There’s no doubt that the hockey world expected the Oilers to improve under the leadership of their newly-anointed captain, Connor McDavid, and make a push for their first playoff appearance since 2005-06. With goaltender Cam Talbot earning the NHL’s first star of the week last week with a 1.00 GAA and .970 save percentage, and leading the league in wins, it seems that Edmonton is finally receiving much-needed support in net.
At the other end of the ice, the Canucks have been equally impressive this season start. Vancouver won their first four games and took the Los Angeles Kings to a shootout, but have since lost the last two games against the Anaheim Ducks and Ottawa Senators.
At the start of the season, the Canucks were widely thought to be a team destined for the basement of the Western Conference. While that may still happen, Jacob Markstrom (1.94 GAA, .923 save%) stood in admirably while Ryan Miller recovered from injury. Miller was in net for Vancouver’s two regulation losses, so it will be interesting to see how the Canucks move forward with their goaltending situation.
NHL Odds: Oilers Look to Continue Rolling in Vancouver on Friday Night
The Edmonton Oilers (5-1-0) will look to build upon their solid start on Friday when they take on the Canucks (4-2-1) in Vancouver (10:00 PM ET). After getting off to a scorching start, and going undefeated through their first four games, the Canucks have dropped three straight and will plan to generate some offense against last week’s first star of the week, Cam Talbot.For the Oilers, Connor McDavid, in his first season as team captain, has not disappointed with 4 goals and 5 assists, for 9 points and a plus-5 over six games. Friday’s game will be a good test for both teams, as each looks to prove doubters wrong and make appearances in the post-season this year.
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