GDB 2.0: Keep it Rolling (8pm MT, SNW)
By baggedmilk
4 years agoWelcome, Internet friends, to the very first Saturday night GDB of the 2019-20 season. Tonight, our beloved @Edmonton Oilers take on the @Los Angeles Kings in the late game, and I’m here to help us get prepared for the festivities.
With Wednesday night’s win over the Vancouver Canucks in the books and two points tucked away in the bank, the Oilers have a nice opportunity to open up their season with a 2-0 record, though the task did become significantly more difficult with Adam Larsson getting added to the LTIR on Thursday morning. The defenceman, known for sacrificing his body to make a defensive play, blocked a shot late in the first period against the Canucks, and while he was able to finish the game it obviously was not without consequence. That shot fractured his fibula and will keep him out of the lineup for 6-8 weeks, which is obviously a massive blow to the overall team defence. Taking Larsson out of the lineup adds a whole lot of pressure on a right side that is not exactly brimming with experience, and it’s going to be very interesting to see how the team adapts without him. At the very least, we’re going to see what this team’s defensive depth really looks like.
Even with Adam Larsson out of the lineup, you have to think that this is still a winnable game for the Oilers, right? The Kings really didn’t do much of anything to improve their roster this offseason, and with the smattering of youngsters that are scattered throughout tonight’s lineup, you have to assume that this is a team more likely to be fishing for lottery picks than they are a playoff position. Even so, the Oilers would be best served by not taking this team lightly. They need to keep the hammer down and play a full 60-minute game, rather than allowing lulls to happen as we saw in the second period against the Canucks. If the Oilers can do that, they should walk away with another two points in the bank. If they don’t show up ready to play, the Kings still have players on their roster that can burn you when given the chance, and I’d rather not be spending my Saturday night eating beets as a result of an avoidable loss.
Let’s do that hockey.
LINEUPS…
Oilers
Draisaitl-McDavid-Kassian
Nygard-RNH-Neal
Khaira-Cave-Russell
Granlund-Haas-Jurco
Nygard-RNH-Neal
Khaira-Cave-Russell
Granlund-Haas-Jurco
Nurse-Bear
Klefbom-Persson
Russell-Benning
Klefbom-Persson
Russell-Benning
Smith
Outside of who would fill in for Adam Larsson on the top pairing, the biggest question I had for tonight’s game was who would be playing in net. Mike Smith absolutely crushed it against the Canucks (31 saves and a .939 save%) and it would have been hard to argue against him deserving a second straight start. I can’t imagine it’ll be too long before Mikko Koskinen gets between the pipes, but I do appreciate the way that the Oilers are rolling with the hot hand, at least, to start the season. According to the morning skate, Alex Chiasson won’t be playing tonight and I’m curious to know what’s going on there. Did he get hurt? Just missed the morning skate? I’ll make sure to update the lines if anything changes.
***UPDATE***
Kings
Iafallo – Kopitar – Brown
Kovalchuk – Kempe – Carter
Wagner – Lizotte – Toffoli
Clifford – Amadio – Lewis
Kovalchuk – Kempe – Carter
Wagner – Lizotte – Toffoli
Clifford – Amadio – Lewis
Bjornfot – Doughty
Martinez – Roy
Hutton – Walker
Martinez – Roy
Hutton – Walker
Quick
The LA Kings had a horrible season in 2018-19 and I do wonder how much better (if at all) they’ll be now considering they didn’t make many changes in the offseason. While they do still have some excellent pieces atop of the roster, they’re a little bit like the Oilers in that there is plenty left to be desired beyond those top three or four guys. From where I blog, games against the Kings should turn into wins 90% of the time and I certainly hope to be right about that trend tonight.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING…
So, the preseason prognostications. Bet Online, an online sports book that regularly communicates with hockey reporters, puts the Kings’ over/under at 74.5. That’s a full point higher when the first odds were published in late July! But, seriously, do the players care about what’s said of the team from the outside? Is there an understanding that the perception of the team is different than on previous October 2s?“The majority of the group knows where they were at one point and where they ended up last year, and that was a big gulf between those two numbers, and I don’t think any body is happy with that. If you don’t know, you’re probably living under a rock, and I don’t think I need to go in there and remind them,” McLellan said. “The preseason rankings and stuff, I can guess what the lottery numbers will be tomorrow, but I’m probably not right. But I can guess. It doesn’t matter. We’ve got to play a bunch of games and do our best and see where we end up.”
TONIGHT…
Photoshop: Tom Kostiuk
Game Day Preview: Leon Draisaitl continues his reign of terror over the NHL with two more points (1G, 1A) that help power the Oilers to a 4-2 victory.
Obvious Game Day Preview: Watching Connor McDavid go up against Drew Doughty will be a good time as always.
Not-So-Obvious Game Day Preview: Many of the Los Angeles Kings are so old that the team actually lobbied to the NHL to have this game start many hours earlier so that they could be up in time for breakfast at Old Country Buffet. Unfortunately, their cries fell on deaf ears.
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Source: NHL, Official Game Page, 10/05/2019 – 12:00 pm MT
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