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Vancouver Canucks @ Edmonton Oilers Game Preview

Winless in three, the Canucks come to Rogers Place where the goals have been everywhere for the Oilers as of late

By Jeff Chapman
Anton Slepyshev may be Edmonton's newest secret weapon.
Anton Slepyshev may be Edmonton's newest secret weapon.
Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images


Vancouver

@
Edmonton
28-33-9, 65 points, .928 p/g Ranks 37-24-9, 83 points, 1.186 p/g
Pacific Division - 6th Pacific Division - 4th
27th Points per Game 11th
27th Special Teams 14th
29th Shots on Goal 8th
22nd Goals Against per Game 10th
8 PM MDT
TV - CBC
Radio - 630 CHED
Rogers Place

The opposing view


PROJECTED
FORWARDS

Patrick Maroon - Connor McDavid - Leon Draisaitl
Milan Lucic - Ryan Nugent-Hopkins - Jordan Eberle
Benoit Pouliot - David Desharnais - Zack Kassian
Drake Caggiula - Mark Letestu - Anton Slepyshev

DEFENCE

Oscar Klefbom - Adam Larsson
Andrej Sekera - Kris Russell
Darnell Nurse - Matthew Benning

GOAL

Cam Talbot
Laurent Brossoit


Seven More

Patrick Maroon had a pair, Milan Lucic had a goal, and Benoit Pouliot scored his second in as many games.  The Oilers hung seven goals on top of a Bruins club that took care of Calgary the night prior.  The win put Edmonton back in the top three of the Pacific, but Calgary leapfrogged Edmonton with a win against Dallas last night.

Edmonton faces Vancouver tonight for a chance to get back into the top three.  I'd be elated with seven more goals tonight, but would be just as happy with one more than the Canucks.

Let's go to the tape.

The Oilers are saying

Patrick Maroon is probably going to finish the year with over 25 goals, which would probably have been a stretch if you said that at the beginning of the season.  Though Milan Lucic has picked up his game as of late, Maroon has been the Lucic we've hoped for all season at about a quarter of the price.

Mumps and food poisoning at the same time seems a little unlucky.  Tanev's last appearance in Vancouver's lineup was nine days ago, a 4-3 OTL against the Islanders

Have some of this

  • Bo Horvat leads the Canucks in total points with 47 (20-27-47) in 69 games this season.  The Sedins rank 2 and 3 on that list.
  • Anton Sleypshev looked pretty darn good out there with Connor McDavid against the Bruins. They looked especially good when McDavid got the puck to Slepyshev in front of the net and Slepyshev batted it out of the air for a goal.  McDavid and Slepyshev have spent less than twenty minutes together on the ice this season.  Maybe a little more is in order tonight.
  • The Canucks are starting Richard Bachman (1-0-0, .977 SV% / 1.00 GAA) in net tonight. Bachman had a cup of coffee with the Oilers back in 2013-2015 when he appeared in nine games with the club.  It might be a good game to work in Laurent Brossoit, but I'm pretty sure that everyone thinks there's only one goalie to choose from.  Cam Talbot (35-20-8, .920 SV% / 2.39 GAA / 5 SO)
  • Benoit Pouliot scored another goal, his second in as many games since being injured for nearly a month.  The points will continue.
  • Tyler Pitlick (knee) will be out for the Oilers. The Canucks will be without Erik Gudbranson (wrist), Loui Eriksson (lower body), Jacob Markstrom (lower body), Nikolay Goldobin (illness), Brendan Gaunce (upper body), Derek Dorsett (shoulder), Anton Rodin (knee).  Chris Tanev made the trip, though it's unclear whether or not he'll skate tonight or later in Vancouver's five game road trip.
  • Oilers can put themselves back to second place with a win tonight over Vancouver and a Duck loss in San Jose.  A win and a Duck win would put them in third, which ain't bad either.
    • #GOILERS