Edmonton Oilers (6-4-3) face the St. Louis Blues (3-7-2) on what is the first night of back-to-back games on Monday. The Oilers currently sit third in the Pacific Division while the Blues are currently six points out of the final wild card spot.
The Oilers are still waiting for players to return from injury with Zach Hyman not expected to be available until this weekend or later. There is also still forwards Mattias Janmark and Kasperi Kapanen as well as defenceman Alec Regula that should be available any day.
Captain Connor McDavid has the opportunity to hit his 1,100th point in his NHL career. So far this year he has 17 points (three goals, 14 assists) in 13 games played.
Oilers give Pickard the start in goal
Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch gives backup netminder Calvin Pickard the nod in net as he hopes to turn his season around.
This is Pickard's first start since October 26th against the Vancouver Canucks, a 4-3 overtime loss against their Western Canadian rival. He stopped 23 of 27 shots in that outing for a .852 save percentage. Overall this season he has played four games with a 2-1-1 record and a 3.50 goals against average and .846 save percentage.
Giving the veteran netminder a start against the struggling Blues should hopefully give him a good chance to regain his confidence.
Oilers improving numbers
The Oilers struggled to start the 2025-26 National Hockey League season. However, they have slowly but surely been improving in recent games with a 2-1-2 record in their past five outings. Although it is three losses, two of them being overtime losses means that the Oilers were able to capture six out of 10 total points.
Throughout this time, the team has seen improvements with their depth scoring with notable contributions from their top rookies. They have also seen a return to form on their backend as both veteran Darnell Nurse and star Evan Bouchard have been scoring more.
This game presents a good opportunity for the club to build on their more recent successes.
Players to watch
Connor McDavid
The Oilers captain eyes a milestone, recording one point will give him 1,100 points throughout his NHL career. He has also struggled to score goals so far this year so will be interesting to watch if he put the puck in the back of the net.
Jack Roslovic
Entering the game, Jack Roslovic has been hot with four points in his last four games and has recorded points in the past two games straight. He looks to add to this tally in this one against the Blues. He is also interesting to watch as the team could be looking to trade him with the recent changes to his contract.
Calvin Pickard
As mentioned above, backup goaltender Pickard is the starter for Monday night's game against the Blues. He has struggled this year but this game could mark a turning point for his performance on the season.