Oilers seeking rebound performance vs. visiting Canadiens
The Edmonton Oilers return home and try to bounce back when they host the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night.
Edmonton recently had a three-game win streak snapped when it lost to the Minnesota Wild 5-3 on Thursday night.
It was the second game of a back-to-back during a busy stretch for the Oilers.
"I think (fatigue on the second half of back-to-backs) are excuses," Oilers coach Jay Woodcroft said. "For me, we put ourselves in position to play a good game, and it was tight. Found ourselves down, but the team pushed as hard as it could all the way to the very last few seconds. Unfortunately, made too many errors and they ended up in the back of our net."
Despite the loss, Connor McDavid continued his dominance of the NHL with another multipoint night against Minnesota. The Oilers captain has a league-best 43 points this season, with 19 goals and 24 assists.
Speaking after the game, McDavid was pretty disappointed and put team results over his individual totals.
"I think when you're winning 2-1 halfway through the game, you'd like to see you get some points out of it," McDavid said. "We made mistakes and (Minnesota) made us pay."
Leon Draisaitl isn't far behind with 38 points, registering 16 goals and 22 assists for 38 points.
Those two never seem to be a question mark for Edmonton. The same can't be said for the goaltending, which has struggled mightily.
Edmonton's goalies have a combined .893 save percentage and 3.53 goals-against average. Stuart Skinner has been the more effective goalie for the Oilers, seemingly displacing Jack Campbell as the starter, but has three straight games with a save percentage below .900.
The Canadiens, who come to Edmonton after defeating the Calgary Flames 2-1 on Thursday, have not had a goaltending problem.
Jake Allen made 45 saves in the win against Calgary, keeping Montreal in the game long enough for Juraj Slafkovsky and Cole Caufield to provide the necessary offense alongside the goalie's heroics.
In typical goalie fashion, Allen downplayed his role.
"Gutsy win, obviously. It wasn't pretty," Allen said. "They're a really good hockey club. But we had a lot of blocked shots, guys sacrificed a lot, our PK was pretty solid tonight all around structurally I thought from my vantage point. It's one of those games you find ways to win."
Montreal's Sean Monahan made his return to Calgary in that game and had a pair of assists. Monahan never played for the Oilers, but he is a well-known opponent for Edmonton after many "Battles of Alberta" while he was with the Flames.
Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki leads his team with 25 points (12 goals, 13 assists), while Caufield is a close second in team scoring with 22 points (13 goals, nine assists).
Montreal recalled forward Rem Pitlick from the AHL on Thursday, but because of travel logistics had to play with seven defenseman and 11 forwards. Montreal is expected to field a more traditional 12-forward, six-defenseman lineup in Edmonton.
--Field Level Media
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Spectacular aurora light show to be seen across Canada Friday night
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Town of Fort Nelson, B.C., ordered to evacuate due to wildfire
The entire town of Fort Nelson, B.C., as well as the nearby Fort Nelson First Nation, has been ordered to evacuate due to an out-of-control wildfire.
Snowbirds in Vancouver for puck-drop flyby as Canucks face Oilers
The Canadian Forces Snowbirds will be performing a flyover across downtown Vancouver at the start of tonight's Stanley Cup playoff game between the Canucks and the Edmonton Oilers.
McGill University seeks emergency injunction to dismantle pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Video shows naked raccoon catching B.C. family by surprise
When Marvin Henschel spotted a strange and hairless creature wandering through a front lawn in B.C.'s Lower Mainland, he could barely believe his eyes.
Barron Trump declines to serve as an RNC delegate
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron Trump, has declined to serve as a delegate at this summer’s Republican National Convention, according to a senior Trump campaign adviser and a statement from Melania Trump's office.
Out-of-control wildfire prompts evacuation alert for Fort McMurray, Saprae Creek Estates Friday night
An evacuation alert was issued for two Wood Buffalo communities Friday night, as crews battled an out-of-control wildfire near Fort McMurray.