GAME THREAD: Edmonton Oilers @ New York Rangers

Rangers without top gun Panarin, can Oilers take two points out of Manhattan?

By Jeff Chapman@NewWaveOil Jan 3, 2022, 5:00pm MST

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NHL: Chicago Blackhawks at New York Rangers

Edmonton Oilers (18-12-2), 4th, Pacific

New York Rangers (21-8-4, 3rd, Metro)

3 January 2022

Madison Square Garden

5 PM MT

TV: Sportsnet

Radio: 630 CHED

SB Nation Opponent: Blueshirt Banter

The Oilers are looking for their first win on this road trip. Currently 0-1-2, the Oilers will try to knock off the Rangers at MSG to give themselves a little breathing room in the Pacific. Can the Oilers come out on top?

Based on lines from Morning Skate (Perlini was a placeholder for McDavid), tonight’s projected lineup:

Hyman - McDavid - Puljujarvi
Foegele - Draisaitl - Yamamoto
Shore - McLeod - Turris
Benson - Ryan - Sceviour

Nurse - Bouchard
Keith - Ceci
Koekkoek - Barrie

Koskinen#Oilers
— Tony Brar (@TonyBrarOTV) January 3, 2022

THREE THINGS TO LOOK FOR

Looks like Tippett got the memo on Shore. Warren Foegele gets the Nugent-Hopkins slot on the second line with Leon Draisaitl and Kailer Yamamoto. Shore was on the ice for nearly seventeen minutes on line 2 against the Islanders. Getting Foegele in will be way more complimentary.
Mikko Koskinen gets his second straight start tonight. Koskinen helped pick up a point in Saturday’s OTL to the Islanders when he turned aside 26 of 29 shots. With Mike Smith currently listed as day-to-day, the Oilers may need to rely more on Koskinen more than they originally planned on.
The Rangers are without Artemi Panarin, who is out due to Covid protocols. Panarin leads the Rangers with 36 points (10-26-36) in 31 games, can the Oilers expose a hole in the Rangers’ roster?

The Oilers badly need a win here for Dave Tippett. They also need a win for themselves. The Kings are just one point behind the Oilers, and the Oilers need to start creating space no matter how.