Game #51: Ducks vs. Oilers Gameday Preview

Derek Lee previews the Ducks’ matchup tonight against the Edmonton Oilers.

ANAHEIM, Calif. - The Ducks have concluded their bye week and face a tough test in the Edmonton Oilers in their first game back.

The Ducks went into the break on a high, beating the San Jose Sharks 3-2 in overtime. All-Star Frank Vatrano potted the game-winner.

The Oilers come into town after having their 16-game winning streak snapped by the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday.

Mason McTavish was not on the ice for morning skate and head coach Greg Cronin was unsure in his pre-game press conference if McTavish would play tonight. However, it has now been confirmed that he will not play tonight due to an upper-body injury.

With McTavish out, Isac Lundeström slides back into the middle after spending the past several games on the wing. Max Jones will make his return to the lineup after missing a month due to a shoulder injury.

“It’s going to be great,” said Jones. “I was ready to go right before the break, but it didn’t make sense coming in to play one game and then there’s a week-long break after. Took a little bit longer of a rest and I feel really good now. Just really excited to be back in the room with the boys.”

Pavel Mintyukov, who took part in practice yesterday for the first time since suffering a separated shoulder last month, will not play tonight. Cronin said he hopes to see Mintyukov in the lineup on their upcoming road trip.

The defensive pair of Urho Vaakanainen and Radko Gudas has been reunited and Ilya Lyubushkin moves up to play with Cam Fowler after Olen Zellweger was reassigned to AHL San Diego during the bye week. The pair of Jackson LaCombe and Gustav Lindström fills out the Ducks’ blue line tonight.

“We tried to knock off the rust in practice yesterday and then skating today," said Cronin. "Good time for guys to heal. Some of the guys who haven't played like Killorn and Zegras and (Mintyukov). (Jones) got another week or so. I just think it's going to be a baptism in the first 20 minutes. I'm sure (the Oilers are) going to be a little bit sharper because they've played and they've practiced and we're just going to have to get through that and try and recapture that momentum we had before the break."

"They're a really good team," said Vatrano. "They like to play off the rush. They can make you pay for your mistakes and you've got to stay out of the box. For us, we just need to play a controlled game, a hard game. We've got to defend well. We've got to take care of the puck. They have guys that can make you pay, so we have to just play a full team effort."

"If we can put pucks behind them and establish (our forecheck) first and then gain possession from there and kind of wear them down, I think that will be crucial for us," said Jones. "They've got guys who like to twirl around the offensive zone, so we've just got to find ways to close them down when we can."

It's the first time in his young career that Leo Carlsson will be facing the Edmonton Oilers, which also means that it will be his first time playing against Connor McDavid.

"It's going to be interesting to see how good he is because he's obviously the best player in the world," said Carlsson. "It's going to be fun to see how good he is when you play against him."

Carlsson also pointed to limiting turnovers as a major emphasis for Anaheim's second half of the season, saying it turns into 'highway hockey' when they're turning the puck over constantly. "We don't want to do that," he said.

Fast Facts:
-Adam Henrique and Troy Terry are both currently on six-game point streaks. The pair have combined for 19 points during that span.
-The Ducks are 0-2-0 against the Oilers this season and have been outscored 4-15 in those two games.
-Frank Vatrano is two goals away from tying his career-high (24) from the 2018-19 season when he was a Florida Panther.

Ducks Projected Lines:

Adam Henrique - Leo Carlsson - Ryan Strome
Frank Vatrano - Benoit-Olivier Groulx - Troy Terry
Max Jones - Isac Lundeström - Jakob Silfverberg
Ross Johnston - Sam Carrick - Brett Leason

Cam Fowler - Ilya Lyubushkin
Urho Vaakanainen - Radko Gudas
Jackson LaCombe - Gustav Lindström

John Gibson

Oilers Projected Lines:

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins - Connor McDavid - Zach Hyman
Evander Kane - Leon Draisaitl - Corey Perry
Dylan Holloway - Ryan McLeod - Warren Foegele
Mattias Janmark - Derek Ryan - Connor Brown

Darnell Nurse - Cody Ceci
Mattias Ekholm - Evan Bouchard
Brett Kulak - Vincent Desharnais

Calvin Pickard