Oilers
Pluses: Connor McDavid enters the game on a 10-game goal drought but has 23 assists in that span and has rocketed up the NHL scoring list to third (91 points; 21 goals, 70 assists) behind Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov (103 points; 38 goals, 65 assists) and Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon (98 points; 35 goals, 63 assists). During the Oilers' recent 16-game winning streak, McDavid and center Leon Draisaitl mentioned to me the improved defense as a reason for the turnaround. That has slipped a little bit of late, but is still better than it was to start the season. Forward Zach Hyman is leading Edmonton in goals with a League career-high 38 and is on pace for more than 50. Defenseman Evan Bouchard has 56 points (15 goals, 41 assists) in 56 games, and when you add forward Evander Kane and center Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, that gives the Oilers a handful of players who can make an impact on any given night.
Minuses: Since the aforementioned winning streak, the Oilers have gone 5-5-1, allowing 4.00 goals per game (30th in the NHL during that span) and going 64.7 percent on the penalty kill (31st). They need to fix that, and the quicker the better as a lengthy losing streak could bump them to the wrong side of the playoff line. We know they can score, but they'd rather not have to score five or six any night to win. They need to prove they can win the low-scoring games, too.