The Oilers are looking to bounce back after a 2-1 loss to the Washington Capitals in what I thought was a well-played game overall. Edmonton limited the best team in the NHL to 25 shots on net and was right in the game without so much as a single power play for (thanks NHL refereeing). Yeah, a regulation loss is bad any time, but I think it’s more important that they played a solid game overall against this particular team.

As the season continues to unfold, the job that Oscar Klefbom has done continues to attract more attention. The Oiler defender has progressed almost in a straight line every year of his career. This is absolutely remarkable given that we preach constantly that it doesn’t ever happen. Still, it holds true for Klefbom. If not for injury, I wonder how far along he would already be.

Drafted in 2011 out of Sweden, Oscar Klefbom was known more for his defensive responsibility and his skating ability than his offense. He played 3 seasons in the Swedish Elite League and in 67 combined games over that time he managed just 3-4-7. If anyone anticipated an offensive NHL player to come from those modest numbers then they should buy more lotto tickets.

When Klefbom came over to North America he joined Edmonton’s AHL affiliate as a 3rd pairing defender. By Christmas of that same year he had jumped to the top pair and played in 17 NHL games. The following season he didn’t even play 10 AHL games before being graduated to the NHL full-time. Like in the AHL, he started on the bottom of the depth chart and by the end of the season he was at or near the top.

A year ago, Klefbom started what was actually his first season as an NHL regular. It lasted just 30 games because of a confluence of events that culminated in Klefbom getting a staph infection in his foot that required surgery. In the end he needed to get knew boots made this summer that prevented his feet from being irritated. However, in those 30 games we saw Klefbom assert himself offensively unlike anything we had seen before. He was unquestionably the best defender on the team when he went down to injury.

This season, Klefbom looks fully recovered from his foot ailments to the point where it never comes up anymore. You wouldn’t know that he had any problems at all based on his skating ability. He’s on pace for a career high, though a similar pace to what he had a year ago. The difference now is that Klefbom looks like he has unlocked his shot from the point. He’s tied for the 3rd most goals by defensemen in the NHL and it isnt a trick of some ballooned shooting percentage. Klefbom has the 7th most shots by any defender in the NHL with 157. That’s the 3rd most on the Oilers behind only McDavid and Nugent-Hopkins.

It looks more and more like the Oilers drafted a legitimate top pairing defender 19th overall in 2011. Klefbom is 23 years old, 24 in July, and keeps getting better. Tonight will be only his 170th NHL game. We have a long way to go before we hit that fabled 300 game mark when we get a real sense of what kind of player we have with Klefbom. A little more than halfway there and he’s already fantastic.

LINEUP

Based on reports from yesterday it sounds like Nurse and Larsson will be game-time decisions and Pouliot remains out.

Maroon McDavid Draisaitl
Lucic RNH Eberle
Caggiula Letestu Kassian
Hendricks Khaira Pakarinen

Klefbom Benning
Sekera Russell
Davidson Gryba

Talbot
Brossoit

OILERS KEYS TO THE GAME

1) Big Three. The Predators aren’t a one line team, but their top trio lead the way. The combination of Johansen, Arvidsson, and Forsberg have combined for almost a third of all Predator goals scored and have doubtlessly assisted to a larger total. The big three from Nashville have 46, 45, and 43 points and are the only Preds in the 40’s. Viktor Arvidsson is 2nd in the NHL in shots per 60 minutes at 12.20 shots per 60. He leads Nashville by a country mile. Johansen, oddly, has not been a goal-scoring threat for most of the season. He has just 9 goals this season, so the Oilers need to be ready for Johansen to be dishing off to his wingers for the shots.

2) Secondary Scoring. If the top line of the Predators can match McDavid’s line (a big challenge) then the next matchup is in the secondary scoring. Edmonton’s 2nd line has not been pulling its weight consistently this season. Lucic, Nugent-Hopkins, and Eberle are underperforming this season. The fact that the team has performed well as a whole has made up for this, but if they can start to perform the way they have in the past it will be a huge boost. Everyone on McDavid’s line has 20 goals or more. On the 2nd line the Nuge leads with 13 goals while both Lucic and Eberle are stuck at 12. None of them have missed a game to injury. To have none of them on a 20 goal pace is disturbing. Nashville has Neal and Fisher at 18 and 15 goals already and they aren’t playing on the top line. Advantage Nashville.

3) 3rd Pairing. The Oilers rely on their top 4 defensemen quite a bit, especially in offensive situations. What they are getting when they use the 3rd pair, though, is some solid defending. Edmonton has been patient with Brandon Davidson and Eric Gryba has been exactly what he was brought in to be for a long time. They are not a flashy duo, but they play a physical game and focus on breaking up possession. The defense of the blue line typically starts with Gryba playing his man (or crashing into him) at the blueline and Davidson collecting the puck. Together this duo has a 53.8 Goals For percentage and a 50.5 Corsi For percentage. That’s exactly what you want from a 3rd pair. It’s no-surprises hockey. When McLellan looks down his bench, he knows what he’s getting from these two. Davidson is slowly looking more and more like the player he was a year ago. It’ll be a damned shame to see him play in Vegas next year.

Puck drops at 3PM Mountain Time on Sportsnet 360. Game On!

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