COVID Protocol Game vs Habs Feb 11
As I am typing this, Jesse Puljujarvi has been put on the COVID protocol list, the Oilers are getting rapid testing, all while getting ready for a game vs the Habs in a couple hours! COOL!
What Happened?
It was very strange when we saw that James Neal was taking rushes on the top line with McDavid & RNH. No Puljujarvi for the morning skate was worrisome for sure but I wasn't suspecting anything. Just a CBA mandated rest day right? Apparently there was more to it! He most likely has to stay in Montreal longer than expected because of COVID. As of right now he hasn't tested positive but more than likely he has and will be out for ten days. So the big question is how many games will he miss in that time? GREAT QUESTION!
It will be at least 5 games and two vs Calgary, so a big loss for the Oilers if it is a positive test.
As for tonight, they play the Habs. We hope. The Oilers play them on the back half of a back to back. They lost a tough one vs the Leafs yesterday so the Oilers have to take advantage of that
Oilers (8-7)
RNH-McDavid-Neal
Kahun-Draisaitl-Yamamoto
Chaisson-Turris-Shore
Ennis-Khaira-Archibald
Nurse-Barrie
Koekkoek-Larsson
Russell-Bouchard
Smith
The right side is a bit tough to gauge right now because of no JP and no Kassian also. However I did really like the Ennis-Khaira-Archi line vs Ottawa. Got in and worked them over and created some chances, which is more than you can ask for out of your 4th line!
Scoring D-men:
It is a positive! The Oilers defensemen have combined for 10 goals this year! Leading the way is Darnell Nurse with 5 of those goals! He is definitely having a great start!
Smith gets the nod tonight in goal. He played well vs Ottawa earlier in the week. Earning a 27 save win! This will be a lot tougher of a game vs the 2nd ranked team in the North division.
Habs (8-3-2)
Tatar - Danault - Gallagher
Drouin - Suzuki - Anderson
Toffoli - Kotkaniemi - Armia
Lehkonen - Evans - Perry
Chiarot - Weber
Edmundson - Petry
Kulak - Romanov
Allen
This was the lineup last night vs the Leafs. It was announced Jake Allen will start for the Habs. He has been excellent this year in a back up role for Montreal. Posting a .940 sv% and a 1.81 GAA. Also good to note that the last time these two teams faced off Allen stopped 25 of 26 shots and got the 3-1 victory. Since then the Habs have been 6-3-1 in their last 10 games. Another note, Paul Byron was a healthy scratch. He could draw back in tonight off of a back to back.
Scoring D-Men...Again!
Speaking of defensemen who score, look at Jeff Petry's start to the season! 6 goals and 8 assists! He is leading the Habs in scoring with 14 points! Not too bad for the former Oiler!
3 Oil Drops for Victory
Need to get some saves. This for sure will be a tougher game for Mike Smith, who will be making his 2nd start of the year tonight. The Canadiens are 3rd in the NHL in scoring goals. That's a team who can put the biscuit in the basket. Stop their fire power up front, which is a combination of both the defense and the goaltender! You do that and you will win this game.
Pick up the slack. Basically it means pick up where we are hurt tonight. Kassian and JP will be out for tonight. Early on, JP has been excellent on the 1st line. 56.1% corsi for and 10.8 shots/60. That will be hard to replace. James Neal will be in his place tonight
Find a way to beat Jake Allen. The Oilers just have to shoot the puck! They are 14th in the league in shots for per game. Shoot the puck and good things usually happen. Do that and you will have a good time!
WILL JESSE BE OK????
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