Connor McDavid, Oilers aim to get back on track vs. Avalanche
Edmonton Oilers' Connor McDavid handles the puck during an NHL hockey game against the Dallas Stars, Wednesday, April 3, 2024, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
The Edmonton Oilers will look to get back in the win column when they entertain the visiting Colorado Avalanche on Friday night.
The Oilers (45-24-5, 95 points) return home after dropping both contests on a brief two-game road trip. Edmonton fell 3-2 in overtime in St. Louis on Monday before dropping a 5-0 decision to the Dallas Stars on Wednesday.
"Obviously not the way we want to play hockey," Ryan Nugent-Hopkins said following the loss to the Stars. "I think we were all pretty happy with our first period. I thought we were skating well and created a lot of chances, and then they get that second one and we completely go off script and that's just not our game.
"That's not how we're going to win at any point in the season, especially with nine games left against one of the best teams in the league, so it's disappointing."
Edmonton, which is three points ahead of third-place Vegas in the Pacific Division, is 7-3-2 in its past 12 games and 25-8-3 on home ice this season.
Captain Connor McDavid saw an eight-game point streak come to a halt in the loss to the Stars. McDavid, third in league scoring with 126 points in 72 games, had four goals and 16 assists during his point streak.
Zach Hyman has a team-leading 52 goals in 73 games but has been held off the scoresheet in consecutive contests.
Goaltender Stuart Skinner is 33-14-5 this season with a 2.63 goals-against average and a .906 save percentage. Skinner is 1-0-2 with a .941 save percentage and 2.23 GAA in three career games against the Avalanche.
Each of the past four meetings between the Avalanche and Oilers has needed overtime. Edmonton is 2-0-5 over its past seven games against Colorado.
The Avalanche won the only other meeting between the two clubs this season, a 3-2 victory in overtime on March 16.
Colorado travels to Edmonton following a 5-2 win over Minnesota on Thursday night. The Avalanche have 11 wins over their past 14 games (11-2-1) and moved three points behind first-place Dallas in the Central Division.
The Avalanche (48-22-6, 102 points) are 19-15-5 on the road this season.
"I loved our first period. Second period got a little hairy, we took some penalties, spent a lot of time in our zone, and they got some life off their power play," Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said. "All in all, though, I thought five-on-five we did a decent job defending -- we had a little bit tougher time in the second period closing plays out on the wall. We got some timely scoring in the third. I thought our third was a lot better than the second and we were able to come out with a win.
"Going into a back-to-back in Edmonton (on Friday), we need the points, and the guys came through, and we got it done."
Forward Jonathan Drouin collected two goals and an assist in the win, boosting his point total to five points over his past three games (three goals, two assists).
Nathan MacKinnon, four points up on McDavid in the NHL's scoring race, added a goal and two assists in Thursday's win. The Avalanche forward has three goals and four assists over his past three games.
Alexandar Georgiev will get the start between the pipes for the Avalanche. Georgiev is 37-15-4 with a 2.85 GAA and a .901 save percentage in 58 games this season. He made 32 saves in the win over Edmonton in March.
The two teams conclude the season series on April 18 in Colorado.
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