The Edmonton Oilers are fifth in the Western Conference with games in hand on Vancouver, Calgary, and Nashville. This after a 4-3 smackdown win over the Detroit Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. It was a case of an unmovable object meeting the irresistible force as the Oilers strolled into Motown riding a four-game road winning streak.
The hosts had their three-game winning streak end on the strength of Edmonton Oilers Kyle Brodziak’s back-to-back goals.
The top line is humming along and the second line plays like a first line. The fourth line playing better than a third line and scored three goals in two games. It looks like the coaching plan is coming together.
A pending question might be – what about Ty Rattie?
Rattie found success playing with McDavid
Rattie is the first successful right-wing fit to play with Captain Connor McDavid. But his injury opened the door to top rung trials for McDavid’s line. The latest, possibly permanent, addition is Drake Caggiula. With three goals in two games, he is the man for the plan, for now.
Where does that leave Rattie? He is a proven scorer and the first to adapt to McDavid. As the top line settles like cement with Caggiula and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins fitting the McDavid triage, Rattie is the odd man out.
But for how long?
Three out of four lines are moving in the right direction, and those who are playing will continue to earn ice-time, barring injury. Rattie might be a logical choice. It’s Puljujarvi’s to lose. As long as the Oilers win, he might be safe, for now. But one goal in nine games? Rattie two point (1-1) in five games. Edmonton Oilers coach Todd McLellan acknowledged it took the team a little adjusting to get used to the new strategy. Indeed, Edmonton sits two points out of first place in the Pacific Division and seventh overall in the National Hockey League (NHL).
Ryan Strome has yet to tally a point and sits as a minus one on the year. Milan Lucic’s fast start has all but slowed to a crawl with paltry four points in 13 games. Normally that might be considered okay, but the big guy gets paid 6 million per year.
Strome is pointless and can do better
Jesse Puljujarvi has one goal in nine games. He is still struggling to find his footing and think back to his draft year when Columbus, for some reason, chose someone else. At that draft, the Oilers were in the number four spot and targeted Matthew Tkachuk. A winger with an excellent pedigree as his father Keith is a member of the 500 goal club. Tkachuk scored 24 goals last year and has 18 points in 15 games this year.
But that is history, and hindsight being 20/20 the Oilers should have, but did not, stick with their original intentions. But, there is a pot of gold is still at the end of the rainbow and Rattie could be that pot of gold.
He has twice the points in half the games compared to Puljujarvi . He is a plus three on the season. Before his call-up last year, Rattie, had 21 goals and 43 points in 53 games with the Bakersfield Condors. He has the offensive gene in his DNA.
He can play with Connor McDavid, but as the coaching staff is finding out, so can other players. Yet, Rattie has too much talent to waste. Putting him on the third line would give the Oilers something they talked about a while ago, and now bringing it one step closer to reality.
They could have three scoring lines
They would have three scoring lines.
The goaltending is surprisingly better with Koskinen as the backup, for now, and Oscar Kelfbom along with Adam Larsson are the anchors to an improving defense.
Yes, Rattie can play with McDavid.
He can also take a third line role and elevate their stature making them another line for the opposition to worry about.
By Verhomme