The Edmonton Oilers are set to face the Los Angeles Kings for the first time of the 2025-26 NHL season. These two teams have a lot of history, having met in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs for four straight seasons. In all four series the two clubs have played against one another, Connor McDavid and the Oilers have triumphed.
Currently, the Oilers captain is in the midst of a 17-game point streak where he has been red hot scoring 41 points with 18 goals and 23 assists over that span. He has the chance to extend his streak to 18 games against the Kings on Saturday night.
The Oilers as a team have benefitted greatly from having their top player on fire with an 11-5-1 record over that time. It is a major step after being on the outside looking in at the quarter season mark. The performances have propelled the team firmly into a Pacific Division playoff spot with 50 points this season, tied for first with the Vegas Golden Knights.
Another area that has helped is the Oilers solidifying their position between the pipes with their netminders.
Ingram has been a bright spot
Although former Oilers starter Stuart Skinner had started to turn his season around, the club still made a big trade to upgrade in goal and move on from the local product and acquire Tristan Jarry from the Pittsburgh Penguins. Jarry started his Oilers career on a high note with a 3-0-0 record in his first three games before being sidelined with an injury and has been out since December 18th.
In that time, the Oilers called up their pre-season acquisition to split the crease in goaltender Connor Ingram. So far, Ingram has played admirably with a 3-2-0 record, logging a save percentage above .900 in four of his five outings.
In contrast, the other side of his tandem Calvin Pickard has struggled mightily with a save percentage below .900 in three of his last four starts. These struggles have plagued the 33 year old netminder all season as he currently sports a 5-6-2 record in 13 starts this season with an .871 save percentage and 3.68 goals against average.
As the return of Jarry nears, Oilers management will be forced to make a tough decision between the pipes. It seems to be more and more apparent that they cannot keep relying on Pickard and may be forced to move on from the veteran keeper.
For now, Ingram will get yet another opportunity to prove his worth against the Kings on the big stage of Saturday night's Hockey Night in Canada.