Oilersnation Pre Game Podcast with Tyler Yaremchuk

After a huge win on Saturday night against the Jets, the Oilers begin a three-game road trip through the Central Division. Tonight, they'll look to complete the season sweep of the Nashville Predators. They picked up two wins against the Predators already this season and Leon Draisaitl has been a big reason why. His two third period goals propelled them to a victory back in February and he had three points when the Oilers won in January. In his last five games against Nashville, Leon has 14 points. He loves playing against this team and the Oilers will need him to produce tonight if they want to beat a Preds team that has won three of their last four games.

The Oilers will also welcome Kailer Yamamoto back to the lineup tonight and there is more good injury news coming as both Oscar Klefbom and James Neal are expected to play at some point on this road trip. The Oilers will also have a new-look top line tonight as they begin a tough stretch of road games. I go through it all on the Pre Game Pod (pres. by YEG Burger)!

After grabbing three of a potential four points on their recent road trip, the Oilers return to home ice tonight to face a Winnipeg Jets team that currently sits just outside of the Western Conference playoff picture and should be very desperate to pick up two points tonight. Both of these clubs have been hit hard with injuries over the last month. The Jets have ten players listed on their injured list right now but could get two impact players back tonight as both Patrik Laine and Josh Morrisey are going to be game-time decisions. For the Oilers, they won't be getting Kailer Yamamoto back in the lineup, Dave Tippet says he's close to returning but it won't happen tonight. The team will get Zack Kassian back in the lineup tonight now that he's finished serving a seven-game suspension. It's a welcome sight for an Oilers club that will look to get back on track after dropping their final two games on the road.

With all the players out of the lineup and a handful potentially returning, there is no shortage of topics in today's Oilersnation Pre Game Podcast (pres. by YEG Burger)!

After dropping the final game of their homestand, the Oilers begin a three-game road trip tonight as they head to the Staples Center to take on the LA Kings. While the Kings do sit dead-last in the Western Conference, they have been playing pretty well as of late with a record of 3-1-1 in their last five games. They've also been a decent home team this season with an above .500 record on home ice. Don't let the standings fool you, this will be a tough matchup for the Oilers.

Edmonton will get a major boost tonight as Connor McDavid will return to the lineup for the first time since suffering a quad injury back on February 8th. The Oilers managed to play pretty well, going 3-2-1, without their Captain in the lineup but his return is certainly welcome. They're also getting the Kings on the second half of back-to-back games.

What could the lines look like with 97 back in the mix? What do the Oilers need to do to snap their two-game losing streak? I break it all down in the Pre Game Podcast (pres. by YEG Burger)!

The Oilers will wrap up their quick two-game homestand tonight as they host the Minnesota Wild from Rogers Place. Despite some positive progress in his recovery, Connor McDavid will not be in the lineup tonight but considering how well they've played in the five games without him, the Oilers shouldn't be too phased by that news. Dave Tippett is likely going to roll with the same lineup that stole a point against the Bruins.

I broke down the whole matchup in the Pre Game Podcast (pres. by YEG Burger)!

The Edmonton Oilers are back on home ice after a three-game road trip that most considered wildly successful considering the circumstances around it. Tonight, they get another tough test as the best team in the league, the Boston Bruins, rolls into Ice District. Boston has been playing some tremendous hockey as of late with just one loss in their last ten games. Edmonton is going to need quite the performance from their depth forwards, young defenseman, and their goaltender if they're going to want to grab two points. It will need to be the definition of a true team effort tonight from the Oilers.

Plenty of topics to get to today in the Pre Game Podcast (pres. by YEG Burger)!

The Oilers will look to conclude their three-game road trip with a win this afternoon as they head to Raleigh, North Carolina to face the Hurricanes. Edmonton scooped up an impressive two-points on Saturday afternoon when they beat the Florida Panthers by a score of 4-1 and that win was huge considering today's opponent. While the Canes do currently sit outside of the playoffs, their +27 goal differential is the best of any team not holding a playoff spot. They're also one of the best teams in the league at generating shots and preventing them. This will be a very tough test for a depleted Oilers lineup. I go through the matchup and the important stats in the Pre Game Podcast (pres. by YEG Burger)!

After dropping the first game of their road trip, the Oilers will look to get back in the win column this afternoon as they head to Florida to face the Panthers. The Oilers are currently without their entire top line as Connor McDavid, James Neal, and Zack Kassian are all out of the lineup but they'll go up against a Panthers team that has really struggled to keep pucks out of their net as of late, giving up at least four goals in three of their last five games. They also have just two wins in their last seven games and currently sit five points out of a playoff despite having the exact same record as the Oilers.

I go through the numbers and lineups ahead of this afternoons game on the Pre Game Pod (pres. by YEG Burger)!

After finishing off their homestand with a victory, the Oilers hit the road for three straight as they continue life without their Captain. Tonight, they'll face a Tampa Bay Lightning team that is also battling through multiple key injuries. The Lightning won't have their two leading scorers, Nikita Kucherov and Steven Stamkos, and their best defensive centre, Anthony Cirelli. Still, they have a very talented group and they've been the best team in the NHL since the calendar flipped to 2020 with a record of 16-2-1. It will be a tough test for an Oilers team that is looking to keep the ball rolling after a highly entertaining win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday.

Dave Tippett will be rolling with the same lineup he had last time out and you can't really blame him either. It worked well against Chicago and that game should have given them some confidence as they begin a stretch of games that sees them play four straight games against teams currently holding playoff spots. One thing that should have Oilers fans feeling good: this team has dominated the Eastern Conference this season with a record of 14-6-2 and are 8-1-1 when playing in an Eastern Conference city.

I go through the matchup and all the numbers you need in today's Pre Game Pod (pres. by YEG Burger)!

The Oilers begin life without Connor McDavid tonight as they host the Chicago Blackhawks. The team announced earlier today that they'll be without their Captain for the next 2-3 weeks, which means he could miss anywhere from 8-12 games. That's a gut-punch to a fan base that was just getting ready to watch their team head down the stretch and contend for a division title. How should Dave Tippett need to adjust his lineup? Who needs to step up? I looked into all of that today on the Pre Game Pod.

Their matchup against the Hawks is a pretty good one. In their last ten meetings, the Oilers are 5-4-1 and Chicago has been struggling lately. They don't have a regulation win in their last five games and have been outshot in three straight. They have been getting good goaltending this season which could be a massive problem for a depleted Oilers forward group. The Oilers though have also been getting some good goaltending lately and tonight they'll put Mike Smith, who is 7-0-2 in his last nine starts, between the pipes.

Looking to put a halt to their two-game losing streak, the Oilers play host to the Nashville Predators tonight in matchup that carries some serious playoff implications. After a pair of big, emotional wins last weekend, the Oilers fell flat in back-to-back games against the Coyotes and Sharks. Considering how close the Western Conference playoff race is, this team can hardly afford to drop a third consecutive game especially when you consider that the Preds sit just three points back of the Oilers.

The Predators have dominated the Oilers over the past few years, winning 14 of their last 16 meetings, but the Oilers actually won the only meeting between these two teams earlier this season. It was a 4-2 win that saw the Oilers powerplay get two goals and their two leading scorers, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, each get three points. If the Oilers want to grab two points tonight, they'll need a similar effort and considering the lack of results they've gotten from their powerplay recently, any sort of success would be welcome.

I go through all the numbers and line up notes you need to get set for tonight's game in the Pre Game Pod (pres. by YEG Burger)!