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As reported by TSN’s Jason Gregor and confirmed by the group, the Edmonton Oilers shall be with out the companies of Jesse Puljujarvi for the following three-to-four weeks. Injured in some unspecified time in the future throughout the Oilers’ 7-3 comeback victory over the Anaheim Geese Thursday night time, Puljujarvi left the ice within the second interval and didn’t return within the third. It’s not clear what occurred, however Oilers’ followers collectively waited for an replace on The Bison King all through Thursday night and early into Friday morning.
The on-again, off-again Puljujarvi was actually at all times on. His underlying numbers remained strong even when the puck wasn’t moving into for him, however of late he’s began to provide on the scoresheet. That is horrible timing for the Oilers who had been simply beginning to roll and their busy schedule isn’t about to do them any favors.
Puljujarvi Was Getting Scorching
Anticipated to select up from the place he completed off final season, the Finnish ahead was on his approach to setting profession highs. With 12 objectives and 28 factors in 46 video games, the 2021-22 marketing campaign was set to be his finest (nonetheless simply may very well be) and he was discovering chemistry with the highest gamers on the group, actually coming into his personal as an NHLer. When the Oilers made a training change, Puljujarvi was reunited with Connor McDavid shortly scored two objectives and three factors within the 4 video games.
As David Staples of The Edmonton Journal writes:
Puljujarvi’s robust play at even power is mirrored in his stable metrics for particular person Grade A photographs. He was +1.6 per sport, a wonderful quantity for a winger, bested solely by Evander Kane and Zach Hyman on the Oilers, with Warren Foegele a distant fourth. All that’s good for Puljujarvi, but it surely demonstrates simply how a lot the Oilers will miss him at even power.
supply – ‘High Edmonton Oilers winger out for a month. What does it imply for group?’ David Staples – Edmonton Journal – 02/18/2022
Not that there’s ever an excellent time to endure an damage, that is positively not the perfect time for him to go down. When a participant is a bit streaky — as younger, inexperienced scorers are typically — driving a wave of manufacturing could make an enormous distinction to at least one’s total season and their potential to contribute. Puljujarvi should get sizzling once more when he returns.
The Oilers Had been Getting Scorching Too
Puljujarvi wasn’t the one participant beginning to discover his sport underneath new coach Jay Woodcroft. Depth forwards like Derek Ryan, Warren Foegele, and Ryan McLeod had been actually beginning to play a job on this roster and the mixture of forwards of their proper positions was working. With Puljujarvi out of the lineup now, Woodcroft should modify.
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It’s not essentially so simple as popping a special ahead up on the highest line with McDavid. One, not everybody can play nicely with him. Two, whereas Woodcroft mentioned, “Subsequent man up,” when speaking concerning the loss, whoever the Oilers recall from the Bakersfield Condors (maybe Cooper Marody) gained’t have the flexibility to play on that line with the identical kind of success Puljujarvi was having. Not solely that, however the 11 forwards and 7 protection choice Edmonton was working may need to vary and that adjustment may have a serious affect on the roll the Oilers had been on.
Oilers Will Must Discover the Proper Combine
What may very well be large listed here are the road combos Woodcroft chooses to deploy shifting ahead. It appeared like an apparent resolution to maneuver Puljujarvi to the highest line. Now, Woodcroft should juggle the act of looking for the perfect match with out upsetting the apple cart. The answer on Thursday was to bump up McLeod to the second line and Kailer Yamamoto to the highest line. We’ll see if that sticks.
The fill within the depth on the group, do the Oilers name up the participant with essentially the most talent and the doubtless potential to come back in and do what Puljujarvi was doing? That might imply going with a scorer and fewer skilled participant: somebody like Dylan Holloway or Raphael Lavoie. The problem with that’s you deliver up somebody earlier than they’re doubtlessly able to be affect gamers on the NHL stage. Perhaps Brendan Perlini will get a shot on the highest line and picks up a few of the scoring contact he had within the preseason. That will be the best scenario for Edmonton but it surely’s not a given issues work out that method.
The choice is shuffling the strains round and the problem there’s that these strains had been beginning to construct chemistry and click on.
Puljujarvi Was Relentless
What the Oilers will actually miss is Puljujarvi’s endless need to be within the play. He wasn’t afraid to face in entrance of the web, get his nostril somewhat soiled or hound the opposition on the backcheck. That’s not the simplest talent to instill into gamers and when the Oilers had been struggling — at the same time as Puljujarvi was struggling on a private manufacturing stage — he was bringing that factor night time in and night time out.
This damage goes to harm each actually and figuratively.
Jim Parsons is a senior THW freelance author, part-time journalist and audio/video host who lives, eats, sleeps and breathes NHL information and rumors, whereas additionally writing options on the Edmonton Oilers. He’s been a trusted supply for five-plus years at The Hockey Writers, however greater than that, he’s on a mission to maintain readers updated with the newest NHL rumors and commerce speak. Jim is a each day should for readers who need to be “within the know.”
Different content material contributions embrace: NHLtradetalk.com, The Sportster and internet hosting weekly video casts, THW News and Rumors Rundown, plus Oilers Overtime.
For interview requests or to supply content material data, observe Jim on Twitter or his social media accounts. They seem underneath his picture on articles like this one.
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