Edmonton @ Seattle preview
Climate Pledge Arena
Last Meeting ( Jan 18, 2024 ) Seattle 2, Edmonton 4
When Connor McDavid is in a scoring slump, that doesn't mean he isn't producing.
McDavid snapped a 10-game goalless drought, tallying with 26 seconds left in overtime of a 3-2 victory against visiting St. Louis on Wednesday. He also had two assists.
Despite the recent lack of goals, McDavid has registered points in nine consecutive games, with one goal and 22 assists.
He'll look to extend that streak Saturday afternoon when the Oilers play at the Seattle Kraken.
"The timing was excellent," Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said of McDavid's winner. "He's been doing everything but scoring, and he's been on the score sheet two, three times almost every single night through that stretch.
"And wow, what a goal he provided in overtime."
The Oilers, who overcame a shaky start to the season, have won two in a row and are in third place in the Pacific Division, one point behind defending Stanley Cup champion Vegas with three games in hand.
Zach Hyman scored twice, including his 40th goal of the season, and Stuart Skinner made 32 saves against the Blues.
"I mean, I play with the best player in the world, so I'm very fortunate and very aware that I'm pretty lucky," said Hyman, who has tallied eight times during a six-game goal streak. "Obviously, one of the big reasons I chose to come here was to have the opportunity to play with Connor.
"I just keep trying to get open, and you (media) guys are on him for not scoring, but it's because he's making those plays, and I'm the benefactor. He's a generational player."
McDavid seemed happier for Hyman than he did for himself for scoring the winner.
"I'm so happy for him. He is a guy who brings it every single day with a positive attitude and a smile on his face," said McDavid, who has multiple assists in six straight games, two shy of the NHL record set by Wayne Gretzky in 1984-85. "Even when things aren't going well, he shows up and is the same every day.
"It is great to see him get rewarded. He has been playing great this year. He's banging in goals left, right and center. It has been great for our team."
This will be the last of four regular-season meetings between Edmonton and Seattle this season. The Oilers have won the first three, including one in overtime. On Nov. 11 in Seattle, Edmonton triumphed 4-1 as Hyman had a natural hat trick in the first period.
The Kraken, who are chasing a Western Conference wild-card berth, are 5-1-1 in their past seven games.
They defeated visiting Pittsburgh 2-0 Thursday night as Philipp Grubauer made 33 saves for his first shutout of the season. Alex Wennberg had a goal and an assist and Oliver Bjorkstrand tallied for the second consecutive game.
Grubauer is 4-0-0 with a .947 save percentage in five appearances -- four starts -- since returning from a lower-body injury that had sidelined him for more than two months.
"When you have that type of goaltending, it builds confidence because it erases mistakes," Kraken coach Dave Hakstol said. "Mistakes happen all the time in this game, and when a goaltender takes one of those off the board, all of a sudden, it's a little easier to focus on the positive things."
The shutout was Grubauer's first since April 7, 2022, at Chicago.
"It's been a while for myself, but obviously it's more important to get those points than to get the shutout," Grubauer said. "It's huge for the team too, because everybody played their part."
--Field Level Media