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Preview: Oilers @ Rangers Game 32

Wake up, Oilers, I think I got something to say to you. It's mid-December, and you're not a burning pile of trash along the QE2.

By Jeff Chapman
Edmonton is on a six game win streak. Re-read that in case it sounded weird to you, too.
Edmonton is on a six game win streak. Re-read that in case it sounded weird to you, too.
Walter Tychnowicz-USA TODAY Sports


Edmonton

@
rangers logo
14-15-2, 30 points, .967 p/g Ranks 18-9-4, 36 points, 1.161 p/g
Western Conference - 9th Eastern Conference - 4th
22nd P/G 6th
15th ST 6th
22nd S/G 24th
25th Goal 6th
5 PM MDT
TV - Sportsnet West
Radio - 630 CHED
Madison Square Garden
The opposing view: Blueshirt Banter

Six.  In a row.

Cam Talbot hadn't started a regular season game in over two weeks, but that didn't matter as he turned aside 47 shots out of 49 en route to Edmonton's sixth consecutive win.  It wasn't a pretty victory by any stretch of the imagination, as the Bruins seemingly had the puck on their sticks all night.  Jordan Eberle got the Oilers on the board with eight minutes gone in the first, while Ryan Nugent-Hopkins made it 2-0 just five minutes later.  The Oilers would only be able to muster twelve shots in the final two periods while the Bruins went to work launching thirty eight shots in periods two and three.

A goal by Matt Belesky in the second followed by one from Brad Marchand in the third would knot it up at 2-all.  The Oilers clung to dear life as Cam Talbot turned aside nearly everything in front of him, eventually sending the Oilers into overtime.  The Oilers were very lucky to escape with one point, they somehow robbed a bank in order to take two.   Andrej Sekera was fed by Jordan Eberle just forty-one seconds into the extra frame when Sekera launched a shot against Bruins netminder Jonas Gustavsson.  Sekera got his own rebound and put it home.

The Oilers are winners of six straight.   They'll try to make it seven tonight against a Rangers club that allowed seven goals to Edmonton last week.

Let's go to the tape.

The Oilers are saying

"He won us the game...He made a ton of saves tonight.  Obviously it wasn't our best game...at the end of the day Cam was there to keep us in the game, and once it gets to three-on-three, anything can happen."

Source

That's Oilers forward Jordan Eberle on Cam Talbot's 47-save performance.

No doubt, Talbot deserves all the accolades he can get here.  If Talbot is perfectly mediocre, the Bruins hang a six spot on this one.

The opponents are saying

"It's good to see because they are two guys who mean a lot to this team"

Source
That's Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist on seeing teammates Derek Stephan and Kevin Klein practicing Monday.  Both players were sporting non-contact jerseys, but they're a welcome sign for goaltender Henrik Lundqvist after the Rangers finished a Western Conference roadie at 0-2-1.


Have some of this

  • Cam Talbot is the reason Edmonton left Boston with two points in tow, but Jordan Eberle had a pretty good night with a point on all three of Edmonton's goals.
  • As good as Talbot was last night, they've got to do the sensible thing and give the next start to Anders Nilssson.  (10-7-1, .917 SV% 2.65).  That's not a knock against Talbot, but putting goalies in back-to-back contests is bad juju.  The Oilers will likely see Henrik Lundqvist (14-6-3, .933 SV% / 2.14 GAA).
  • BAKING POWDER? Nikita Nikitin didn't look bad yesterday in limited use.  I really miss Oscar Klefbom, who is out with a finger injury.
  • Connor McDavid (clavicle),  Nail Yakupov (ankle), Oscar Klefbom (finger),  Rob Klinkhammer (lower body) and Benoit Pouliot (lower body) will be missing from action tonight.  For the Rangers, Dan Girardi (knee), Kevin Klein (abdomen) and Derek Stepan (ribs) are out.