles on the penalty kill this year, so if the Oilers run into penalty problems tonight, keep an eye on these two.
Joel Persson is a slick puck-moving defender that I’ve been looking forward to watching for some time now. I do get the feeling from Coach Tippett’s press avails that the Swede is still adjusting to the speed of the NA game and the size of the ice. That said, he’s going to get a lot of opportunities this preseason. Between Persson, Klefbom, Jones, and Bouchard, I’m not exactly sure who’ll get the push on the powerplay. Personally, I’d like to see if Persson can handle it.
If there’s a defender that could step up and fill-in for Kris Russell, I think it’s “Wild Bill” Lagesson. I’ve said on more than one occasion that he reminds me of Nashville defender Mattias Ekholm. He’s tall, strong, skates well for his style of play. He can move the puck better than you’d expect from a stay-at-home blueliner and he’s a mean SOB. I like him quite a bit from watching him in Bakersfield last season. Surprisingly, he contributes positively to the scoresheet more often than not and he doesn’t take a lot of penalties.
I won’t make any rock-solid predictions for the game tonight but judging from the rosters, I have to give the Oilers the edge here. They’ll be icing a more veteran lineup and with that, I expect them to be a bit better.
Enjoy the game!
