Battle of the big men in goal
Smith, Dubnyk both stand tall between the pipes
It will be the battle of the big men when Edmonton’s Mike Smith and Minnesota’s Devan Dubnyk, both checking in at six-foot-five, oppose each other between the pipes tonight.
Smith has stopped 133 of 143 shots in five games. Five of the goals he has given up came in one game against Los Angeles.
Dubnyk, who was an Oilers draft pick in 2004, has struggled with an .874 save percentage and a 4.18 goals-against average. But the 33-year-old, who is four games from 500 in his NHL career, has 31 career shutouts and a 2.56 goals-against average.
Here are five things to watch for when the Oilers and Wild line up in Minnesota:
1. Giving Draisaitl a breather Leon Draisaitl played 25 minutes, 32 seconds for the Oilers in Winnipeg Sunday, the fifth time he has gone past 25 minutes this season. Against the Jets, he looked like he was labouring at times. We know he’s a horse, but he needs a game in which he only plays 18 minutes. Draisaitl has only been on the ice for just seven goals against so far this season, a testament to his desire to be a better defensive player.
2. Get McDavid on the score sheet again
Connor McDavid has gone two games without a point after putting up a five-spot against the Flyers. Still, the Oilers got three of four points against Detroit and Winnipeg. The Oilers have won only four of the last 37 games in which McDavid didn’t score a point. Meanwhile, the longest he has gone without a goal or an assist is three games.
3. Keep winning the special teams battle
The Oilers power play has predictably slowed to 38.5 per cent from 45.5 per cent over the last two games. However, they have scored 10 power-play goals in nine games and the Wild have been ordinary on the penalty kill at 76 per cent, which puts them in the bottom third in the league. The penalty kill should easily be able to stop the Wild’s power play, which has scored five times.
4. The Zuccarello factor
The Wild signed Mats Zuccarello to a five-year, US$30-million deal, but he’s been hobbled by injury. He played the first four games and was minus-6, then got hurt. He skated with the team Monday and wants to play, but hasn’t been in a game for nine days. The Wild, whose leading point men are defencemen Ryan Suter and Brad Hunt, need Zuccarello in a big way.
5. Rinse and repeat
The Oilers’ bottom-six players continue to do a bang-up job killing penalties and eating minutes 5-on-5, but they haven’t scored a goal. Patrick Russell came the closest, missing an empty net in the Detroit win and firing four shots (same as McDavid and Draisaitl) in Winnipeg. No points for Riley Sheahan, Jujhar Khaira, Josh Archibald, Russell and Markus Granlund. Again, they’ve done lots of heavy lifting, but a goal wouldn’t hurt.