TLDR: Utah went into Rogers Place and did something the franchise had never done: beat Edmonton in regulation. Now the Oilers fly to Salt Lake City for the rematch with the same holes in the lineup.
Utah hosts Edmonton 2 days after winning 4-2 at Rogers Place, the franchise's first-ever regulation win over the Oilers, built on 2 power-play goals and a pair from Clayton Keller. Edmonton is still without Hyman, Nugent-Hopkins and Dickinson, plus Andersen in goal, which leaves McDavid and Draisaitl doing most of the work. The rematch comes down to whether Utah's depth and power play can win the matchup again.
+Keller scored twice, Cooley and Hayton chipping in
+Won 3 straight, only Carcone and Lamoureux out
−Got blown out 6-1 in Boston last week
−Facing an Oilers team with McDavid looking for a response
This is the back half of a home-and-home. The first half was Utah's from the start. The Mammoth jumped out early, scored twice on the power play and led 3-1 after 2 periods. Clayton Keller had 2 goals, Barrett Hayton and Logan Cooley got the others, and Karel Vejmelka made 21 saves. Leon Draisaitl and Shakir Mukhamadullin scored for Edmonton. The loss ended a 5-game Oilers winning streak and was their first regulation loss of the season.
The bigger story for Edmonton is who isn't playing. Zach Hyman has been out since the first week of the season with an upper-body injury. Back on October 1, Mike Babcock said 'day to day' probably meant 2 weeks, and Hyman is still listed out. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins went on IR with a lower-body injury before he played a game. Jason Dickinson limped off the ice at Thursday's morning skate, still dealing with the ankle he hurt late last season, and is listed out. Add Colton Dach, Matt Savoie and Mattias Janmark and that's a lot of centers missing for 1 team.
The goalie situation doesn't help. Frederik Andersen's knee has him out until 'maybe' December, according to Babcock, so Edmonton is getting through October without its veteran in net. Even so, the Oilers were 5-1-1 before Thursday, which mostly tells you how much McDavid and Draisaitl are carrying.
Utah has won 3 straight, beating Buffalo, Toronto and now Edmonton. The only real dud in the last 5 was a 6-1 loss in Boston. They came into the season with a young core, Cooley and Keller are scoring, and the depth has been enough to handle teams whose bottom 6 is held together with tape. They are also healthier than Edmonton. Michael Carcone is week-to-week with an upper-body injury and Maveric Lamoureux is on IR, and that's the whole list.
So the question for Saturday, October 17 at the Delta Center is pretty simple: can McDavid and Draisaitl make up for a lineup that's missing its 2nd-line center, its top-line winger and most of its center depth? Thursday's answer was no. Utah won the special-teams battle and never let Edmonton's top guys take over the game. A desperate Oilers team will want a better answer the second time. Puck drops at 8:00 PM MT.
Mammoth Host Short-Handed Oilers 2 Days After Ending Their Run | Polymarket Odds · Barstool Bush
