Rangers: 8-7-2 – Oilers: 6-8-1
The Rangers are finally winning! The Rangers have now won five in a row, and they will try to make it six against the Edmonton Oilers.
The Edmonton Oilers have had a disappointing start to their season. Last season, the Oilers finished with 103 points, one more than the Rangers, and lost to the Anaheim Ducks in the second round of the playoffs. The Oilers have a bright future, and were predicted by many to be serious contenders for the Stanley Cup.
The Edmonton Oilers have won their previous two games, beating the Islanders and the Devils.
Keys to a Rangers’ victory:
- Special Teams: The Rangers and the Oilers special teams are the exact antithesis of each other. The Rangers’ power-play has been on fire of late, cranking at 23.8%. The Rangers should look to expose the Oilers who rank dead last in the NHL on the penalty kill at 72%. The Oilers power-play has also struggled this season, ranked 28th in the NHL on the power-play at 13.3%. The Rangers have killed off their last twelve penalties over the course of five games.
- Score goals: Every team has to score goals to win, Cam Talbot is a very solid goaltender, and scoring on him will not be easy. However, on average, the Oilers have scored the least amount of goals per game in the NHL at 2.33 (goals per game).
- Watch #97 and #29: The Oilers have many offensive weapons. Their first line is comprised of Patrick Maroon, Connor McDavid, and Leon Draisaitl. Patrick Maroon brings physicality to the first line and creates space to allow McDavid and Draisaitl to work their magic. If the Rangers want to win, they better shut down this first line.
Other Notes:
- Rangers’ coach Alain Vigneault has announced that “Boo” Nieves will play tomorrow. He missed the last two games due to the flu.
- Following an injury to Anton Slepyshev, the Oilers have recalled forward Jesse Puljujärvi, who was drafted fourth overall in 2016 and will make his regular season debut against the Rangers.
- Puck drop is at 1 PM EST and can be watched on MSG, MSG GO, SNW, and NHL.TV. Let’s go Rangers!
