The Nashville Predators (4-6-0) will travel to Edmonton to take on the struggling Oilers (2-6-1) Saturday afternoon. The Oilers won their previous matchup against the Predators this season by a resounding score of 6-1 and will look to get back into the win column following a 4-3 loss to the Dallas Stars on Nov. 2.
The Predators enter today’s contest after losing two consecutive games for the second time this season. They lost 5-2 to the red-hot Vancouver Canucks on Halloween, then travelled to the Emerald City, losing 4-2 to the Seattle Kraken a couple days later. Both teams will look to begin turning their seasons around as the Western Conference foes face-off for their second time this season.
Predators Get Second Crack at Ekholm
Saturday will mark the second time the Predators face-off against former defenseman, Mattias Ekholm, this season. Ekholm’s Oilers got the best of his former team in their first meeting on Oct. 17, winning 6-1. That game remains as just one of the two victories the Oilers have on the season as they look to claw their way back into the playoff picture at home this afternoon.
Ekholm had three shots on goal, three hits, one block, and an expected goals-for percentage (xGF%) of 53.49 at even strength. His Corsi For stood tall at 56.25 percent, a hair above the 53 percent he is averaging through his first eight games this season, according to Moneypuck.com. Ekholm’s return to Nashville remains one of his best games this season and is undoubtedly the Oilers’ best showing early on.
Predators Could Break Low-Scoring Trend Against Oilers
The Predators have a fantastic opportunity to bury plenty of goals Saturday afternoon against the Oilers and break a worrying streak they are riding. The Predators have not scored more than two goals in a game during regulation over their last four matches, losing three of four during that span. The one victory required overtime, before the Predators broke the 2-2 deadlock against the Toronto Maple Leafs last Saturday (Oct. 28).
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Luckily, the Predators can end this four-game run against the Oilers, whose goaltending tandem is playing well below their standards. Jack Campbell is expected to get the start in net. He is sporting a 4.35 goals-against average (GAA), a .878 save percentage (SV%), and has the ninth-worst goals saved above expected (GSAx) in the NHL with a minus-2.1. If the Oilers put Stuart Skinner in the net, the numbers do not improve. He has a 3.62 GAA, a .861 SV%, and a minus-5.2 GSAx, which is third-worst in the league, according to Moneypuck.com. All signs point to the Predators finding the back of the net. Although, they did struggle to score the last time they played the Oilers.
The Predators have only been held to one goal once this season, which ironically happened against the Oilers. Campbell backstopped the Oilers to a win, saving 43 of 44 shots en route to his first and, to this point, only win of the season. The team has held opponents to two goals or under twice, once in the aforementioned game against the Predators and most recently in their 5-2 win over the Calgary Flames in the Heritage Classic.
Keeping opposing teams off the scoresheet has not been the Oilers’ M.O. this season; however, with the pressure of needing wins bearing down on them, expect head coach Jay Woodcroft to get his team playing tight, responsible hockey vs. the Predators.
Oilers Rookie Makes NHL Debut
Oilers rookie Raphael Lavoie will make his NHL debut Saturday afternoon following a brief but dominant stint with the Bakersfield Condors, the Oilers’ American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, to kick off the 2023-24 season. He has seven points (4-3-7) through five games in the AHL and will look to add much-needed scoring depth to the Oilers’ bottom-six.
Related: Predators Have 3 Storylines Emerging Early This Season
Both teams sit sixth in their respective divisions, both on the outside looking in for the Western Conference playoff race, and both are aiming to turn their seasons around on Saturday as the cross-divisional foes go head-to-head in their second of three total meetings this season. The game’s expected start time is 2:00 p.m. at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta.
Advanced stats taken from Moneypuck and NaturalStatTrick