Oilers vs. Devils preview

OILERS (0-0-0) vs. DEVILS (0-0-0)
At Scandinavium (Gothenburg, Sweden)
1 p.m. ET; NHLN, SN, MSG+, NHL.TV

The Game

Taylor Hall and Connor McDavid, former teammates and the two most recent Hart Trophy winners, will go head-to-head when the New Jersey Devils play the Edmonton Oilers in the season opener for each team as part of the 2018 NHL Global Series Challenge at Scandinavium in Gothenburg, Sweden on Saturday.
Hall, chosen No. 1 by the Oilers in the 2010 NHL Draft and traded to the Devils for defenseman Adam Larsson on June 29, 2016, was sixth in the NHL last season with 93 points (39 goals, 54 assists) in 76 games and became the first Devils player to win the Hart Trophy.
McDavid, selected No. 1 by the Oilers in the 2015 NHL Draft, enters his fourth season after NHL career highs in goals (41) and points (108) in 82 games last season. He finished fifth in the Hart Trophy voting after winning the award in 2017. The Devils are one of three NHL teams that McDavid has yet to score a goal against.

Players to watch

Devils center Nico Hischier, taken with the No. 1 pick in the 2017 NHL Draft, finished tied for seventh in goals (20), fifth in assists (32) and tied for sixth in points (52) among NHL rookies last season.
Oilers goalie Cam Talbot will try to rebound after finishing with his highest goals-against average (3.02) and lowest save percentage (.908) in five NHL seasons, the past three with the Oilers.

They said it

"I think Taylor Hall has always been an MVP. He played extremely well in all his (six) years in Edmonton. He was a number one pick coming into the League. When players get a little bit older, things happen for them on a regular basis." -- Oilers coach Todd McLellan
"I think McDavid is the best. I don't know if I'm up there yet. It's certainly something I'm working towards. We're just looking forward to having a great start as a team and shutting down Connor is a big part of that." -- Devils left wing Taylor Hall on comparisons with Connor McDavid

Oilers projected lineup

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins -- Connor McDavid -- Ty Rattie
Milan Lucic -- Leon Draisaitl -- Kailer Yamamoto
Jujhar Khaira -- Ryan Strome -- Jesse Puljujarvi
Tobias Rieder -- Kyle Brodziak -- Zack Kassian
Oscar Klefbom -- Adam Larsson
Darnell Nurse -- Matt Benning
Kris Russell -- Evan Bouchard
Cam Talbot
Mikko Koskinen
Scratched:Drake Caggiula, Alex Chiasson, Jason Garrison
Injured: None

Devils projected lineup

Taylor Hall -- Nico Hischier -- Kyle Palmieri
Marcus Johansson -- Pavel Zacha -- Stefan Noesen
Miles Wood -- Travis Zajac -- John Quenneville
Blake Coleman -- Brian Boyle -- Jean-Sebastien Dea
Mirco Mueller -- Sami Vatanen
Andy Greene -- Damon Severson
Will Butcher -- Ben Lovejoy
Keith Kinkaid
Eddie Lack
Scratched:Steven Santini, Eric Gryba, Drew Stafford
Injured:Jesper Bratt (jaw), Cory Schneider (hip)

Status report

Russell (undisclosed) was activated off injured reserve. ... Defenseman Ethan Bear was assigned to Bakersfield of the American Hockey League. ... Bouchard will make his NHL debut. ... Bratt broke his jaw during practice Thursday and will be out 2-3 weeks.

Stat pack

McDavid has eight assists in five games against the Devils. In addition to New Jersey, he hasn't scored a goal against the Boston Bruins and Winnipeg Jets. ... Hall has one goal and one assist in four games against the Oilers.