Edmonton Oilers Shake Up Roster with Bold Move Ahead of Nashville Clash
The Edmonton Oilers face off against the Nashville Predators tonight and coach Kris Knoblauch is making a massive roster change to ensure the team wins.
After a tough start at home, the Edmonton Oilers hit the road for the first time in the new NHL season. The Oilers are 1-3 thus far this season and will hope the momentum from their overtime win in the last outing against the Philadelphia Flyers carries onto tonight's match-up with the struggling Nashville Predators.
Coming off stiff competition in their home opener, the Oilers use this change of venue as an opportunity to recalibrate and hone their game. The road can at times help to clear the mind, and that's just what Edmonton needs with their quest for consistency in the early parts of the year.
The interesting thing is that Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch opted to give Calvin Pickard his first start of the season, a very strategic move, probably to give the team some fresh legs, or it's a risk, considering how this might affect his confidence since he will be put under pressure. While Pickard's performance is of the utmost importance, the rest of the Oilers lineup will need to help him out by clamping down on 'D' and continuing the offensive pressure. Players like Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl will be counted upon to lead the charge, as they have been the most consistent performers thus far for the team.
On the other end, the Predators have gotten off to a pretty sluggish start, failing to win in any of their first three games. Head Coach Andrew Brunette has been pretty vocal about how his team, quite simply, is having some issues trying to get the chemistry going, although the effort is there. This is a big game for both teams tonight, but most importantly, it's a game that the Predators desperately need to break their current losing streak for their first win of the season. The Predators come in off of a crippling 7-3 loss to the Seattle Kraken and will be champing at the bit to get back on track in front of a raucous home crowd.
Historically, the Oilers have done well against Nashville, carrying an all-time record of 23-16-3. Recently, the win against the Flyers showed Edmonton could rebound from adversity, and now they look to maintain that momentum. However, they should take the Predators seriously enough as an opponent to stay sharp rather than think a fast start would go in their favor after Nashville's slow beginning. Composed and with a good conversion of Nashville's lapses in defense, the Oilers would be in a decent position to earn the win.
Tonight's matchup is huge in more ways than one for both squads: the Oilers will be looking to crawl up the standings ladder with this matchup, while the Predators desperately crave that first win. While Edmonton holds an edge in recent form and historically between the sides, Nashville will be battling hard to attempt to right their season. Whether the Oilers can continue such momentum, remains to be seen, but one thing for sure is that this might set the game's tone for the rest of the season.
