Game 62: Montreal Canadiens @ Edmonton Oilers
Start time: **9:00 PM EST / 6:00 PM PST**
In Canada: TSN2 (English), RDS (French)
In the Oilers region: Sportsnet West
Streaming: ESPN+, RDS, TSN+
For a team with so much talent and a Stanley Cup Final appearance a season ago, the Edmonton Oilers have experience great swings of momentum throughout their recent seasons. Last year they got off to a dismal start to rank near the bottom of the NHL standings, then went on an eight-game winning streak to get back in the race, following that up with a string of 16 victories to re-establish the pecking order in the Pacific Division.
They once again started slow out of the gate in 2024-25, though not nearly as sluggishly as last season. Then from November 23 to the start of their 4 Nations Face-Off break on February 8, they went 24-8-2, with just two of those 10 losses being by more than one goal. After captain Connor McDavid returned to his NHL team following his Golden Goal in the 4 Nations final, the team is playing its worst hockey of the year. The Oilers lost four of the five games played on an Eastern Conference road trip after the international tournament, outscored 22-13. They then allowed four goals to the Anaheim Ducks in the opening 20 minutes of their first home appearance since February 7, eventually falling 6-2 in the game on Tuesday night.
So far, all that has done is drop them four points back of the Vegas Golden Knights for the Pacific Division lead. They still hold a four-point edge over the Los Angeles Kings for home-ice advantage in the opening round of the playoff, and the rival Calgary Flames are a further three points back of that as the next team in the list. Perhaps that lack of stakes as the league entered its final third of the season is at work, with nothing really to inspire them to play better.
| Canadiens | Statistics | Oilers |
|---|---|---|
| 30-26-5 | Record | 35-22-4 |
| 48.4% (25th) | Scoring-chances-for % | 54.0% (4th) |
| 2.98 (15th) | Goals per game | 3.23 (9th) |
| 3.31 (27th) | Goals against per game | 2.93 (14th) |
| 22.0% (17th) | PP% | 26.5% (5th) |
| 82.3% (5th) | PK% | 75.3% (25th) |
| 1-0-0 | Head-to-Head Record | 0-1-0 |
Their opponent tonight has a lot to play for. The Montreal Canadiens are at the opposite end of the spectrum in results since the break, winning all five games they’ve played and resurrecting their post-season hopes. It all started with a convincing win over an Ottawa Senators team the Habs likely have to pass to earn a playoff spot, carried through another strong performance versus the Carolina Hurricanes, and lasted through three games versus the bottom team in each conference in which they didn’t play their best but found a way to get the needed wins.
Montreal just received a major kick of motivation this week. Coming out of the break looking very likely to sell some popular players at the deadline, general manager Kent Hughes signed top asset Jake Evans to a medium-term deal, loudly signalling his faith in the team to reach the softly stated pre-season goal of seeing playoff hockey — and probably also shedding some light on how weak the offers for the centreman had been leading up to the deadline.
The contract means the Canadiens hang onto one of the shutdown forwards who has helped the Canadiens achieve the fifth-best penalty kill in the NHL, which will help keep Edmonton’s fifth-ranked power play in check. Overall, the Habs have dealt with McDavid well in recent seasons, getting fully engaged on the defensive side to face the top offensive player in the world Since the start of the 2021-22 season, the Habs have held him pointless in four of the seven games, including on November 18 in a 3-0 loss at the Bell Centre.
The Canadiens will be eager to show their GM that he made the correct choice to re-sign Evans and keep his eyes on a post-season berth for the league’s second-youngest team. It’s just another relatively meaningless game for Edmonton, but there are a vital two points on the table for a surging Habs team starting its Western Canada road trip.
