Nikolai Khabibulin will make his first start of the season against the Detroit Red Wings - his first game action in ten months. Devan Dubnyk gets his first rest of the season, after facing the most shots of any goalie in the league on a per minute and total basis through the first 10 games of the season.
Khabibulin had a brutal close to his last two seasons in Edmonton:
Khabibulin’s late season collapses the last two years have been pivotal to landing consecutive first overall draft picks. Post-Christmas, the last two years, Khabibulin’s record has been a mind-blowing 3-33-6, with a 0.880 SV%. Overall, his record has been 22-53-11, as opposed to Dubnyk’s 32-32-11 mark.
And though he began the 2013 season injured, he was not optioned to Oklahoma City for a conditioning assignment, like Theo Peckham.
Khabibulin will come under fire immediately, as the Edmonton Oilers have surrendered 33.8 shots per game through 10 games.