FIVE KEYS TO THE GAME
1 On the move
The Oilers aren’t just climbing in the standings, they are charging. Their 9-2-2 run under Ken Hitchcock moved them from 26th in the NHL on Nov. 19 to 10th in the league at the start of business Saturday morning. At 8-1-1 in their last 10 they are the second hottest team in the NHL and sit just five points away from first place in the Western Conference.
2 Recent history
This has been a homer series in recent times with the Oilers beating Vancouver both times in Edmonton (5-2 on Jan. 20 and 3-2 on April 7) and the Canucks winning both games at home (3-2 on Oct. 7 and 2-1 on Mar. 29). Leon Draisaitl Connor McDavid each had four points in the four-game set.
3 Close calls
The Oilers are 11-1-3 in one-goal games this season, including a pair of 1-0 victories just 12 days apart against Dallas and Calgary. Holding up that well under pressure is a rather impressive display of their poise and determination. Six of those wins have come in the 13 games under Hitchcock.
4 Recovery mode
Both teams are running hot again after terrible slumps in the middle of their seasons. The Oilers were in a 1-6 nose dive and headed for a crash before the coaching change set them on an 9-2-2 run. The Canucks were even worse, going 1-10-1 in a November swoon. But they pulled themselves out of it and were a 3-0-1 heading into Saturday’s game.
5 Softened up
The Canucks will be playing their second game in as many nights after Saturday’s game with Philadelphia, which is becoming a helpful trend as far as the Oilers are concerned. This is the seventh time this season that Edmonton’s opponent played the night before. The Oilers are 4-2 in the previous six.