New Jersey Devils (9-2-0) @

Edmonton Oilers (3-7-1)

Rogers Place - Edmonton

7 PM MDT

TV: Sportsnet

Radio: 630 CHED

SB Nation Opponent: All About The Jersey

BREAKDOWN

The Oilers took a 2-2 tie to the third period on Wednesday night against Pittsburgh only to have Evgeni Malkin spoil the party. Malkin’s go-ahead goal with seven minutes remaining would give the Penguins a permanent 3-2 lead. It would deal the Oiler their seventh loss in eleven games on the season.

The Devils are red-hot, opening with nine wins in their first eleven games of the season. Can the Oilers cool them down a bit and get back on track?

The Oilers are saying

”I can be a lot better in a lot of areas. I wasn’t making the plays (against Pittsburgh) I should be making...Making simple plays, chipping the puck out or chipping it to Nuge for a two-on-one at the end of the game. I have to be better. It’s a lot tighter in the regular season and when you’re not making plays, it’s tough. But you have to push through it.

Source

That’s Oilers forward Kailer Yamamoto on his game.

Yamamoto has now played eight of his nine game window. If he plays ten games, his entry-level contract will kick in. The Oilers are in a world of hurt right now, and they may end up relying on young Yamamoto to hang out in the top six. They don’t have very many other options without a trade.

The Devils are saying

“I haven't changed completely. But I've tried to be a better practice player and be a leader in the dressing room, instead of just one of the guys like I was when I came in last season. People forget I'm only 25. I'm still learning a lot on and off the ice. It's nice to see some positive things happening for our team at the same time.”

Source

That’s Devils forward Taylor Hall on his start to the 2017-18 season.

Hall has had a fine start to his season with fifteen points (3-12-15) in eleven games. The Devils are off to their best start in franchise history at 9-2-0.

Have some of this

• How good are the Devils? Taylor Hall is leading the club with fifteen points and Cory Schneider looks to be back to his old tricks. Is this just luck out of the gate? Check out our ‘Five Questions’ segment with Mike from SB Nation’s All About The Jersey at around 4 o’clock this afternoon for the answer.
• The Oilers power play units looked pretty good against Pittsburgh, with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins cashing on the man advantage. The re-worked power plays saw Patrick Maroon with McDavid and Letestu, Caggiula and Klefbom. PP2 featured Lucic with Nugent-Hopkins, Strome, Leon and Benning. Would be interested in seeing this again.
• NET GAINS: Cam Talbot is probable (3-6-1, .904 SV% / 3.10 GAA / 1 SO) for the Oilers. Cory Schneider is probable for the Devils (6-1-0, .921 SV% 1 SO)
• (The Oilers will be missing defenceman Andrej Sekera (out til December/January) as he recovers from ACL surgery. New Jersey will be without Kyle Palmeri (foot) and Travis Zajac (pectorals)

The Oilers have got to start putting wins on the board. Can they stop the surging Devils?

#GOILERS