The good news is that the Oilers held a struggling Ducks team to just one goal on Thursday night. Ryan Getzlaf scored Anaheim's only goal on the power play with nine minutes remaining in the first period. Goaltender Cam Talbot was nearly flawless in turning aside 34 or 35 Anaheim shots. The bad news? Oilers couldn't hang a single goal on the board. John Gibson yielded zero goals on 21 shots. The Oilers power play continues to struggle mightily, going 0/3 on the night. More bad news? Edmonton is on a three game slide. They've got to start winning now.
Oilers take on the Coyotes today in a Saturday afternoon tilt. Let's go to the tape.
The Oilers are saying
"It feels good. It's good to feel normal again and be out there with them. Obviously today it was a little bit of a lighter practice, they're getting ready for tomorrow's game, but it was still a lot of fun to be out there."
That's Oilers forward Connor McDavid on getting his first practice in since sustaining a clavicle injury eight weeks ago.
The Oilers defence is cobbled together with duct tape and hot dog buns, the Oilers haven't gotten a point in three games,and whatever glimmer of a game after the first week in April that exists ends of getting smaller and smaller with each loss.
Enter Connor McDavid, and not a moment too soon. McDavid has been out for the last two months with a clavicle injury, and it's very, very good to see him taking practice with the team.
The opponents are saying
"It was great to win and great to see Shane get that goal...He's been really good the last couple of games, so we had the feeling he was going to get it tonight." Source
That's Coyotes defenceman Oliver Ekman-Larsson on Shane Doan's two goal performance in Thursday night's game.
Doan's two-goal performance puts him atop the Winnipeg Jets / Coyotes franchise goal scoring list for with 381 goals. That's one more than Dale Hawerchuk's 380.
The Oilers went 0'3 on the power play against Anaheim. The last goal scored on the power play? A Taylor Hall marker against the Rangers on December 15th. .
AND A YAK - With the good news that Connor McDavid is practicing with the team comes more good news that Nail Yakupov is back skating. Yakupov is recoving from a high ankle sprain after he was inadvertently tackled by a linesman during a botched faceoff. Fun times.
WITH THE GOOD COMES SOME NOT SO GOOD - Oscar Klefbom isn't due back anytime soon, as he's not only dealing with a knuckle injury, but a 'lower body' injury as well. Get some more duct tape.
The Coyotes are going with Louis Domingue (3-2-1, .922 SV% / 2.53 GAA) between the pipes. Domingue has picked up the lion's share of work after goaltender Mike Smith has been out with an injury. Domingue has started seven of the last eight Coyotes games and will take on the Oilers this afternoon. Cam Talbot (5-11-2, .906 SV% / 2.92 GAA) will get the start for Edmonton.
Rob Klinkhammer (ankle) will be back in the lineup. Klinkhammer re-aggravated his ankle a couple of weeks ago in a game against the Rangers.
Connor McDavid (clavicle), Andrew Ference (undisclosed), Nail Yakupov (ankle), Iiro Pakarinen (undisclosed) and Oscar Klefbom (hand), are out for the Oilers. The Coyotes will be without forwards Boyd Gordon (head), Martin Hanzal (lower body), Steve Downie (upper body), Joe Vitale (concussion) Goaltender Mike Smith has been out since mid December with an abdomen injury.
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