GAME PREVIEW: Edmonton Oilers vs. Vancouver Canucks

Edmonton Oilers (22-21-3) (4th, Pacific)

Vancouver Canucks (21-21-5) (5th, Pacific)

8 PM MST

Rogers Arena

TV: Sportsnet West / Sportsnet Pacific

Radio: 630 CHED

SB Nation Opponent: Nucks Misconduct

SEVEN GOAL OUTBURST

Monday night’s event was expected to bring some fireworks to the rink. Both 2015 top picks Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel were bringing their struggling clubs together to score some goals. The Oilers held their end of the bargain as they exploded for a 7-2 victory. The Sabres looked like they missed an entire night’s worth of sleep. Milan Lucic scored twice (!!!!), Zack Kassian had a pair of goals as well. Connor McDavid scored on a breakaway when Sabres defenceman Rasmus Ristolainen whiffed on a shot at the Oiler blue line, while Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Leon Draisaitl rounded it out ot make it seven.

Seven goals! I’m strong in my convictions that if the Oilers score seven goals in a game, they’ll win more than they lose by a fair margin. Let’s test that theory tonight in Vancouver.

Let’s go to the tape.

The Oilers are saying

It feels good as an individual to pop a couple tonight, but the most important thing is that we got the two points in the standings...We finally got some bounces that went our way when they have gone against us the last three games. It was nice to get a win here. As of late, we have won one, lost one, won one, lost one, so now it is about putting something together.

Source

That’s Oilers forward Milan Lucic after Edmonton’s 7-2 win over Buffalo on Monday.

Milan Lucic has three goals in his last four games. Not sure how many more times I can say that in my life, but good for Lucic on getting some success. Maybe he’s got a couple more coming his way?

The Canucks are saying

“I was pretty fired up, I won’t lie...It’s been a while since I scored”

Source

That’s Canucks defenceman Ben Hutton after scoring Vancouver’s go-ahead goal against the Panthers on Sunday. The Canucks would go on to win the game by a 5-1 margin.

As entertaining as it is watching the Ducks struggle from an Oilers fan’s standpoint, it’s interesting to watch the Canucks sort of hang around in the Pacific. All of Edmonton, Vancouver and Anaheim have 47 points in the Pacific, the Ducks haven’t won a game since 1993.

HAVE SOME OF THIS

• Kailer Yamamoto might be ready to get back into the lineup this evening. Yamamoto has been out for the last week and a half with an upper body injury.
• There’s a logjam at the second wild card position. Edmonton, Vancouver and Anaheim are there, but so is Minnesota. How are the Canucks hanging around? A couple of reasons. First, the second wild card position could be grabbed by a team with less than 90 points this season. That’s a rarity. Second? Vancouver’s in the middle of things when it comes to goals for (18th, 2.87 GPG). They’re 22nd in goals allowed (3.11 per game average). It’s probably not going to do much in a seven game series against Winnipeg, but they’re hanging around.
• It’s great to see Milan Lucic have some success scoring a few goals. For better or worse, I think he bought himself at least a half-dozen more games on the second line after his outburst against Buffalo.

• The Oilers have gone ahead and done it again! Okay, they’ve claimed Colby Cave. Cave is an undrafted 24 year old left shot centre who has appeared in 20 games for Boston this year, he’s got five points. Cave does have 18 points (6-12-18) in Providence (AHL) this season. A depth signing, you might see a bit of him if something wacky happens with Kyle Brodziak.
• NET GAINS: A 41-save effort from Mikko Koskinen against Buffalo will likely earn him another start tonight (13-8-1, .915 SV% / 2.69 GAA / 3 SO). Jacob Markstrom is a likely go for the Canucks tonight (18-12-4, .908 SV% / 2.83 GAA).
• SICK BAY: The Oilers are without Andrej Sekera (ankle), Oscar Klefbom (finger) and Alex Petrovic (concussion). Elias Petterssen (knee) is day-to-day for the Canucks. The fifth overall pick in 2017 is lightning it up so far this year with 42 points (22-20-42) in 38 games.