Ottawa @ Edmonton preview
Rogers Place
Last Meeting ( Mar 10, 2021 ) Ottawa 1, Edmonton 7
The Ottawa Senators are hoping seven is lucky when they hit the ice for Friday's road clash with the Edmonton Oilers.
The first six meetings between the teams have been a disaster for the Senators, with their 7-1 loss at Edmonton on Wednesday the latest embarrassment in this disastrous season.
The Oilers have won all six clashes between the clubs, four of them at Edmonton, but the most recent was a debacle of monumental proportion for a Senators team now looking for revenge.
"We can't let that happen," said defenseman Mike Reilly. "That's something that happened earlier in the year, in the same building. We feel like we were completely past that, not having those games (anymore) and it happened (again). It's not acceptable one bit. It's on every single guy. It's not the coaches, at all. It's on us."
The Oilers took a 4-0 lead by the end of the first period on Wednesday and extended it to a full seven before a third-period goal by Ottawa's Evgenii Dadonov killed the shutout bid.
"That's on me when the team is not ready to play," Ottawa coach D.J. Smith said. "I'm the coach and I'm the leader. I have to do a better job. Things like (Wednesday) happen, and obviously I didn't turn on enough light bulbs to get them ready for the game."
The Senators have surrendered five or more goals in 10 games this season and have allowed seven or more in five outings.
Ottawa did receive some good news. Forward Colin White appeared to suffer a serious injury on Wednesday, but is listed as day-to-day although he won't play this game. Forward Ryan Dzingel, who also left the game, is a game-time decision.
For the Oilers, a three-game winning streak has put in the rearview mirror their struggles against the Toronto Maple Leafs a couple of weeks ago -- three straight losses by a 13-1 combined score. The turnaround has Edmonton at 17-11-0 at the midway point of the season and full of confidence.
"Sometimes when you get punched in the mouth, you have to come back, get up off the mat and start working again, and that's what we've done," coach Dave Tippett said. "It's been good for our team. We recognized some things we need to do a lot better."
Leading the way, to no surprise, has been the dynamic duo of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, who have been dominant ever since struggling against Toronto.
"It's our job as the leadership group and collectively as a team to find our way out of it and go in the right direction," Draisaitl said. "I thought our team did a great job of sticking with that in the Calgary game, and we're back to 3-0 in the last three, so huge props to our group."
In their last three games, McDavid has netted two goals and six assists, while Draisaitl -- who had a five-point outing on Wednesday -- has compiled four goals and three helpers. They have feasted on the Senators, combining for 28 points, with Draisaitl collecting six goals and nine assists and McDavid racking up two goals and 11 assists in those six clashes.
"Connor and Leon are both incredible players and obviously world-class players," defenseman Tyson Barrie said. "They are quite a bit different, too. They go about it in different ways. Leon, the way he thinks the game and the way he passes the puck on his forehand, backhand, slows the game down and finds guys with speed, it's pretty incredible. He's a great guy and I'm really grateful to get out with those two on a nightly basis."
--Field Level Media