One defender needs to come out for one of the next Edmonton Oilers games - and it's clear who that defenseman needs to be.
One defender needs to come out for one of the next Edmonton Oilers games - and it's clear who that defenseman needs to be.
EDMONTON -- Although the Edmonton Oilers are 9-1-2 in their last 12, the grind doesn't stop for them.
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Last night they displayed how dominate of a team they can be in the third period. Five goals in the final frame gave them a 8-3 win over the Buffalo Sabres.
Despite the end result and the good game that they played in the second and third period - it is clear that a change must be made on defense.
In his post game comments, Kris Knoblauch mentioned that Vincent Desharnais would get back into the lineup on the weekend. The Oilers play the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday and the Ottawa Senators on Sunday.
If Desharnais is coming back in, certainly that means Troy Stecher comes out, right?
It would be a mistake, if that was the case. Instead, Knoblauch needs to give Cody Ceci a break for a game.
Stecher might be new, but he has fit in quite well alongside Darnell Nurse. Last night he made a quick, accurate pass along the blue line to Nurse to assist on his tie-breaking goal.
Each game that Stecher has played he's earned more ice time. First he had 13:33, then 14:11 and then 15:04 last night. I wouldn't be surprised to see him hit 18 minutes played sometime over the weekend.
He closes gaps quickly, he can play the body or the puck, and he skates like a dream. Certainly from the eye test he seems to be getting more and more comfortable playing with Nurse.
The ideal situation might be to sit Ceci, put Desharnais back with Brett Kulak and continue to run Nurse & Stecher to further develop their chemistry.
This weekend will be a good test for the Oilers, as they look to continue building momentum into the final stretch of the regular season.
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