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Preview: Oilers @ Vancouver Game 6

The Oilers look to make it two wins in two days with visit to BC

McDavid delights Calgary fans too.
McDavid delights Calgary fans too.
Candice Ward-USA TODAY Sports


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@

Vancouver
1-4-0, 2 points, .4 p/g Ranks 3-1-1, 7 points, 1.4 p/g
Western Conference - 12th Western Conference - 7th
27th P/G 10th
24th ST 8th
6th PK 2nd
21st Goal 4th
7:00 PM MDT
TV - Sportsnet
Radio - 630 CHED
Rogers Arena
The opposing view: Canucks Misconduct

Explosion!

Five goals were scored in sixty minutes of play against the Calgary Flames.  Five goals was the exact number the Oilers had scored in the previous four games combined.  Connor McDavid scored two goals and one assist en route to first star honours, while Cam Talbot earned his first win as an Oiler turning aside 22 of 24 Calgary shots.  Taylor Hall had a goal and two assists, and everything clicked for Edmonton en route to their first (read:  badly needed) victory of the 2015-16 NHL season.

The Flames might have been able to trot out the notion that they were tired from losing to the Jets on Friday night, but the Oilers needed a W, and they got one in fine fashion.  Style points don't count, but McDavid looked party-ready and Taylor Hall was flying.  RNH had Edmonton's first goal, Nail Yakupov got a goal after Flames defenceman Kris Russel did something ghastly with the puck.  It was a great day to be an Oilers fan, too long in the waiting.

Let's hope the club didn't spend all of those goals in a satisfying victory against the Flames.  Canucks are waiting. Let's go to the tape.

The Oilers are saying

"I think first and foremost, the team played very well...When the team has success, that's when individuals start to have success.  I think you saw that tonight.  Obviously, it feels pretty good to get the first win."

Source

That's Oilers forward Connor McDavid on Edmonton's 5-2 victory over the Flames on Saturday night.

You know who feels good today?  Everybody.  The Oilers scored five goals in four games, only to turn on the spigot for five in sixty minutes in Calgary.  One shouldn't get too high on the horse, however.  The Oilers will face a Canu...wait just a minute, can we see this again? Holy cow, who called Cam Barker to the party?  Pick up some stamps at the post office after mailing that one in.  Wow.

The opponents are saying

"I like what they did against Edmonton in the preseason...I liked that."  Source
That's Canucks coach Willie Desjardins on his line combination of Sven Baertschi, Jake Virtanen and Bo Horvat.

Vancouver's burst out to a 3-1-1 start to the young season.  Brandon Sutter is scoring at a point a game (2-3-5 in 5 GP), while Daniel Sedin, Jannik Hansen and our good friend Alexandre Burrows all have four.  Ryan Miller has been in between the pipes for all five Canuck games, and has turned out a .938 SV% in that time.

Have some of this
  • Mark Letestu found his way onto the power play last night, and Connor McDavid put up a late PPG in the third.  The Oilers went 1-4 on the power play, just their second PPG on the year.
  • Vancouver will start Ryan Miller (3-1-1, .938 SV%)  I'd expect the Oilers to give the nod to Anders Nilsson (0-1-0, .941 SV%) to relieve Talbot in back-to-back games.  Nilsson played lights out in Edmonton's loss to Dallas on Tuesday, stopping 48 of 51 shots.
  • DOT DOT DOT Anton Lander (73%) Mark Letestu (64%) and Matt Hendricks (78%) all had a good night at the dot.
  • How much longer for Anton Slepyshev?  He was a healthy scratch in last night's game.  Barring an injury, I don't see how he's with the big club for much longer after this evening's game.
  • For the Canucks, Chris Higgins (foot) and Jacob Markstrom (hamstring) are out.  The Oilers will once again be without the services of Jordan Eberle (shoulder).