Oilers prepare to face off against Ovechkin and his Caps without McDavid – Edmonton

The Edmonton Oilers (29-14-3) begin a long stretch of six games at home on Tuesday night when they face the Washington Capitals (31-10-5) at Rogers Place.

The hockey club will be without captain Connor McDavid for the first half of that homestand as the NHL handed him a three-game suspension on Monday after he delivered a crosscheck on Canucks forward Conor Garland near the end of a game Vancouver won 3-2 on Saturday.

McDavid will be eligible to return to game action on Jan. 27 when the Oilers take on the Seattle Kraken.

Despite Saturday’s loss, the Oilers have an 8-2-0 record over their last 10 games while the Capitals have gone 7-0-3.

The resurgent Capitals have surprised many hockey watchers by currently sitting in first place in the NHL in terms of winning percentage after retooling their roster during the offseason.

Washington is led by 29-year-old sniper Alex Ovechkin, who has 21 goals in just 30 games this season and currently needs just 21 goals to surpass Wayne Gretzky as the NHL’s all-time leading goal scorer in the regular season.

Ovechkin’s pursuit of Gretzky’s record stalled earlier this season when he fractured his left fibula, forcing him off the ice for some time.

Oilers centre Leon Draisaitl leads all NHL players in goals so far in the 2024-25 season with 33. Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander is in second place in the race to capture the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy with 28 goals.

The Capitals have a 15-6-1 record on the road this season while the Oilers have have gone 15-7-1 at home.

After the team practised on Monday, Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch addressed his team’s recent poor starts, facing multi-goal deficits in four of their last five games.

“The one thing that has showed up is taking a few more penalties in the first period than drawing, and not being able to kill those,” he said.

Oilers forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins said it is not an issue that is occurring all the time but said it is something he and his teammates have to “stop as soon as we can.”

Stuart Skinner is expected to be the likely starter in goal for the Oilers on Tuesday but as of noon the team had not confirmed a starter.

New Oilers defenceman speaks to media

After agreeing to a one-year contract with Edmonton last week, veteran right-shot defenceman John Klingberg skated with his new teammates for the first time at Rogers Place on Monday.

In 633 career regular season games in the NHL, the Swedish blueliner has accumulated 412 points. However, he has not played an NHL game since November 2023 because of a hip injury that he underwent surgery for.

Klingberg, 32, told reporters after practice that he feels better than ever.

“The motion I have now is better than I ever remember it to be,” he said. “The last few years it’s been gradually getting worse and worse.

“It came to a point last year where if something happened during the game, I just felt that there’s no way I am going to be able to play another 80 games.”

Klingberg said he is excited to try to help the Oilers in the playoffs. In 2020, he played an important role in helping the Dallas Stars reach the Stanley Cup final.

“I’m just seeing how they play and how I can fit in the team,” he said.

“I think it can be a good fit.”

Knoblauch said he was pleased by the Oilers’ acquisition of Klingberg.

“I think anytime you can add a defenceman of that calibre, it’s absolutely a no-brainer for us,” he said. “We want to take that chance.”

Nugent-Hopkins said he is happy Klingberg will be someone he now gets to play with instead of against.

“From what I remember, (he is) just so shifty on the line,” he said.

Knoblauch said he believes it will likely be at least a week until Klingberg will play a game for Edmonton.

Klingberg said he hopes he will be able to play a game before the NHL season goes on a break for the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament.

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