Canadiens look to restore power to offense against Oilers (Feb 05, 2017)
MONTREAL -- Two teams looking to end brief slides and get back on the winning track hit the ice when the Montreal Canadiens host the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday afternoon at the Bell Centre.
The Canadiens (30-16-7) are coming off their second straight defeat after dropping a 3-2 decision to the Washington Capitals on Saturday afternoon. Montreal is 5-7-1 since Jan. 9.
On Saturday, the Canadiens found themselves down 3-1 before Max Pacioretty brought his team within one and they pushed hard in the final 10 minutes for the equalizer.
"It was definitely a better effort than in Philadelphia but there's always room to grow," defenseman Jeff Petry said. "There's always things to correct in a game and we're going to definitely take a look at the game. It's a quick turnaround so kind of forget about this one, learn from it, and be ready to go (against Edmonton)."
A power-play marker by Washington stood as the winner, marking the fifth straight game Montreal gave up a power-play goal.
At the same time, the Canadiens haven't been able to make the most of the man advantages that come their way. The Habs were held off on three attempts against the Capitals and haven't converted in three games. They haven't helped themselves either by drawing a mere five penalties in those outings.
"Special teams are a big part, no matter what game it is," Petry said. "We have to find a way to score goals on the power play and prevent them on the penalty kill. The easiest way on the PK is to stay out of the box. We need to continue doing a better job at that and on the power play, just generate shots and get pucks to the net with bodies there."
The Oilers (28-18-8) dropped their third straight, falling 2-1 to the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday night. The streak comes after Edmonton earned points in eight straight (7-0-1) through mid-to-late January.
"There's obviously a sense of urgency now," Connor McDavid, who plays in his 100th NHL game, told the Edmonton Sun after the game. "We understand that in the playoff race stuff happens quick, stuff changes quick and we have to nip these in the bud. Three tough ones."
Edmonton boasts one of the NHL's top-10 offenses with 152 goals on the season, an average of 2.81 per game. McDavid, whose 42 assists and 60 points lead the league, has been especially dominant on the road this year, recording 37 points in opposing rinks. In the past three games, however, his team has struggled to put the puck in the net, scoring only three goals.
"We're just not finishing," McDavid said. "You look at the chances we've had over the last few games, especially this game. A lot of posts. We had some missed empty nets in Nashville. We just have to bear down around the net."
Injuries could force both teams into line-up changes. Canadiens center Phillip Danault left Saturday's game with an upper-body injury and coach Michel Therrien was uncertain of his status for Sunday following the game.
The Oilers lost defenseman Matt Benning in Friday's game and called up blue-liners Griffin Reinhart and Jordan Oesterle from the AHL's Bakersfield Condors.
Cam Talbot is expected to get the nod for Edmonton, in what would be a league-high 49th start. Therrien has typically split back-to-backs between his goaltenders but did not confirm his starter for Sunday's game.
