The Edmonton Oilers (8-7-1) will host the Nashville Predators (5-9-2) on Thursday, November 14th, with puck drop at 7:00 PM MTN (9:00 PM EST). The Oilers last played on Tuesday night at Rogers Place against the New York Islanders, winning an overtime thriller 4-3. Leon Draisaitl scored the game-winner, capping off a 2-goal game.
Captain Connor McDavid scored an impressive 4 points against the Islanders, bringing him just 1 point away from the historic milestone of 1,000 career points. He aims to achieve this milestone at home against the Predators on Thursday night, a team against which he’s had success over his career. Watch below to hear what Leon Draisaitl had to say about McDavid approaching this milestone.
The Predators have had a rough start to the season, currently holding a record of 5-9-2, which many across the NHL did not expect. Recently, on Monday night, the Predators lost 4-3 in overtime to the Colorado Avalanche, with Samuel Girard scoring the game-winner midway through the extra period.
The two teams have met twice already this season, with the Oilers leading the series 2-0. Thursday’s game will mark the final regular season matchup between these two Western Conference clubs. Edmonton won 4-2 on October 17th and 5-1 on Halloween night in Nashville, where Leon Draisaitl was dominant without his captain.
Despite their poor record, the Predators have been stellar on the penalty kill, ranking first in the NHL with a 90.9% success rate. However, Edmonton’s special teams have struggled, with the power play converting only 17.5% of the time this season, placing them 22nd in the league. To improve their power play, the Oilers need to draw more penalties and increase their shots during power plays, bringing back their most lethal weapon.
It will be crucial for the Oilers to keep Nashville off the power play, as the Predators rank 10th in the NHL, converting 22.2% of their opportunities. It’s surprising to see Nashville’s special teams’ statistics along with their record, but they have struggled in 5-on-5 play. I expect the Oilers to approach the Predators similarly to their two previous encounters, as they seek to complete a three-game season series sweep of Nashville.
Edmonton Lines:
RNH – McDavid – Hyman
Podkolzin – Draisaitl – Skinner
Janmark – Henrique – Brown
Stecher – Ryan – Perry
Ekholm – Bouchard
Nurse – Dermott
Kulak – Emberson
*Pickard*
Skinner
Players to Watch:
Calvin Pickard: 3-2-0 record, 2.60 GAA, 0.886 save %
*Connor McDavid*: 5 goals, 12 assists, +5 (999 total career assists – milestone watch)
Evan Bouchard: 4 goals, 6 assists, +4
Nashville Lines:
Forsberg – O’Reilly – Stamkos
Marchessault – Sissons – Nyquist
Evangelista – Parssinen – Tomasino
Smith – Mccarron – L’Heureux
Skjei – Josi
Lauzon – Carrier
Del Gaizo – Schenn
*Saros*
Wedgewood
Players to Watch:
Juuse Saros: 4-7-2 record, 2.64 GAA, 0.911 save %
Filip Forsberg: 8 goals, 5 assists, -3
Roman Josi: 1 goal, 10 assists, -11
Where to Watch/Listen:
SNW
FDSNSO
880 CHED
102.5/106.3 The Game
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I hope the oilers win the Stanley cup this year.