Yahoo Sports Oilers Have Important Advantage In Star-Studded Matchup
Connor McDavid. Nathan MacKinnon. Leon Draisaitl. Mikko Rantanen.
What do all four of those players have in common? For one, they're all in the NHL's top five in scoring this season. They're also four of the top five scorers since the start of the 2021-22 season. And they'll all be playing at Ball Arena in Denver tonight.
Oilers-Avalanche has been appointment viewing for all hockey fans for years, and tonight's game should be no different. Though the Avs hold the bragging rights over Edmonton with a 6-3-1 regular season record since 2021-22, a four-game sweep in the 2022 conference finals, and a Stanley Cup, this year's matchup might be tilted in favour of the Oilers -- if only just.
Though Colorado's depth has declined precipitously since winning the Cup in 2022, they've managed to fix it recently by moving Rantanen off MacKinnon's wing and down to the second line as a centre. While that does take away their greatest strength -- the five-man buzzsaw unit of MacKinnon, Rantanen, Valeri Nichushkin, Cale Makar, and Devon Toews -- it provides the lineup with some much-needed balance.
It also evens them up with the Oilers, who have tried their best to keep McDavid and Draisaitl on separate lines. Still, without Nichushkin, the Avs' depth on the wings is severely lacking.
Colorado's advantage on defence has also withered away. Cale Makar is still Cale Makar, but his numbers away from MacKinnon have cratered in recent years. He's still one of the two best defencemen on the planet, but it's no longer a guarantee that the Avs will win his minutes. With Sam Girard injured and a fairly anonymous bottom four, Colorado's blueline is not what it once was.
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Colorado does have one advantage over the Oilers, and it's a pretty recent development. The last time these two teams faced off, the Oilers won 4-1, in part thanks to the subpar play of Avalanche goalie Alexandar Georgiev.
Within two weeks of that game, Colorado flipped its entire battery in net, bringing in Mackenzie Blackwood and Scott Wedgewood. Since then, they've enjoyed the league's best goaltending, thanks to Blackwood's .938 save percentage in burgundy and blue.
Despite Blackwood's incredible play, the Avs have been scuffling in the new year. They've gone 4-2-1 in 2025, alternating wins and losses as their offence has started to dry up. Contrast that with the Oilers, who have won seven of their past eight, including two shutouts from Stuart Skinner and five four-goal nights from the offence.
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All that being said, everyone knows the real draw tonight: Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen vs. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.
MacKinnon leads the league in points with 70, while Draisaitl leads in goals with 31 and is right behind MacKinnon with 65 points. McDavid and Rantanen are fourth and fifth in points with 62 and 61, respectively. Oh, and Cale Makar is tied for first among all defencemen with 50 points and might win his second Norris Trophy.
Whatever the result tonight, one thing's for sure: it won't be boring.
Tonight's game gets underway at 7:30 MT, on Sportsnet.
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