The Edmonton Oilers will look to wrap up their road trip on a high when they visit Madison Square Garden to face the New York Rangers for the second and final time this season.
I wish I knew the answer to fixing the Oilers’ scoring woes. No matter what year it is or who this team brings in, we can’t quite seem to shake these secondary scoring issues, and it’s one of the most puzzling problems for the team right now. Outside of the herculean powers by Leon Draisaitl that allow him to score most nights, the forward group as a whole isn’t producing much of anything, and it doesn’t take a mathematician to figure out why that’s a problem.
Take this current road trip as the latest example. Leon Draisaitl is the only forward to score a goal in the last three games. That stat is bananas and completely unacceptable. While we all love watching Draisaitl in warlord mode, he can’t do everything by himself, and the Oilers will keep struggling to win games until other guys start chipping in. And that pressure ramps up quite a bit when facing a team as talented as the New York Rangers, even with their challenges as they fight for a playoff spot.
After their 4-0 win last night in Columbus, the Rangers are back in a playoff spot for the first time in a minute. And I think spending time on the outside looking in could lead to increased urgency and desperation in their game. While the Rangers are also having trouble generating offense, there’s little doubt they have players on the roster who can break games if given the chance. And considering that both teams aren’t exactly playing their tightest defensive hockey right now, that could lead to the dam bursting at either end of the rink.
One of the stranger aspects of the Rangers’ season is how Peter Laviolette and General Manager Chris Drury don’t seem to be on the same page. New York has been incredibly inconsistent all season long — sound familiar — and that’s causing many to wonder if they’re good enough to compete or another losing streak away from bottoming out. Take last night’s game against the Blue Jackets, for example: Laviolette didn’t have any of the players acquired at the deadline in the lineup. While it was good news for New York that Adam Fox returned to the lineup, it happened at the expense of the newly acquired Carson Soucy.
Yet, despite the struggles and questions of rifts between coaches and GMS, the Rangers and Oilers have very similar vibes right now. Last night, the L.A. Kings leapt over the Oilers for second place in the Pacific Division standings and have two games in hand, while the Rangers sit in the second Wildcard spot in the East and are teetering on securing a playoff berth or missing out on the big dance for the first time since 2021. Both clubs will want those two points today, and it will be the team that can put together the best 60 minutes that will be the one to secure them.
Given that New York played yesterday, the Oilers need to be ready to go right from puck drop, and they need to keep hammer down for as much of this game as they possibly can. The Rangers are a desperate team, and Edmonton will need to match that energy and find a way to do that without forgetting the smaller details of their game. I’ve been pushing for Edmonton to play a more straightforward brand of hockey throughout their struggles over these past two weeks, and I think a perfect time to do that is against a tired team that will likely be looking to weather an early storm while they get their legs under them.
Crash the crease, shoot from the parking lot, and have bodies around the net ready to clean up the garbage. Simple, greasy hockey should get the job done today, but we’ll have to wait and see whether the Oilers can get that job done.
Let’s see what the numbers say…
THE NUMBERS
OILERS | RANGERS | |
RECORD | 38-24-4 | 33-28-6 |
WIN/LOSS STREAK | W1 | W2 |
LAST 10 GAMES | 4-6-0 | 5-3-2 |
GOALS FOR | 211 | 203 |
GOALS AGAINST | 193 | 201 |
POWER PLAY% | 26.1 | 19.0 |
PENALTY KILL% | 76.1 | 82.5 |
AVG. SHOTS/FOR | 32.1 | 28.9 |
AVG. SHOTS/AGAINST | 27.2 | 30.1 |
TEAM SAVE% | .904 | .911 |
CORSI FOR% | 53.79 | 48.83 |
PDO | 0.984 | 2.004 |
TEAM SHOOTING% | 8.00 | 9.28 |
EXPECTED GOALS FOR% | 54.30 | 48.53 |
Numbers courtesy of Natural Stat Trick (Sv%, CF%, PDO, Shooting%, xGF% all at 5×5)
- Sunday’s matchup is the second and final game between the Oilers and Rangers this season. The Oilers picked up a 6-2 win over New York at Rogers Place on November 23rd and earned at least a point in nine of their last 11 meetings. The Oilers have an 8-2-1 record over that stretch and are 4-1-0 in their previous five games at Madison Square Garden.
- Jeff Skinner leads all active Oilers in career games (53) and career points (31) versus the Rangers, which should be no surprise given that he spent most of his career in the Eastern Conference.
- Connor McDavid picked up an assist on Leon Draisaitl’s OT winner against the Islanders, which puts him on a 10-game point streak (2-12-14). Meanwhile, Draisaitl’s two-goal night extended his point streak to 17 games (14G, 12A). Draisaitl’s 49 goals lead the NHL in goals by 12 over William Nylander.
- The Rangers are coming into Sunday’s matchup in the second half of a back-to-back set and have a 6-4-1 record in second games so far this season. The Rangers have also secured a point in each of their last three home games.
LINE COMBINATIONS
Oilers
Henrique – McDavid – Hyman
Perry – Draisaitl – Brown
Podkolzin – Nugent-Hopkins – Arvidsson
Skinner – Kapanen – Janmark
Perry – Draisaitl – Brown
Podkolzin – Nugent-Hopkins – Arvidsson
Skinner – Kapanen – Janmark
Walman – Bouchard
Nurse – Stecher
Kulak – Emberson
Nurse – Stecher
Kulak – Emberson
Skinner
Outside of Stuart Skinner getting the start, Jack Michaels confirmed via Twitter/X that the Oilers will run back the same line combos they used against the Islanders. With only 17 games left on the schedule, we don’t have much time left for the Oilers to gel, and I’m hopeful that Friday’s win can be the start of an improved run for our boys.
Rangers
Panarin – Trocheck – Cuylle
Lafreniere – Miller – Zibanejad
Kreider – Carrick – Berard
Othmann – Brodzinski – Rempe
Lafreniere – Miller – Zibanejad
Kreider – Carrick – Berard
Othmann – Brodzinski – Rempe
Miller – Fox
Vaakanainen – Schneider
Jones – Borgen
Vaakanainen – Schneider
Jones – Borgen
Quick
Since January 2nd, the Rangers rank third in the NHL in goals scored (101) and have scored three or more goals in 21 of their last 31 games, including 15 with four or more tallies. New York scored three or more goals in 13 of its last 19 games, including six of its last eight games. Do you guys see what I’m getting at here? The Rangers have also posted eight shutouts this season, which leads the NHL. Again, do you see what I’m doing here? Just because the Rangers have struggled this season doesn’t mean they won’t be incredibly tough to beat.
TONIGHT…
Photoshop by Tom Kostiuk from Handmade by Tom
Game Day Prediction: The Oilers get a hot start with two first period goals that set the tone for a 6-2 win.
Obvious Game Day Prediction: Leon Draisaitl extends his goal lead with a power play marker from his office in the circle.
Not-So-Obvious Game Day Prediction: Dammit if this isn’t the day that Ty Emberson gets his first goal as an Oiler. I can feel it in my plums. As a secondary NSOGP, the Oilers get goals from multiple forwards who are not named Leon Draisaitl.
