Edmonton hasn’t lost the season series to Anaheim since Connor McDavid’s rookie season in 2015-16 when they went 1-3-1. Since then, the Oilers are 19-7-3 against the Ducks, but Anaheim has won two of the first three meetings this year.

The Oilers are still in the hunt for home-ice advantage, although the odds are low that they can catch LA. Still, they shouldn’t lack any motivation as Olivier Rodrigue will get his first NHL start tonight.

Rodrique was drafted 62nd overall in 2018. He was the second of 29 goalies drafted that year, and he will be the 10th to make an NHL start. Lukas Dostal, (85th overall), Samuel Ersson (143rd), Joel Hofer (107th) and Justus Annunen (64th) are the only four goalies who are regulars in the NHL this season. Jakub Skarek (72nd) and Akira Schmid (136th) have each made one start this year. Schmid did make 33 starts over three seasons with New Jersey before being traded to Vegas, where he has spent most of his time in the AHL.

Drafting goalies is incredibly difficult, and usually, it takes six or seven years before they make it to the NHL, if they do. Rodrigue was Stuart Skinner’s backup in Bakersfield in 2021 and 2022. He and Calvin Pickard split starts in 2023 with Pickard getting 38 starts and Rodrigue making 28. Last season Rodrigue started 36 games while Jack Campbell started 33. This season Rodrigue became the full-fledged starter, and he started 39 of the Condors’ 60 games before being recalled to Edmonton.

This hasn’t been his best season stats-wise, as he posted a 3.05 GAA and .899Sv% this year compared to 2.73 and 2.77 GAA and .916 and .912 Sv% the past two seasons. However, part of the drop in his numbers is the play in front of him. The Condors have been ravaged by injuries this season and their defensive play struggled. Kevin Woodley from In Goal Magazine describes Rodrigue like this, “He’s got a good technical base. He uses athleticism to get into position efficiently, and there’s power to it. His foundation is being in the right spot.”

Woodley also added the AHL is a less controlled game and harder to read. Some guys are better in the NHL, especially those who are more controlled as they expect shots to come from specific areas.

One game won’t be enough to know if Rodrigue is one of those guys, but after five years in the ECHL (15 games) and AHL (130 games), Rodrigue is thrilled to make his first NHL start. It will be his second appearance as he played the final period in Seattle on March 27th. He spoke last week, and he was hoping to get in a game, and tonight it happens. It’s always good to see a player fulfill their dream. You never know how many more games they will play, so I hope he enjoys tonight.

The Ducks, despite sitting 25th in the NHL, are not an easy out. They’ve beaten Dallas, Winnipeg and Edmonton twice. They also have wins over Carolina, Tampa Bay, New Jersey, LA and a few other playoff teams. The Ducks scored 11 goals in their two victories over the Oilers, so Edmonton needs to be ready defensively and give Rodrigue a realistic opportunity to win his first NHL start.

— Stuart Skinner was on the ice this morning taking shots from Mattias Ekholm and Evander Kane. Kane returned to Edmonton for family reasons not an injury setback, and things are good on and off the ice for him I’m told. He is trending to be ready for playoffs. Skinner is feeling better and could see action later this week. Ideally, he’d like to play a few games before playoffs.

— Trent Frederic was noticeably grimacing at times in his debut on Saturday. High ankle sprains are difficult to overcome. You can feel great, but then you get in a game and deliver a hit, and it feels different than when you are just skating in a straight line. We saw that on his first shift and later in the game. When he was on the ice, his rambunctious style was noticeable. He is an initiator. He will give the first punch in a scrum rather than wait until the opponent lands one. He’s physical, and his abrasiveness is a welcome addition to the lineup. He likely won’t be completely 100% until after the season, and it will just be a matter of how he manages it. He won’t play tonight.

— It wasn’t lost on me how few of the NHL’s stars made a post on their social media talking about Alex Ovechkin breaking Wayne Gretzky’s goal record. NBA and NFL players are constantly online posting about big stories in their leagues. If NHL players want to earn more money, they need to show fans and sponsors they are just as engaged in their game as they are. The goal record is one of the greatest records in the NHL and in pro sports, and most NHL players said nothing. What a missed opportunity and an illustration of how the NHLPA doesn’t get it.

— It will be a long time, if ever, before someone catches Ovechkin’s goal record. A player will need to average 45 goals/season for 20 years. Not only will a player need to be incredibly skilled, but also very healthy. Ovechkin rarely missed games. Prior to this year, he’d missed only 51 games in 19 years due to injury. He missed 16 this year, but he still has 42 goals in 61 games. Unreal.

He will be hard to catch, but Gretzky’s assist records will still be more difficult to obtain. Gretzky has 1,963 assists. Ron Francis is second with 1,249. The active player with the best assist rate is Connor McDavid. He has 711. He would need 1,253 to catch Gretzky. He’s already played a decade, and he would need more assists starting today than Francis had in his career. It’s ridiculous. However, I strongly believe McDavid will pass Francis and be second all-time in assists. McDavid needs 539 to pass Francis.

The Oilers might have to play one player short tonight. They don’t have any cap space to recall anyone, and they have to play one game with a player short before they can use an emergency roster recall. Frederic is out. Mattias Ekholm has been skating regularly in Edmonton, and he could return this week in one of the home games against St. Louis or San Jose. McDavid continues to skate in practice, while Draisaitl skated today with his teammates, and he too is getting closer. John Klingberg’s injury issues continue. I’m told he has an infection and that is keeping him off the ice.

Jackson Lacombe had three points and was plus-five the last time these teams met. He’s playing 22 minutes a night and his 43 points are tied for 18th among NHL defenders. He’s emerged as a legit top-pair defender for the Ducks. Jacob Trouba is dealing with a lower-body injury and isn’t expected to play against Edmonton.

GAME DAY PREDICTION: Oilers lose 4-2.

OBVIOUS GAME DAY PREDICTION: The comment section is filled with people frustrated with the Frederic acquisition.

NOT-SO-OBVIOUS GAME DAY PREDICTION: Troy Stecher scores on his 31st birthday.