The Arizona Coyotes are hosting the Edmonton Oilers in what will be the team’s last game in Mullet Arena, and likely in Arizona. It will be a special and emotional game, only more emotional because it will feature Connor McDavid, arguably the best player in the NHL. The talk will be about the Coyotes leaving, but there is no shortage of storylines from an Oilers’ perspective.
There will be plenty of Oilers fans in Arizona tonight. The Coyotes often get as many away fans as they do home fans, but there’s a massive contingent of Albertans who go to Coyotes games every time the Oilers are in town.
For the Coyotes, while the game means nothing in the standings, it means everything to the players. For the Oilers, this is about finishing the season right and hoping to go into a series with either Los Angeles or Vegas healthy.
They need three points in their final two games to reach 100 points this season for their new coach Kris Knoblauch. If they can do that with only 69 games under his belt as an NHL head coach, it would be an incredible accomplishment.
Oilers Have Some Players With Markers to Hit
As is constantly said, the games aren’t about individual performances as they are as much about playing the right way and team success, there are a few players on the Oilers’ roster with some specific markers on the line. If Hyman scores, he can hit 55 goals on the season. If Warren Foegele scores, it will be his first 20-goal season in the NHL. McDavid has a chance to keep his name in the Hart Trophy conversation and Evan Bouchard can hit 20 goals if he gets two more. Watching the Oilers trounce the San Jose Sharks this week, all of these milestones are absolutely possible. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins needs one more point to his 700 in his NHL career.
Philip Broberg will get a start for the Oilers on the blue line. It’s too small a sample size to really secure him anything, but a good game could go a long way to keeping his name in the mix for next season.
Calvin Pickard gets the start, while Cody Ceci and Darnell Nurse will sit. Evander Kane will also sit his second game in a row.
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