The Edmonton Oilers (7-7-1) will host the New York Islanders (6-6-3) on Tuesday night at Rogers Place, with puck drop scheduled for 7:00 PM MT (9:00 PM ET). The Oilers recently defeated the Vancouver Canucks 7-3 on Saturday, where the offense looked like itself again. Meanwhile, the Islanders lost 4-3 in overtime against the New Jersey Devils on Saturday. Both teams have been experiencing a rough patch and will be looking to start winning streaks to improve their divisional standings.
Saturday night against Vancouver, the Oilers’ offense finally came alive, with Connor Brown scoring twice. Other contributors included Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Viktor Arvidsson, Brett Kulak, and Corey Perry, all of whom scored as well. Although Stuart Skinner struggled in goal, allowing three goals on 20 shots, the strong offensive performance provided him with much-needed support, something he hasn’t seen a lot this season.
Currently, both the Oilers and Islanders rank near the bottom of the NHL in special teams statistics. The Edmonton power play found some success last game, converting 1 out of 3 opportunities. Historically, the Oilers’ power play has been a significant strength, but this season they are converting at a low 15.8%, while the Islanders are even lower at 13%. Additionally, both teams’ penalty kills are struggling, with Edmonton ranked 32nd in the NHL. It will be vital for the Oilers to avoid penalties against the Islanders. Maintaining solid defensive play and limiting odd-man rushes will also be crucial, especially given the Islanders’ speedy forwards in their top six.
In the faceoff circle, both teams have performed well this season. The Islanders lead the NHL, winning 55.3% of their faceoffs, while the Oilers rank fifth at 53.5%. The Islanders will likely place Ilya Sorokin between the pipes, so it will be important for the Oilers to pump shots at him all three periods. Tuesday night’s matchup at Rogers Place should be closely contested, as both teams aim to improve their records and move back above the 0.500 mark.
Edmonton Oilers Lines:
Skinner – McDavid – Hyman
Podkolzin – Draisaitl – Arvidsson
Henrique – RNH – Brown
Janmark – Ryan – Perry
Ekholm – Bouchard
Nurse – Stecher
Kulak – Emberson
*Skinner*
Pickard
Players to Watch (Edmonton):
Stuart Skinner: 4-5-1 record, 3.25 GAA, 0.883 save %
Leon Draisaitl: 10 goals, 8 assists (18 points)
Evan Bouchard: 3 goals, 4 assists (7 points), +4
New York Islanders Lines:
Lee – Horvat – Pageau
Tsyplakov – Nelson – Palmieri
Engvall – Cizikas – Holmstrom
Martin – Maclean – Wahlstrom
Mayfield – Pulock
George – Dobson
Cholowski – Hutton
*Sorokin*
Varlamov
Players to Watch (NYI):
Ilya Sorokin: 4-3-2 record, 2.52 GAA, 0.916 save %
Bo Horvat: 5 goals, 7 assists (12 points)
Ryan Pulock: 0 goals, 5 assists (5 points), +1
Where to Watch/Listen:
SNW
TVAS
MSGSN
880 CHED
ESPN NY 98.7 FM
ITR 35: Round One – Inside The Rink
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