Reigning two-time Art Ross Trophy winner Connor McDavid and the 8-4-1 Edmonton Oilers make their only visit to Capital One Arena Monday night to face a 5-4-3 Washington Capitals team still looking for consistency in both games and playing style. Coach Todd Reirden hasn't seen a full 60 minute game from his squad and he's starting to publicly comment as such in a sign the bench boss is starting to hold accountability.
While the season didn’t start off so hot for the Oilers beginning 0-2, they've put some early doubters to bed with an impressive 8-2-1 run since. With wins over east playoff contenders Washington and Boston including an OT loss to Pittsburgh and wins over west powerhouses Nashville and Winnipeg they are starting to gain some confidence lost after last season's debacle. They are coming off a 4-3 victory over Detroit in a game where the score wasn't reflective of the play as Edmonton was dominate. The two teams last played in Edmonton on October 25th where the upstart Oilers skated to a 4-1 win.
McDavid continues to lead all three offensive categories for the Oilers with 9 goals, 12 assists, and 21 points. The 21 points tie him for 2nd in NHL scoring with Colorado's Nathan MacKinnon and three behind leader Mikko Rantanen of Colorado. On a 7 game point streak the flashy center has 5 goals and 10 points over that span and has fired 31 shots on goal (46 on the year) as he is looking to score more. A revolving door of right wingers hasn’t stopped the reigning Ted Lindsay winner as he and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins have teamed up as a great pairing so far with Nugent-Hopkins tied for 2nd in team scoring with Leon Draisaitl at 14 points. Expect to see Drake Caggiula on the top line in DC.
The Caps know what it’s like to have to play against two top tier centers as they boast two of the best in the league with Nicklas Backstrom and Evgeny Kuznetsov. After McDavid, the Oilers have the sometimes inconsistent yet productive Draisaitl driving his own 2nd line. After predominantly playing with McDavid last couple seasons the Oilers hope he can provide mismatches with other teams similar to the Capitals. Oiler coach Todd McLellan however has been not shy to put him with McDavid and Nugent-Hopkins at times when needing a push. Former Capital Alex Chiasson, playing on a line with Draisaitl, is on fire as he has put in 6 goals since being inserted into the Edmonton lineup after signing on with the club from a PTO. Good to see Chiasson may have found a home in the league.
Edmonton’s power play is not as potent as one would think with the fire power they can ice. Sitting fourteenth in the league’s power play rankings at 21.7% they still cannot be taken lightly and with the Caps struggling penalty kill it would be advisable to play smart against the opportunistic Oilers. Washington’s power play has scored 14 goals and is tops in the NHL operating at a 35.9% clip and while at home the Caps are white hot and have scored on 11 of 23 opportunities. This is an area the Caps can hope to take advantage of as the Oilers continue to struggle on the penalty kill sitting in 27th place in the NHL on the road PK at 70.8%. In the 4-1 loss back on the 25th of October, the Capitals only generated one PP opportunity.
Edmonton's defense ice time leader is Oscar Klefbom at over 25 minutes per game. Though he hasn't scored a goal yet with 6 assists, he sits third on the team with 42 shots and is tied for first with Nugent-Hopkins at +8. Adam Larsson will give the Caps forwards a rough ride as he leads Oiler dmen with 38 hits good for 11th in NHL.
Veteran forward Milan Lucic is tied for third in the league with 46 hits. The $6M man has only registered one goal this season after only 10 last year. Capable of turning the game around with a big hit, Lucic is not the scoring threat he once was.
Brett Connolly and Dmitrij Jaskin are playing well and have seen them play up and down the lineup. Jaskin has yet to score but is playing a strong defensive game and is using his size to create space.
Madison Bowey has played well in Brooks Orpik's absence as he is engaged and seemed to be skating well.
Bowey laying the body. #AllCaps 💪 pic.twitter.com/WqZwPQvU9H
— Marcus Boutilier (@SportMajor) November 4, 2018
Cam Talbot will start for Edmonton after backup Mikko Koskinen played well stopping 63 of 66 shots in the Oilers last two games with wins over Chicago and Detroit. Talbot (.924SV% and 2.31 GAA) has played better this season so far after a horrendous last year. He made 31 saves vs the Caps in Edmonton's win on October 25th and holds a 3-4 record vs Caps in his career.
Braden Holtby (4-3-2) will again try and lower his numbers as he sits with a .888 SV% and a balloon-like 3.62 GAA.He has had success vs Edmonton in his career with a 7-3-1 record posting a .936 SV% and 1.89 GAA. Holtby's been the victim of some weak team defense in front of him and has made some huge saves and certainly isn't to be blamed for Caps slow start. He has given up the bad goal however and, like his teammates, is partly responsible for Washington's 3.83 goals against /game placing them fourth worse in the league.
*Backup Pheonix Copley (1-1-1) .882SV% and 3.55 GAS will now start for the Capitals as per morning skate lineup* He won his last start.
The Oilers sent 2018 1st rounder (10th overall) defenseman Evan Bouchard (scored his first career NHL goal vs the Caps last time teams faced off) back to the OHL's London Knights in a move showing the club is being more patient with it's prospects. He scored in his first game back for the Knights.
Capital Gain :
Assigned Aaron Ness back to AHL Hershey on Sunday Placed Nathan Walker on waivers (Edmonton claimed Walker last December 1st) F Brett Connolly leads team in 5 on 5 scoring with 8 points