Through their first two games of the season, the Edmonton Oilers have been outstanding defensively. They’ve allowed a league-low 18.5 shots against per game, they’re top three in high danger chances against, and they’re sixth in goals against at 2.0/game. They haven’t given up much, while their opponent tonight, the New York Rangers, has only allowed five goals in their four games.

It is an extremely small sample size, but this might be a low-event hockey game based on both teams’ early-season play.

The Rangers have had an odd start to the season.

They’ve been shutout in both of their home games, losing their season opener 3-0 to Pittsburgh (Penguins scored two empty net goals), and they lost 1-0 to Washington this past Saturday. In between, the Rangers won two road games, beating Buffalo 4-0 and Pittsburgh 6-1. In their four games, the losing team has scored a total of one goal, and only once did the winning team score more than one goal with a goalie in net.

They’ve been the epitome of low-event hockey.

Now add in the Oilers’ defensive prowess, and tonight has the potential to be quite tedious.

In Saturday’s victory over the Canucks, the Oilers played the best defensive game I can remember them playing. Vancouver had ZERO high-danger chances. Calvin Pickard had one of the easiest games of his career. Vancouver isn’t a high-power offensive team, but limiting any NHL team to zero HD chances is impressive. The Oilers didn’t give up many shots in preseason and that has continued into the regular season. They will try to continue that tonight in MSG, where they have won their last three meetings.

Meanwhile the Rangers have been rather stingy themselves, although their goalies have been tested a bit more as the Rangers have allowed 27 shots/game and twice as many high-danger/chances per game, but Igor Shesterkin and Jonathan Quick have been excellent in goal. Shesterkin has stopped 83 of 85 shots, while Quick stopped 20 of 21 in his lone start. Granted, the Penguins and Sabres aren’t exactly world beaters, but the Ranger goalies have only allowed three total goals in four games. Highly impressive.

And while the Oilers’ defensive game has been great, their offensive game at 5×5 has lacked finish. The Oilers rank 31st in goals for/60 at only 1.3. They have two 5×5 goals through six games coming off the stick of Andrew Mangiapane and Noah Philp, and Philp isn’t playing tonight.

Of course, it is extremely early in the season, and this is the ultimate “small sample size” discussion, but under Kris Knoblauch the Oilers’ defensive structure has improved significantly and early on this season it has been their best thus far.

— The Oilers have three points in four games, despite Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid combining for zero goals 5×5. Over the previous three seasons, McDavid was third in 5×5 points at 182, while Draisaitl was seventh with 159. They will produce, and they each have three points in two games, so it’s not like they are struggling, but it is rare when they play together at 5×5 that they don’t produce.

— Andrew Mangiapane scored his second goal in as many games in his 500th career game on Saturday. He’s had a great start and tonight he will skate on the right wing with Draisaitl and McDavid. Mangiapane has only taken two shots this season, but he’s scored on both. The rest of the forwards have two goals on 49 shots. As a team the Oilers rank 31st in 5×5 shooting percentage at 4.26%.

— Last season the Oilers ranked 27th in 5×5 SH% at 7.95% and they were 26th in all situations at 9.87. It is an area they’d like to improve.

— Jack Roslovic will make his Oilers’ debut tonight on a line with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Matt Savoie. Savoie will play his off wing and line up on left wing. It is interesting to see McDavid’s line having three left shots, while RNH’s line has two right-shot wingers. I’m sure we will see Knoblauch try some different combinations on this road trip. It makes sense not to start Roslovic on the top line, and then if it doesn’t work move him down. It can be better to move guys “up” the lineup, rather than moving them down, because human nature will have the player feel like he didn’t perform well. Mangiapane has already scored twice, so he’ll feel like this is a promotion.

— Alec Regula won’t play tonight or Thursday but is expected to return on the weekend. He got rocked by Evander Kane on a clean hit late in the third. He had his head down. Earlier in the game, Kane hit him face first into the boards, on what was a borderline penalty, but Kane’s second hit was hard and clean. Regula will need to be more aware of who he’s on the ice against. You have to be aware of certain players, like Kane, or they can rock you.

— Jake Walman is expected to make his season debut on Thursday according to Kris Knoblauch, and Mattias Janmark should return on the weekend. The Oilers will activate Walman on Thursday, and put Regula on IR retroactive to last Saturday, and that will give them two extra days before they make a roster move. But if all three return on the weekend, and no other player gets injured, the Oilers will have to make two roster moves. Curtis Lazar hasn’t played a game yet, so he could be one, but Isaac Howard might also be an option. He’s averaged 10:30/game through two games. He hasn’t looked out of place, but he doesn’t require waivers, and the Oilers will have to decide if playing 10 minutes/game in the NHL is better than 20 minutes/night in the AHL.