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G16 Oilers @ Predators: Nugent-Hopkins Impresses |
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NUGE
This needed to be a big year for Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. He has been good since he stepped into the NHL but hampered by injury he was never able to take the next step. He was the de facto 1C of the Oilers but from an outsider's perspective he lacked the strength to truly be considered a top Center in the West.
Lacking in strength is something that happens when 3 seasons are affected by a shoulder problem that required surgery. It ended his 1st season prematurely but decision to undergo a corrective procedure was stayed. He was already down an arm by the time his 2nd season begun. He didn't make it through that one despite the fact it was shortened due to lockout. Finally undergoing the needed surgery he wasn't able to train all summer and even came back to game action a month early.
He was good in his 3rd year but he wasn't the player the team had hoped he would be. Taylor Hall was already a beast in his 3rd year, though the two 1st Overall picks couldn't have been further apart when it came to physical development. Hall looked like an NHL player when he graduated from Junior. RNH looked like his graduation was from Grade 9.
Now, the combination of full health and physical maturation, along with 3 seasons of learning how to play Center in the NHL's deadly West has come together for Edmonton's slight pivot and we are beginning to see potential turn into reality. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins has been Edmonton's best player on many nights already, and that includes games before Taylor Hall went down to injury.
Since the Hall injury there's no questioning that RNH transitioned from the most cautious member of that line, the heart of its Defensive responsibility, to it's offensive driver. He added an improved shot and then started fabricating opportunities to use it. The last goal he scored was a play where he sent the puck behind the net and immediately bolted to prime real estate in front of Lundqvist. I might suggest that in the past RNH may have opted to take a more cautious position after sending the puck behind the net with both his linemates that low in the zone.
He is 7th in TOI/G by forwards in the NHL with 20:41 per night. His workload is similar to a Toews or Stamkos right now. He faces all the toughest match ups when he's on the road and yet he still remains one of the best Oilers in terms of CF (54.5%) and FF (52.2%). In short, he is now the first line Center the team has desperately needed. He's even pulling in 49% on faceoffs right now, which is fantastic improvement over his career high of 42.4%.
His play has been so fantastic that there's plenty of merit to the idea of putting Hall on a different line when he returns so the team can split up the Offense. It's an interesting thought. It would keep the pressure on RNH to continue attacking in the offensive zone vs deferring to Hall and playing it safe. We know Hall is a one man army and more than capable of playing with Arcobello (Drai in the future maybe but not at 13 minutes a night) and collecting points. I wouldn't be afraid of trying it out.
A dominant western road trip by the Nuge has opened up a few eyes and forced several pundits to become aware of what we've been saying for a long time. This kid has something special inside of him. And he's only getting better.
LINEUP
The Oilers won in convincing fashion. I can't foresee any changes. Personally I wouldn't go back to Scrivens until Fasth starts to falter or we get to a back-to-back situation. Fasth's career record against the Preds is a fantastic 4-0 and he's playing the way we thought he would play after his inspired pre-season. I would love to see this Pakarinen kid get more ice time. Every time he gets a chance he does something. He doesn't look like a guy just trying to hang on.
Pouliot RNH Eberle
Perron Arco Yak
Pakarinen Drai Purcell
Hendricks Gordon Joensuu
Ference Schultz
Nikitin Petry
Aulie Fayne
Fasth
OILER KEYS TO THE GAME
1) Ebs Injured? Edmonton's 1RW needs to find ways to be more effective (which is asking a lot from someone who has 10 points already) but I fear number 14 is playing through a potentially significant injury. There's plenty of speculation about how hurt he might be but against the Rangers I saw 2 things that raised flags for me. First was the hooking penalty he took because he wasn't able or willing to move his feet. At first I dubbed it lazy then I saw red flag number 2. The second and perhaps more telling sign of injury was when a puck was thrown right in front of him for a clear breakaway but instead of going after it he looked around in panic for help. Something looks very wrong with Jordan Eberle to me.
2) Finish Strong. This is the final game in a 10 day Road Trip and the Predators have had a couple days of rest. They went as likely to hand the game to the Oilers as the Rangers were on the 2nd half of their back-to-back. The team has a chance to go 3-2 on this 5 game trip and that's fantastic. The tank needs to be emptied and the club needs to continue playing the right way. The Oilers get the chance to get their 1st win against a Western team tonight.
3) Take It To Special Teams. The Preds are stone cold killers 5v5 this season. They are a positive possession and scoring chance team but they've been receiving outstanding goaltending from Rinne. On the PP and PK, however, they are vulnerable. Their PP is ranked 21st with 14.6% (which is better than Edmonton's) but their PK is 28th ranked and sits at just 71.8%. If they can get on the Power Play Edmonton might be able to take advantage of one of the Preds few weaknesses.
Puck drops tonight at 6:08PM Mountain time on Sportsnet West. Game On!
Follow me on Twitter @Archaeologuy
Edmonton Oilers Blogger • 
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