OILERS GAME DAY
Here are five storylines to watch as the Edmonton Oilers look to snap a four-game losing streak when they take on the Minnesota Wild on Monday night at 6 p.m. MT (TV: Sportsnet, radio: 630 CHED) at the Xcel Energy Center.
END OF THE ROAD
This is the final road game of the year for the Oilers, who have just two games left to play at Rogers Place before wrapping up the season. Edmonton is 17-21-2 on the road after back-to-back losses in Vancouver and Calgary. Only Vancouver, Ottawa, Montreal and Detroit have more road losses than Edmonton. The Wild are 26-6-8 at home this year.
WHAT’S AT STAKE
The Wild are third in the Central Division with 96 points and they’re locked in a five-way battle with Los Angeles, Anaheim, St. Louis and Colorado for the final four playoff spots in the Western Conference. Just four points separate the entire pack, so every win is crucial down the stretch.
The Dallas Stars put an end to Minnesota’s sevengame points streak with a 3-1 win on Friday. Prior to that, the Wild were 4-0-3. There’s also concern surrounding defenceman Ryan Suter, who left the game with a foot injury. The Stars are already missing defenceman Jared Spurgeon with a hamstring tear.
LAST TIME THEY NET
Milan Lucic, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Jesse Puljujarvi scored as the Oilers posted a 3-2 win in December. It was goalie Cam Talbot’s first game back after missing seven starts with an injury. The Oilers beat the Wild 4-1 on home ice last month. Connor McDavid led the way with two goals and an assist.
It’s no surprise that McDavid is the NHL’s player of the month for March. The Oilers captain dominated the month, putting up 13 goals and 15 assists in 16 games, leading Edmonton to a 7-7-2 record. McDavid used the streak to overtake Nikita Kucherov in the Art Ross trophy race.
Cam Talbot vs. Devan Dubnyk Both of the starting goalies are coming off losses, with Talbot getting the firstperiod hook Saturday after giving up three goals on seven shots in a 3-2 loss to the Calgary Flames. He’ll be wanting to deliver a strong rebound effort. Dubnyk, meanwhile, is 3-3-2 in his last eight games after dropping a 3-1 decision in Dallas on Saturday, a costly loss for a team trying to clinch one of the final playoff spots in the West. Dubnyk has long ago put the Oilers in his rear-view mirror, so this one is more about getting two crucial points for Minnesota than it is about beating his old team.
Oilers: D Oscar Klefbom (shoulder), LW Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (questionable, lower body) Minnesota: D Jared Spurgeon (undisclosed), D Ryan Suter (questionable, foot).
SPECIAL TEAMS
Edmonton: PP 14.3 per cent (31st in league), PK 75.9 per cent (27th in league) Minnesota: PP 20.6 per cent (15th in league), PK 80.7 per cent (15th in league)