LINEUP

Oilers

Hurricanes

QUICK HITS

• An NHL head coach texted me this today: “It is a century-old problem. The later in preseason the more veterans don’t want to play. They just want to get into the season and stay healthy.” McLellan is well aware of this scenario — he saw it Monday. I expect the Oilers to be much better, but the harsh truth is it’s very difficult to make assessments on players when the intensity isn’t as high. Coaches look more for how players think the game and if they are in good position, so they aren’t always reacting after the play happens.
• Yamamoto’s biggest asset is how he thinks the game. He gets in good positions and it is why he has stood out. Jesse Puljujarvi has been a bit slow in reading plays and the coaches will be watching to see how he reacts to plays. Points are great, of course, but McLellan has pointed out numerous times he watches for instincts and hockey sense in games where the intensity and battles are much lower than the regular season.
• I’m looking for Matt Benning to be more assertive. He’s been caught in the middle too often, going or not going to pucks. It is more a timing issue than anything, I’d guess, but with Sekera out he will be asked to play a much larger role earlier this season and they will need him to find the same tempo and rhythm he played with last year.
• Ryan Stanton has a crack in his foot and he won’t play another preseason game. Yohann Auvitu hasn’t stood out. He will play with Adam Larsson tonight and I’m curious to see how he responds. He skates well, moves the puck effectively, but he rarely goes into the corner first after a puck. His tenacity and intensity has been lacking in my eyes.
• I wonder if Peter Chiarelli puts in a waiver wire request if a decent depth D-man becomes available. The Oilers are one injury away from slotting Auvitu in the lineup every game and so far he hasn’t shown a lot that makes it look like they’d have loads of confidence in him. He needs a better performance tonight.
• The Hurricanes are a good team. I think they are a playoff team this year as long as they get decent goaltending. They skate well, have good skill in their top-nine, and their defence is highly underrated. They play a very structured game. They had the third best PK last season, despite Cam Ward only having a .905sv% all season.
• The Oilers currently have 49 players on their 50-man roster. Dmitri Samorukov doesn’t count because he’s back in junior, while Tyler Benson will start the season on the non-roster IR. Once he is healthy, he will go back to junior, and when a player is in junior they don’t count towards the 50-man roster. Forwards (26): McDavid, Draisaitl, RNH, Letestu, Maroon, Lucic, Jokinen, Khaira, Strome, Caggiula, Slepyshev, Kassian, Puljujarvi, Yamamoto, Pakarinen, Malone, Rattie, Russell, Platzer, Gambardella, Chase, Laleggia, Ferlin, Callahan, Christoffer and Downing.Defence (18) : Klefbom, Larsson, Russell, Benning, Nurse, Gryba, Sekera, Auvitu, Fayne, Stanton, Simpson, Lowe, Bear, Jones, Mantha, Paigin, Betker and Lagesson.Goalies: Talbot, Brossoit, Ellis, Pasquale and Starrett.
• I don’t see the Oilers using a roster spot on Chris Kelly, and if they aren’t enamoured with Auvitu, a waiver wire pick up puts them at 50 contracts. If before the 10-game mark they decide to send Yamamoto to junior, which is what I expect, then they’d be at 49, if they made a waiver claim, or 48 if they didn’t. Chiarelli could make a two-for-one trade as well if he wanted some more contract flexibility.

TONIGHT…

Sep 25, 2017; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Edmonton Oilers forward Milan Lucic (27) looks for a pass in front of Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Scott Darling (33) during the third period at Rogers Place. Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports

• GDB -3.0: Close to NHL rosters
• GDB -6.0: Going to Winnipeg
• Letestu and RNH discuss new faceoff rules
• GDB -8.0 & -7.0: Alberta Double Dip
• Question #10: Is Sekera Replaceable?
• Training camp opens: Live Blog