Oilers Will Face Big Challenge In Dominant Minnesota Wild

Finn Marceau

Nov 21, 2024, 13:12

Finn Marceau

Nov 21, 2024, 13:12

The Oilers start the second quarter of the season against the second-best team in the West.

Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports - Oilers Will Face Big Challenge In Dominant Minnesota Wild

The Oilers' offence is slowly, slowly, heating up.

We'll see just how hot they are tonight as they face their biggest challenge of the young season, welcoming the Minnesota Wild and their league-best defence to Rogers Place.

In a season full of surprise juggernauts, the Wild certainly fit in as they sit tied with the Washington Capitals for the best record in the NHL through the first quarter of the season.

While they've gotten contributions up and down the lineup on their way to a 12-3-3 record, their red-hot start has been led by two players above all: Kirill Kaprizov and Filip Gustavsson.

Kaprizov needs no introduction. The 27-year-old winger has been a superstar ever since he entered the league in 2020-21, with a Calder Trophy, a 108-point season, and three consecutive 40-goal years under his belt already.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvsAddZprpU[/embed]

He's taken the next step this season, cementing himself as the legitimate Hart Trophy favourite with 13 goals (4th in the league) and 33 points (2nd) through 18 games. He owns an incredible 76% goals share, to go with 66.5% of the expected goals. His line with longtime running mate Mats Zuccarello and youngster Marco Rossi is one of the very best in the NHL.

The Wild also have a Vezina candidate to go with their MVP candidate. Filip Gustavsson is authoring his second excellent season in the past three, bouncing back from a disappointing 2023-24. He's taken the full-time starting job away from future Hall-Of-Famer Marc-Andre Fleury, starting 14 of the Wild's 18 games. Oh, and he can score a little, too.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=osbry5lj3bM[/embed]

His .926 save percentage ranks second among all goalies who have played at least 10 games, while his 7.1 goals saved above expected rank 4th. Between this year's dominance and his .931 save percentage in 2022-23, the 26-year-old Gustavsson seems to have beaten prospect Jesper Wallstedt to the title of Minnesota's goalie of the future. The future, it seems, is now.

While Kaprizov and Gustavsson are the two most important players in Minnesota, they have an excellent supporting cast, including possibly the league's best top four on defence. Whether it's Jonas Brodin and Jared Spurgeon or Brock Faber and Jake Middleton on the ice, the Wild's top defencemen absolutely dominate.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31XUXU0r4Kk[/embed]

The Oilers will have their hands full on all fronts tonight, as the Wild can throw two excellent forward lines at their defence and counter with two of the league's best shutdown pairs going the other way. One way or another, we'll see if the Oilers really are the Stanley Cup contenders they think they are.

Tonight's game gets underway at 7:00, on Sportsnet West.

All advanced stats courtesy of MoneyPuck.

Bookmark The Hockey News Edmonton Oilers team site to never miss news, interviews, or any other updates on the Oilers.