The Edmonton Oilers finally pulled themselves out of their longest losing streak of the season with a 3-1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday. The skid saw the team fall from third to eighth in Daily Faceoff’s Power Rankings, the first since the 4 Nations Face-Off break.
“Any time a team loses five straight games and has no regulation wins in nine, you’d be right to worry. But this Oilers team? It feels like the regular season just doesn’t matter, because we know what to expect when it matters most. Edmonton will find their groove just in time for Round 1, and we’ll be asking ourselves if they make it to June. Next Saturday’s game against the Stars will be must-see TV.”“Is Connor McDavid okay? He was struggling heading into the break, but I would have hoped that a strong showing at the 4 Nations Face-Off, capped by having his Golden Goal moment, would have turned his game around coming back. And yet, in five games, he doesn’t have a single 5v5 point. I’d say that that’s a tad concerning.”
In the real standings, the Oilers are in second place in the Pacific Division, four points back of the Vegas Golden Knights with the same amount of games played. The Los Angeles Kings are inching closer, as they’re four points back of Edmonton with two games in hand.
Panthers place Matthew Tkachuk on LTIR, team hopes winger will be ready for playoffs
The defending Stanley Cup Champions are going to be without a key player for the foreseeable future.
The Florida Panthers placed Matthew Tkachuk on the Long Term Injured Reserve on Sunday and general manager Bill Zito told media on Monday that the team hopes the winger will be back for the playoffs.
“Matthew is going to be out for an extended period of time, and we hope to get him back for the playoffs,” Zito told David Dwork of The Hockey News.
Tkachuk has 22 goals and 57 points over 52 games for the Panthers this season, good for second on the team in scoring. He suffered a groin injury while playing for the United States at the 4 Nations Face-Off and worsened the injury playing in the tournament’s championship game against Canada.
The Panthers recently completed a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks to acquire veteran defenceman Seth Jones, who had requested a change of scenery from the rebuilding club. If Tkachuk is going to be out for the remainder of the regular season, they could use LTIR bonus room to make other additions ahead of the March 7 trade deadline.
Other news and notes from around the NHL…
- With only a few days left until the trade deadline, Frank Seravalli dropped a new Trade Targets board at Daily Faceoff, which features Brock Nelson and Scott Laughton as the top two names on the list. Another interesting name on the list is Vancouver Canucks’ winger Brock Boeser, who reportedly turned down a five-year, $40 million contract extension offer from the team.
- Jeff Marek reported on The Sheet that the Dallas Stars and forward Wyatt Johnston are working towards a contract extension worth somewhere between $8-8.5 million annually. The 23rd overall pick from the 2021 draft has 21 goals and 55 points through 60 games this season, putting him on pace to break the career-high of 65 points he posted last season.
