While the Montreal Canadiens are flying high so far this season with a 6-2-0 record, their host tonight, the Edmonton Oilers, are not meeting expectations. In seven games, the Stanley Cup Finalists of the last two years have a 3-3-1 record, which gives them a barely .500 point percentage. They are currently 10th in the Western Conference and 19th in the league.
Connor McDavid only has eight points in those seven games, a total that would be satisfying for most players, but not for the Oilers captain; he’s only found the back of the net once. Offensive defenceman Evan Bouchard has only managed to get a single point so far, and for a player making $10.5 million per year, that’s not enough either. In other words, the Oilers are like a sleeping giant right now, and logically, they should wake up soon.
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Samuel Montembeault, who has won only two of his four starts this season, has already been confirmed as the Canadiens’ starter for the game, and he’ll be hoping Edmonton doesn’t come back to life tonight. The Becancour native has a 2-2-3 record against McDavid and co. with a 2.64 goals-against average and a .914 save percentage. Interestingly, the Oilers captain has only one goal in six games against the masked man, while Leon Draisaitl has six in seven.
Stuart Skinner has played five of their seven games and has performed well with a 2.17 GAA and a .909 SV. In five meetings with the Habs, he has a 4-1-0 record, with a 2.75 GAA and a .898 SV. Meanwhile, backup Calvin Pickard has faced the Canadiens seven times and is 2-5-0 with a 2.66 GAA and a .909 SV. Skinner was in the net for the Oilers’ last game, a 3-2 overtime win over the Ottawa Senators, but the coach has decided to use Pickard
Thursday night’s tilt will be the first of two games between the two sides this season, with the second meeting being scheduled for December 14. There could have been another first tonight, as Oliver Kapanen could have been taking on his cousin Kasperi for the first time in the NHL., but he was just put on LTIR by the Oilers.
Up front, the Canadiens will have to keep a close eye on the Oilers’ two-headed monsters. Leon Draisaitl has 35 points in 28 duels with the Habs, while McDavid has 34 in 27 games. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins completes the top three with 22 points in 30 games.
Meanwhile, Nick Suzuki has 15 points in 19 duels with the Oilers, and he’s got a seven-game point streak going right now. Brendan Gallagher comes in second place with 14 points in 23 games against his hometown team. Patrik Laine rounds up the top three with 10 points in 14 games, but he’s not even on the trip, seeking a second opinion about his lower-body injury. Surprisingly, Jake Evans has nine points in 12 games against Edmonton, and Cole Caufield is a near point-per-game player with seven points in eight games.
Edmonton has won seven of the last 10 games between the two sides, including the last one (3-2 in overtime), which bodes well for a team struggling to get into the win column this season. The Canadiens have not won in Edmonton since March 2022 and are therefore long overdue.
Kirby Dach will return to the lineup after missing the last two games, meaning that Joshua Roy will come out. Roy played his first game on Wednesday night and was not much of a factor, he got 4 hits but no shots on goal or points.
The puck drop is scheduled for 9:00 PM, and hopefully, the lights will be working in the building, unlike in Calgary last night. After the game, the Habs will fly to Vancouver, where they’ll take on the Canucks on Saturday.
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