Oilers look to take advantage of a tired Blackhawks team
Here are five keys to victory as the Edmonton Oilers look to bounce back from a 4-3 loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Wednesday when they host the Chicago Blackhawks at Rogers Place on Friday. (7 p.m. MTS Centre. TV: SportsNet, Radio: 630 CHED).
1. Oilers home PK vs. Blackhawks PP The Oilers have the worst penalty kill at home at just less than 59 per cent (21 goals allowed in 51 tries) and the Blackhawks have the NHL’s third worst power play with only Artem Anisimov (seven goals) dangerous. This could be dead air time or maybe Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid will get another short-handed goal. They’ve figured in two this year, including the 2-on-0 against the Jets.
2. No Crawford for Blackhawks The Blackhawks’ best player this season has been Crawford and now he’s on injured reserve with an upper-body injury. He had a lower-body problem earlier. The ball is now in backup Anton Forsberg’s court. Crawford has a 2.27 average and .929 save percentage while Forsberg had one win in nine games going into a showdown with Vancouver Thursday with a 3.13 average and .909 save percentage.
3. Figuring out defence pairs With Oscar Klefbom returning from his time off to rest his shoulder problem, the Oilers have too many people and not enough chairs. In a league where teams value defencemen because they get hurt so much, it’s not a bad thing to have too many, but that’s usually a bigger issue in the playoffs. Right now, it appears Klefbom will be back with Adam Larsson and they’ll keep Darnell Nurse and Kris Russell together.
4. Jesse Puljujarvi breakthrough at home? The Oilers winger has seven goals in 20 games but all have come on the road. He’s had one goal in New York, Detroit, Winnipeg, Columbus and Minnesota and two in Calgary in his 12 road games. But nary a sniff at Rogers Place in his eight games with 19 shots on net. Puljujarvi had seven shots against the Jets Wednesday night, the second time he’s had seven in a game (the other was against Toronto at home). Is it time to see what he can do on the first power play unit?
5. Take advantage of tired team The Oilers have been catching teams on back-to-backs the last while — St. Louis, Montreal and now Chicago — and with the Blackhawks playing in Vancouver Thursday night, it’s a chance to jump on a visiting team. They beat the Blues and the Canadiens in those situations, and the Hawks present a chance for the trifecta. Teams flying in from Vancouver also lose an hour so Chicago won’t arrive in Edmonton until 1 a.m. or so.
BIG MATCHUP
Patrick Kane vs. Oilers. In 35 career games, the right winger has 47 points — the best points-to-games ratio of any team he’s played against. He’s got 14 goals in those 35 games, five game-winners. Theoretically, he’s on the Blackhawks’ second line with centre Artem Anisimov, but he’s Chicago’s most dangerous player and has been for pretty much all of his 11 seasons. He’s got 787 points in 775 career games. He has 35 points this season, 15 goals, 13 even-strength (the Blackhawks’ power play is dreadful at 29th in the league).
SICK BAY
Oilers — none Blackhawks — Corey Crawford (upper-body), Cody Franson (upper-body)