The first-place Vegas Golden Knights have had a few days off to prepare for a two-game trip, starting Wednesday night against the Edmonton Oilers.
This will be the first time the two teams meet this season, and they are both expected to compete for the top spot in the Pacific Division.
Vegas has had very different results at home and on the road this season: the team is undefeated at home with an 8-0-0 record but has struggled on the road, going 0-3-1.
The eight consecutive home wins tie a franchise record. The Golden Knights reached this milestone when Brett Howden scored the game-winning goal in overtime during a 4-3 win over the Utah Hockey Club on Saturday.
While Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy was happy with Howden’s game-winner, he was even more impressed with the performance of defenseman Noah Hanifin.
The 27-year-old from Boston had a goal and two assists against Utah, a big improvement after going all of October without scoring and earning just three assists. He matched his point total for the entire month in just one game.
“It was important for (Hanifin) to find his game offensively. That’s something he counts on and expects to bring to the team,” Cassidy said. “Individually, it meant a lot to him (to score).”
Meanwhile, the Oilers, who are still without superstar Connor McDavid due to an ankle injury, had a rough game on Monday, losing 3-0 at home to the New Jersey Devils. The Devils scored one goal in each period and managed to keep Leon Draisaitl, who has been on fire this season, off the scoresheet.
Edmonton has faced some struggles at the start of the season, especially after their strong finish as runners-up to the Florida Panthers in last season’s Stanley Cup Final.
The Oilers had a rough start, losing their first three games and being outscored 15-3 by the Winnipeg Jets, Chicago Blackhawks, and Calgary Flames. However, they bounced back and got a win over the Flames on Sunday night.
Even without McDavid, Edmonton was in control from the start and won the 265th Battle of Alberta 4-2, marking their seventh consecutive win in Calgary, including the 2022 playoffs.
Without McDavid, coach Kris Knoblauch’s team has leaned heavily on the strong play of Leon Draisaitl, who has been performing at an elite level. Draisaitl has had a great start to the season, with 16 points (nine goals, seven assists) in 13 games, putting him on pace for another 100-point season.
Even with Draisaitl’s success, the focus remains on McDavid, who took part in an optional skate on Monday and felt he was ahead of schedule in his recovery.
The team had said last Wednesday that McDavid was expected to miss two to three weeks due to an ankle injury he suffered on October 28 against Columbus.
“When it first happens, obviously you’re concerned that it’s maybe something a little more serious,” McDavid said Monday about how he felt when he got injured. “But thankfully, I got good news and I’ve been doing everything possible to make it feel better.”
Knoblauch also mentioned McDavid’s competitive nature in his recovery.
“He’s a competitor,” Knoblauch said. “He wants to be out on the ice, and he wants to be helping the team win. He knows his body and the doctors are giving him their medical advice. It’s going to come down to when the doctors think it’s best for him to come back.”
McDavid could return as soon as Saturday when the Oilers play the Vancouver Canucks on Hockey Night in Canada.
