The Edmonton Oilers begin their quest for the franchise’s first Stanley Cup since 1990 on Wednesday night against the Vancouver Canucks. With only a few changes to the roster during the offseason and players looking much improved in the preseason, the team is the most competitive fans have seen in a long time.
Goaltender Jack Campbell is coming off of a rough 2022-23 campaign but looked solid in preseason, while Connor Brown seems to be recovering well from an injury that sidelined him with the Washington Capitals last season, and Evan Bouchard seems to have taken a massive leap forward defensively.
Related: Oilers: What The Sanderson Extension Means For Evan Bouchard
Tonight will be the first game of the 2023-24 season for both the Oilers and Canucks, in yet another season-opening contest between the two teams. One is all-in for a Stanley Cup this season, while the other is looking to find its way back into the playoff picture. The Canucks made a few solid additions to their roster with Carson Soucy, Teddy Blueger, and Casey DeSmith, and are hopeful that last season’s leaders will take a step forward this season. Here’s our game-day preview.
Oilers vs. Canucks: Keys to the Game
Both teams will be looking to get off to a hot start, but their main focus has to be on the little things that they can build on.
Campbell was a huge question mark for the Oilers last season because of his lacklustre performance, and he is hoping he can bounce back this season and provide much more than he was able to last season. Bouchard is looking to build off what was a strong 2022-23 campaign, and his only weakness last season was his defensive game, and he seems to have improved on that based on his preseason performance, while Brown looked really strong alongside his old teammate Connor McDavid in the preseason. The team is hoping they can maintain that type of play, stay healthy, and produce offensively.
Meanwhile, the Canucks will be looking to build off of a strong training camp. They didn’t make the playoffs last season but made a few changes to their roster, so their focus should be on making sure they stay competitive through what seems to be a rebuild; a matchup against two of the players on the planet will be a great test to start the campaign.
Oilers Expected Lineup
The Oilers and Canucks are both quite good at hiding their game plan, but if their practice lines are any indication, fans are in for a solid battle. The Oilers are expected to go with 11 forwards and seven defensemen, and because Mattias Ekholm is nursing an injury, his ice time will be limited tonight. Edmonton’s lines are expected to be as follows:
Evander Kane – Connor McDavid – Connor Brown
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins-Leon Draisaitl-Zach Hyman
Dylan Holloway-Ryan McLeod-Warren Foegele
Mattias Janmark-Derek Ryan
Darnell Nurse-Evan Bouchard
Brett Kulak-Cody Ceci
Philip Broberg-Vincent Desharnais
Mattias Ekholm
The Canucks have some moves they have to make before they announce their lineup. Winger Ilya Mikheyev is ready to play, but the team won’t force him back from a torn ACL that has kept him out of action since getting surgery back in February. Other than that, the team is healthy, but there haven’t been any indications of what the Canucks are going with for their lines tonight.
In net, the Canucks are expected to start Thatcher Demko, while the Oilers are expected to run with Stuart Skinner.
This should be a good opening-night battle. Be sure to tune in to The Hockey Writers for up-to-the-minute coverage on the Oilers and the rest of the NHL.
