Game Day Quick Hits: Oilers at Red Wings
By baggedmilk
6 years agoAfter getting pumped by the St. Louis Blues for eight goals, the Edmonton Oilers will need to rebound quickly if they have any hope of scoring two points in their Little Caesars Arena debut.
The last time the Oilers played the Detroit Red Wings, they completely dropped the ball and absolutely ruined our Saturday. This time around, the boys are going to need a much better effort if they’re going to end this losing streak and dole out some sweet justice for the last time these two teams met.
QUICK HITS
1. Coming into today’s game, the Red Wings are at 22.4% on the power play and 84.6% on the penalty kill. Needless to say, those numbers are currently better than what the Oilers are doing with their special teams so it will be important for the Oilers to stay out of the box and also do everything they can to capitalize with the man advantage.
2. The Red Wings have been scoring goals at a higher rate than the Oilers this year, and that’s an issue. Their 63(for) – 58 (against) goal differential is light years ahead of where the Oilers are at (53-72) and they will have to play sound defensively as to not get beaten again.
3. At 6-2-2 in their last 10 games, the Oilers will be going up against a team on a roll but not one that is unbeatable. The Red Wings lost their last outing against the Avalanche on Sunday and have had three days of rest between games. Let’s hope that their small break created some rust. Wishful thinking? To compare, the Oilers are 4-5-1 in their last 10 games.
4. According to DailyFaceoff.com, the Red Wings will be without Martin Frk due to a groin injury. In 18 games played, Frk has six goals and three assists for nine points. Too bad he won’t be playing.
5. After 21 games, the Red Wings currently rank in the middle of the pack in terms of goals-for per game (2.90) and in the top third for goals-against (2.71).
6. Last night’s 8-3 killing by the St. Louis Blues was the Oilers’ third straight loss in a spiral that seems to be as ruthless as it is neverending. Over the course of this losing streak, Edmonton has allowed 18 goals which seems like an unfathomable total.
7. According to the Wings Official Site, Jimmy Howard will get the start against the Oilers. Howard has 8-5-0-2 record on the year with an excellent .928 save% and a 2.34 GAA. Those kinds of numbers combined with the Oilers unbelievably low team shooting% and you have the makings of a long afternoon.
8. After registering a goal in his first NHL game of the season, Jesse Puljujarvi hasn’t seen the scoresheet since. Puljujarvi’s minutes and linemates (and likely the expectations) have changed throughout his short tenure with the Oilers but he is still getting his minutes (15:41, 11:55, 13:04, 12:04, 13:59) and needs to find a way to chip in.
9. Darnell Nurse scored his first goal of the season against the St. Louis Blues after also playing a season high 25:58 on the back end. Nurse has been a good story this year, but I can’t help but wonder if he’s going to get too much thrown on his plate before he is ready. As we’re seeing with Klefbom, confidence can be a key factor to success and you’d hate to see Darryl lose his.
10. According to Corsica, the Oilers still rank second in terms of CF% with a 55.13%. They also rank 4th in terms of Expected Goals For. At some point, the tides have to turn around here, right? RIGHT?! I believe, at some point, the goals will starting going in for Edmonton but will it be too late when that time comes? We’re getting there.
11. The Oilers have four regulation wins after 21 games played. If only every game could make it to overtime. That said, it won’t be easy to get there since they are 1-7-3 in their last 11 games in Detroit.
WHAT HE SAID…
“I played against (McDavid) last year. When he’s on the ice, you got to be aware, but at the same time he’s one of those players that makes players around him so much better. You got to be aware of when he’s got the puck on his stick because if he’s not shooting it, he can make those plays to Draisaitl or Maroon.” -Jimmy Howard, on facing Connor McDavid (source)
GAME DAY QUESTIONS?
- How will the Oilers respond after last night’s game against the Blues?
- Is today the day where the special teams improve?
- Is this the day the Oilers will be able to get their lives together and look a little bit more like the team that broke the playoff drought?
- Who will Todd McLellan start in net after Cam Talbot got the hook after allowing two goals on three shots in St. Louis?
GAME NOTES BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE PINT
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Source: NHL.com, Official Game Page, 11/22/2017, 9:00am MST
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