DEVILS vs OILERS | PRE-SCOUT | GAME #26

Hey, everyone!

Today’s game in Edmonton has “barn burner” written all over it! Two of the hottest and most exciting offensive teams in the league going head-to-head, what more could you ask for this Sunday afternoon?

Comparing NJD & EDM in each of their 6-1-0 last 7 GP coming into today, it’s evident just how dominant the Oilers can be when they keep pucks out of their net.In terms of their 6-game W streak specifically, Stuart Skinner’s .932 SV% across the streak has led them to an average win margin of about 3.2 goals. Just like the Devils, the Oilers have the ability to absolutely torch teams when their defense and goaltending flip the switch, and that’s exactly what we’re seeing at the moment.
The Devils, defensively, will need to be as sharp in front of Akira as they were in front of Vitek for most of the third period last night. One of my main points throughout the game was that the Devils cannot leave Vitek out to dry, which, they did in the first period. Luckily, VV came up huge and allowed the guys to find their footing. Nico said it after the second period, and, we were all thinking it: the Flames were going to push hard in the third period.

Instead, the Devils came out, outplayed a desperate CGY team, and picked up another 2 PTS on the road.If one thing’s for sure, these pivotal third periods recently have been season-changing, and, yes, quite entertaining at times. Whether tonight’s third period is as chaotic as last year’s was in EDM (3-1 CBW w/ 2 NJD goals in 7 seconds to win the game) let’s hope the Devils can weather whatever storm comes their way and make it a perfect road trip.
Talk about elite, even generational talent — this matchup will have no shortage of it. Bratt and Nico were tremendous for the Devils in yesterday’s win. A combined 3G, 1A, 9 shots, and a drawn penalty for the duo at 5v5 is only a continuation of how strong they've been together when Nico is healthy. Dating back to the start of last season, Bratter & Nico have posted fairly similar on-ice numbers to McDavid & Draisaitl at 5v5.Of course, I'm not claiming Bratter and Nico are even on the same planet as two generational players, and, likely, the best duo in the world. In terms of goals for and chance generation/prevention, though, I was impressed to see Nico and Bratt with similar-looking rates.

As for Hughes vs. McDavid, well, Jack is now pointless in consecutive games for only the second time this season. I have little doubt that Jack will rise to the occasion, as he always does, and put on a show against McDavid and the hot Oilers. I'll continue to compare the two in this afternoon's pregame show, but note that, behind Nikita Kucherov, Jack and McDavid are coming into today's matchup as the #2 & #3 PTS/GP leaders in the NHL, respectively.

Lastly, I'm expecting to see Stuart Skinner get another start for the Oilers tonight.
I'll give a full comparison in the pregame show, but no doubt that it's been a rough year for both teams' goaltending as a whole this season. Coming into today, though, it’s getting a lot better for both sides. Skinner, as mentioned, is unconscious lately (6-0-0 w/ .932 SV% in L6 GP), and Schmeedo is coming off potentially the best regular-season start of his career, that being Thursday's 2-1 W in SEA.Our pregame coverage today begins at 3:30 PM once again. Erika and I will discuss Arika picking up where he left off; Nico & Bratt; EDM & NJD goalie issues this season; Hughes vs. McDavid; and we’ll compare the first 25 games of the Devils’ PP with EDM’s historic PP last season.
-Sal