Pre-Game Report: Edmonton Oilers vs Minnesota Wild

Pre-Game Report: Edmonton Oilers vs Minnesota Wild

Hello Oilers fans, Austin here and welcome to today’s pregame report between the Edmonton Oilers and the Minnesota Wild. Now, normally I probably wouldn’t be very excited for a game against the Minnesota Wild. Historically, Minnesota has had Edmonton’s number all throughout my childhood and into my 20s. Um, it’s just one of those teams. Minnesota is one of those teams that for some reason seems to consistently play very well and beat the Emmonton Oilers. However, that has kind of changed over the past couple of years. The Oilers have won four of their last 10 games versus Minnesota, which is not that great, but it is much better than what it used to be. And the Oilers have won two of their last three matchups overall against the Wild last year. The Oilers took both games in Minnesota. They lost their one game against the Wild on home ice. But the Oilers last season did play Minnesota very well. The Oilers outscored them in their two wins uh looks like by a score of 12 to four in those two games in Minnesota. But goal scoring is not going to come easy for Edmonton tonight because the Wild are starting their young phenom goalender, rookie goalender that is Yesper Walstead, who the Oilers could have drafted in 2021, but decided to trade it down in the draft to select Xavier Borggo instead. Minnesota took that pick from Edmonton, drafted Jasper Walstead. And I know a lot of fans are very intense about that. I was one of those fans back in 2021 screaming off the rooftops, why did they do that? Why would the Oilers not draft Yesper Walstead? They needed a goalender in their pipeline and for some reason they just did not draft this guy. And Yesper Walstead, he’s making all of the naysayers um stay pretty quiet these days. He has been unbelievable for the Wild. The Minnesota Wild in general, one of the hottest teams in the National Hockey League. They are 80 and2 in their last 10 games. The Oilers have their work cut out for them. But if you’re an optimist, if you’re if you’re an optimist for the Oilers side, if you’re an Oilers fan, you can look at the Oilers last five games. Now, their one outlier game, their one really bad game was against the Dallas Stars where they lost 8-3. But ever since that game against Washington during that big road trip they were on, the Oilers effort has been there. Their play has been much better. The game against Washington, they lost, but the effort was there. The game against Tampa Bay, the effort was there. They lost in overtime. Then they beat uh the Florida Panthers, which was fantastic. They came home, had a horrible game against Dallas, but then they go on the road and beat the Seattle Kraken 4 nothing. So, in the weather’s four of their last five games, I’ve liked their play a lot, and that is a reason for optimism that maybe they’re turning their season around. They have a lot of work to go or they have a lot of work to show to to prove that the team is turning their season around because if they go on home ice tonight, start of a five-game home stand, by the way, if they go on home ice tonight and Minnesota absolutely runs the show, then obviously we know the team is not, you know, back, quote unquote, back. Are they back? Uh, not quite. The Oilers have to go on a bit of a run here for me to consider them back. And I would say the Oilers on this 5game road trip or sorry five game home stand. It is not a road trip. They are at home finally on this five-game home stand. The Oilers likely have to win minimum three out of the five optimally. I would like seven points out of 10 on this home stand. To me, that would show that, okay, they’re they’re ready to go. They’re they’re banking points and they’re getting themselves back up in the standings, but there’s a lot of work to do. Minnesota’s going to be a tough matchup. In today’s pregame report, I’ll be going over the lineups, the stats, keys to the game, players to watch, and score prediction. If you like today’s content, hit that like button. If you really like it and you’re not yet subscribed to the channel, make sure to subscribe so that you never miss out on any future upload or live stream. Speaking of live streams, no live stream tonight. Uh I’m not sure when my next live stream’s going to be. Probably Saturday. Hockey night in Canada against Winnipeg is kind of what I’m aiming for, but I’ll keep you all posted. With that out of the way, let’s talk about the projected Lions versus the Minnesota Wild. uh at practice yesterday. So these lines are based on practice yesterday. You had Seavoy remaining on that top line with McDavid and Zack Heyman. And I don’t mind this at all. I think Matthew Seavoy brings a lot to the table that goes, I would say, unnoticed a lot of the time. The way he plays without the puck, uh he really does create open space for McDavid and Heyman. Zack Heyman, of course, against Seattle scored his first goal of the season. It was a power play goal, but I would like to see this line generate just a little bit more. Uh, I know Heyman, we’re still giving him a little bit of runway here to get his game going. Seavoy, I’d like to see a bit more finish. I’d like to see more shots on net. And Conor McDavid, well, he’s playing he’s he’s playing good hockey, right? I’ve actually liked Conor McDavid’s play a lot. His back and forth game uh in the offensive zone, defensive zone. I think McDavid has been pretty solid over the past couple of weeks here, and the offense is going to keep coming for him because that’s just the type of player he is. But it would be nice when he gives the puck to Seavoy Orheimman. If they could bury a couple chances tonight, that would go a long way in solidifying that top line for the time being. On the second line, you have Vilipod Coulson in with Leon Dryettle and Andrew Mjapani. Now, Majapani to me is kind of the outlier on that line. I would prefer to have someone else up there, but if you take a look at who is in the lineup right now with Rosik injured, I don’t know who you would put on the second line. Henrik, I wouldn’t want on the second line. Yan Marget, absolutely not. Frederick, absolutely not. Clattenberg, no. Um it it’s a situation where you just hope Mapani can hold his own. Maybe pot one or two. He does have a good shot. I just want to see a little bit more from Mapani. He’s been very quiet. He’s been kind of invisible lately. I’d like to see him get a little bit more engaged on the forche. I’m not sure really really happened here with Mapani because earlier in the season he was pretty effective when he was on the ice. I liked the chances he was getting. Um, and I don’t know if it’s just a situation where he’s still trying to figure out his role on the team. If the team’s trying to figure out what they need from him in the meantime, but for Majapi with Rosik out, they need some secondary scoring here. I would like to see him um, you know, start to turn his season around next to Leon. On the third line, you have Adam Henrik with Nan Hopkins and Matias Yanmark, which I thought was actually an okay line against Seattle. I didn’t dislike it. I thought they played pretty good. Nan Hopkins uh back in the lineup had two points in that game against the Kraken which was fantastic. Um it just goes to show that Nan Hopkins when when he’s out of the lineup versus when he’s in you can tell that there’s a big difference in you know the depth at center when you’re able to roll three lines with either McDavid settle or Nan Hopkins that’s fantastic. So with Nan Hopkins in the lineup right now that goes a long way in solidifying some depth that really helps that third line. Adam Henrik he’s been quiet all season but that’s what Adam Henrik does. He doesn’t really do anything negative on the ice. Uh that third line, I would like to see them just pitch in a little bit on offense. Just a little bit. I’d like to see maybe a goal. Maybe Matias Oh god, sorry. Maybe Matias Yanmark can get a goal. That would be very nice to see. And then on the fourth line, you have Frederick with Lazar and Connor Clattenber. Now Clattenberg had his first official National Hockey League fight against the Seattle Kraken. We’ll see what he’s able to do tonight against the Minnesota Wild. as Clattenberg, he’s getting an extended look right now, especially with some of the injuries to some of their forwards, Phil Rosik, and Kappa. Kappa, of course, reagravated an injury, which is very upsetting. He is likely not back until after Christmas. Uh Jack Rosvic also likely not back until after Christmas. Jake Walman was skating with the team at practice, but I don’t think he’ll be available for about another week or so. That seems to be the timeline, at least according to um Chris Knobblock. On defense, you have Echome with Bashard, who played, I would say, very well against Seattle. I’ve liked Bousard’s game a lot over the past couple of weeks here. They’ve just got to make sure that they stay consistent. Same with ECOM, right? Ecom, he’s had his ups and downs this season. As long as they’re consistently okay and good, um we’re okay with some of the mistakes that are going to happen. As long as they’re, you know, fighting for that space in front of their goalender and they’re taking away those second and third opportunities from opposition members. I have no problem with these two right now. Um, they just have to keep playing the way they have been and the team is going to have some success. On the second pair, you have Nurse with Regula. I still think Regula is biting off a little bit more than he could chew. In an optimal world, I would have Emerson up with Nurse just to kind of, you know, limit Regula’s minutes, shelter him a little bit more, I guess, would be the word. But Kulak has been absolutely abysmal this season. And putting him with Regula might be even uh an even bigger disaster. Brett Kulak, I just want to let everyone know, this is a crazy stat, by the way. In the month of November, now that we’re into December here, in the month of November, Brett Kulak was on the ice for zero goals, four at five on five and 14 goals against. Yep, he had a negative 14 goal differential at five on five in the month of November. Some of that is luck, some of that is PDO driven on ice shooting percentage is going to eventually regress positively. Um, and obviously the goalending, it is what it is. It’s been pretty bad. It’s been pretty bad. Um, but for Koulak, that’s that’s not good, right? We’ve we’ve relied on Koulak to be a very good two-way defenseman, very very stable two-way defenseman over the past couple of years in oil country, but his game it it needs to turn around. If this team has any chance of winning hockey games consistently, uh Brett Kuak has to turn his game around or he may be seen as a cap casualty and you may see the Oilers move on from him in the future. I I wouldn’t want to see it, but I could understand why they would make that decision. And then in goal, you have Steuart Skinner coming off of a big shutout against Seattle Kraken. Um, for Stu, can he follow it up with another good game in a row? Can he have two consecutive solid games in a row? Or are we going to see more regression where you play really good one night and then you’re really bad the next night, really good one night? Stu is either Dominic Hashik great, or he is absolutely just abysmal, worst goalender in the league. There is literally no in between with Stuart Skinner. We need him to start finding consistency until the Oilers are able to make a trade or make a move to solidify their goalending tandem. Now, when it comes to the stats for both clubs, the Minnesota Wild, they are 147 and five this season. They are third in the Central. They are 80 and2 in their last 10 games. They have been absolutely incredible lately and a lot of that has to do with Yeser Walstead’s play. Minnesota’s power play this season ranked seventh best in the league. Their penalty kill ranks 22nd. Goals per game, they ranked 25th, but goals against per game, they ranked ninth. So, the Minnesota Wild earlier in the season were kind of struggling at putting the puck in the net. They were struggling at getting the saves that they needed, but that has all changed. Guffs has been playing good. Walstead has been absolutely lights out. So, the Minnesota Wild don’t need a lot of goals right now to win hockey games. But to me, it also shows that they’re relying a little bit too heavily on goalending. If the Oilers are able to get to Walstead early, you could see them have success. The Minnesota Wild haven’t been playing from behind in very many games. If you get Minnesota playing from behind, you’re probably in a good spot if you’re the Oilers here. The expected goals percentage of five on five for Minnesota this season ranks 23rd. That is the exact same as Edmonton, by the way. They have the exact same expected goals for percentage. That was kind of funny looking at this morning. Shots for percentage, they ranked 27th, but their team save percentage at five on five. Look at that. A 932 or 93.23% save percentage at five on five. Minnesota’s goalending is unbelievable. It is fantastic. Their power play is good. The Oilers penalty kill has been good as of late. They just cannot give Minnesota any freebies tonight. The Oilers have to be on top of their game. Minnesota has a lot of young players. They’re very fast team. They play with a lot more pace than, you know, in years past, I would say, and they don’t trap like they used to. The Minnesota Wild today are a much more exciting team to watch than what they used to be when I was much younger. Uh, so it’s going to be an exciting game, but the Oilers have to be on top of it right from puck drop. The Oilers this season, they are 11-10 and five, which is sixth in the Pacific Division. They are 54-1 in their last 10 games. Their power play ranks third in the league. Their penalty kill ranks 17th. Goals per game ranks 11th. Goals against per game ranks 30th. That is abysmal. Expected goals, again, like I mentioned, same as Minnesota, ranks 23rd. Shots forward percentage ranks ninth. And team save percentage at five on five ranks dead last. Goes to show that sometimes if you don’t have good analytics, if you have a good goalie, they can kind of keep you in games. That’s the difference between these two teams. One team is 14-7 and five, the other is 11 10 and five. This is why so many fans in oil country scream from the rooftops about getting an upgrade in goal. Would another goalender make a big difference for Edmonton? Would with especially with the way the Withers are played in front of their goalies this season? I would say it would probably have added about three or four wins to the team and and and that would be great. If you add about three wins to the team, that’s 14 wins and then three losses away from the team. They could be, you know, realistically 147 and five instead of 11 10 and five. But for the Oilers right now, the job is focusing on tonight. Whatever Stan Bowman has cooking in the background, we’re not sure. There’s still a lot of rumors floating around. Will it be Bennington? Will it be Jarry? Will it be someone else? Will it pick someone up from waiverss one day? I don’t know what the case is. I don’t know what’s going to happen when it comes to the goalending for the Oilers, but they are 80 and1. When they get a 900 save percentage, that’s all we’re looking for tonight from Stu is a 900 save percentage. If he gives up three goals, it better be on at least 30 shots or more. That’s kind of what we’re looking at here. Now, if we look at the keys to the game, the Oilers, number one, stay out of the box. Don’t give Minnesota any chances because they will make you pay. Number two, play with an edge. I want to see that emotion that we’ve seen from this team over the past few games here, especially with Connor Clattenburg in the lineup. And number three, keep the feet moving. If you are caught flatfooted against this Minnesota Wild team, they are going to burn you. They’re going to make you look like a pylon. They’re going to make you look silly and they’re going to capitalize on their chances. The Oers have to keep their feet moving at all times tonight. And on home ice, I would hope that the crowd energy and being able to play on home ice and knowing that you’re not going on the road for another 10ame uh road trip, that would be really nice, too. It’d be nice to see the team just, you know, find a way to start building, playing together, playing as a unit, and stringing together some wins. For the Minnesota Wild, their keys to the game, capitalize on your scoring chances. Special teams are going to be key. The Oilers have been lights out on the power play against the Minnesota Wild lately. And in their last 10 games, the Oilers have 13 power play goals in 32 opportunities for about a 34 35% clip. Uh, if you’re Minnesota, do not give the Oilers any power play opportunities. And if you do, that penalty kill has to find a way to get some stops. And number three, make the Edmonton Oilers work for everything. Make Edmonton work. Force them to dump the puck in. Don’t let them have their free chances when they skate into the zone off the rush. Minnesota, they’ve been structured. They’ve been disciplined. They’re getting the saves. It’s going to be a tough one for Edmonton tonight. Our game note of the day, the Oilers are 4-6 and have a goal differential of minus two in their last 10 games against the Wild. And like I mentioned, last season in Minnesota, they beat them by a score of 7 to1 and 5-3. So if you look at the smaller sample of the last two games, maybe there’s some hope for u, you know, some reason for optimism here for the Oilers. My players to watch tonight, I’m going Zack Heyman for the Oilers. He had his first goal of the season against Seattle. Let’s see if he can build on that. Maybe get another one. Heyman, he does seem to score in bunches, so we’ll see how he does tonight. And then Yesper Walstead is going to be the player to watch for Minnesota. A lot of Withers fans will be he they’ll have they’ll have Walstead under a microscope. And if Walstead early in the game makes some saves and if Skinner can’t make the saves early in a game, well then the the fan discourse is going to be outrageous. Uh highly recommend everyone to stay off social media depending how the game goes goes tonight. Uh listen, it is what it is. Oilers fans are passionate. I completely understand. Walstead is the player to watch for the Wild. And when it comes to my score prediction, am I feeling optimistic? Am I feeling kind of in the middle or pessimistic? Now, we’re feeling optimistic today. I like the Oilers chances. I like the way they’ve played in four of their last five games. I’m going to consider that game against Dallas an outlier. I’m gonna say 5-3 Oilers with a Matthew Seavoy goal. That’s kind of what I’m feeling right now. I’m feeling pretty good overall about the team and the game. Let’s see if they can find a way to get the job done against the Wild tonight. It would go a long way. Start the home stand off strong, right? You bank a couple points now. uh not as much pressure later in the in the home stand depending how things go, but I’d like to see a big win tonight against the Wild. Let me know all of your thoughts in the comments section below. If you’re going to the game tonight, have a lot of fun and good luck. Enjoy. And uh I’ll see you in the postgame fan reaction. Tell them that you love them. And as always, fight like a kid, fight like Ben. Let’s go Oilers. We’ll see you soon, Oil Country. Enjoy the game.

The Edmonton Oilers will start a five-game homestand at Rogers Place on Tuesday night with a visit from the streaking Minnesota Wild. Austin Hockey has you covered with today’s projected lines, stats, keys to the game, players to watch and more! #oilers #edmontonoilers #nhl

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