Connor McDavid had a five-point game on Tuesday night, the most productive game we’ve seen from the Edmonton captain all season long, 35 games in. He also became the fifth fastest player to reach 900 points behind Wayne Gretzky(385 games), Mario Lemieux(463 games), Mike Bossy(582 games) and Peter Stastny(599 games). Before McDavid’s injury, some fans were thinking that he could even reach 1000 career points before the regular season is over. It might’ve been possible if the injury didn’t happen at all and if he didn’t force himself to play through it. 97 needs 97 more points to achieve the feat. I’ll predict that he ends the season with at least 80 more points, barely beating out Nikita Kucherov and Nathan MacKinnon to snag another Art Ross trophy. I’m not counting on him to hit 1000 at this time, but you never know. Almost anything he does is a massive surprise when he does it, even though we should already be used to his dominance of the game by now.
This past week, hockey insider Chris Johnston linked Penguins forward Jake Guentzel to the Edmonton Oilers, believing that these two parties would be the best fit in a trade. I guess some people believe Pittsburgh won’t be able to resign Guentzel in the offseason. This is the last season of his current contract at $6M per year. With his point production, his next contract is bound to have a $2M – $3M increase. While hearing about this, Dylan Holloway and Sam Gagner were taken off Injured Reserve. Holloway will be sent down to the AHL for a conditioning stint. I gave the opinion in a previous article that I’d like to see Holloway on the top line with McDavid and Zach Hyman, making Ryan Nugent-Hopkins the 3C in order to balance the top 9 more. But it’s also been reported that Holloway will be playing games at center in Bakersfield. If he excels at that position for the Condors, then maybe having him on the third line in Edmonton will work after all. How this relates to Guentzel is that I don’t really think the Oilers need him as much. He’s a very good player, don’t get me wrong. But scoring goals has never been Edmonton’s issue; keeping pucks out has. If the McLeod/Draisaitl/Foegele line starts losing its mojo before the Trade Deadline, then having this conversation again will be valid. But if the current chemistry is doing wonders, I’d rather save the trade assets for something else. We’ve watched this team enough times to know what they really need. It’s more important to look at 1B goalie options who can split game starts and give Stuart Skinner, whose been great the last two months, a break. Calvin Pickard has done his job admirably and has played some solid games. However, I can’t see a Skinner/Pickard tandem lasting the rest of the season. And I know Guentzel is on an expiring contract anyway, but how could the Oilers fit him under the cap? I suppose they try offering Jack Campbell the other way, given his history with GM Kyle Dubas in Toronto, and that would kill a second bird with one stone. But that feels like wishful thinking, and unless Pittsburgh is the destination that helps Campbell get his groove back, it’s hard to imagine the Penguins wanting to switch out no more years of $6M with three years of $5M. Of course, any team’s offense will welcome a player like Guentzel. I will if he does go to to Edmonton. But if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it; fix something else instead.
Tonight, the Oilers could move into the second Wild Card spot with a win. Multiple breaths of fresh air to be had when thinking about this, considering how the season started for Edmonton. This is also a team that, at least on paper, the Oilers should manage to beat in order to squeak into that Wild Card. The keys to the game are…
Tiny Tim: As it stands, Leon Draisaitl is the best German-born hockey player. One young star from Germany trying to chase him is Tim Stuetzle. He’s averaging a point per game in his 4th NHL season, coming off 39 goals and 51 assists for 90 points last season. Imagine being a week away from turning 22 and centering a line with Vladimir Tarasenko and Claude Giroux. In games like this, he should be extra motivated to show up his fellow countryman.
Man Advantage Confidence: I’ve mentioned before that Edmonton’s powerplay has been slumping a little. It went 1/4 on Tuesday night, but it was a crucial PP goal. The Oilers were starting to lose momentum after blowing a 2-0 lead, then got it back with that PP goal late in the second period. It’s not always about how many you score. Sometimes, it’s when you score. That being said, Ottawa has the worst penalty kill in the league. If you want the man advantage to get back on track, this would be the most ideal time for that.
Opposing Goalie Woes: The Senators are 29th in goals against. Joonas Korpisalo is to Ottawa, what Jack Campbell is to Edmonton. He signed a long-term contract with a lot of money to help stabilize the goaltending but is playing well below his best hockey. Coming off his stellar play split between Columbus and Los Angeles last season, it has not been translating to Canada’s capital so far. He is sporting a .889 SV% and 3.60 GAA. Anton Forsberg, who had actually been pretty decent the last couple of seasons, hasn’t faired much better, with a .883 SV% and 3.36 GAA. The Oilers need to get as many pucks on net as possible while hoping this isn’t a redemption game for the visitors.
