The two fastest teams in the NHL are meeting up for the first of three meetings on Saturday.
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On one end, the Edmonton Oilers, who have made it to the Stanley Cup Final in consecutive seasons, are 6-5-4, but boast a dominant 4-0-2 record at home. At the other end, the NHL’s best team through the first month, the Avalanche, are playing their ninth road game through the first 15.
Both teams enter the matchup off three days rest. Colorado defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning at Ball Arena on Tuesday, improving to 4-0-2 at home. The Oilers were in Dallas and jumped out to a 2-0 lead. But two goals and an assist from Mikko Rantanen helped the Stars force OT, and eventually win it in the shootout.
Stuary Skinner gets the nod, he’s 4-3-3 with an .899 save percentage and will go up against the Avs’ Scott Wedgewood. Colorado’s usual backup is 8-1-2, which leads the NHL in wins and is second in starts.
According to NHL Edge, the Oilers have 42 skating sped burts of 22+ MPH, led by the league leader in Connor McDavid (24.61 MPH). The Avs are right behind with 36.
Colorado has a whopping 455 speed bursts of 20-22 MPH, led largely by Nathan MacKinnon, who has 74. The Oilers are behind at 408.
Gavin Brindley returns to the lineup for the Avs after missing two games. The rookie winger suffered a concussion after taking a hit from Ivan Barbashev in Vegas just over a week ago. Brindley has a goal and an assists in 12 games, playing mostly on the fourth line but getting some time on the second power-play unit in recent games.
