The Edmonton Oilers (7-12-1) currently reside at the bottom of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference, and are tied for the worst record and fewest points in the NHL with 15 points. The Oilers, who arrived in the Nations Capital yesterday, start a five-game road trip on Monday against the Washington Capitals. Puck-drop is 7:08 PM tonight.
Leaking Oil
As you may recall, the Oilers lost young 18-year-old phenom Connor McDavid to a broken collarbone sustained in a game against the Flyers on November 3rd. In his first 12 games of his of his NHL career, McDavid tallied five goals and seven assists while posting a plus/minus rating of minus-three. McDavid is expected to miss at least two months of the season.
Probably the hottest Oiler right now is Leon Draisaitl, who has been dubbed the “Deutschland Dangler” and the “German Gretzky” by many fans back in Germany. Draisaitl, the third player chosen overall in the 2014 NHL draft, has developed some great chemistry with Edmonton’s Taylor Hall. Recalled from the American Hockey League Bakersfield Condors on Oct. 29, Draisaitl has racked up seven goals and 10 assists in the 10 games he’s played — including the four goals and six assists he has piled up in his current point streak.
Former Cap fan favorite Matt Hendricks, who missed the first game between the two teams in Edmonton on October 23rd is healthy and has made the trip to Washington.
Washington
The Capitals (13-5-1) stand alone in second place with 27 points and remain five points behind the first place New York Rangers in the metropolitan division. The Caps are coming off an offensive explosion on Saturday night against the Colorado Avalanche, and will look to extend their winning streak to two games. Practice lines at the morning skate:
Offensive Lines:
Ovechkin-Backstrom-Oshie
Johansson-Kuznetsov-Williams
Chimera-Beagle-Galiev
Laich-Latta-Wilson
Defensive Pairs:
Schmidt-Carlson
Alzner-Niskanen
Orlov-Chorney
As per Isabelle Khurshudyan, Andre Burakovsky cycled in the line rushes this morning. Brooks Orpik missed practice again this morning, due to his lower body injury sustained on November 10th. Stanislv Galiev is in the lineup tonight. Andre Burakovsky is out. Trotz said Burakovsky will return to the lineup “shortly.” Wouldn’t be surprised if that translates to Wednesday.
