PREVIEW: Oilers vs. Kraken

Connor McDavid will make his return on Monday night from a three-game suspension when the Edmonton Oilers continue their six-game homestand at Rogers Place against the Seattle Kraken.

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PRE-GAME REPORT: Oilers vs. Kraken

EDMONTON, AB – Welcome back, capo. We've missed you.

Following the conclusion of his three-game suspension, captain Connor McDavid will be back in the lineup on Monday night when the Edmonton Oilers host the Seattle Kraken in the fourth game of their season-high six-game homestand at Rogers Place.

The Oilers went 2-1-0 in the three games after he was handed a three-game ban for cross-checking Canucks winger Conor Garland in the head last weekend in Vancouver, including back-to-back victories in a 6-2 win over those very-same Canucks at home and Saturday's 3-2 triumph over the Buffalo Sabres.

"Just a lot more calmness; a lot more guys feeling better about themselves that they know he's coming back," Head Coach Kris Knoblauch said.

"When there's an injury, you don't know how long that's going to be and you don't want it to stretch too long. But I don't think there's any difference in our mentality about not knowing when he's coming back or when we do have him coming back. I just think it's an excellent opportunity for guys to step up and play, and we're never going to replace Connor. That's irreplaceable. But for a short period of time, guys can step up and elevate their game."

McDavid's teammates all helped pick up the slack in his absence by elevating each of their games, most notably Edmonton's other core leaders in Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Leon Draisaitl, Zach Hyman, Evan Bouchard, Mattias Ekholm and Darnell Nurse, along with some sharp goaltending from their netminders Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard.

After easing past the Canucks last weekend behind three-point showing from Draisaitl and Hyman, two points from Nugent-Hopkins and 24 saves from Pickard, it was Stuart Skinner's turn to shine between the pipes, making 39 saves to improve to 11-2-1 this season in games following losses by way of his first-star performance.

The Edmonton-born netminder was tagged for four goals on 14 shots earlier this week in a 3-2 loss to the League-leading Washington Capitals but bounced back in a big way on Saturday after waiting until midway through the first period to face his first shot.

The Sabres pushed hard from that point in the game, and Skinner did a lot of leg work in the Oilers crease that allowed his team to remain in it and find enough footing to find a way past a tricky Buffalo team whose place at the bottom of the NHL's Eastern Conference isn't indicative of the competitiveness.

"We had a guy kicking back there, so we leaned on him heavy tonight. Probably a little too heavy," Nugent-Hopkins said. "We knew that coming in, if you give these guys any life, they're gonna run with it. They're a bunch of young skill players and can make you pay, so Stu did a great job."

Nugent-Hopkins has back-to-back multi-point performances after scoring twice on Saturday, including 8:59 into the third period that gave the Oilers a 3-2 lead that stood as the winner to move Edmonton into first place in the Pacific Division temporarily. It was the latest in a season the Oilers have led the Pacific since Mar. 7, 2020 – a few days before the 2019-20 season was postponed due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The Vegas Golden Knights defeated the Florida Panthers 3-1 on Sunday to take back the top spot, but the Oilers have a game in hand and the opportunity on Monday to take it back against another division rival in the Kraken. Edmonton has gone 21-6-1 in its last 28 games to push to the top of the Pacific and the NHL's overall standings, sitting fourth with a 31-15-2 record.

"It's obviously our goal to keep racking up points and get as high as we possibly can, so it's nice to see that," Nugent-Hopkins said. "But a long way to go, and the job's not finished here."

Nugent-Hopkins has at least one point in 10 of his 11 career games against Seattle and eight points during his current four-game point streak against them (1G, 7A). Leon Draisaitl, the NHL's leading goalscorer with 35, has multiple points in nine of his 11 career games versus the Kraken to go along with his own personal four-game point streak against them (3G, 7A).

Over Seattle's brief time as an NHL franchise – joining the League as an expansion side in 2021 – there are no players who have more career points against them than Draisaitl (25) and McDavid (18), with the latter set to return to the lineup for Monday's meeting at Rogers Place after serving his suspension.

The Dynamic Duo's dominance of the Kraken is a major reason why they've owned the season series with a 9-2-1 record, including seven straight wins in which they've outscored Seattle 51-31. The Oilers claimed a 4-2 win in Seattle back on Jan. 4 in the first of four meetings this season, with two more meetings on tap after Monday's meeting on Mar. 22 at Rogers Place before concluding the season series at Climate Pledge Arena on Mar. 27.