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Next Game: Oilers @ Senators, Canadian Tire Centre, Tonight at 5 p.m.
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Connor McDavid carries the puck against Angus Crookshank of the Ottawa Senators at the Canadian Tire Centre on March 24, 2024, in Ottawa. Photo by Chris Tanouye /Getty Images |
GAME DAY: Edmonton Oilers (9-8-2) at Ottawa Senators (8-8-1) |
- Edmonton Oilers are coming off a two-game losing streak after a shutout in Montreal last night - Arvidsson and Nurse are still on the bench with injuries, while Evander Kane continues to heal from abdominal surgery
- Emberson has been moved up as right winger for the fourth line to replace Stecher, who is paired with Kulak on defense - Oilers hot potato their goaltending, with Stuart Skinner in the pipes tonight - The Senators are also coming off a 4-0 shutout loss against the Hurricanes - This is the first of four back-to-back home turf bouts for Ottawa - The game will see two of Germany's best NHL contributions go head-to-head, Tim Stützle and Leon Draisaitl
Edmonton Oilers lineup
Nugent-Hopkins – McDavid – Hyman
Podkolzin – Draisaitl – Perry
Janmark – Henrique – Brown
Skinner – Ryan – Emberson
Ekholm – Bouchard
Kulak – Stecher
Dermott – Brown
Skinner
Pickard
Ottawa Senators lineup
Tkachuk – Norris – Greig
Giroux – Stützle – Batherson
Amadio – Pinto – Perron
Cousins – Gaudette – MacEwen Sanderson – Zub Chabot – Jensen Kleven – Hamonic
Ullmark
Forsberg
By the numbers
Edmonton Oilers
Power Play — 16.3% (24th)
Penalty Kill — 67.4% (31st)
Faceoffs — 53.4% (4th)
Goals For avg — 2.63 (24th)
Goals Against avg — 3.16 (18th)
Ottawa Senators
Power Play — 27.6% (6th)
Penalty Kill — 78% (20th)
Faceoffs — 50.6% (18th)
Goals For avg — 3.24 (13th)
Goals Against avg — 3.12 (17th)
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WATCH: Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch talks to the media following the Oilers 3-0 defeat in Montreal
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FROM BAD TO WORSE AS EDMONTON OILERS EMBARRASSED BY MONTREAL CANADIENS
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It’s not the Forum, but the Bell Centre in Montreal is still a cathedral of hockey. But instead of making beautiful choir music, the Edmonton Oilers came across more like drunken karaoke singers in Monday’s ill-fated visit.
They didn’t have a prayer against the Canadiens.
In what was supposed to be a rebound game against the 30th place team in the NHL after Saturday’s embarrassing meltdown in Toronto, the Oilers were out of tune all night long in an even more embarrassing 3-0 defeat.
Once again it was the usual suspects biting Edmonton in the backside. A costly turnover to make it 1-0. A soft goal to make it 2-0 and then an empty netter to add insult to injury as the Oilers fell to 9-8-2 on the season.
At the other end, Edmonton’s pop gun offence wore a path around the outside of Montreal’s zone, rarely venturing into the hard areas in search of something greasy. Thus, they got shut out for the third time this season (it would have been four shutouts in 19 games if they hadn’t kicked one in in the last minute of a 6-1 loss to Columbus last month. |
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EDMONTON OILERS DOCTORING LINEUP WITH INJURIES TO NURSE, ARVIDSSON
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The Edmonton Oilers have gone under the hood just as they’ve gotten on a bit of a roll.
But it wasn’t for some fine-tuning on their roster. Instead, the team has found itself on a busy road trip through Eastern Canada, having to pull over to make some repairs.
The latest was for an injury to defenceman Darnell Nurse, who had to leave Saturday’s game, a 4-3 overtime loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs, after taking a shoulder to the head from Ryan Reaves.
It led to Reaves getting a match penalty for attempting to injure a player, while the NHL’s Department of Player Safety followed up by suspending the Maple Leafs forward for five games Sunday.
Of course, it comes as small consolation to the Oilers, who had to continue their journey without a key component on their top defensive pairing as they moved on to face the Montreal Canadiens on Monday.
“Obviously, there’s a big scare there, just when it happened on the ice,” Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch said. “But since then he’s progressed really well, he’s doing as good as he can. |
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Edmonton Oilers 2024-25 statistics
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Leon Draisaitl: 19 GP, 13, 11 A, 24 PTS Connor McDavid: 16 GP, 7G, 14 A, 21 PTS - Ryan Nugent-Hopkins: 19 GP, 1 G, 7 A, 8 PTS
Zach Hyman: 19 GP, 3 G, 5 A, 8 PTS Mattias Janmark: 19 GP, 1G, 7 A, 8 PTS
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| Mattias Ekholm: 19 GP, 2 G, 8 A, 10 PTS
Evan Bouchard: 19 GP, 4G, 6A, 10 PTS Darnell Nurse: 18 GP, 2 G, 7 A, 9 PTS Brett Kulak: 19 GP, 4G, 3 A, 7 PTS
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| - Stuart Skinner: 12 GP, 5-5-2, .877 SV%, 3.28 GAA
- Calvin Pickard: 8 GP, 4-3--0, 0.893 SV%, 2.44 GAA
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Montreal Canadiens Kirby Dach checks Leon Draisaitl during second period of a National Hockey League game in Montreal on Monday, Nov 18, 2024. Photo by John Mahoney /Montreal Gazette |
Player grades: Edmonton Oilers flat as a pancake in loss to Montreal Canadiens
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By David Staples
The Edmonton Oilers failed to capitalize on their early chances, the Montreal Canadiens then found some life with a late second period goal off some lazy Edmonton defending. The Habs out-worked the Oilers in the third, scoring two more goals in a 3-0 win. The Oilers pulled their goal with just under five minutes left, a desperate attempt to conjure up any kind of effort, but not to be.
In the end Edmonton had ten Grade A shots, Montreal eight, with both teams have four of the most dangerous 5-alarm shots.
Here are the Cult of Hockey game grades player grades:
Connor McDavid, 4. Ho-hum game for 97. He was moving well but could get little done in the first half of the game, save for setting up good shot for Drai, RNH and Hyman. He and Draisaitl were united on the top line in the third but failed anything going. He had just one shot on net. Contributions/mistakes on Grade A shots (GAS): Even Strength +2/-0; Special Teams 3/0
Zach Hyman, 5. He missed early on a golden chance, a one-timer opportunity set up by McD but almost scored a few shifts later off an Ekholm shot rebound. Pounded a hard PP shot on goal in the second. GAS: ES +1/-2; ST 1/0
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, 5. He went to the net and almost tipped in a brilliant pass by Draisaitl in the first. Hit the crossbar on a fine power play feed from McD. A goal would have been nice, but not to be. GAS: ES +1/-0; ST 1/0
Leon Draisaitl, 2. His worst game of the year? Likely, yes. Gorgeous pass to RNH in the first. He also ripped a harpoon off a McD pass in the first, but no goal. His turnover early in the second led to two wicked Montreal opportunities, but both shots missed the net, hugely deflating for the Habs. He allowed the outside shot on Montreal’s late second period goal. A moment later he was slow again, the main culprit on a 5-alarm shot. His low point came on Montreal’s second goal when he first lost a battle for the puck with little Cole Caulfield, then stopped moving as Montreal passed it around to score, his lack of hustle creating the odd-man situation. Drai has been great this year, but not on that play. GAS: ES +3/-3; ST 0/0
Corey Perry, 3. Not getting it done, and, with all due respect, not sure why he’s been on the second line. Time to call up Drake Caggiula and Noah Philp again. GAS: ES +0/-0; ST 0/0
Vasili Podkolzin, 3. Energy player lacked energy. GAS: ES +0/-1; ST 0/0
Adam Henrique, 5. He snapped a trick shot on net off a Janmark-Brown combo passing play. His line was OK, but just OK. GAS: ES +1/-1; ST 0/0
Connor Brown, 5. One or two good moments, but failed to get enough done. GAS: ES +1/-0; ST 0/0
Mattias Janmark, 5. Same as linemate Connor Brown, and as so many other Oilers forwards. Not enough. GAS: ES +1/-0; ST 0/0
Derek Ryan, 4. Failed to drain a 5-alarm shot in the third. GAS: ES +1/-0; ST 0/1
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▶️ The Cult of Hockey's "Oilers flat as a pancake in loss to Habs" podcast |
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