Mcdavid faces test against Bergeron
The matchup to watch every game is Connor Mcdavid against somebody, but the Edmonton Oilers captain should have his hands full battling four-time Selke Trophy winner Patrice Bergeron, the best two-way forward in the game, when their teams meet Thursday.
If the Boston Bruins centre wins one more Selke, he’ll be the alltime best at that and on his way to the hockey hall of fame.
Bergeron isn’t aggravating like Ryan Kesler.
He plays between the whistles, and he’s got considerably more offence to his game than Kesler. In three games this season, Bergeron has four goals.
Here are five things to watch for when Boston hosts the Oilers:
1.Stopping the NHL’S No. 1 line The Bruins’ line of Brad Marchand-berger-on-david Pastrnak has18 points in three games, tallying six goals. Marchand has turned into Mr. Playmaker with seven assists. Like the Oilers with Mcdavid, Ryan Nugent-hopkins and Ty Rattie, this Bruins line is light years better production-wise than the other three. Marchand has also found time to get 19 penalty minutes, so he hasn’t lost that part of his game.
2.Draisaitl versus Krejci
If the first lines equalize each other, then it befits Leon Draisaitl to do more on the Oilers’ second line than David Krejci, whose career has been in hibernation. He is nowhere near as dynamic as he used to be, but Draisaitl, even if he had a goal and an assist against New Jersey, has had an indifferent camp and first game. He has to drive his line to take the heat off Mcdavid and show why he’s one of the top dozen centres in the league.
3.Get to Rask
He’s only 31, but Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask’s game has shown a few cracks the last year and early this season, where he’s given up eight goals on 87 shots in his two starts, against Washington and Ottawa. He needed former backup Anton Khudobin to prop him up last season and his work in the playoffs wasn’t good (.903 save percentage and 2.88 goals-against average in 12 games, going 5-7).
4.Bounce back from Talbot
He didn’t have a strong start in Sweden against the Devils, giving up two second-period goals he would like back, scored by Kyle Palmieri and Travis Zajac. But Cam Talbot demonstrated strong pre-season work when he was a solid A. He’s had good success against the Bruins in his career, going 4-1.
5.Somebody other than Mcdavid, please
The fourth line was on for two goals against in Sweden and didn’t get anything done offensively (no shots), but the third line’s play was just as troublesome. Ryan Strome had a tough night (three faceoff wins in 10 attempts, and one shot) and Jujhar Khaira played only 10 minutes and didn’t get a shot. The Oilers need Strome to match up against David Backes, the Bruins’ big third-line centre.