Edmonton Oilers (13-9-2) at Vegas Golden Knights (15-7-3)
TV: Hulu, Sportsnet 1. Radio: 880 CHED.
TIME: 8 p.m. Tuesday
Odds: Oilers – 126, Golden Knights + 105
THE SETUP
Just past the one-quarter mark on the season and we’re finally finding out who’s who in the Pacific Division, for real. This one’s between a couple of big swingers looking to make their mark and keep on a roll, with the Oilers having gone 7-2-1 in their last 10 games to sit as the second-hottest team in the NHL right now, behind the 8-2 Toronto Maple Leafs. Vegas, meanwhile, leads the division after having gone on a run of 6-3-1.
TWO FROM NUGE
After a bitterly disappointing start to the season, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins might have found a little momentum with a goal in each of the past two games. That doubled his productivity from the first 22 games, as he moves into fourth in team scoring with 12 points. That puts him on pace for 41 points this year, down from 67 last year and a career-high 104 the previous season.
GOIN’ STREAKING?
The Oilers began their three-game win streak right at the same point on the calendar where they kicked off an eight-win run a season ago. And that was after an even worse start that ended in Jay Woodcroft being replaced by current head coach Kris Knoblauch. A win Tuesday in Las Vegas would give this year’s Oilers a season-high four-game streak with eight of their next nine at home heading into the holidays. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
THE POLL
How long will the Oilers’ winning streak last?
- Four games
- Five games
- Six games
- More than six
- It ends in Vegas
THE QUOTE
“We’re a long way away from anything, so we just keep trying to grow our game … always trying to build momentum. Just when you think you’ve built momentum, it can stop just as suddenly. ”
• Oilers captain Connor McDavid
THE LINEUPS
VEGAS
Forwards
Barbashev – Eichel – Dorofeyev
Hertl – Roy – Kolesar
Howden – Karlsson – Olofsson
Pearson – Schwindt – Holtz
Defence
McNabb – Theodore
Hanifin – Pietrangelo
Hague – Korzcak
Goalies
Samsonov
Hill
EDMONTON
Forwards
Nugent-Hopkins – McDavid – Kapanen
Podkolzin – Draisaitl – Brown
Skinner – Henrique – Janmark
Caggiula – Ryan – Perry
Defence
Ekholm – Bouchard
Nurse – Stecher
Kulak – Emberson
Goalies
Skinner
Pickard
INJURIES
VEGAS: D Zach Whitecloud (upper body)
EDMONTON: D Travis Dermott (illness), F Zach Hyman (undisclosed)
E-mail: [email protected]
On Twitter: @GerryModdejonge