Edmonton Oilers vs. Nashville Predators Pick & Prediction OCTOBER 17th 2024
Preview and Prediction
The Edmonton Oilers will strive for consecutive victories as they journey to Nashville to take on the Predators on Thursday.
The Oilers ended a three-game losing streak with a 4-3 win in overtime against the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday night, concluding a four-game stretch at home. Edmonton had lost three games in a row for the first time since the 2015-16 season, which was also the rookie year for Connor McDavid.
Leon Draisaitl scored just 56 seconds into overtime, while Evan Bouchard, Adam Henrique, and Connor Brown also found the back of the net for the Oilers, who will begin a two-game road trip in Nashville. McDavid, who has yet to score this season, contributed two assists in Tuesday's triumph.
See also:
"8-Year, $66M Extension Secured for G Jake Oettinger by Stars"
See also:
"Recap of NHL Action: Evgeni Malkin and Penguins Make History"
"Our top players really came through in the clutch," said Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch. "For the game-tying goal, Leon made a play along the boards, McDavid made a pass, and Bouchard scored. And of course, those guys were on the ice again for the game-winning goal.
"We need those guys to make crucial plays in crucial moments, and they definitely did that (on Tuesday)."
Draisaitl has recorded two goals and an assist in four games this season, while McDavid leads the team with four assists.
In three starts this season, Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner has a record of 1-2-0 with a save percentage of .845 and a goals-against average of 5.40. Skinner won his only career start against the Predators last season.
Edmonton won two out of three matchups against Nashville last season. The Oilers claimed a 6-1 victory on October 17th, and the Predators responded with a 5-2 win in Edmonton on November 4th. The Oilers then wrapped up the season series with a 4-1 triumph on January 27th.
Similar to the Oilers, the Predators have also lost three straight games to start the season, including a 7-3 defeat at home to the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday. Nashville fell to the Dallas Stars 4-3 in their season opener and were shut out 3-0 by the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday.
In Tuesday's game, the Predators entered the third period tied 3-3 but gave up four unanswered goals to Seattle in the loss.
See also:
'Sidney Crosby (1,600 points) and Evgeni Malkin (500 goals) Reach Career Milestones'
See also:
'Panthers come out on top in NHL recap while Jackets pay tribute to Johnny Gaudreau'
"We're trying to play an aggressive style of hockey, but we've lost some of our identity in terms of how we should be playing," said Predators coach Andrew Brunette.
"We're playing the way we want to play a little too much. I think there's still a lot of summer hockey in our game and a lot of trying to be fancy and make plays instead of playing direct."
Forward Filip Forsberg has recorded one goal and two assists in three games, while Tommy Novak has scored two goals in three games.
Steven Stamkos, who signed a four-year contract with Nashville in the offseason, moved to center in Tuesday's game after playing left wing in the first two games. The 34-year-old has yet to register a point in a Predators uniform.
Nashville goaltender Juuse Saros has a record of 0-2-0 to start the season with a save percentage of .855 and a goals-against average of 4.20. In 10 career appearances against the Oilers, Saros has a record of 3-5-1 with a save percentage of .916 and a goals-against average of 3.06.
Thursday's game marks the first of three meetings between these two teams. The Oilers will travel to Nashville on October 31st before concluding the season series in Edmonton on November 14th.
Edmonton Oilers vs. Nashville Predators
Leon Draisaitl recorded his first career four-goal game, and he and Connor McDavid finished with five points each as the visiting Edmonton Oilers broke open a tie game with five third-period goals in an 8-3 victory on Monday night.
With the game tied 3-3 early in the third, Edmonton's two stars took over to help the Oilers win their second straight and sweep the three-game season series from Nashville.
McDavid made it 4-3 at 4:42 into the third period with a shot from the point through traffic and past Nashville goalie Pekka Rinne, who was pulled after allowing all eight goals on 31 shots.
Draisaitl, whose 40th goal came earlier in the contest, converted 35 seconds later as the Oilers applied more heat on Rinne. Zack Kassian's goal made it 6-3 at 7:03 into the final period, and two straight Draisaitl blasts put the game out of reach.
Draisaitl's 107 points lead the NHL and are a career high, surpassing his 105 from last season. He has also recorded 12 goals in his last five games versus Nashville. McDavid, who had four assists, has 94 points this season.
Roman Josi recorded his career-high 16th goal and equaled an all-time best point total of 61 for the Predators, who have dropped two in a row, but still own the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference, although they are one of three teams tied with 72 points.
Edmonton, looking to catch first-place Vegas in the Pacific Division, opened the scoring 6:23 into the game thanks to Josh Archibald, who flipped the puck past Rinne. Draisaitl scored No. 40 when he struck a McDavid pass in off the body of Rinne with 29 seconds left in the opening period.
At 2:14 into the second, Josi one-timed a blast from the top of the left circle and past Edmonton goalie Mike Smith (27 saves) to make it 2-1. Just 14 seconds later, Calle Jarnkrok equalized right in front of Smith.
Edmonton regained the lead with 6:26 left in the second courtesy of Kailer Yamamoto (goal, assist). The rookie winger shuffled in a backhand pass from Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (three assists) for his 10th goal in 22 games since being called up from Bakersfield of the AHL.
Just 91 seconds after the Oilers went back on top, Nashville's Nick Bonino muscled the puck past Smith to make it 3-3.