Feeling squeeze of playoff race, Oilers prepare for lowly Sharks
In a heated race to the playoffs, the Edmonton Oilers will try to bank some points against lesser competition when they host the San Jose Sharks on Monday.
The Oilers (39-23-8, 86 points) are in third place in the Pacific Division, three points ahead of the fourth-place Seattle Kraken. Edmonton gained some important breathing room over its rivals with a 6-4 win in Seattle on Saturday.
Within the congested Western Conference, the Oilers face a battle on multiple fronts. The Oilers are both trying to hold off the Kraken and other wild-card contenders while also trying to outpace the Vegas Golden Knights and Los Angeles Kings for the top spot in the Pacific.
"This is probably the tightest I've seen it with respect to the entire conference," Edmonton forward Evander Kane said. "Both divisions, where you can literally be in first place in the Western Conference, or you could be in a wild-card spot within a matter of a week ... There are still very important games down the stretch left to be played."
Fortunately for the Oilers, they seem to be peaking at the right time. Edmonton is on a three-game winning streak and is 7-2-0 over its past nine games. The Oilers have been particularly strong on home ice, with only one regulation loss (9-1-4) in their past 14 games in Edmonton
The last-place Sharks (19-37-14, 52 points) can only hope to play spoiler down the stretch, as San Jose and Edmonton play three times in the regular season's final 12 games.
The Sharks are on a six-game winless streak (0-4-2), and are just 2-11-3 in their past 16 games. In Saturday's 4-1 loss to the New York Islanders, Kevin Labanc opened the scoring with a first-period marker, but New York responded with four unanswered goals.
San Jose has a league-worst .361 (13-16-7) win percentage when scoring first in games this season.
"We've gotten off to good starts and right now when the adversity hits, we have a hard time getting over it," Sharks coach David Quinn said. "I think it's not just because of what's gone on within the framework of the game, but I think it's what's gone on over the course of the season. ... We've got to keep working on our mental toughness and not let a goal or a bad stretch get in the way of the rest of the game."
Evgeny Svechnikov is questionable for Monday's lineup due to an undisclosed injury. Svechnikov made an early exit from the Sharks' 2-1 loss to the Kraken on Thursday and didn't play against the Islanders.
James Reimer could start on Monday, given the Sharks' recent trend of alternating goaltender starts. Kaapo Kahkonen stopped 29 of 33 shots Saturday against the Islanders.
Stuart Skinner has played in 12 of Edmonton's past 13 games, so the Oilers could give the goalie a rest Monday in favor of backup Jack Campbell. However, the Oilers could opt to stick with the hot hand, as Skinner is 7-1-0 with a 2.89 goals-against average in his last eight games.
In the two teams' first meeting of the season, the Oilers rolled to a 7-1 rout in San Jose on Jan. 13.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Video shows suspect setting Toronto-area barbershop on fire
Video of a suspect lighting a Richmond Hill barbershop on fire earlier this week has been released by police.
The kids from 'Mrs. Doubtfire' are all SUPER grown up now, and we're not OK
The adorable trio of child actors from the 1993 classic comedy 'Mrs. Doubtfire,' which starred the late and great Robin Williams, are all grown up and looking back on their seminal time together.
Canadian doctor concerned new weight-loss drug Wegovy may be used inappropriately
As Wegovy becomes available to Canadians starting Monday, a medical expert is cautioning patients wanting to use the drug to lose weight that no medication is a ''magic bullet,' and the new medication is meant particularly for people who meet certain criteria related to obesity and weight.
Police officer hit by driver of fleeing vehicle in Toronto
York Regional Police say they are continuing to search for a suspect in an auto theft investigation who was captured on video running over a police officer in Toronto last month.
TD worst-case scenario more likely after drug money laundering allegations: analyst
TD Bank Group could be hit with more severe penalties than previously expected, says a banking analyst after a report that the investigation it faces in the U.S. is tied to laundering illicit fentanyl profits.
Premier Legault reiterates that McGill pro-Palestinian camp must be dismantled
Quebec Premier François Legault reiterated that the pro-Palestinian encampment at McGill University must be dismantled while police remain 'on the lookout for new developments.'
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
'I have the will to live': N.B. woman needs double lung transplant
A New Brunswick woman suffering from sarcoidosis, a disease that limits your lung capacity, is in need of a double lung transplant.
Hulk Hogan, hurricanes and a blockbuster recording: A week in review of the Trump hush money trial
Crucial witnesses took the stand in the second week of testimony in Donald Trump's hush money trial, including a California lawyer who negotiated deals at the center of the case and a longtime adviser to the former president.