EDMONTON – After an embarrassing 8-1 loss at home in front of a national TV audience against the Calgary Flames Saturday night, the Edmonton Oilers will come back with the same lineup Tuesday against the division leading San Jose Sharks.
Saturday’s game also involved another fan throwing their jersey onto the ice (only to have it thrown back by goaltender Ben Scrivens) and an exploding water bottle thrown by Taylor Hall. The contents of which found Coach Dallas Eakins.
“I thought it was important to let the same lineup redeem themselves,” Eakins said Tuesday morning.
“Rather then take somebody out and make one or two guys accountable for a whole team. So we’ll go right back with the same lineup and look for a better result.”
After Jeff Petry opened the scoring in the first period, the Oilers gave up four goals in three minutes of the second period and three more in the third.
Eakins believes the key to Tuesday’s game will be a strong start similar to the one they had versus Calgary.
“It is a game of simplicity – of straight lines and of stops. And that’s what we need to see early. There are some nights where you might not have to see that the whole sixty minutes and you can get out of the game with a win. But if you don’t do that tonight it’s going to be trouble.”
The only Oiler who will not be returning to the ice Tuesday after Saturday’s loss will be goalie Viktor Fasth. Fasth, who was helped off the ice at practice Monday morning after being run into by teammate Anton Lander will be re-evaluated by team doctors.
Eakins said the team is hopeful he just banged his head and sprained his neck. Ben Scrivens – who had been scheduled to start Tuesday night after his record setting 59-save performance the last time the Oilers played the Sharks – will be backed up by emergency call up Laurent Brossoit.
The last time Brossoit played on Rexall ice he was watching the Portland Winterhawks lift the Ed Chynoweth cup as a member of the Edmonton Oil Kings. The Surrey, B.C. native, who was acquired in the Ladislav Smid deal with the Calgary Flames earlier this season, had a standout junior career with Oil Kings backstopping the team to back-to-back WHL championships against the Winterhawks, winning in 2012, before losing in 2013.
This season Brossoit has split time between the ECHL and AHL with the Flames’ and Oilers’ respective farm teams.
Nail Yakupov is also out with an injured ankle. He was hit in the foot with a puck during the Feb. 27 game against the Minnesota Wild.
“Yak might start skating Friday,” said Eakins.
Game time for Tuesday is 7:30 p.m. MST.
Comments