Edmonton Oilers

G81 Oilers vs Canucks: Division Title Still Available
April 8, 2017, 11:50 AM ET [48 Comments]
Matt Henderson
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The job is not quite done yet. Edmonton has two games against the Canucks before the Playoffs can begin and all they need to do is secure a single point between tonight or tomorrow and home ice is theirs in the 1st round. Additionally, IF they win tonight, they can still potentially win the Pacific division on Sunday. All they need to do is win out against the Canucks on back to back nights and pray that the Kings can beat the Ducks in regulation tomorrow.

So the fate of the Oilers is not entirely in their hands, but they do control getting that home-ice. And the Canucks, well they would likely prefer to close out the season without adding any more points. They sit 29th in the NHL and every Oiler fan knows what it’s like when you’re trying to close out these tank battles. A win this weekend at all would push the Canucks up to 27th and greatly reduce their odds in the draft lottery.

The Canucks are a team that hit its natural decline and now has to rebuild. It happened sort of organically, as the drivers of the team simply just aged the team out of contention. Daniel and Henrik Sedin are not the difference makers they once were, and that’s fine because they’re 36 years old. They have 1 year remaining on their matching $7 million dollar deals, they don’t want to leave Vancouver, and even though they aren’t point per game players, they are still 2nd and 3rd on Canucks scoring. Gone are Burrows, Kesler, Bieksa, and the rest of the supporting cast that had made the Canucks a solid team during the height of the Sedin era.

As either they or their effectiveness left Vancouver, it wasn’t replaced fast enough. Whatever designs Linden and Benning had in mind about competing for the playoffs at one point had to be re-evaluated in the face of that fact. Most Canucks fans can probably start bracing themselves for at least another couple years of problems while youth is acquired on the blueline and the forward core. It’s simply my opinion, but the blueline is the most important part. They have Juolevi and thank goodness for that. If he pans out then there’s hope the rebuild can pull out of a nosedive sooner. As an Oiler fan and observer I’ve seen what young talented forwards can do without a solid blueline. The answer, by the way, is “Lose a lot of games.”

So the Oil find themselves playing two games against a club that is better off losing than winning, but NHL players don’t choose to tank. That’s done on the management side. That’s done by keeping the team incomplete. The actual 23 men on the roster are going to try to win this game and since it’s their last one at home they might even convince themselves that winning is actually good. I’m not sure if the fans in the stands will be applauding after they leapfrog New Jersey and Arizona but the players will be happy. Edmonton must be ready for this team giving whatever they have left in the tank.

Connor McDavid’s Oilers are 2-0-1 against the Canucks this season. McDavid has the two game winning goals and in those wins Talbot picked up shutouts. It’s been a relatively low scoring series, but the Oilers offense has been rolling lately. McDavid, Lucic, and Draisaitl all have 3 points in 3 games against Vancouver and are all three playing great hockey at this time of the year. Draisaitl’s point streak may have ended, but I’m sure he’ll want to punish Vancouver for that.

LINEUP

I’m expecting the same lineup that we saw in San Jose, except there’s the question of who plays in net tonight. Do the Oilers play Talbot or Brossoit in the 1st game of this back-to-back?

Maroon McDavid Draisaitl
Lucic RNH Eberle
Pouliot Desharnais Kassian
Caggiula Letestu Pakarinnen

Klefbom Larsson
Sekera Russell
Nurse Benning

Talbot

OILERS KEYS TO THE GAME

1) Don’t Play Down. The Oilers are coming off an emotional and important win against a superior opponent. They only really need 1 point but a division title is still possible. It is paramount that Edmonton does not “play down” to their opponent. They can’t let the fact that Vancouver is 29th to allow sloppiness into their game. This is an opportunity for the Oilers, on the road and at home, to practice imposing their will on another club. They have to keep that playoff mind set and push the Canucks around. Vancouver is a 46.8% Fenwick club. This team ought to be ripe for the picking. Edmonton is superior in every possible way to them statistically and talent-wise. Not that long ago it was the other way around. For years the Canucks abused the Oil. They knew they were better. They knew Edmonton’s weak spots. They knew exactly where to push that Edmonton would crumble. All I’m suggesting is that Edmonton has to do the same now.

2) Canuck Kids. The Canucks are committed, whether they wanted to be or not, to a youth movement. Right now this team is Bo Horvat’s. He leads them offensively in goals and total points as well as points per game. He’s just 22 years old. He’s taken a step forward from his rookie campaign even as the Canucks took a step back. Brock Boeser has 3 goals and 4 points in just 7 games this year. He’s a 20 year old who just turned pro after two standout seasons at the University of North Dakota. Nikolay Goldobin is 21 years old and has just 21 career NHL games. He had 15-26-41 in 46 games at the AHL level this season. He’s a legitimate prospect for them. These young players are the least likely to give a damn about standings, draft odds, and the fact that the Oil are better on paper. These players are the future for the Canucks and it’s them that McLellan’s Oilers should be worried about.

3) 100. There are two games remaining and three points to go for Connor McDavid to cross over the 100 point barrier. This would be an undeniably great accomplishment. It is harder than ever to score in the NHL and this young man who only recently turned 20 is on the verge of hitting this plateau. It’s possible he could reach 100 and nobody else will have 90. With McDavid’s unparalleled quick-strike ability he is a threat to score at any time. 61 of his 97 points come 5v5. He has 10 more points than anyone else in the NHL while playing 5v5. It’s hard as hell to score at even strength but his speed and skill open up lanes that don’t exist for other people. As Roman Josi said on his article for the Player’s Tribune, there’s no right answer for the size of gap you play against McDavid. If you’re close he’s already behind you. If you’re too far back he has all the time and space he needs to abuse you. If you think you’re just right he only needs one stride to change that.

Puck drops tonight at 8 PM Mountain Time on Hockey Night in Canada. Game On!