Edmonton Oilers Look for Three in a Row Against Colorado
The Edmonton Oilers are in for another tough match-up Wednesday, as they prepare to take on the Colorado Avalanche.
Coming off a strong 5-0 win against the Chicago Blackhawks, Edmonton has seemingly found its rhythm and key to winning. If they want to keep up the hot streak against the Avalanche, there are a few things the Oilers need to keep in mind.
Projected Lines
oilers
Oil On Whyte 1 dEdmonton Oilers: Leon Draisaitl Getting Groove Back
More headlines around FanSided:
1 d - Edmonton Oilers Do Everything Right in Win Over Chicago2d - Chicago Blackhawks vs Edmonton Oilers, Live Streaming, Predictions, And More2d - Edmonton Oilers Look to Keep Rolling Against Blackhawks2d - Edmonton Oilers: Drake Caggiula Fills Out Lineup Nicely3d - Edmonton Oilers: Brandon Davidson Re-injures ShoulderMore News at Oil On Whyte
First off, here are the projected lines prior to Wednesday’s game, and things aren’t changing too much.
Forwards:
Milan Lucic-Connor McDavid-Jesse Puljujarvi
Patrick Maroon-Ryan Nugent-Hopkins-Jordan Eberle
Anton Slepyshev-Leon Draisaitl-Zack Kassian
Matt Hendricks-Drake Caggiula-Tyler Pitlick
Extra: Benoit Pouliot, Mark Letestu
Defense:
Oscar Klefbom-Adam Larsson
Andrej Sekera-Kris Russell
Darnell Nurse-Matthew Benning
Extra: Eric Gryba
Goalies:
Cam Talbot will get the nod for the Oilers, and Semyon Varlamov will likely start between the pipes for Colorado.
Keys to Victory
Live Feed nhl
Thankfully for Edmonton, Colorado presents a lot of weaknesses in their play that they can capitalize on. As always, an early start is vital. Given the Avalanche give up nearly three goals per game, Edmonton can definitely get pucks on net and get something through.
As for the power-play, the Oilers have a great one, with Drasiaitl and McDavid providing fire-power on the man advantage. They must make use of it against the Avalanche, who have the sixth-worst penalty kill in the league. Also, with their power-play unit working of late, Edmonton should be able to make plays and take their time.
In addition to the PP, the penalty kill will also be vital for the Oilers. Colorado has 17.2 percent success on the man advantage, and can also be lethal when given too much space. Accordingly, the Oilers need to shut them down and block shots, as well as maintain possession and keep the puck out of the zone. By the same token, they should stay out of the box as well.
Players to Watch
The match-up Wednesday focuses on Leon Draisaitl and Matt Duchene. Both are incredibly dangerous forwards who also have plenty of tricks up their sleeves.
The puck drops at 8 p.m. MT at Pepsi Centre in Denver.
More from Oil On Whyte
This article originally appeared on 
