Game Preview: Edmonton Oilers vs. Montreal Canadiens | 01/13/2024

I couldn’t watch the first half of the first period on Thursday night. I was on a train that took me to Montreal, and it took a while for me to get a live stream of the game on any device around me. Before that, I just kept scrolling through the play-by-play list. Then, when I finally did get the live stream, it was the Red Wings broadcast, not the Oilers broadcast. I don’t mind it, though. Sometimes, it’s refreshing to hear the opponent’s perspective of a game. It looked for a while like the Oilers would get goalie-d again. Alex Lyon was spectacular in net for Detroit, the biggest reason they wound up with a point in the Eastern Conference standings. It especially didn’t look promising for Edmonton after the Red Wings scored the game’s first goal early in the third period. But Connor McDavid would tie it up later in the period with a nifty play. The really great thing about the goal wasn’t even that McDavid scored or what moves he made at the net. He had enough patience to wait until the play was onside and then put on the jets. Two more goals, one for each team, would come after that. A barn-burning third period made up for two scoreless periods. Darnell Nurse scored the Overtime goal, making up for Detroit’s 2-2 tying goal that got help from a bounce off his skate. Thus tying Edmonton’s franchise record of nine straight wins.

This past week has been the one-year anniversary of Vincent Desharnais making his NHL debut for Edmonton at 26. He’s been solid for the team’s blue line since his arrival. Lately, he and Brett Kulak have been a very impactful third pairing. I’ve been reading discussions on social media as to whether or not the Oilers should promote Desharnais to the top four with Nurse. I’m not completely opposed to this idea. Cody Ceci has decent moments but mostly struggles with his minutes. The top four is not a good permanent spot for him. I’m a Nurse defender, but he does need a more effective partner. I do wonder if a Nurse/Desharnais pairing would work and if a Ceci/Kulak pairing would be just as effective. I don’t really see this idea happening for as long as the Oilers are winning games. If it ain’t broke, why fix it? But on the flip side, that change might benefit Ceci if he stays in Edmonton. We’ll play it by ear.

So, as I alluded to before, I am currently in Montreal. I’ll be attending the Oilers game to see them play the Canadiens live. I even saw Habs head coach Martin St. Louis walking down the street out of nowhere last night. I said hello, and he said hi back, but it was a really quick exchange, as it took me a moment to realize that it was actually him. He probably figured I knew who he was, but rather than bother him, I just let him have his privacy and go about his evening. It’s still pretty cool to see hockey people up close. If any Oilers fans reading this article are attending tonight’s game, feel free to stop by my seats during either of the intermissions for some Oilers chats if you’d like. I am at Section 330, Row D, Seats 1-3. As Edmonton is going for a franchise record tenth straight win, here’s hoping we can witness history live together. The keys to the game are…

Cinderella In Quebec: I’m leaning towards the Habs not making the Playoffs this season, but they have grossly exceeded expectations. They were expected to be a lottery team for the second season in a row and instead find themselves fighting for a Wild Card spot. They’re slumping a little bit in the standings now. But it’s impressive that they’ve kept it together all season long, even with some of their key injuries. They’ll really want to bounce back from a tough loss on Thursday night, and against a team with as much talent as Edmonton, it might be enough of a confidence boost for them.

OT Warriors: As much as I’ll write about McDavid and Leon Draisaitl setting records for the Oilers, Cole Caufield has become an Overtime legend in Montreal at 22. He has three OT goals this season, seven in his career, and needs three more to tie the Hab’s all-time record of ten OT goals in the regular season. McDavid and Draisaitl are first and second all-time in OT goals for the Oilers, with 15 and 11, respectively. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins has scored four in his career. And Nurse, whose Thursday night OT goal I already covered, has five throughout his career. 3v3 OT is chaotic and nerve-wracking, but there’d be an overwhelming amount of OT magicians if this game went past 60 minutes.

Audition Between The Pipes?: Earlier in the season, before the Oilers became red hot, they had people in management scouting some of Montreal’s games in regards to the goaltending position. Sam Montembeault recently re-signed with the Habs and is having a good season, while Cayden Primeau is their top goalie prospect. Unless they were given a bonkers offer, I can’t believe a team in their position would willingly part with younger goalies. With Stuart Skinner being the best goalie since late November and Calvin Pickard playing his backup roll well enough, Edmonton’s desperation for answers in net have slightly calmed down. Perhaps the Oilers will study the veteran Jake Allen again if he plays.