Oilers Top Coyotes 2-1: Yakupov Strikes Again

If this hockey thing doesn't work out for Nail Yakupov there's a chance he could make it as a baseball player.

Game Thread: Oilers at Coyotes - Looking To Start A Streak

The Oilers will be in Phoenix tonight but could very well be the defacto home team.

How Will The Coyotes Match The Oilers?

Tyler takes a look at the Coyotes' tendencies and attempts to predict who Dave Tippett might send out against the Oilers offensively-minded lines:

Tippett is a power versus power guy, at least with the Oilers last year. In both games, he matched up his best two offensive lines against the Oilers’ best two offensive lines. He juggles his lines a bit but generally seemed happy to run the Doan line and the Hanzal/Vrbata/Boedker line at the Richards and Kopitar lines against Los Angeles the other night. I’d guess that the Doan line sees RNH and that Vrbata and Boedker go at the Gagner line.

It's a bit harder to predict, however, given the injuries the Coyotes are currently struggling to overcome. In addition to Mike Smith's move to the IR, the Coyotes also have Martin Hanzal, Rostislav Klesla, struggling to stay in the lineup and Matthew Lombardi is out. Five For Howling's Carl Putnam talked about it:

"[WIth Hanzal out] Tippett had Alex Bolduc, who had been playing wing on the 4th line, centering the first line with Mikkel Bodeker and Radim Vrbata the other night. It was actually a smart move. He didn't screw up other lines by doing so. If Martin Hanzal returns my guess is Bolduc moves to 4th line center. Kyle Chipchura is a great 4th line wing, but not a center."

It's All About The Power Play. No It's Not.

Carl Putnam at Five For Howling says the key to the game for the Coyotes is staying out of the box:

1. Stay disciplined. The Edmonton Oilers won their game against the Colorado Avalanche 4-1 on Monday with 4 power play goals. If the Yotes take too many penalties then the Oilers will make them pay.

and the penalty kill:

2. Special Teams. The Coyotes have actually been good on the power play; they have scored goals in 5 of the 6 games, and with the Oilers' defensive issues there is a decent chance the Coyotes can get another PPG. On the other hand the penalty kill will need to be at the top of their game to stave off the high powered Edmonton offense.

But Jonathan Willis says the Oilers woes at even strength won't last:

Why don't the #Oilers score at even-strength? Simple; right now the team SH% is 4.3%. Either worst team in modern history, or small sample.

— Jonathan Willis (@JonathanWillis) January 30, 2013

and their power play success isn't going to be long-lived.

Related: #Oilers have a zillion goals 5-on-4 because they have a 23.5 SH%. They're either the best team of the modern era, or it won't last.

— Jonathan Willis (@JonathanWillis) January 30, 2013

Oilers @ Coyotes Lines and Pairings

Lines and pairings from the duel in the desert

Edmonton Oilers @ Phoenix Coyotes Game Six Preview

The Oilers head out for a duel in the desert