For the second time in as many weeks, the Oilers will square off against the division-leading Golden Knights with the obvious goal of closing the gap between their spot in third place and Vegas’ hold on first. The problem is that our boys have lost the first two games against the Golden Knights so far, but the good news is that we’re only a few hours away from finding out if the third try is the charm. Ladies and gentlemen, it’s game day.

This afternoon’s contest against the division-leading Vegas Golden Knights presents another significant challenge as the boys work through a very tough stretch of games leading up to the Christmas break. This week of games is as challenging as it gets on the schedule this season, but the thing I like about that is it gives us a very real look at how Edmonton matches up against the other Cup contenders. We’re not getting far in the end if the Oilers can’t beat the best teams in this league, and they’re off to a good start with wins over Tampa Bay on Tuesday and Minnesota on Thursday.

As much as those wins were fun, they don’t mean squat when it comes to round three of the season series versus the Golden Knights. Through the first two games this year, the Oilers have been outscored 5-2, and it doesn’t take a rocket surgeon to figure out that the math is backward on that one. To make matters worse, the Oilers had a chance to win both games, but their struggles to score at key moments ruined what were otherwise decent outings. But it doesn’t matter how well you play if you can’t get pucks in the net; no one has ever won in this league with bagels on the board.

When these teams last met, the Oilers played well enough to get at least a point or more but ended up getting shut out in a 1-0 loss, and we’re long past the point of silver linings. This afternoon, they have to find a way to make more happen offensively. They have to find a way to get into Adin Hill’s kitchen and make life more difficult for him. Obviously, that’s easier said than done against a Golden Knights team that does an excellent job of clogging up the middle of the ice. There won’t be any gifts out there, and it will be up to the Oilers to find ways to manufacture chances without trying to force anything.

The bright side is that manufacturing offence within their structure is precisely how the Oilers have won their last four games. They’ve been opportunistic but not greedy, and that’s caused all kinds of issues for their opponents. The Oilers need another chapter in that same story this afternoon at Rogers Place. The Golden Knights haven’t had much in the way of challengers within the Pacific Division this season, making today’s game a big one for the Oilers. That’s not to say this is a must-win or anything like that, but I would say that Edmonton has to get on the board against a team they’re chasing in the standings.

A regulation win would pull the boys to within three points of first place in the Pacific Division, and a loss moves them back down to seven. This is a four-point swing game the Oilers need to have. Not only do they need the points, but they need to grind out a win to get back in the season series in case of tiebreakers down the road. I’m probably thinking way too far down the line with this right now, but I also can’t help but think the Pacific Division will stay tight until the very end. Finding ways to grind out rivalry points is incredibly important for securing home ice in the playoffs, and today’s matchup against Vegas is one that I hope everyone in an Oilers uniform is fired up to play.

Let’s see what the numbers say…

Nugent-Hopkins – McDavid – Hyman
Podkolzin – Draisaitl– Kapanen
J. Skinner – Henrique – Janmark
Brown – Ryan – Perry

Ekholm – Bouchard
Nurse – Stecher
Kulak – Emberson

Skinner

The big question leading up to Saturday’s game is whether Evan Bouchard will be able to play or not. Bouchard took a dirty hit from Ryan Hartman towards the end of Thursday’s win over the Wild, and you could tell from the clip that he was in some real discomfort when he got back to the bench. Cruising around Twitter/X before I posted the article, we still don’t know anything outside of him being a game time decision. As a result, the Oilers recalled Josh Brown yesterday just in case Bouchard can’t go, and I cannot even begin to tell you how much of a downgrade that would be.

Barbashev – Eichel – Stone
Howden – Karlsson – Dorofeyev
Olofsson – Hertl – Holtz
Pearson – Roy – Kolesar

McNabb – Theodore
Hanifin – Pietrangelo
Hague – Whitecloud

Hill

We know what you get from the Golden Knights at this point, don’t we? They’re going to play the Oilers hard, clog the middle of the ice, and try to force everything Edmonton does to the outside of the ice. That strategy has worked incredibly well to this point in the season series, and I’m intrigued to see what — if any — adjustments Kris Knoblauch’s coaching staff will make for this third time around. With only two goals scored in the two games played, the Oilers need something to change if they plan to avoid a third straight ‘L’ against a team they’re chasing in the division.

Game Day Prediction: The Oilers avenge their first two losses with a dominant 6-1 win.

Obvious Game Day Prediction: Leon Draisaitl’s hot streak continues with his fourth consecutive two-point game.

Not-So-Obvious Game Day Prediction: After getting into a great tilt on Thursday in Minnesota, Ty Emberson follows it up with his first goal of the season and first as an Oiler.