The Vancouver Canucks are in Edmonton to face the Oilers on Saturday night as they close out their quick two-game road trip.
Note the 8:00 p.m. PCT start time.
Saturday's game will be the third matchup of the season between the Canucks and Oilers. Each team has a win, and we saw 27 goals in the first two games of the season. Also, both games took two hours and 36 minutes to complete, if you care about that at all.
Liam Öhgren has been on a hot streak over the past five games, scoring four times in that stretch. He scored the first power play goal of his NHL career on Tuesday against the Anaheim Ducks and spoke to the media following Thursday's loss about what he wants to see from the group in the coming games.
"It's a long season, and we know we're in a tough situation. But we're a great group, and we [are] all trusting each other. We want to win as many games as possible, and we play for each other. But yeah, we've got to play faster, more physical, and yeah, better," he said.
Öhgren added that Head Coach Manny Malhotra has done a good job bringing a positive mindset to the rink every day and always trying to put a smile on the players' faces even though they are going through a tough time. The team has a lot of building to do, and they are focused on the daily improvements.
Quick Hits on the Competition
- The Oilers lead the Pacific Division with an 11-3-3 record but have lost two straight games heading into Saturday night.
- They are the league’s highest-scoring team, averaging 4.12 goals per game.
- Connor McDavid has been out of this world in his first 17 games. He has 10 goals and 44 points, averaging 2.6 points per game.
- Leon Draisaitl has been lighting the lamp plenty, scoring 14 goals in 17 games.
- Evan Bouchard leads all defencemen with 10 goals. He had a hat trick against the Canucks earlier this season.
- The Oilers' crease is a bit of a mess right now. Frederik Andersen and Devon Levi are on injured reserve, while Tristan Jarry missed Thursday’s game with an illness. Matt Tomkins started on Thursday with EBUG Brett Epp as the backup.
- The Oilers’ power play ranks third in the league, scoring on 33.9 of their attempts.
- Defenceman Ryan Shea has been logging a lot of ice time in his first season with the Oilers. The fourth-year pro spent his first three seasons with the Dallas Stars and is averaging 23:19 per game since joining the Oilers.
- The Oilers are 9-0-2 when they score first and 2-3-1 when the opposition scores first.
- They are one of the league's best first-period teams, outscoring their opposition 21-8 in the opening 20 minutes.
The Story: Manny's Thoughts
Canucks Head Coach Manny Malhotra said Thursday's game surprised him. He liked how the team had been playing recently and felt their game was coming along and heading in the right direction before a "dud" on Thursday against the Winnipeg Jets.
"We've discussed from day one, this year is going to be a challenge, and whatever form that takes, in terms of tough losses, lack of execution, lack of effort, whatever the situation may be, our mindset coming to the rink every day has to be [that] we have to be ready and prepared to be better and work on those things," said Malhotra.
He wants to see the group come out with impact and energy on Saturday night. That is what the group talked about after Thursday, and he wants to see them return to where their energy needs to be and execute at a higher level.
Canucks' Top Performers over the Last Five Games
Brock Boeser: 3g-3a-6p
Jonathan Lekkerimäki: 2g-3a-5p
Elias Pettersson: 0g-5a-5p
Liam Öhgren: 4g-0a-4p
Filip Hronek: 1g-3a-4p
When and Where to Watch
Saturday’s game starts at 8:00 p.m. PCT, and you can watch on Sportsnet or listen to Brendan Batchelor’s radio call on KiSS West Coast.
