Campbell starts as Oilers seek points, season sweep of Coyotes
Campbell starts as Oilers seek points, season sweep of Coyotes
San Jose Sharks' Logan Couture (39) is stopped by Edmonton Oilers goalie Jack Campbell (36) during third period NHL action in Edmonton on Monday March 20, 2023.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson
With regular-season games dwindling and the chances of winning the Pacific Division slipping away, the Edmonton Oilers still are fighting for every point.
Occupying third place in the division, Edmonton will try to stretch its point streak to seven games Monday night when it travels to Tempe, Ariz., to face the Arizona Coyotes.
The Western Conference clash will conclude the season series between the clubs.
Edmonton (41-23-9, 91 points) won the first two meetings, trouncing Arizona 8-2 in Canada on Dec. 7 in the Oilers' highest goal-producing game this season.
And in Edmonton last Wednesday, the Oilers grabbed a 4-3 overtime victory over the Coyotes, clinching two points on Connor McDavid's game-winning tally.
On Saturday night, against the Pacific-leading Vegas Golden Knights, the Oilers rallied three times to tie the game and force overtime, but a defensive lapse left Nicolas Roy open in front of goaltender Stuart Skinner for the winner.
That 4-3 defeat damaged Edmonton's hopes of claiming the division. A win in regulation would have left coach Jay Woodcroft's group just four points behind Vegas, but that gap grew to an almost insurmountable seven.
The Oilers entered the game riding a five-game winning streak, and the point did allow them to stay close to the second-place Los Angeles Kings, who are their likely matchup in the opening round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Although Woodcroft has said he doesn't pay attention to the standings, Oilers top-line forward Zach Hyman -- who scored his career-high 31st goal -- said everyone is aware of them.
"To be honest, yeah, you look at the standings, for sure," Hyman said during a Sportsnet intermission interview. "But the most important (thing) is how you're playing. You want to be playing well going to the playoffs, and you want to be feeling good about yourself and your team.
"It doesn't matter if you're one, two or three. ... You just want to be playing well."
In a home-and-home set with the Colorado Avalanche over the weekend, the Coyotes (27-34-13, 67 points) lost 3-1 Friday in Denver and fell 4-3 Sunday afternoon at home in a shootout.
In the latter matchup, Arizona rallied from 2-0 and 3-2 third-period deficits to send the game to overtime.
In the bottom of the seventh round, Colorado's Valeri Nichushkin - who was 0-for-1 in his career in the one-on-one competition -- deked around goalie Connor Ingram for the shootout's only tally.
By earning a point, the Coyotes stretched their home point streak to eight games (6-0-2).
For Arizona, Matias Maccelli, Christian Fischer and Clayton Keller scored goals while defenseman Michael Kesselring managed his first NHL point with an assist.
Keller became the first player in the franchise to reach 80 points (36 goals, 44 assists) since Keith Tkachuk notched 86 in the 1996-97 campaign -- the then-Phoenix Coyotes' inaugural season.
"My teammates and coaching staff have done such a tremendous job with me coming in a little bit slower," said Keller, who suffered a leg fracture in March 2022. "It's cool to be in the same conversation with (Tkachuk). He was a big part of my youth hockey and such an unbelievable captain and person."
Fourth-line right winger Brett Ritchie (illness) became sick before the match and didn't play, and Arizona iced 11 forwards in the setback.
Four children were found unresponsive on a shoreline in Portneuf-sur-Mer, Que. on Saturday after they were swept away by the tide in a fishing incident. One man is still missing, while five other people were rescued.
New study finds increase in antipsychotic drugs use in long-term care homes across Canada, despite no significant increase in behavioural symptoms – something that may expose a potential area of concern for quality of care, researchers say.
Photos released by NASA taken from International Space Station show the immense scale of the wildfires in Nova Scotia, with billowing smoke engulfing the landscape.
At the moment, wildfires are burning across six provinces and one territory in Canada — and they’re still spreading in what’s being called an unprecedented fire season. While firefighters work tirelessly to battle the merciless flames and prevent further destruction, scientists say the wildfires are linked to climate change and that this will be the new normal.
A 38-year-old sergeant in the Canadian Army was fined $3,000 and issued a severe reprimand after he made what a military judge described as 'utterly disgusting' anti-Jewish comments while conducting an infantry training course in 2021.
It's the start of a new season at Moraine Lake and for the first time, you will have to take a shuttle bus to access the famous landmark -- no matter how early you're willing to show up.
The City of Regina has a three-phase approach to address the flooding that occurs at the downtown underpasses during most heavy rainfalls, including Thursday night’s storm.
Eight years ago, the Regina Police Service (RPS) embarked on a facility dog program. Now, one of its first recruits officially retired from her career.
A Halifax-area wildfire that forced thousands of residents from their homes over the past week is 85 per cent contained and no longer spreading, officials said Saturday morning.
Evacuees at the Sandy Wickens Memorial Arena in Barrington, N.S., are out of the fire zone but now face their own battle — how to cope with so much uncertainty, and what lies ahead.
Toronto police say the five suspects involved in a stabbing at Kennedy Station Friday night that left a man in critical condition are between the ages of 12 and 15 years old.
Four children were found unresponsive on a shoreline in Portneuf-sur-Mer, Que. on Saturday after they were swept away by the tide in a fishing incident. One man is still missing, while five other people were rescued.
Police are investigating the "suspicious death" of a man discovered shot dead in downtown Montreal Saturday. According to the SPVM, a man was found around 7:50 a.m. inside an apartment on Saint-Catherine and Beaudry Streets, in Montreal's Gay Village.
The 2,000 residents of Lebel-sur-Quévillon in Northern Quebec received a mandatory evacuation notice Friday evening due to forest fires. Meanwhile, a little further north, some 1,000 residents of Chapais learned on Friday that they would have to wait at least another day before returning home.
Four children were found unresponsive on a shoreline in Portneuf-sur-Mer, Que. on Saturday after they were swept away by the tide in a fishing incident. One man is still missing, while five other people were rescued.
Photos released by NASA taken from International Space Station show the immense scale of the wildfires in Nova Scotia, with billowing smoke engulfing the landscape.
A wildfire burning out of control on northern Vancouver Island is now estimated to cover 208 hectares, or just over two square kilometres, provincial wildfire officials said Friday.
A 38-year-old sergeant in the Canadian Army was fined $3,000 and issued a severe reprimand after he made what a military judge described as 'utterly disgusting' anti-Jewish comments while conducting an infantry training course in 2021.
San Jose Sharks' Logan Couture (39) is stopped by Edmonton Oilers goalie Jack Campbell (36) during third period NHL action in Edmonton on Monday March 20, 2023.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson
