OILERS vs. PREDATORS
STREAM: 6:00 p.m. MT; televised on Sportsnet
Oilers Team Scope
The Oilers head back to the road looking for a spark after a two-game home stand where they only collected one out of a possible four points against the St. Louis Blues and the Anaheim Ducks.
The team's most recent contest saw them pour 49 shots on Ducks goaltender Lukas Dostal, however it was not enough as Anaheim escaped with a 4-3 victory.
There may be no better place for the Oilers to get back on track than Nashville, which was recently the site of an Oilers 6-3 victory back on Dec. 13. The Oilers top line of Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Zach Hyman combined for 13 points on the evening and scored all six Oilers goals.
Hyman potted a late empty netter to cap off his first ever NHL hat trick, while Leon Draisaitl continued his absurd run of form over the Predators. The German superstar notched two goals and three assists on the evening, giving him 10 points in two games against Nashville this year and 30 in his last 11 games against the Music City club overall.
Jack Campbell started the contest, turning away 29 of 32 shots to pick up his eight victory of the season and second against the Predators.
Predators Team Scope
Edmonton's opponent comes into Monday night's contest with a 12-13-4 record and are fresh off a 3-1 defeat to the defending Stanley Cup Champion Colorado Avalanche.
The Predators lone goal was scored by former Avalanche third-overall pick Matt Duchene, who picked up his seventh of the season, after notching a career-high 41 goals back in 2021-22. The Avs offence was lead by Norris Trophy winner Cale Makar, who scored the game clinching empty-net goal and assisted on Colorado's opening tally by Mikko Rantanen.
Nashville starter Juuse Saros turned away 27 of 29 Colorado shots to bring his record to 9-9-4 on the season.
"Saros has been great every single night and so has [Lankinen]. It definitely helps to have goalies like them, but we've got to make sure we find a way to win more hockey games," Nino Neiderreiter said after the game. "I mean tonight we definitely did a couple of good things, but we've got to make sure we play a full 60-minute hockey game."
So far this season, the Predators have scored a solid seven goals in two games against the Oilers, however they have also conceded 13 in to the Blue & Orange over that stretch. Filip Forsberg has lead the way offensively against the Oilers with a goal and four assists, while Roman Josi has contributed four assists as well in the two head-to-head contests this season.
By The Numbers
Connor McDavid enters the night with the NHL's longest point streak, finding the scoresheet in his last 12 contests… Over that stretch, the Oilers captain has notched 12 goals and 15 assists for 27 points… McDavid has registered 31 points in 18 career games against the Predators with 25.8 per cent of those points coming in the last two contests…
Tyson Barrie has also been hot as of late, notching points in six-straight games with 10 assists over during that streak… The defenceman leads all Oilers players in games-played against the Predators with 34… Jesse Puljujarvi's 69 hits leads all Oilers players on the season… Last time the Oilers were in Nashville, Devin Shore played his 400th NHL game…
Nashville has had a tough go of it as of late against the Oilers going 1-8-1 against the Alberta club over their last 10 games… The Predators have been outscored 24-47 over that time… Prior to that 10-game stretch, the Predators had boasted a 36-27-3-8 record all-time against the Oilers…
Injury Report
OILERS - Oscar Klefbom (shoulder) is on IR; Mike Smith (undisclosed) is on IR; Evander Kane (wrist) is on IR; Ryan McLeod (undisclosed) is on IR; Philip Broberg (undisclosed) is day-to-day.
PREDATORS - Alexandre Carrier (undisclosed) is day-to-day; Mark Borowiecki (upper body) is on IR; Ryan McDonagh (upper body) is on IR.
-- Jamie Umbach, EdmontonOilers.com