Edmonton Oilers Pregame Thoughts

Revenge games, aren’t they fun?

What we saw out of Corey Perry on Thursday night is why we used to always hate him all those years he was in Anaheim before he signed in Edmonton. Taking down Quinn Hughes as a quid pro quo for when Connor McDavid got harassed in the last meeting, having a “polite talk” with JT Miller before heading back to the locker room, and tricking Teddy Blueger into taking a roughing penalty by keeping his gloves on while Blueger took his off. Every pest is on your personal enemies list until they play for your favorite team. Conor Garland heard the boo birds loud and clear, and the rough stuff got more thrilling when he poked at Calvin Pickard as the whistle was being blown for a stoppage in play. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins added Pius Suter to his list of Nuge Fights, and Zach Hyman came up with a 2 goal performance in his first game without the bubble helmet. I just felt bad for Vincent Desharnais. He got into it with some of his former teammates as well, but taking three minor penalties really gave the phrase “Once An Oiler, Always An Oiler” a brand new meaning.

The Canucks looked like they started getting more momentum when they cut their deficit to 3 goals late in the second period after being down by 5. I think Pickard should’ve stopped the first goal he allowed, and I don’t 100% blame him for the second goal. But then again, it’s hard to be overly critical when your backup goalie makes 24 saves in a 6-2 win. Vancouver has been struggling to keep their consistency while in a Playoff race. Tonight’s opponent has had a different, more depressing predicament all season long. The keys to the game are…

Edmonton Oilers Thoughts

We Can Relate: The Buffalo Sabres in the last couple of seasons remind me of the Oilers rosters that were coached by Dallas Eakins. They weren’t perfect on paper, but with all their high picks, you still expected them to start taking strides in a rebuild that felt never-ending. However, they didn’t have Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power, and Bowen Byram on the backend. That’s what makes Buffalo’s descent into madness more shocking. Oilers fans who threw jerseys on the ice would’ve killed for just one of those three defensemen. For them, this is the “Play For Pride” phase in another write-off season. There’s no pressure on them to make ground in the standings, so it’s easier for them to come prepared and free of stress.

Out of Luuk: Ukko-Pekka Luukonen was a bright spot for the Sabres last season, posting a .910 SV%, only to have it go significantly down to an .897SV%. Their 23-year-old goalie of the future, Devon Levi, hasn’t faired any better as he’s still learning the NHL’s ups and downs, while James Reimer has just been a veteran professional. Buffalo ranks 30th in GA/G. Edmonton learned to attack a healing Thatcher Demko more on Thursday. Don’t be nice to this team’s goalies, no matter who starts for them. Even if the goalie starts the game standing on his head, that’s not a request to let up in shots or scoring chances.

Thompson The Tank Engine: Tage Thompson put up 94 points two seasons ago, and had nearly a 40 point drop off last season. This season, he’s averaged a point in almost every game, including 10 points in 10 January games. He’s someone who could’ve arguably been given an extra spot on Team USA, but at this moment, he’ll settle for keeping his current point streak alive on the team he does play on.