Islanders: Previewing the Most Important Road Trip of the Season

New York Islanders — LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 23: Connor McDavid #97 of the Edmonton Oilers waits for a faceoff during a 4-2 Oilers win over the Los Angeles Kings at Staples Center on February 23, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

Imagine having two Hart Memorial Trophy candidates on the same team? Well, the Edmonton Oilers do.

The Islanders travel to Edmonton on Friday, March 13th and puck drop is scheduled for 9 p.m.

The Oilers are led by the top two scorers in the NHL: Leon Drasaitl and Connor McDavid. Drasaitl leads the NHL in points and assists with 67 assists and 110 points. He also has 43 goals to go along with his massive assist numbers.

McDavid falls right behind Drasaitl in all of those categories. McDavid has 33 goals, 63 assists for 96 points.

The Oilers did make a bunch of trades at the deadline when they acquired Tyler Ennis, Andreas Athanasiou and Mike Green.

Unfortunately, Green has been out injured since February 28th, when he sprained his MCL.

Edmonton acquired Green because their biggest weakness is at defense. Compared to other team’s in the NHL, Edmonton does not have a strong defense. Their two best defensemen are Darnell Nurse and Oscar Klefbom.

Behind the defense are goalies Mike Smith and Mikko Koskinen. For the most part, these goalies have split the season.

The Islanders must avoid the penalty box against Edmonton! The Oilers have the best powerplay in the NHL (29.6%). Special teams always makes a difference when playing the Oilers and the Islanders must avoid taking unnecessary penalties.

Schedule