Connor McDavid is on the verge of history as the Oilers look for their first proper win streak of the season.
Connor McDavid is on the verge of history as the Oilers look for their first proper win streak of the season.
Tonight's matchup couldn't look much better for the Oilers.
I don't know what it is about the Nashville Predators, but the Oilers just love to play them. They're 12-1-1 against the Predators since 2019-20, outscoring them 63-32 in those 14 games. They've already beaten Nashville twice this season, making up a quarter of their total wins so far.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ghm9x-MRyJ8[/embed]
Better yet for the Oilers, this version of the Predators sits dead last in the NHL. They've scored the third-fewest goals in the league (39) and allowed the ninth-most (53). General manager Barry Trotz is already threatening a rebuild, and the team just waived a perfectly useful 26-year-old defenceman in Dante Fabbro.
On top of that, the Oilers might be heating up. They've won two games in a row, first laying a 7-3 beating on the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday, then braving a brief collapse to defeat the New York Islanders 4-3 in overtime on Tuesday.
Those weren't perfect games: they took advantage of Vancouver's shaky goaltending and blew a 3-1 third-period lead against the Islanders. But they managed to outscore their problems, which hadn't happened yet this season, and saw marked improvement from their uncharacteristically dreadful special teams.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZG71Bwl9z8M[/embed]
The Oilers could be turning a corner, and that should scare the Predators.
The Oilers will, as always, look to their two best players as they search to sweep the season series with Nashville and pick up their first three-game win streak of the year. They'll be especially important tonight as the team weathers the absence of Viktor Arvidsson.
We all know about Leon Draisaitl's affinity -- or possibly hatred -- for the Predators. In 14 games against Nashville since 2019-20, he's scored 21 goals and 37 points; a 123-goal, 216-point pace over a full season. He's already gone off on the Preds once this season when he stepped up in Connor McDavid's absence with two goals and an assist in a 5-1 win back on Halloween.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l75NMJYGslA[/embed]
McDavid has his own impressive resume against Nashville. Someone has to pass the puck to Draisaitl, after all. He's got 24 assists and 32 points in 13 games against the Predators since 2019-20, good for a 151-assist, 202-point pace. Only one point away from 1000 for his career, McDavid might blow past that milestone tonight.
The Oilers have struggled to get into a solid groove all season, but they might be settling into one now. A favourable matchup against a last-place team with history on the line could be a perfect springboard for the team ahead of their upcoming eastern Canada road trip.
The puck drops on Oilers-Predators at 7:00, on Sportsnet West.
Bookmark The Hockey News Edmonton Oilers team site to never miss news, interviews, or any other updates on the Oilers.
Related: Former Oilers Goalie Hits New Career Milestone
Related: Stuart Skinner Needs To Turn Things Around -- And Quick