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The Oilers haven't played a game in months. And haven't played a game that actually meant anything in a whole lot longer (possibly multiple seasons ago). Tonight that changes. Tonight the Oilers back in action in St. Louis against the Blues. Are the Oilers a playoff team this season? Who knows, we all have our own opinions on that and nobody will be proven right or wrong tonight. Tonight isn't about that, tonight is just about watching hockey for the first time in a very long time.
Welcome back hockey, I've missed you.
How To Watch
Puck drop: 6:00PM MST
TV: Sportsnet 360
Radio: 630 CHED
What To Watch For
First and foremost, Connor McDavid. After that I'd suggest keeping an eye on the Oilers power play. The San Jose Sharks were often one of the NHL's best teams with the man advantage during Todd McLellan's tenure as their head coach. At the same time the Oielrs have had some firepower on thier power play but have never been able to translate that into much in terms of offence. There is a lot that I'm looking forward to with McLellan on the Oilers bench, and the power play is right at the top of the list.
The Opposing View
Finally. After an off season of slight shakeups, rookie upstarts, and elderly men being signed, it's time for opening night. The Blues have had a lot to stew on, a lot to think about, a lot to do. What will they accomplish? Will Robby Fabbri hang around longer than nine games? How big of an impact will Colton Parayko make? Who will start opening night?
Projected Line Combinations
From Bob Stauffer
Forwards | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Taylor Hall | Connor McDavid | Anton Slepyshev | |||
Benoit Pouliot | Ryan Nugent-Hopkins | Teddy Purcell | |||
Lauri Korpikoski | Anton Lander | Nail Yakupov | |||
Matt Hendricks | Mark Letestu | Luke Gazdic | |||
Defence | |||||
Andrej Sekera | Mark Fayne | ||||
Oscar Klefbom | Justin Schultz | ||||
Griffin Reinhart | Eric Gryba | ||||
Goalies | |||||
Cam Talbot | |||||
Anders Nilsson |