NHL Game of the Week: New York Rangers vs. Edmonton Oilers

After being a highly-anticipated Stanley Cup matchup that didn’t come to fruition last season, the New York Rangers will meet the Edmonton Oilers for their first of two matchups this season.

This Saturday, the ice will be shared by two of the biggest stars in the game, Connor McDavid and Artemi Panarin.

Both teams will enter action following a loss on Thursday.

The Oilers fell to the Minnesota Wild 5-3, who rank second in the National Hockey League with 29 points, behind only the Winnipeg Jets, who lead the league with 32 points. As for the Rangers, they came up short against the Calgary Flames 3-2.

In their last five games, the Oilers are 2-2-1 to the Rangers’ 3-2-0.

Let’s start with the visiting New York Rangers.

New York Rangers (12-5-1):

The Rangers currently sit in fourth place in the Metropolitan Division with 25 points. Despite this spot in the standings, New York is only three points behind the division-leading Carolina Hurricanes. One advantage of the Blueshirts is that they have played the least amount of games, giving them the potential to make up those points.

Artemi Panarin currently leads the Rangers team in goals (10) and points (24). Thursday’s loss marked only the third game this season in which Panarin did not record a point, and it was the first time he did not do so in back-to-back contests.

One player to watch for the Rangers is Alexis Lafrenière. The former first-overall pick has scored three goals in his last five games and has taken a big step up in his second year on a line with Panarin and Vincent Trocheck, New York’s most successful offensive grouping.

Saturday’s game will be the final game of a Western Canada road trip, part of a stretch where the Rangers will play eight games in 14 days. Because of this workload, it is currently unsure whether star goaltender Igor Shesterkin will be in the net. If not, head coach Peter Laviolette will turn to his trusted backup, Jonathan Quick, who has been nothing short of spectacular this season.

In his first four starts of the season, Quick is 4-0 with a .977 save percentage and a 0.75 goals-against average (GAA). Quick has also pitched shutouts in each of his last two starts, looking like the version of himself that won the Conn Smythe Trophy back in 2012 with the Los Angeles Kings.

Now, for the home team, the Edmonton Oilers.

Edmonton Oilers (10-9-2):

Despite being last season’s Western Conference Champions, the Oilers have had an underwhelming start to their season. Edmonton currently ranks fourth in the Pacific Division with 22 points.

Perhaps one of the reasons for this lackluster start is their situation between the pipes. While, of course, it comes down to more than just goaltending, it is an appropriate place to begin to look to explain Edmonton’s -9 goal differential. Only the San Jose Sharks have a worse differential (-25) in the Pacific Division.

In 14 games, Stuart Skinner holds a .876 save percentage with a 3.33 GAA, the fourth highest among goaltenders (minimum 10 games played), and has allowed 11 goals over his last three starts.

Edmonton’s backup goaltender, Calvin Pickard, hasn’t found much success either but has relatively better numbers than Skinner. The Canadian netminder is 4-3 in eight appearances with a .893 save percentage and a 2.44 GAA.

In terms of players to watch, there’s always the dynamic duo of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.

McDavid has registered eight points over his last five games, including his one thousandth career point, which he tallied with a goal in Edmonton’s 3-2 win over the Nashville Predators. McDavid becomes the fourth fastest player to reach the milestone, having done so in 659 career games behind Wayne Gretzky (424), Mario Lemieux (513) and Mike Bossy (656).

Draisaitl currently leads the Oilers in both goals (15) and points (28). Over his last five games, Draisaitl has eight points, including being credited with the opening goal in Edmonton’s loss to Minnesota just 27 seconds into the game. Wild goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury misplayed a puck headed to the crease and the puck slid right through his pads as he failed to swipe the puck up the ice.

Final Thoughts:

Those who watch will likely see a preview of a potential Stanley Cup matchup between these two teams. The two will meet again on March 6.

Fans can catch the game on Nov. 23 at 10 p.m. on Sportsnet, MSG Network or ESPN+.

Daniel Studer is a third-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email dbs5866@psu.edu.