With just 11 games remaining on their 2023-24 NHL regular season schedule, the Edmonton Oilers have plenty to pursue when they host the Anaheim Ducks this afternoon (Mar. 30) at Rogers Place.
Primarily, Edmonton wants to pick up two points as the Oilers look to strengthen their hold on second place in the Pacific Division while maintaining hopes of catching the first-place Vancouver Canucks. Vancouver currently has 98 points, while Edmonton has 92 with two games in hand. The Los Angeles Kings and Vegas Golden Knights are not far back, sitting in third and fourth place in the division with 88 and 87 points, respectively.
There are also a couple of massive individual milestones being chased by Oilers players. Captain Connor McDavid is five helpers away from becoming just the fourth player in NHL history with 100 assists in a single season. At the same time, winger Zach Hyman must score nine more times to become the fourth player in franchise history with a 60-goal campaign.
Additionally, Evander Kane is looking to get back on track before the playoffs, when the Oilers will need the veteran power forward at his best. Kane is mired in a career-worst streak of 18 games in a row without a goal.
Fortunately for Edmonton, the Ducks are a team that the Oilers have roasted in recent years. You might say that McDavid and Co. have been feasting on the Ducks.
Oilers on Winning Streak in Head-to-Head Series
The Oilers have beaten Anaheim six straight times, winning by an average margin of 4.17 goals. In its last 10 games playing the Ducks, Edmonton is 9-1 and has scored a whopping 57 goals.
Things have been particularly lopsided in the teams’ meetings this season, with the Oilers winning by 5-3 and 7-2 on the road in Anaheim and 8-2 at Rogers Place on Nov. 26.
But the dominance goes back even further: Since the start of December 2016, Edmonton is 17-4-3 against the Ducks. In their last 30 times playing Anaheim, the Oilers have lost by more than one goal twice.
Super Stats for Edmonton Players
Through three games against the Ducks this season, 10 different Oilers players have scored, while 17 Edmonton skaters have at least one point.
Everyone’s gotten in on the act. Even forward Connor Brown and defenceman Vincent Desharnais, who each have just nine points in 2023-24, have picked up two assists against the Ducks.
Hyman Aims to Extend Scoring Streak
Hyman has goals in five straight games against Anaheim, dating back to last April. He scored twice on netminder Lukáš Dostál during the Ducks’ first visit to Rogers Place this season on Nov. 26.
Related: 4 Takeaways From Oilers’ Explosive 8-2 Win Over Ducks
The 31-year-old forward has five hat tricks this season, and a three-goal performance against the Ducks today would go a long way on his road to 60.
Kane is NHL’s Top Performer vs. Ducks
A visit from the Ducks couldn’t come sooner for the slumping Kane, who has scored the most goals against Anaheim of any player in the NHL this season.
Kane had one goal in each of Edmonton’s victories over the Ducks on Nov. 26 and New Year’s Eve, then recorded a hat trick in the Oilers 5-3 victory at Honda Center on Feb. 9.
McDavid Hunts 100 Against Ducks
McDavid likely isn’t to get his 100th assist on Saturday — he’s only got one game in his career with at least five assists — but he could get close.
The superstar center is on an incredible run, with 48 assists in his last 25 games (only the great Wayne Gretzky has more assists over a 25-game stretch in NHL history). What’s more, he likes his Ducks with apples: McDavid has racked up eight assists in Edmonton’s three games this season with Anaheim, including four in the home victory on Nov. 26, and he’s got at least one helper in 11 consecutive games against Anaheim, a streak spanning more than four years.
Of course, the only thing that really matters to Hyman, Kane, McDavid, and all their teammates today is that Edmonton gets two significant points in the standings. While the Oilers’ recent results against Anaheim suggest fans could hear the goal horn often this afternoon, there is also the logic suggesting the Ducks are due for a win in Edmonton. As the saying goes, that’s why they play the games.