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PSG2 - Oilers @ Canucks - Yup, That's A Replacement Lineup

September 17, 2019, 5:47 PM ET [46 Comments]
Sean Maloughney
Edmonton Oilers Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
Persson is going to be a top 4 defenseman for Edmonton this season! James Neal is going to score 25 beside Nuge! Russell is a lock to make the team out of camp!

Scrolling through social media after last night's game these were some of the comments that were being thrown around. Watching hockey again and seeing some of the hopefuls looking sharp and putting up points was great to see but we are still very early into pre-season and it wasn't like the Jets were icing anything close to an NHL roster. There were maybe 3 or 4 names I recognized from the Jets lineup.

The opposite will be the case tonight as Edmonton will be icing the lesser roster and the Canucks bringing in more known names on their home ice.

LINEUP

OILERS


Granlund-Cave-P.Russell
Jurco-Marody-Currie
Benson-McLeod-Hebig
Gambardella-Malone-Peluso

Nurse-Larsson
Manning-Bear
Samorukov-Bouchard

Starrett

- Russell, Cave, Benson, and Bouchard will jump back onto the ice after playing in Edmonton last night. Specifically with Benson and Bouchard, the coaching staff is going to want to take a very long look at these guys and throw them into as much game action as possible. Look for both to play at least 4 or 5 games apiece.
- The Nurse and Larsson pair gets their first action of the season. Tippett will count on these two to be the top pairing for most of the season.
- Bear hasn't been talked about much but there is still a strong chance he can impress and make the big club out of camp.

CANUCKS

Ferland-Pettersson-Boucher
Goldobin-Gaudette-Ferraro
Pearson-Sutter-MacEwan
Arseneau-Graovac-Virtanen

Edler-Myers
Hughes-Biega
Sautner-Chaffield

Demko
McIntyre

- Brock Boesser signed a 3 year deal yesterday with an annual cap hit of 5.875 a year. He will not be in the lineup tonight but Canucks fans have to be happy to have one of their best goal scorers locked up for the next few years.
- Pettersson is the best forward stepping onto the ice tonight and it isn't even close.

OILERS PLAYER SPOTLIGHT - RYAN MCLEOD

A year ago McLeod stayed in camp longer than anyone expected, showing a level of compete, speed and skill that didn't look out of place, even well into pre-season action. I don't expect for a moment that he will play any NHL games this season but at this point next season he could be a realistic option for the Oil. Benson and McLeod may start the season together in the AHL and will also play together tonight.

CANUCKS PLAYER SPOTLIGHT - ELIAS PETTERSON

66 points through 71 games in his rookie season. The Swedish forward is dynamite and will be a point per game player for many years in the NHL. As much as I enjoy cracking jokes about the Canucks and their fair weather fans I can't deny that the young centre is one of the most exciting players to watch in the NHL.

---

3 KEYS TO VICTORY

1.) Seasoned vs Not: The forward group Edmonton is icing tonight is not close to an NHL roster. Edmonton's veteran defenders like Nurse and Larsson are going to have their hands full trying to stem the tide... doubly so for the likes of Bouchard, Samorukov, and Bear. It might not be an even fight but it's a great early test for the pairings.

2.) Bunch of Jurcs: Tomas Jurco has played just over 200 NHL games and despite that he seems to be an afterthought when many are discussing the roster. Tonight Jurco will play on the second line with Marody and Currie and have the opportunity to prove he belongs in the NHL.

3.) Good Job Russell...No Not That One:
Patrick Russell did have a solid game against the Jets yesterday. The 26 year old has done his time in the AHL and could realistically end up being a 4th line or 13th forward for Edmonton if he continues to play as he has.

FILM OF THE DAY

The fans voted and the yays have it. Film of the Day will be back all season long.

The roster Edmonton is icing today isn't an NHL roster... it's basically a lineup of replacement level players. However even a lineup of replacements can make some noise as evident by this Keanu Reeves classic.
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