Inside the Nation: Jesse Puljujarvi, Hard Love, and the Washington Capitals

The Edmonton Oilers faceoff against the Washington Capitals tonight, and all that Oilers fans are talking about is Jesse Puljujarvi being a healthy scratch for the game. Can Dustin Nielson make sense of what the Oilers are trying to do with the former 4th overall pick? How will it affect their chances against the Capitals?

With the Washington Capitals in town, Dusty starts things off by previewing tonight’s game against the Oilers, including a quick run through the line combinations from the morning skate. The notable omission from tonight’s lineup, as we’re sure everyone already knows by now, is our favourite large adult son, Jesse Puljujarvi. Does it make sense for him to be the one held accountable when no one else seems to be held to the same standard? Is there any chance the Oilers would consider trading him?

Moving on from the Pool Party drama, Dusty looked at what the Oilers are doing well and what they need to improve on the power play. Are they scoring too many goals on the rush? Are there areas to improve? Next up, Nielson looks at a couple of the other wingers, including Cooper Marody‘s NHL debut and Kailer Yamamoto making the most of his opportunity on the McNuge line. Needless to say, this was as fired up as we’ve seen Nielson so far and you’ll definitely want to check it out.

Check out the live edition of Inside the Nation on the Oilersnation Facebook page every Monday and Thursday at 2:30 pm MT.

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