TALE OF THE TAPE:
Game: Edmonton Oilers (21-26-5) at New Jersey Devils (26-21-7)
Location: Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey
Time: 6:00 PM MT
Where to find it: TV: Sportsnet – Radio: 630 CHED
BREAKING:
Hearing that #oilers Justin Schultz being scratch tonight vs #devils might be trade related. #tvasports
— Renaud Lavoie (@renlavoietva) February 9, 2016
Very interesting news coming out at the noon hour. If Schultz is about to be moved, it is not going to come as a surprise. HIs struggles are well noted and he has not progressed well during his time in Edmonton. I wrote about Schultz and a potential move here.
We will keep our ears on the ground and let you know of anything coming. If I had to put money down, I would imagine the Buffalo Sabres are heavy in the mix for Schultz. Tim Murray was a big fan of Schultz during his tenure in Ottawa prior to the Oilers signing him.
Tampa Bay is another potential destination.
Could there be something there? We shall see.
Edmonton Oilers Preview:
Tonight, no matter who is in the lineup, the Oilers need to show up and “ball out.” After two embarrassing losses this past weekend, Darnell Nurse and Adam Clendening draw into the lineup. While still a work in progress I was happy with Clendening’s first game. He clearly has the ability to make smart decisions with the puck, but his foot speed is a bit of a concern.
Iiro Pakarinen gets a well deserved shot with Taylor Hall and Leon Draisaitl. I have been very happy with his play this season, and so has Todd McLellan.
“Pakarinen has been a bit of a workhorse for us and I think he stirs the drink on whatever line he’s playing on,” McLellan said. “He’s physical and does some of the grunt work. I’m not overly concerned about his ability to work and his commitment level to doing things right.”
That edge he brings to the top six is one that has been missing in Edmonton. Despite being big bodies, Pouliot and Purcell do not play a overly physical game at all. Pakarinen is fourth amongst rookies in hits, with 106.
Right now, there really isn’t much the Oilers could do worse than what they did this weekend. Seriously. Thus, I am not going into much more detail before tonight’s game.
It’s up to the Oilers to come out and show everyone this team is progressing in the right direction.
Predictions for tonight:
- Pakarinen scores.
- The Oilers ruin Martin Brodeur’s jersey retirement by winning.
- The Oilers don’t give up five, or eight goals.
Line Combos and Starting Goalies c/o Left Wing Lock:
Oilers (Cam Talbot):
Benoit Pouliot – Connor McDavid – Jordan Eberle
Taylor Hall – Leon Draisaitl – Iiro Pakarinen
Teddy Purcell – Mark Letestu – Nail Yakupov
Zack Kassian – Matt Hendricks – Lauri Korpikoski
Andrej Sekera – Mark Fayne
Darnell Nurse – Adam Clendening
Brandon Davidson – Eric Gryba
New Jersey Devils (Cory Schneider):
Joseph Blandisi – Adam Henrique – Lee Stempniak
Sergey Kalinin – Travis Zajac – Kyle Palmieri
Reid Boucher – Jacob Josefson – Tyler Kennedy
Bobby Farnham – Stephen Gionta – Jordin Tootoo
Andy Greene – Adam Larsson
Damon Sverson – David Schlemko
Seth Helgeson – John Moore
Any ideas on how to improve my game previews? Send me an email at zjlaing@gmail.com.
