The Edmonton Oilers appear to be shaking off their early-season struggles and will aim to continue their recent improvement when they visit the Montreal Canadiens on Monday.
After reaching the Stanley Cup Final last season, the Oilers started the new campaign with a 6-7-1 record. However, they are now on a four-game points streak (3-0-1) heading into Monday’s matchup in Montreal.
Edmonton nearly extended their streak to three straight overtime wins, but their luck ran out in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday. The Oilers managed to force overtime thanks to Leon Draisaitl’s game-tying goal with just 89 seconds left in the third period.
A bigger concern for Edmonton, however, was the injury to defenseman Darnell Nurse. Nurse was forced to leave Saturday’s game after taking a high hit to the head from Toronto’s Ryan Reaves early in the second period. Nurse, bloodied from the impact, left the ice after a few minutes, and Reaves was later handed a five-game suspension for the hit.
Nurse is expected to miss Monday’s game, further depleting Edmonton’s defense. Fellow defenseman Viktor Arvidsson, who has missed the last two games with an undisclosed injury, has returned to practice but remains uncertain for Monday.
The Canadiens, meanwhile, are hoping their recent form signals a turning point in their season. After a six-game winless streak (0-5-1) left them at the bottom of the Atlantic Division, Montreal has won two of their last three games.
Saturday’s 5-1 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets was one of Montreal’s best performances of the season. The Canadiens scored four unanswered goals after Nick Suzuki’s go-ahead tally in the second period, including three goals in the third period. The win was also highlighted by a much-needed solid defensive effort from a team that has struggled defensively, ranking near the bottom of the league in goals allowed (71).
Habs defenseman Mike Matheson, who contributed a goal and an assist in the win, credited the team’s defensive improvement to better puck movement and not overcomplicating plays from the blue line.
Montreal’s defense will now face the daunting task of containing Edmonton’s dynamic duo of Draisaitl and Connor McDavid. Both are on four-game multi-point streaks—McDavid has 11 points (four goals, seven assists) in his last four games, while Draisaitl has eight points (four goals, four assists).
Suzuki leads the Canadiens with 18 points (seven goals, 11 assists) so far this season.
In goal, the Oilers will split back-to-back starts between Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard. Skinner has played most of the season but has a 3.28 GAA in 12 games, while Pickard has posted a 2.49 GAA in seven appearances.
For Montreal, Sam Montembeault is expected to start once again, having started six of the Canadiens’ last seven games. Montembeault has a 2.59 GAA in those seven contests and has secured his role as the team’s go-to goalie, especially with Cayden Primeau struggling.
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