clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Rangers @ Oilers Game 31 Preview

Rangers victorious last night over Canucks. Can Oilers take advantage of Eastern team on Western Canadian swing?

By Jeff Chapman
Hall, Nuge, and Teddy Purcell on line one today.
Hall, Nuge, and Teddy Purcell on line one today.
Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports


rangers logo

@
oilers logo black text
13-10-4, 30 points, 1.112 p/g Ranks 7-18-5, 19 points, .634 p/g
Eastern Conference - 10th Western Conference - 14th
19th P/G 30th
15th ST 24th
6th ES 28th
17th Goal 29th
7:30 PM MDT - SNW
Rexall Place
The opposing view: Blueshirt Banter

There's Good News And Mostly Bad News

The good news is:  the Oilers have actually defeated the New York Rangers this year.  They did it on the road at Madison Square Garden last month, and they defeated them by a score a 3-1.  So, you'd hope that they'd have at least a fighting chance against the Rangers this evening when they get together at Rexall Place.  The bad news? That win at MSG came over a month ago, and the Oilers have won a single game since then.  Boyd Gordon won't be available due to injury.  The fourth line is going to look like a dumpster fire.  But other than that, things are going to be great, you guys.

Friday's attempt for a victory was unsuccessful.  The Oilers dropped their latest effort by a score of 4-2.  Two Anaheim goals in a forty-five second span early in the second period was enough to get Oilers goaltender Viktor Fasth pulled in favour of Ben Scrivens.  Fasth was, less than impressed to be removed from the game, and he let everyone know about it.

There's only 51 more of these to go, guys!

The Oilers are saying

"BLAM"
That's Oilers goaltender Viktor Fasth's helmet getting hurled into the bench after being pulled from a 3-0 game.

Kyle Palmieri scored Anaheim's second goal of the game just seven seconds into the second period, only to be followed up by a Ryan Getzlaf wrister just forty-four seconds later.  Fasth got the hook, and man, was he pissed.  The Oilers were just being blown out of the water by the Ducks at that point, and Fasth's body language suggested that he wasn't too pleased.  An equally impressive scene is coach Dallas Eakins' body language at the end of that clip.

And the band played on.

The Opponent is saying
"You start a game like that on the road  - that's a great way to start, it's tough for them (Vancouver) to come back from that"
That's Rangers defenceman Marc Staal on getting to the Vancouver Canucks early on the road.

The Rangers opened up their road trip with an impressive 5-1 victory over everybody's good friends from BC. The Oilers will have the luxury of facing a Ranger squad who was in Vancouver last night.  Can the Oilers take advantage of a team from the East playing two games in two nights in Western Canada?

What's that?  You're all shaking your heads no.  With the lines they're rolling, I see why.

Have some of this
  • Henrik Lundqvist is only pitching a .909 SV% so far this year, but he's picked up wins in three of his last four starts for the Rangers.  He turned aside 29 of 30 shots in last night's 5-1 victory in Vancouver.  If he doesn't go in the second game of a back-to-back, it'll be Cam Talbot who last saw action against Detroit on December 6th.
  • Ben Scrivens gets the start for Les Oilers,  Scrivens was in the net for Edmonton's win against San Jose last week.  He'll likely be busy tonight.
  • TANKIN' IT TO THE STREETS - Tyler PItlick got a goal last game, but now he's getting second line duty with Nail Yakupov and Leon Draisaitl.  Teddy Purcell gets the bump to the first line.  Lines three and four?  They're as glorious as you remember.  Take your pills now.
  • GOILERS
    •

In This Stream

Gameday Coverage: Oilers vs. Rangers

View all 4 stories

More From The Copper & Blue