The Need to Knows
- The Time: 7pm PT
- The Place: Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, WA
- Place to Watch: KING 5, KONG, KHN, SN1, SNE, SNP, ESPN+
- Place to Listen: Kraken Audio Network via KJR 93.3-FM
Know Your Enemy
Edmonton didn’t fare well in their heavyweight Western Conference matchup against the Dallas Stars on Wednesday, falling 4-3 in regulation. The Oilers put 44 shots on goal yet were shut out until 9:30 into the third period. A collision with Mikko Rantanen’s knee forced Stuart Skinner out of the game and Thursday night’s expected starter, Calvin Pickard, up off the bench. And, despite scoring three consecutive goals late in the game, Edmonton ultimately couldn’t overcome a second period hat trick from Jason Robertson.
But, the Oilers are now 15-6-1 against Central division opponents this season, 6-3-1 over their last ten games– amassing 35 goals in that span– and have beaten the Kraken in all three meetings so far, even without Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl in the last. They’ll live.
That said, Tuesday’s game was something of a one-off. The Oilers excel at generating shot quality (controlling 54.2% on the season at five-on-five) and are a strong team in the middle frame, tied with the Devils for the best second period goal differential in the league (+28), even if their shooting percentage is surprisingly low (8.29%, 26th).
Game Preview
Edmonton head coach Kris Knoblauch doesn’t expect Skinner to travel to Seattle for Thursday’s game, and McDavid and Draisaitl should sit versus the Kraken once again. Whether Chandler Stephenson plays is hard to say– the centerman missed the last two games with an upper-body injury suffered in Seattle’s 4-0 loss to the Minnesota Wild. Any updates on his status will likely be provided at morning skate.