When the Edmonton Oilers take on the Calgary Flames Monday night, the team will roll out a line of Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Kailer Yamamoto.
Yamamoto had a simple reply when asked if he’s the luckiest guy in the NHL to play with the league’s top two scorers.
“I probably am.”
Short and sweet from the smallest player on the Oilers, who has earned his spot in the NHL by playing big.
“He’s on pucks. He keeps a lot of pucks alive. When you can do that with those other two guys, you end up playing with the puck more and creating more chances,” said head coach Dave Tippett.
“He’s a really good, full ice player. He checks well, makes good little plays. He likes to go to the front of the net. He’s a good fit for them.”
“For me, it’s just play your game. They’ve going to do their thing on their ice,” Yamamoto explained. “Once you start trying to look for them too much, they get handcuffed. You get handcuffed.”
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The Oilers expected lineup in Calgary is:
Draistaitl – McDavid – Yamamoto
Ennis – Nugent-Hopkins – Puljujarvi
Shore – Khaira – Archibald
Neal – Haas – Chiasson
Nurse – Barrie
Lagesson – Larsson
Russell – Bear
Smith
The Oilers, 18-12, are 3-1 against the Flames this season. The game is on 630 CHED with the Faceoff Show at 5:30 p.m. The game starts at 7 p.m.
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