The Edmonton Oilers (11-9-2) will face the Utah Hockey Club (9-10-3) on Friday night at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, with the puck dropping at 7:00 PM MT (9:00 PM EST). This will be the first meeting between the two franchises; however, the Oilers have recently had many close games against their former team in Arizona. The two teams will meet two more times this season, on December 31 and March 18. The Oilers last played on Saturday, securing a 6-2 victory over the New York Rangers, while Utah won their previous game on Tuesday night, defeating the Montreal Canadiens 3-2.
Edmonton’s captain, Connor McDavid, led the team with three points against the Rangers, and Vasily Podkolzin scored his first goal as an Oiler on Saturday night. His work ethic is outstanding, doing the “dirty work,” grinding out shifts, much appreciated by his teammates. The Oilers recorded a total of 40 shots against the Rangers, an area highlighted by Head Coach Kris Knoblauch during practice this past week. Additionally, the team’s improved PK, with Ekholm and Emberson consistently starting the kills, has also improved. However, the Oilers’ power play still needs improvement, as it has struggled to find the net consistently, converting 15.8% of the time, ranking 27th in the NHL. Head Coach Knoblauch noted that simplifying passing and shooting on the power play—particularly firing more shots off faceoff wins could give the defense less time to set up. We will see if he may mix up the unit as well in the future.
The addition of Kasperi Kapanen proved beneficial against the Rangers, as he was able to draw two penalties thanks to his lightning speed. He is expected to play a crucial role in the bottom six for Edmonton in the future and may contribute to more goal-scoring this season. Kapanen will face a challenge tonight (likely in the top six), especially with Zach Hyman and Viktor Arvidsson out with injuries. It is reported that Zach Hyman will potentially play on Tuesday in Vegas, but Viktor Arvidsson will not play at all during the road trip.
Edmonton Oilers Lines:
RNH – McDavid – Kapanen
Podkolzin – Draisaitl – Brown
Skinner – Henrique – Janmark
Caggiula – Ryan – Perry
Ekholm – Bouchard
Nurse – Stecher
Kulak – Emberson
Pickard
Skinner
Utah HC Lines:
Keller – Hayton – Schmaltz
McBain – Cooley – Guenther
Macceli – Bjugstad – Crouse
Kerfoot – Stenlund – Carcone
Sergachev – Maata
Cole – Valimaki
Kesselring – Bortuzzo
Vejmelka
Stauber
Where to Watch/Listen:
SNW
TVAS
Utah16
KSL Sports
630 CHED
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