The Edmonton Oilers face the Colorado Avalanche with both teams looking to improve their playoff position in the final few games of the season. The Oilers have a 48-23-9 record and with seven wins in a row, they have leaped into second place in the Pacific Division. The Avalanche have a 49-24-6 record and with five consecutive wins, they have jumped into first place in the Central Divison. Both teams look to continue their winning streaks and secure the best records in their divisions and the upcoming game looks to be a great one as a result.
The Oilers are having a great season with their offense leading the way, scoring 3.98 goals per game with 32 goals in the last seven games. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl have scored 115 goals and 160 assists as two of the best skaters in the game but the entire offense has stepped up. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Zach Hyman, and Evander Kane have combined for 88 goals and 125 assists while defensemen Darnell Nurse and Evan Bouchard have added 18 goals and 63 assists from the point to put the offense over the top.
The offense has been great but the defense has struggled, allowing 3.16 goals per game. Darnell Nurse and Brett Kulak have combined for 7.4 defensive point shares but the rest of the unit has struggled, allowing opponents to find open shots on the net at will. The bright spot has been the play of goaltender Stuart Skinner who has a .912 save percentage and a 2.80 goals-against average on 1478 shots with 11.7 goals saved above average.