Pre-Game Report: Edmonton Oilers vs Colorado Avalanche

Pre-Game Report: Edmonton Oilers vs Colorado Avalanche

Hello Oilers fans. Austin here with a pregame report between the Mton Oilers and the Colorado Avalanche. It feels like it’s been forever since the Oilers last played. They’ve been off for the last three days, which has been pretty rare this season. They’ve had a lot of hockey games, a lot of backto backs, but they are back home tonight against the Colorado Avalanche. That’ll be 8:00 p.m. local time on hockey night in Canada. The Oilers are looking to get back into the wind column. They have had quite the rocky start to the season. And the Colorado Avalanche, well, they’re looking to keep their lead in the Central Division. They currently have a record of 81 and five. They have lots of loser points, but they have very little regulation losses. They have eight wins on the season. And yes, their goalending can be a little bit shaky, but the way they play at five on five, they are an absolute wagon. The Oilers are going to have a handful to deal with tonight in Edmonton. And if they’re on top of their game, if we see the Oilers big dogs get to work, if we see Chris Knoblock roll all four lines instead of rolling one or two lines the whole game, I like chances, but we’ll have to see how it all plays out. If you enjoyed today’s pregame report, hit that like button. If you really like it, make sure to subscribe to the channel as we continue to build our way towards 8,000 subscribers. In today’s pregame report, we’re going to be going over the projected lineups for the Mton Oilers. I’ll be going over the stats for both teams, kind of how they stack up against each other. I’ll go over the keys to the game, players to watch, and of course the score predictions. So, let’s jump right into it, folks. Not too much changes in terms of the lineup for your Edmonton Oilers. Top line looks like Nan Hopkins with McDavid and Andrew Mapani. Uh, that is a line that has been together for a little while now. They’re they’re they’re not like doing terribly, but they’re also not getting enough done in my opinion. I think Mapani looks a little lost on that top line. Nan McDavid seem to have some good built-in chemistry there. Majapani. That’s someone that I would like to maybe see someone flipped with. Whether you want to put an I coward or a Seavoy or a Tomasek up there or or even put Trent Frederick back with McDavid. Maybe get Trent Frederick going. I don’t know. Uh but Majapani just doesn’t look he doesn’t look comfortable on that top line right now. Maybe tonight he scores two or three and uh everyone’s laughing at me for saying that. But for Majapani, I’d like to see just a little bit more from him at least at five on five. On the second line, this has been Edmonton’s best line for several games in a row now. Vasilip Pod Coulson with Leon Dryidle and Jack Rosik. Rosik of course has just been looking better every single game. He’s getting lots of chances. He’s putting the puck in the net on the power play now. He is that netfront presence on the top power play unit. He overtook uh David Tomasek from that role and it has paid dividends for the Emmonton Oilers. Mton’s power play is essentially keeping this team above 500 right now. If Edmonton’s power play was the way it was last season, they are likely nowhere near a playoff spot. They likely only have about four wins this season. Uh so it’s not good. The power play right now it is clicking which is very good but five on five the team needs to get going. This line at least at five on five does play above water. They do generate lots of looks. Uh Vasili Pud Coulson he’s looking more confident and better every single game. So hopefully Pud Coulson can keep his strong play up as well. On the third line Trent Frederick with Adam Henrique and Noah Phil. This is a very interesting line here. Not sure how long this line will stay together. Trent Frederick, he’s been hitting bodies a lot more than uh we have seen earlier in the season, but he’s not generating anything on offense. Uh he’s kind of just a nothing ber when he’s out on the ice. And pretty soon we’re going to have another nothing burger join the lineup in Matias Yanmark, another cardio merchant. So we’re going to have Yanmar and Frederick very very shortly playing in the bottom six just eating minutes away, not allowing the kids to play. It’s going to be so much fun to watch. I absolutely love that. On the fourth line, you have Howard with Tomasek and Matthew Seavoy. I have no comment on that line because they’re going to get about six or seven minutes total time on ice together tonight. And uh if they don’t get scored on, great. And if they end up scoring a goal for the Oilers, that’s also great. Chris Oblock doesn’t trust his kids. He doesn’t trust anyone in that bottom six. He only trusts his big dogs. And for Howard, Tomasek, and Seavoi, I really hope they can show something and and show something to the coaches that lets them know like, “Hey, maybe you should be playing us a little bit more.” But I don’t have a lot of confidence in Chris Nlock. Even if Howard, Tomasik, and Seavoy went out there and scored a quick goal. I don’t think they’d get more than seven or eight minutes a night. Anyways, uh Yanmar, Lazar, and Heyman, those are the extras. Heyman is very close to returning, probably about another week or so. Yanmark could play tonight. It is possible Yanmark gets in the lineup tonight. He likely probably takes at least the warm-ups, but Yanmark will be back early in the week. Uh probably Monday or Tuesday, I would imagine. Uh, Echome with Bousard on the top defense pair for the Oilers. Nurse with Regula, Koulak with Wallman, which means Ster and Emerson are the odd men out. Now, it does sound like the Oilers are trying to move one of Stetcher or Emerson just to create a little bit of roster flexibility once Yanmark and Henrik are back. Uh, once Yanmark or not Henrik, Yanmark and Heyman, sorry, once Yanmark and Heyman are back, the Oilers going to have to send a couple players down and maybe make a trade just to make the salary cap work. So, we’ll see what they end up doing here. Uh could be some trade news in the works in oil country, but we’ll have to wait and see. Steuart Skinner likely with the start tonight. We need Dark Stew. We need Steuart Skinner to be on his game. Now, while Steuart Skinner has not been a big reason why the Oilers are losing games, he hasn’t exactly been stealing them games either. All we’re looking for is a 900 save percentage. The Oilers are 4-0 this season when they get a 900 save percentage. Stew, that’s all we’re asking for. 900. Can we get it tonight? Oh my god. I sure hope so. The Colorado Avalanche, like I mentioned, they are 81 and five on the season. They rank 23rd on the power play, which is very surprising. The uh the Colorado Avalanche have a lot of really good pieces on that power play. Nathan McKinnon, Kale Mar, Martin Nas, uh they have guys that can put the puck in the net. They have guys that can move the puck around. For some reason, Colorado’s power play is just not clicking right now. But if it gets going, the Oilers pen kill is in big trouble. So, don’t go to the box. don’t even give the Colorado Avalanche a chance to get confident on that power play. And their other special teams though, the Colorado Avalanche are very good at defending on the penalty kill. They are second in the league at 90.5%. This team is also sixth in the NHL in goals for per game. They are third in the league in goals against per game. They do not give up a whole lot. Expected goals for percentage, Colorado ranks first in the NHL, 59.61%. They are a wagon at five on five. Shots four percentage also first, 58.46% 46% and their team save percentage at five on five is 23rd at 89.81%. For the Oilers, they are 65 and four on the year. Their power play is second in the league, 35%. If the Oilers get a power play or two, they have to make the Colorado Avalanche pay, but it’ll be very difficult against the second best penalty kill unit in the league. Uh Oilers penalty kill ranks 15th, 78.4%. So very respectable penalty kill for the Oilers. Not great, not terrible. I I honestly I don’t mind it. The way the Withers Bentley kill has been in in years past. I will take this 15th ranked Benley kill right now. Goals per game they rank 18th. Goals against per game they rank 14th. Both at 3.07. Expected goals for percentage they are not very good. 48.94%. Shots for percentage they rank seventh which means expected goals for is low but the shots for is high. That means the Others are taking a lot of low danger shots. They are not generating a whole lot of high danger looks. Team State percentage five on five ranks 24th just a shade under what the Colorado Avalanche are doing at five on five 89.67% all stats 5v5 via natural static and evolving hockey. Now the keys to the game for the Edmonton Oilers I want them to roll all four lines. Chris Knobblock roll your four lines. I am tired of seeing Conor McDavid and Leon Dryidle sitting at 25 minutes time on ice at the end of the game and Matthew Seavoy and Ike Howard sitting at 6 and 1/2 or 7 and 1/2 minutes time on ice. Roll your lines. Trust your players. Otherwise, you’re going to just tire everyone out. And then by the time the third period hits, guys are exhausted. By the time overtime hits, if they get to overtime again, their top dogs have nothing left in the tank. They can’t get anything going. Roll all four lines. That is a key to the game tonight. And also with that play McDry less than 23 minutes each. I want to see McDavid at about 22. I want to see dry settle at about 20. And I want to see that ice time allocation for their bottom six elevated. Yes, the the bottom six has to obviously earn that ice time. But a lot of the Oilers top guns, they haven’t been earning their ice time, but they get it just because they’re the top guys. I would like to see the ice time spread out just a little bit more. And they also need some timely saves. Like I said, Steuart Skinner is not the reason why the team is where they’re at this season. In fact, I would argue he’s the reason why this team is even able to win any games right now. Uh he has a plus4 goal saved above expected, which is top 15 in the entire league. So, if you look at Stu’s uh underlying metrics, the advanced stats, he’s been fine. Yes, the save percentage needs to be better than than 900. I get that. But Stu himself is not the cause for the team losing. However, it’s when the goals against are happening against Stu that is causing problems. He’ll play great for 45 or 50 minutes. Team is holding on to a one or two goal lead and then that’s when the wheels fall off and then he gives up one really really ugly goal and then one goal where you’re like, “Well, that was kind of a hit or miss one.” They need timely saves from Stu. If he gives up three or four tonight, that’s okay. But where are those goals being given up from? Are the Oilers up two in the third and he’s and he’s turning into Swiss cheese? Uh are the goals against on breakaways or twoon- ones? There’s a lot of context here when it comes to Steuart Skinner, but I want timely saves from Stu. I want Stu to instill that confidence. Make some big saves early and then the players in front of him hopefully will build some confidence off that. They need timely saves from Steuart Skinner. For the Colorado Avalanche, pretty simple. Attack with speed. The Oilers look slow. They play a slow, methodical defensive style system. The Colorado Avalanche can easily expose this, especially if they want to get in and attack off the rush. Make Edmonton defend all night long and shots on goal, baby. Shots on goal. That’s all you got to do against the Mton Oilers and you will generate a ton of chances and likely generate a ton of goals. My players to watch tonight, I’m going Villipod Coulson for the Mton Oilers. He has been heating up a little bit. He had a goal against the Dallas Stars and he’s been playing much better. Him and Rosik have some chemistry that they’re building. They look really good together. Love to see that. And for the Colorado Avalanche, I’m going with Victor Olivesson. Well, what the heck? Why am I going with Victor Olivesson? Well, Olivesson has five goals in the last five games played for Colorado. He is absolutely on fire. That is a player that is to watch for Colorado. Now, what is my score prediction? What is the score prediction going to be? Well, in my last video, I talked about how when I pick the Oilers to win, they lose. When I pick the Oilers to lose, they win. Well, last time last game, I picked the Oilers to lose and they still lost. So, you know what? It does. It literally doesn’t matter until the Oilers start to show that they are for real, that they can hang with the league’s best, that they can hang on to a two-goal lead, which they’ve blown six six times this season. The Oilers have blown a multi-goal lead. Six times until the Oilers can prove and show us that they are not frauds. Tonight, I’m going with the Colorado Avalanche. I’m going with a high-scoring affair. It will at least be entertaining. I’m going to say 6’4 ABS with an empty net and a Matthew Seavoy goal. That is my score and game prediction. Let me know your score and game prediction in the comments section below. Let me know your players to watch. Let me know what you think the Oilers need to work on right now to get back into that win column and really start to separate in the Pacific division. This is not a a strong division for Edmonton, right? The the Pacific division is not that strong, but there are teams knocking on the doorstep. You guys have the San Jose Sharks. You have Celibbrini who is redot right now. You have the Anaheim Ducks who are redot right now. You have the Vancouver Conucks who are finding way to bank points even though they’re not playing their best hockey. Um, the Oilers need to be better. They need to start getting points right now. The points right now matter just as much as they do in February, March, and April. Go out there, show Colorado that they’re not as good as they think they are, and show show yourselves that you’re better than what you’ve shown this season. I’ll see you all in the postgame fan reaction. No live stream once again tonight. Uh, I’m not sure when the next time I’m going to be able to do a live stream is. Uh, I’ll try and keep you all posted on that. And uh yeah, we’ll see you soon. Tell them that you love them. And as always, fight like a kid, fight like Ben. Let’s go Oilers. See you soon, Oil Country.

Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and the Edmonton Oilers have blown SIX multi-goal leads this season. If they want to be taken seriously as a contender, they need to show up for a full 60 minutes against one of the NHL’s best in Nathan MacKinnon and the Colorado Avalanche. Here is today’s preview including projected lines, head to head stats, keys to the game, players to watch, and score prediction. Let me know YOUR thoughts in the comment section below! #oilers #edmontonoilers #nhl

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