PRESEASON GAME PREVIEW: Edmonton Oilers @ Winnipeg Jets

Edmonton Oilers

Winnipeg Jets

6:00 PM MST

Bell MTS Centre

TV: Streaming Only

Radio: 630 CHED

SB Nation Opponent: Arctic Ice Hockey

The Oilers have two preseason games remaining before they all count. In the meantime, they’d probably like to forget about Tuesday’s 4-2 loss to the Arizona Coyotes. The Oilers lost defenceman Joel Persson to a shoulder injury, while Ryan Nugent-Hopkins missed practice on Wednesday. I could do without any more of that for a while.

The Oilers are in Winnipeg tonight as they will be forced to trim their roster to 23 by next week. Who will end up making the final cut?

Let’s go to the tape.

The Oilers are saying

“I skated up to him this morning and I said ‘Knock, knock. Opportunity awaits...It’s up to him. He’ll get in there, he’ll play the next two games, so hopefully he plays well”

Source

That’s Oilers head coach Dave Tippett on Ethan Bear.

There’s plenty of concern for Joel Persson after he left Tuesday’s game with a shoulder injury, though coach Tippett seems plenty ready to plug Ethan Bear into the opening night lineup should he need to. He’ll be on the ice tonight and in Calgary on Saturday, so watch for number 74.

The Jets are saying

“We have a couple of different looks on the board of lines we would start if everybody had been healthy. We’ll just try and get as close to that as we can - pairs up front, even if we can get two guys together, that’s about it...”

Source

That’s Jets head coach Paul Maurice, juggling the lines.

D-SPAIR

The Jets have a problem on defence. Specifically, that problem is that there are siginficant holes in their defence after the last six or seven months. Gone is Jacob Trouba, traded to the Rangers for Neal Pionk. Tyler Myers is now in Vancouver. Dustin Byfuglien has taken an indefinite leave of absence, am I forgetting someone?

Hope Jet fans like seeing a lot of Sami Niku this year.

HAVE SOME OF THIS

• Ethan Bear took some reps with Oscar Klefbom in yesterday’s practice, and that’s a pair we’ll expect to see some more of tonight.
• MCDAVID IS GO: Connor McDavid will be in the lineup tonight for the Oilers. It will be his second preseason contest. Other noteworthies: Tomas Jurco, Anton Burdasov, and Gaetan Haas.
• ALSO ON D: Along with Ethan Bear, William Lagesson and Brandon Manning are in.
• Kailer Yamamoto has been sent to Bakersfield. Actually, he was already in Bakersfield, but he’s been cut from the training camp roster. You know what I mean.
• Mike Smith and Mikko Koskinen are the two goalies that will carry this team into the regular season, expect Smith to play a full sixty tonight.