Edmonton Oilers Look to Dominate in Heritage Classic
The Edmonton Oilers will take matters outside Sunday when they face the Winnipeg Jets in the Heritage Classic.
Edmonton is looking to continue its hot streak against the Jets as they ready for the NHL’s Heritage Classic in Manitoba. If the Oilers want to leave with a win, they have to remember some keys against Winnipeg.
Keys to the Game
First off, the Oilers must take advantage of power-play time. The Jets have 64.3 percent success on the penalty kill, which is the second-worst in the league. If Edmonton can capitalize on power-play opportunities, they should have no problem creating plays and scoring.
Also, with Patrik Laine embarrassing his opponents, Edmonton must shut down his scoring capabilities. That means strengthening on the right side and being physical on the back-check, and watching where he is at all times. In addition, they need to be strong on the penalty kill, even though Winnipeg is 21st in the league with 12.5 percent success on the man advantage.
Dustin Byfuglien leads the Jets’ mediocre defensive corps but is one of the best blueliners in the NHL. The Oilers need to figure him out and make sure that their best units are ready to push past him. Ben Morrissey is subbing in for an absent Jacob Trouba, which should make things less difficult for the Oilers.
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Line Combinations
Here are the projected lines for Sunday’s Heritage Classic.
Forwards:
Milan Lucic-Connor McDavid-Jordan Eberle
Benoit Pouliot-Ryan Nugent-Hopkins-Zack Kassian
Patrick Maroon-Leon Draisaitl-Jesse Puljujarvi
Anton Lander/Slepyshev-Mark Letestu-Tyler Pitlick
Defense:
Oscar Klefbom-Adam Larsson
Andrej Sekera-Kris Russell
Darnell Nurse-Eric Gryba
Goalies:
Cam Talbot
Jonas Gustavsson
Players to Watch
Today’s matchup will feature Connor McDavid and Mark Schiefele. They’re two dangerous centres and also played together on the IIHF World Championship team. Both of them are lethal on offense, and should be fun to watch today on the ice.
How to Watch
The puck drops at 1 p.m. MT, and you can catch the game on NHL Network, Sportsnet and also, the Oilers Radio Network.
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