The Utah Hockey Club and the Edmonton Oilers will wrap up 2024 on Tuesday night with their second matchup of the season between the two Western Conference teams.
The Oilers, in third place in the Pacific Division, are returning home after a disappointing two-game trip to California. They earned only one point after a 4-3 overtime loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday and a 5-3 loss to the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday.
As far as goal production, Zach Hyman and Leon Draisaitl have been the most consistent players for Edmonton.
After missing five games due to injury and returning on December 5, Hyman has scored 10 goals and three assists in 11 games this month.
Draisaitl leads the NHL with 26 goals, scoring twice against the Ducks. He has 23 points (nine goals, 14 assists) in his last 11 games.
Coach Kris Knoblauch said after practice on Monday that he has not decided on the lineup for Tuesday’s game.
A lot of focus is on struggling veteran Jeff Skinner, who has just one goal and one assist in his last nine games and only six goals this season. Skinner was a healthy scratch against Anaheim.
“He hasn’t had the confidence with the puck as much as he has in the past, and you look at his shooting percentage — a lot of that’s luck and a lot of it’s feeling confident putting the puck in the net,” Knoblauch said on Monday. “A lot of it’s just him finding his game and how he usually plays.”
Edmonton won 4-3 in overtime in the first meeting with Utah in Salt Lake City on November 29, with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scoring the game-winner.
Utah saw its seven-game road winning streak end and its losing streak extend to four games after a 5-2 loss to the Seattle Kraken on Monday. Before that, Utah lost 4-1 to the Colorado Avalanche on Friday to end a tough three-game homestand.
Utah has only five wins in 16 home games (5-7-4), but the road has been a different story, with a record of 11-7-2.
Coach Andre Tourigny praised goaltender Karel Vejmelka for much of the team’s success. Vejmelka made 28 saves on Monday.
“Huge,” Tourigny said when asked about Vejmelka’s importance to the team. “He’s been tuned in and kept us in games and given us a chance to win the game every night.”
Vejmelka’s record is 8-10-2 with a 2.40 goals-against average and a .916 save percentage.
Dylan Guenther leads Utah with 16 goals, while Clayton Keller leads in assists (24) and points (37).
Utah will finish its four-game road trip with games against the Calgary Flames on Thursday and the Dallas Stars on Saturday.
