Arizona Coyotes vs Edmonton Oilers: previews, predictions, live stream info

Arizona Coyotes vs Edmonton Oilers: October 15, 2014

Game three; the season is officially under way.

The Arizona Coyotes are coming into this game 1-1-0. So far, they have yet to lose in overtime- and yet to win in regulation. Mike Smith has one of the worst SV % across the league, and Devan Dubnyk has one of the best. Keith Yandle leads the team in scoring already this season, while Sam Gagner struggles to net his first shot.

Speaking of Sam Gagner and Devan Dubnyk… this is a game of old friends (or old foes, depending on how you want to look at it). Gagner was a part of the rapid-fire trade that brought Teddy Purcell to the Oilers from the Lightning, then brought some scoring relief *hopefully* for Arizona in exchange for cap relief in Tampa Bay. Devan Dubnyk served as the backup for the Oilers for years- and the Coyotes snagged one of the team’s more dependable offensive prospects, Tobias Rieder.

Rieder has been reassigned to the Portland Pirates for the time being, and it’s not likely that he’ll be recalled just to play his old team. Head coach Dave Tippett believes that no one knows the enemy quite like a former player, though- so expect to see Gagner and Dubnyk taking up some serious ice time.

Game Details:

Date: October 15, 2014
Time: 7:30p.m. (PCT)
Location: Glendale, AZ
Arena: Gila River Arena
TV Info: Fox Sports, AZ
Ticket Information: We’ve got your home team tickets right here. Need away team tickets? Check it out right here. 

Keys to Victory:

The Arizona Coyotes need to bring the kind of competitive play on Wednesday that fans saw Saturday night. Offense needs to be more mobile, passing needs to remain clean (unlike on opening night, when the Coyotes fell to the Winnipeg Jets 6-2), and the defense needs to provide some relief for whoever is in net.

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Puck Prose

Mike Smith could receive playing time in this game- it seems that sitting out one game gives a shaky netminder adequate time to regroup- but don’t be surprised if Devan Dubnyk gets another start in net. He played better than your average backup on Saturday night against the Los Angeles Kings, only allowing two goals to slip through in the first period before settling into a routine of blocking shot after shot and smothering the puck to prevent rebounds from finding enemy tape. Plus, he’ll be playing his former team- and that’s something that Dave Tippett is fond of making happen.

Should Dubnyk get a chance to start again, though, the Coyotes will need to find more consistency in the playoff circle and on the penalty kill. The Oilers are known for having a fast, young offense- and while their defense leaves more than a little something to be desired, the Coyotes will need to head them off at the start to prevent Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Jordan Eberle– just to name the most household players- from sneaking past the blue line and putting the puck in the back of the net.

The best-case scenario for the Coyotes, of course, will be to draw unnecessary penalties from the Oilers. The team is sitting at an 0-1-1 record heading into this third game of the season, and starting off on the wrong foot can make teams do desperate things. The Coyotes have one of the strongest power players league-wide, and nothing could help them more than capitalizing on this. Keep lines moving fast and the Oilers could sneak past- but play a physically demanding game, shut Edmonton down in their own zone, and it could be easy to draw out stupid penalty minutes from the Pacific Division rivals.

Oct 1, 2014; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Arizona Coyotes left wing Rob Klinkhammer (36) takes a shot wide against the Edmonton Oilers goalie Ben Scrivens (30) in the first period at Rexall Place. Mandatory Credit: Chris LaFrance-USA TODAY Sports

Key Stats Heading Into Game:

1. The Oilers are a former Stanley Cup powerhouse, headed for the second season by former Cup champion Andrew Ference. Expect this veteran defenseman to make things tricky for the Coyotes when he’s out on the ice. 
2. The Arizona Coyotes were only two points off from the post-season last year; in contrast, the Oilers were dead last in the Western Conference. Not much changed for either team over the summer, save the departure of Gagner for Arizona. Expect to see the Coyotes look like the dominant team, so long as they remain focused. 
3. Keith Yandle pitched in for three assists on three goals in the last game; Oliver Ekman-Larsson scored his first goal of the season during the OT power play. If these two can maintain a consistent level of play, the Coyotes could very easy walk away from the game with a win.

Final Score Prediction: