Anaheim plays in Vancouver on Tuesday, November 3 before this one, so the Ducks who show up in Edmonton will have a fresh result, and possibly a different goalie in line, after that trip. The board stays closed until that game is in the books. Edmonton has no game in between. The Oilers come home from a 3-game swing through the Islanders, Rangers and Devils, and the overtime loss in New Jersey was their last game before Thursday.
Both clubs have holes up front, and a lot of them are on the left side. Edmonton lost Zach Hyman to injured reserve with a stiff neck after he hit the glass in the Detroit loss, Isaac Howard is out too, and Matt Savoie and Mattias Janmark are on long-term injured reserve. Anaheim is still waiting on Troy Terry. Reports say he's close but not imminent. Ryan Poehling is out 6-8 weeks with an MCL sprain, and Quenneville says Ian Moore is still "a ways from skating." With Greer now out as well, the Ducks' bottom 6 is mostly call-ups and guys playing up the lineup.
The game comes down to one question: is Edmonton's goaltending the version that posted back-to-back shutouts, or the one that gave up 6 to Toronto? Anaheim's attack can make the Oilers pay for a bad night in net. Its defense has also given up 6 and 7 at home inside the last 2 weeks. Puck drop is 7:00 PM MT. Expect plenty of goals.
