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Game Details
Oilers: 26-35-7
Sharks: 36-23-6
Puck Drop: 7:00PM MST
Television: Sportsnet West
Radio: 630 CHED
Korpikoski Stays on the Second Line
Korpikoski will stay w/McDavid & Eberle after scoring GWG on that line at WPG. Yak w/Letestu and Kassian.
— Jack Michaels (@EdmontonJack) March 8, 2016
For the sake of my sanity, I’m going to assume that the reason Lauri Korpikoski is once again on the second line with Connor McDavid and Jordan Eberle is for a reason other than he score the game winner on Sunday night because that would be more kinds of crazy than I care to count. That's like playing a hot goalie in back-to-back games time ten. It's just mind boggling.
As Sunil has demonstrated repeatedly (here, here, and here) Korpikoski hasn’t been a terribly effective player for the Oilers this season, and while it’s great that he scored a goal on Sunday, in part because Dustin Byfuglien was asleep on the play, it doesn’t make a lot of sense (it makes no sense) to play him ahead of Nail Yakupov. It doesn't make sense if you're trying to ice the best team possible or maximize the value of an asset. It just doesn't make sense.
More Oilers vs Sharks
Reinhart Draws In
Looks like d-pairs vs SJ will be Sekera-Fayne, Nurse-Clendening, Reinhart-Pardy.
— Jack Michaels (@EdmontonJack) March 8, 2016
With Brandon Davidson out with a knee injury that the coach described yesterday as "more long-term than short-term," the Oilers recalled Griffin Reinhart from Bakersfield of the AHL yesterday, and will waste no time getting him into the lineup playing him this evening on the third pair with Adam Pardy.
Reinhart has bounced back and forth between the NHL and the AHL, playing 15 games for the Oilers (0-1-1, 16 PIM, -3) and 27 for the Condors (2-7-9, 14 PIM, +2). With so many holes to fill on the team’s defence it’s hard to figure out where exactly the Oilers see Reinhart next season, but if they plan on being remotely competitive they need to have him battling with a player like Eric Gryba or Adam Pardy for the final spot on the blue line. A strong audition to finish the season would go a long way to helping him secure that roster spot for next year.