GAME PREVIEW: Edmonton Oilers @ Tampa Bay Lightning

Edmonton Oilers (8-5-1) (3rd, Pacific)

Tampa Bay Lightning (10-3-1. 1st, Atlantic)

Amalie Arena

5:30 PM MST

TV: Sportsnet West

Radio: 630 CHED

SB Nation Opponent: Raw Charge

BACK TO EARTH

Edmonton’s five game road winning streak came to a halt last night. The Capitals doubled up the Oilers by a 4-2 margin in DC. Washington jumped to an early 2-0 lead when Jakub Vrana and Devante Smith-Pelley scored in the first six minutes. Connor McDavid would cut the lead in half with a power play goal midway through the first period. Capitals would make it 3-1 in the second period when T.J. Oshie would score his seventh of the year. Leon Draisaitl made it 3-2 just a couple of minutes later, but Alex Ovechkin put the lid on this one with his 11th of the season on the power play. The Oilers would drop this one by a 4-2 score, but they’re back in action tonight in Tampa Bay. Can the Oilers get back into the win column?

Let’s go to the tape.

The Oilers are saying

I think we gave it away in the first 10 minutes...When you’re playing that quality of team, you don’t want to be chasing the game, especially that early.

Source

That’s Oilers head coach Todd McLellan on his club’s 4-2 loss last night.

It’s tough enough to dig yourself out of a hole when you go down a pair in the first six minutes. It’s a bit more difficult when you’re doing it against the 2018 Stanley Cup Champs. The Capitals have had a sleepy start to their season, but they’ll take ‘em easy if they come that way.

The Lightning are saying

Our priority was to sign here, and it just makes so much sense. This organization is just a great fit for me hockey-wise, and it’s a great fit for my family off the ice. It was an offer I couldn’t refuse.

Source

That’s Yanni Gourde after signing a 6 year / 31 million dollar contract. Gourde’s last season saw him hit 25 goals (and 39 assists) for 64 total points. Gourde has fourteen points (6-8-14) in fourteen games so far this year.

HAVE SOME OF THIS

• If I’m a gambling man, I’m betting that Ty Rattie finds himself back into the lineup today. Rattie has been ready to get back in for the last two games, there’s a pretty good chance you’ll see him alongside McDavid before too long.
• Anybody else see Alex Chiasson on the PP1 yesterday? Me too. Don’t know if Chiasson is The Answer there, but it’s nice to see a righty on that unit.
• We’re fourteen games into the season and Ryan Strome doesn’t have a point yet. Might be time for some voodoo.
• Surprising absolutely no one, Connor McDavid is on an eight game point streak. He’s got 22 points (10-12-22) in fourteen games so far.
• NET GAINS: It’s a fair bet that we’ll see Mikko Koskinen after Cam Talbot played last night. Koskinen has won all three that he’s appeared in so far. Koskinen (3-0-0, .935 SV% / 2.02 GAA / 1 SO) will likely face off against Andrei Vasilevskiy (7-2-1, .935 SV% / 1.98 GAA/ 1 SO)
• SICK BAY: Andrej Sekera is out (ankle). For the Lightning, Victor Hedman (upper body) and Ondrej Palat (lower body) are day-to-day.