The Edmonton Oilers will look to return to the win column when they visit the Anaheim Ducks on Monday night.
Edmonton (44-27-5, 93 points), third in the Pacific Division, wraps up a four-game road trip looking to bounce back from a 3-0 loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday night.
Calvin Pickard made 26 saves against the Kings as the Oilers had their three-game winning streak snapped. The netminder is 20-9-1 in 33 games this season, with a .902 save percentage and a 2.64 GAA.
“It’s one of those games where we were there,” Oilers forward Corey Perry said. “We just didn’t create a whole lot. And they play hard in the D-zone, and they take those second opportunities away from you.
“When you get that one chance, you got to make it count.”
Edmonton was without superstar centers Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid on Saturday. Both are sidelined with lower-body injuries.
“You take two of the best players in the world, you take ’em out of our lineup, I mean, it is what it is,” Perry said. “They’re the best players in the world for a reason. We had some chances. We couldn’t sustain pressure.”
Without Draisaitl in the lineup — Edmonton’s leader in goals (52) and points (106) — Zach Hyman is the active goals leader with 27 in 70 games. Defenseman Evan Bouchard is behind only McDavid and Draisaitl with 62 points this season.
Trent Frederic made his Oilers debut on Saturday, finishing with two shots on goal and a minus-2 rating in 7:10 of ice time. The Oilers acquired the forward from the Boston Bruins before the trade deadline, but he has been sidelined with an ankle injury.
Monday is the fourth and final meeting between the Ducks and Oilers. Anaheim has won two of the first three meetings between the Pacific Division rivals, taking a 5-3 decision on Dec. 29 and a 6-2 victory on March 4. Edmonton edged Anaheim 3-2 on Jan. 3.+
The Ducks (33-35-8, 74 points), officially eliminated from playoff contention, enter Monday’s tilt looking to avoid a third straight loss.
Troy Terry and Trevor Zegras scored for Anaheim in a 6-2 loss to the Canucks in Vancouver on Saturday night.
Lukas Dostal made 20 saves for the Ducks, which have lost three of four and are 4-5-1 over their last 10. Dostal is 22-21-6 in 50 games, posting a .903 save percentage and a 3.07 GAA.
“It didn’t feel like we weren’t ready to play,” Terry said. “(The Canucks) were determined, they were playing simple, they were just shooting pucks at the net and it felt like every time they shot a puck, they were getting a stick on it in front. I think they were just beating us to our net and maybe we weren’t ready for that to start, and it cost us.”
Terry paces the Ducks with 33 assists and 53 points in 71 games this season. Terry, Frank Vatrano, Mason McTavish and Leo Carlsson each have 20 goals this season to share the team lead.
–Field Level Media
