Edmonton Oiler Pregame Thoughts

Watching former teammates get walked is fun when it’s not against your team.

I wanted Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway to stay in Edmonton. I didn’t like it when they signed those offer sheets and Stan Bowman didn’t match. Even though I fully understand them wanting a change of scenery, leaving a team that has the best hockey player on planet Earth still has consequences. What a move in Overtime by Connor McDavid to set up the other Connor, Brown for his first goal in a month and a half, which was also his first career OT winner.

How about some love for both Skinners. Stuart rebounded with some key saves after playing a dud against the Maple Leafs that set Oilers Twitter on fire. He must’ve read some of those tweets before last night, but was also lucky that Robert Thomas couldn’t bury his chances. Even when his team was outplaying the Blues and he only faced 2 or 3 shots, they weren’t the easiest saves. It could’ve been a early mood killer if he let one of those first couple of shots in. He even made a poke check save, he’s definitely been reading my articles. And Jeff was a backchecking machine. Most Oilers fans, including myself, dislike the coaching staff’s handling of his minutes. After the last couple of games, he’s being a pro about it and not letting it worsen his play. It’s not what Edmonton signed him to do, but maybe this change in how’s he starting to play will eventually lead to something redeeming come Playoff time.

Last night was also a nice way for Darnell Nurse to celebrate moving into the Dirty 30s. Happy Birthday, Darnell. With Vegas losing in regulation while our game was going on, we’re now 1st in our division by 2 points. Let’s make it a 4 point cushion tonight. The keys to the game are…

Put it away: This key is incumbent on what the score will look like after the second period. Edmonton had chances in St. Louis to extend their lead on the powerplay, but looked too nonchalant in their last couple of chances. Then the Blues took over the third period and the lead until Leon Draisaitl saved his team late (and that tying goal counted). If opportunities present themselves, you need to take advantage a show the killer instinct.

It’s Close: Since the Oilers last visited Chicago on January 11th, the Blackhawks have 7 more loses in their last 9 games. However, 4 of them have been 1 goal games and 3 of them were decided in Overtime or a Shootout. Their 2 lone wins were against the Golden Knights and Lightning in regulation. With the season being realistically over for the rebuilding team, they’re still learning how to keep games tight and within reach even when they lose.

Calling For Backup: Of course Calvin Pickard gets the start in the second half of a back-to-back. His record against Chicago is 4-5, but has been pulled in 2 of those games. His save percentage of .906 within that record is pretty decent in spite of having more losses than wins. Goaltending became a more hot button topic than ever during the weekend. With Skinner bouncing back, it’d be nice for Pickard to keep the solid streak he’s been going on as his backup. He has only 1 loss in his last 10 starts.