Edmonton Oilers: How They Can Beat the New York Rangers
“The Edmonton Oilers play on the world’s biggest stage Thursday, taking on the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden.
Coming off a two-game losing streak, the Oilers are looking to prove they still red-hot to start 2016-17. In order to do that, some things have to change against New York.
First off, the Oilers will have to bring their A-game to the lineup. That means getting pucks on net and spending less time trying to make pretty plays. This is a cycle that Edmonton has fallen into, and they won’t get anywhere if they waste time trying to make highlight reel goals. In fact, sometimes the best goals are garbage goals, ones that get the puck on net quickly.
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Oil On Whyte 1 dEdmonton Oilers: Top Forwards Need to Make Impact
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Against New York, Edmonton will have to unleash its arsenal of big bodies. Henrik Lundqvist is “the King” because he knows how to stop the puck. However, he is often beaten upstairs, and that’s because of his urgency to protect the bottom of the net. He’s also deep in his crease, and often times, it’s easier to beat him with pucks up high.
That means that the Oilers need to put their big bodies in front to screen him, and work on deflections and getting the puck past Henrik. It’s not easy to rely on rebounds against him, because in the end, he will stop Edmonton with no problems.
Jimmy Vesey has six goals in his first 10 games and has been a force for New York. The Oilers shutdown pairing of Oscar Klefbom and Adam Larsson have to have him on their radar. He is fast, he is sneaky and he can be lethal at even strength.
The Oilers have to focus more on getting shots on net during the power play. New York has 80 percent success on the penalty kill, and if the Oilers spend too much time making pretty plays, they’ll lose their chances. During this time, they need to make quick passes, shoot pucks up high and get the big guys in the crease.
When it comes to the penalty kill, Edmonton needs to have its shutdown guys on the ice. That means winning draws, clearing the puck and blocking shots. New York has over 23 percent success on the man advantage, which is the ninth-best in the NHL. Kris Russell will definitely be an asset on every penalty kill for the Oilers, but they need to avoid too much time in the box.
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