The Edmonton Oilers open the NHL regular season Wednesday night at Rogers Place against the Vancouver Canucks
You can listen to live coverage of the game on 630 CHED, beginning with The Faceoff Show at 6 p.m. The actual game starts at 8 p.m.
“It’s always, outside of playoffs, the most exciting game you play in a season,” Oilers centre Leon Draisaitl said.
“You can tell there’s a lot of excitement in the group. I think the people in the city are just as excited.”
Hopes are high for the Oilers with most of last year’s roster back. However, head coach Jay Woodcroft remains focused on the day-to-day process of improving.
“We try to use pre-season to set us up to compete,” Woodcroft said.
“But most importantly is to make sure that all of our players have the clearest possible understanding of how we want the game to be played in every possible situation.”
Forward Kailer Yamamoto took part in the morning skate but wasn’t involved in the line rushes. He’s a game-time decision. The Oilers’ expected lineup is:
Kane – McDavid – Puljujarvi
Holloway – Draisaitl – Hyman
McLeod – Nugent-Hopkins – Foegele
Malone – Shore – Ryan
Nurse – Ceci
Kulak – Barrie
Murray – Bouchard
Campbell
It’s the fourth year in a row the Oilers have opened the season at home against the Canucks. They’ve won two of the previous three.
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