“We are a lot more confident than we were at the start of the year. Sometimes that’s all it takes.” @hallsy04 https://t.co/ZQ8jWJxyc1
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) December 17, 2015
TALE OF THE TAPE:
Game: Edmonton Oilers (14-16-2) vs Chicago Blackhawks (17-11-4)
Location: Rexall Place, Edmonton, Alberta
Time: 6:30 PM MT
Where to find it: TV: Sportsnet Oilers – Radio: 630 CHED
Edmonton Oilers Preview:
Coming off the heels of a 4-2 loss to the Rangers that ended our fabulous six game win streak, the Oilers are in tough against a Chicago team that has already beat us twice this year. On November 8th, the Oilers lost 4-2 in the Windy City and then again at home 4-3 (OT) on November 18th.
Jordan Eberle, Teddy Purcell and Darnell Nurse have all recorded multiple points vs the Blackhawks this season so I would look for them to continue on their ways against last years Stanley Cup Champions.
One of the nice things that game with Tuesday’s game against the Rangers was the return of Rob Klinkhammer. However, he suffered an injury against the Blackhawks and so, Jujhar Khaira draws back into the lineup.
“For myself, individually, it’s going to be cool playing against all these guys you watch on TV,” Khaira said. “It’s good challenge for me to see where I’m at… but I’m not going to think about it too much and just play my game.”
Jordan Eberle has finally hit his stride and has scored seven points in his last five games, including a three-point night against the Boston Bruins Monday night. The return of Eberle has provided a much needed spark for this Oilers club
Tonight, the Oilers need to make the most of their matchups and try and beat down the pairing of Rozsival and Scuderi. That is certainly a weak spot on this roster, and the Oilers speed could blow by the 37 and 36 year olds.
The Otherside:
Kane will look to start a new point streak after his ended at 26 games in Chicago’s 3-0 loss to the Colorado Avalanche at United Center on Tuesday. Newly acquired defenseman Rob Scuderi played left point on the third pairing against Colorado, and coach Joel Quenneville said he met expectations. Scuderi, 36, and 37-year old Michal Rozsival could form the third pairing for a second straight game. The Blackhawks aren’t pleased with their puck-possession, which was an issue in the loss to the Avalanche. “Their goalie [Semyon Varlamov] does well against us and we misfired on some of our shots and [didn’t have] enough traffic at the net, but we didn’t have enough zone time, possession-wise,” Quenneville said. “We didn’t have the puck enough or long enough.”
Line Combos and Starting Goalies c/o Left Wing Lock:
Oilers (Cam Talbot):
Taylor Hall – Leon Draisaitl – Teddy Purcell
JJ Khaira – Ryan Nugent-Hopkins – Jordan Eberle
Matt Hendricks – Mark Letestu – Lauri Korpikoski
Luke Gazdic – Anton Lander – Iiro Pakarinen
Darnell Nurse – Andrej Sekera
Nikita Nikitin – Justin Schultz
Brandon Davidson – Eric Gryba
Blackhawks (Corey Crawford):
Teuvo Teravainen – Jonathan Toews – Brandon Mashinter
Artemi Panarin – Artem Anisimov – Patrick Kane
Bryan Bickell – Dennis Rasumssen – Andrew Shaw
Andrew Dejardins – Marcus Kruger – Ryan Garbutt
Duncan Keith – Trevor Van Riemsdyk
Niklas Hjalmarsson – Brent Seabrook
Rob Scuderi – Michal Rozsival
Any ideas on how to improve my game previews? Send me an email at zjlaing@gmail.com.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubECfPTOJUc]
