Oilers Face Another Important Test Against Wild With Both Teams Tied In Standings

The Edmonton Oilers have had one of their best starts in recent years, and tonight's game against the Minnesota Wild will help determine where they rank among the Western Conference's best.

Both teams enter the game with 13 points, although Edmonton has played one fewer game. The Oilers are 6-1-1 and sitting second in the Pacific Division, while Minnesota is 6-2-1 and leads the Central. If you look at the standings, you'll realize how close those two teams are to each other—the Wild are fourth in the West while the Oilers are third. Taking two points from another team in the top five would be a good way for Edmonton to start its five-game homestand.

The Oilers are coming off Saturday's 6-2 win over Utah, their most complete performance of the season, in which Connor McDavid recorded five points, Zach Hyman scored in his return from injury, and Mike Babcock finally got the contributions he'd been asking for from his bottom three lines.

McDavid now has 23 points through eight games, the best start of his career, and Edmonton is averaging 4.63 goals per game. Vasily Podkolzin has been producing at an impressive rate alongside McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, giving the Oilers plenty of offence even with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Matt Savoie still unavailable.

However, Minnesota has been playing some excellent hockey of its own, winning four of its last five games and arriving in Edmonton on a two-game win streak.

Kirill Kaprizov has 10 goals and 15 points through nine games, while the Wild have been getting excellent goaltending from Jesper Wallstedt. The 23-year-old has a .922 save percentage and a 1.99 goals-against average, an interesting stat compared to a team that scores almost five goals a night.

Minnesota has been effective on their special teams, converting on 32.1 per cent of its power plays while killing off 89.3 per cent of its penalties. 

It's also safe to say the Wild have Edmonton's number, as they've won all three of their games last season. 

Devon Levi is expected to start for Edmonton, returning to the crease after Tristan Jarry win over Utah. Levi suffered his first loss of the season last Thursday, although it was nothing to panic over.

The Oilers are also expected to use the same lineup that beat Utah, meaning Hyman, Colton Dach and Jake Walman will all be available for their second consecutive game after returning from injury.

McDavid played nearly 26 minutes in Thursday's loss to Utah, but that dropped to 19:52 on Saturday.

Babcock has made it clear that he wants four lines competing every night, and that win over Utah gave us a look at what that could look like once the Oilers get healthier.

Edmonton and Minnesota currently have the same number of points, and while it's only October, both teams have put themselves near the top of their respective divisions.

A win tonight would put Edmonton two points ahead of Minnesota with a game in hand. A solid opportunity, considering the Wild have been one of the better teams in the conference to start the season.

The Oilers proved they can respond to disappointing performances and win with a more structured defensive approach. The challenge remains maintaining that standard and there is no better way to prove it than against a top team in the West.

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