PREVIEW: Oilers at Ducks

The Edmonton Oilers close out 2023 with the second of a back-to-back on New Year's Eve against the Anaheim Ducks at Honda Center.

You can watch the game on Sportsnet at 6:00 p.m. MT or listen live on the Oilers Radio Network, including 630CHED.

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PREVIEW: Oilers at Ducks

ANAHEIM, CA – The Edmonton Oilers knew from experience facing the Los Angeles Kings in the Stanley Cup Playoffs during the last two postseasons what was going to be required on Saturday when they stepped onto the ice at Crypto.com Arena.

“Every time we’re in this building, it feels like the exact same game,” McDavid said. “Rinse and repeat. It’s a grind. They’re a great team, and I felt we did a good job of just hanging in there.”

The Kings came out the strongest and assembled an 11-2 shot advantage and 2-0 lead through 20 minutes, but several key saves from Stuart Skinner allowed the Oilers to settle in and Connor McDavid to take command in his 600^th NHL game.

Skinner would stop 27 shots on the night, including his biggest in the first two minutes of the match when his incredible glove save prevented centre Pierre-Luc Dubois from opening the scoring early.

“The majority of the play was in their end and we found a way to score a couple of goals and gave our goalie a bit of a rest,” McDavid said. “He was stellar in the first period and made some huge saves throughout the night. Then, I thought the third period was kind of back and forth and could’ve gone either way.”

The Oilers captain has led plenty of comebacks for the Oilers in his previous 599 games, and Saturday was no exception after the captain scored from a terrific angle on the man advantage in the second period to make it 2-1 with his club's first power-play goal in five games (0-for-11).

Then, McDavid set up Leon Draisaitl for the equalizer 10 minutes later with his 581st career assist to pass Peter Stastny for the fourth-most assists all-time through 600 NHL games – trailing only Wayne Gretzky (925), Mario Lemieux (721) and Bobby Orr (591).

With a goal and assist, McDavid now just needs three points to reach 900 for his career and become the fifth fastest in NHL history to reach 900 points.

“Anytime you’re mentioned with those guys, you’re doing something right,” McDavid said. “Those are three of the games very, very, very best, you know, so to be with that company obviously means a lot to me. It’s a special, special group.”

The Oilers captain has led plenty of comebacks for the Oilers in his previous 599 games, and Saturday was no exception after the captain scored from a terrific angle on the man advantage in the second period to make it 2-1 with his club's first power-play goal in five games (0-for-11).

Then, McDavid set up Leon Draisaitl for the equalizer 10 minutes later with his 581st career assist to pass Peter Stastny for the fourth-most assists all-time through 600 NHL games – trailing only Wayne Gretzky (925), Mario Lemieux (721) and Bobby Orr (591).

With a goal and assist, McDavid now just needs three points to reach 900 for his career and become the fifth fastest in NHL history to reach 900 points.

“Anytime you’re mentioned with those guys, you’re doing something right,” McDavid said. “Those are three of the games very, very, very best, you know, so to be with that company obviously means a lot to me. It’s a special, special group.”

McDavid beat his former teammate Cam Talbot in the shootout before Derek Ryan iced the game for Edmonton with his put-away wrist shot in the fourth round to secure the extra point and their fourth straight victory just a day after the veteran forward turned 37 years old.

"Knobber just looked at me and said I was going, so I just tried to settle down a little bit, make my reads and go through my checklist on the way in and I found a hole," Ryan said.

The goal sparked an exuberant reaction on the Oilers bench for the reliable forward who's been nothing short of that for this team over three seasons in Oil Country.

“I was thrilled to see him score that. Obviously, a big goal," McDavid said. "It was his birthday yesterday as well, so I'm just happy for him. He's a guy that brings it every single day, never complains and just does his job every single day. He's a leader in this room. He really is. His voice carries a lot of weight and he means a lot to this group, so that was a big goal."

"The guys have a lot of respect for him and the way he plays very hard and he digs in there, wins a lot of key faceoffs – especially on the penalty kill on the right side – and I think just does all those little things," Head Coach Kris Knoblauch said. "Not flashy and not the fastest guy out there, but a very smart hockey player and a player that coaches really appreciate."

The Oilers wrap up their three-game road streak on Sunday with the second of back-to-back games against the Anaheim Ducks at Honda Center, where they're 6-0-2 in their last eight visits dating back to February 25, 2018.

Anaheim will be excited to turn the calendar over to 2024 after going 26-46-8 in 80 games this year, with only the Sharks having a worse record this calendar year (20-48-12).

The Ducks enjoyed a solid 9-6-0 start this season through their first 15 games, but have lost 16 of their last 20 since Nov. 15. They're the worst home team in the NHL this season with a 6-13-0 record (.316), but have been particularly poor over their last 11 home games with a 2-9-0 return.

Evander Kane was kept out of the lineup on Saturday with a minor injury and the Oilers will hope that the winger will be able to return on Sunday in Anaheim after Raphael Lavoie took his place as an emergency recall from Bakersfield earlier in the morning.

"We hope he is [available]," Knoblauch said. "Just a nagging injury, but we certainly hope that he'll be available."