Game two of the Western Canada road trip kicks off tonight as the Blueshirts take on Conor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers for the second time this season. The last time the two teams saw each other, the Rangers took a 3-0 lead into the third period and allowed Edmonton to score four unanswered goals in the third, making for one of the Blueshirts most defeating efforts of the season. This was also just one week before the infamous loss to Chicago where the Rangers season started to turn around, therefore Edmonton should expect to see a completely different team tonight. The Rangers should have quite the chip on their shoulder and look to treat this game as if it was in fact a playoff game.
Scoreboard results from the last game aside, the Rangers should have a chip on their shoulders for more than one reason, specifically with one player in particular. What made the loss in November all the more disappointing was watching Leon Draisaitl, who scored what became the game-winning goal, slap the stick right out of Jacob Trouba’s hands on his way to celebrate the goal with the Oilers bench. Nobody went after him, nobody did anything, nobody cared. That’s how defeated the team was during that stretch. Tonight? The Rangers should have the mindset that they are going to make 29’s night hell out there. That’s not to suggest anyone needs to try and get him to drop the gloves or throw a cheap shot but everytime he is on the ice, guys should be looking to finish they’re checks, chirping in his ear all night and be on him like flies on garbage.
It’s no secret the Rangers have been one of the best team’s around the league as of late. They’re currently on a six game winning streak and have put up six goals in each of their last three wins. The biggest challenge with winning is growing complacent which is something the Blueshirts must avoid and tonight, they should do so by looking at it as a statement game. They should be pissed at themselves for how they let the Oilers walk back into that game in their last meeting and play with such aggression, ensuring that they come out of this one with another pair of points and a rejuvenation of their pride.
As for the Oilers, they have just begun to gain a sense of security in the Wild Card positions as they are ahead of the Wild for second in the wild card by five points. For the type of team Edmonton is, especially with McDavid and Draisaitl, there’s no question they aren’t living up to expectations. Since play resumed following the All-Star break, the Oilers have gone 2-1-2 which isn’t terrible until you realize each of those games was against teams that are far from the playoff picture. They beat Detroit once then lost to them in a shootout a week later. They’re only significant win was against the Senators who again, aren’t even close to the playoff discussion. They got blown out by the Canadiens and lost to the Flyers in a shootout.
Prior to the break, they went 7-0-1 which is where they started to turn things around but they haven’t really found their footing since. They’re going to be just as hungry for those two points as the Rangers should be, therefore we should be in for a pretty good hockey game. One of the Rangers largest shortcomings in their last win against the Canucks was their defensive showing, goaltending included. There’s no question they’re going to have to tighten up defensively with the two of the league's top players lining up against them on the other end of the ice. As for goaltending, I wouldn’t worry too much about Shesterkin and expect a strong bounce back showing in a game they are definitely going to need him to be big in.
As far as the lineup goes, I wouldn’t expect much to change from what they have been running with recently:
Kreider - Zibanejad - Tarasenko
Panarin - Trocheck - Vesey
Lafreniere - Chytil - Kakko
Goodrow - Leschyshyn - Gauthier
Lindgren - Fox
Miller - Trouba
Mikkola - Schneider
I mentioned how important it’ll be for the Rangers to tighten up defensively and get a big night from Shesterkin; The Oilers are the best team in the league as far as goals for per games played goes and have the best power play in the league. By contrast, their penalty kill and goals against average is among the league’s worst so taking advantage of any power plays and offensive zone chances in general is going to be integral for the Rangers. For as great as we all know McDavid is, he’s actually been more of a threat with assists as of late, registering six in his last five. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who has been locked in on his left side has been cashing in on 97’s playmaking as he has four through their last five and is quietly having an outstanding season, well over a point a game pace.
The big question is will the Rangers keep up the streak of scoring six goals? Well, they have the Oilers goals against numbers working in their favor but with how good their goals for numbers are, we could be looking at a high scoring game, similar to the Vancouver game. Edmonton’s been a team that rides the hot hand as of late as far as goaltending goes. Jack Campbell has been the guy getting them out of their funk so it’ll be interesting to see if he gets the start or if they look to Stuart Skinner who has turned some heads this season with his impressive rookie year. Final note, should Vitaly Kravtsov and Jesse Puljujarvi just swap jersey’s during warm ups out of convenience since we’re already there? Would be a good time to just go ahead with that trade.
Chris Feldman
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