Edmonton's goaltending looks better than it did 2 days ago. Tristan Jarry missed the Anaheim game with an illness, and Mike Babcock called him sick, not injured. He's still listed day-to-day, but Daily Faceoff projects him to start Saturday. That's a big upgrade over the emergency setup the Oilers used against the Ducks, when Matt Tomkins was in line to start and Brett Epp was the emergency backup. Behind Jarry, nothing has changed. Frederik Andersen (knee) isn't expected back until "maybe" December and Devon Levi is still on IR, so if Jarry doesn't go, Edmonton is back to its depth goalies.
The good news for the Oilers is up front. The projected top line is still Vasily Podkolzin with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, with Dach, Nugent-Hopkins and Kapanen behind them. Zach Hyman skated Thursday as the 13th forward and Levi skated as the backup goalie, and Babcock said that when players look ready, it "could be any time soon." Nothing on game day confirms Hyman is in, and Isaac Howard has now joined him on IR. If Hyman does come back, this is a different Edmonton team from the one that just lost twice.
The Oilers' recent run comes in 2 halves. They won 3 straight and gave up 1 goal across all 3, with 4-0 wins over Calgary and the Islanders and a 4-1 win over the Rangers. Then they gave up 9 goals in 2 games: a 4-3 shootout loss in New Jersey where Jarry stopped 31 of 34, and a 5-4 loss to Anaheim at home. The forwards played about the same in both stretches. The goaltending was the difference, and that's why Jarry's status matters so much.
Anaheim gives the 2 teams something in common. Both just lost 5-4 to the Ducks, and Vancouver's only win in its last 5 was a 6-5 game in Anaheim. When the Canucks score, it tends to be in shootouts like that. They put up 6 and 4 in 2 of their last 5, and their 2 goals in Winnipeg came on 26 shots. Their defence and their goaltending depth (Thatcher Demko is out until around Christmas) don't let them win low-scoring games.
Puck drop is 9:00 PM MT. Edmonton's top line should be good enough to win this, and a healthy Jarry takes away Vancouver's best opening. The remaining questions are whether Jarry is actually in the crease when the puck drops and whether Hyman is back on the wing. Vancouver's best chance is to get pucks on net early, test a goalie coming off an illness, and turn it into another 5-4 kind of night.
