A national broadcast awaits the Chicago Blackhawks, who kick off a short road trip on Tuesday night against the Edmonton Oilers.
The main attraction of this game is Connor Bedard’s first NHL game against his biggest fan … his future teammate after his 2026 UFA signing in Chicago … the player Bedard will eventually overtake as the best player in the NHL … Edmonton center Connor McDavid, the 2015 No. 1 overall pick who has been the primary comparison for Bedard since the latter began registering on draft radars as a teenager. McDavid continues to be in the standard for excellence in the NHL, with 36 points (10 G, 26 A) in 23 games while helping the Oilers recover from a horrendous start. The now nearly 27-year-old McDavid will almost certainly shine brighter than Bedard in this game but should also provide a glimpse into what Bedard could look like once he becomes an NHL veteran.
McDavid posted video-game numbers last season (64 goals and 89 assists for 153 points in 82 games) while helping the Oilers reach the second round of the playoffs, but that lack of postseason success persisted in spite of McDavid’s unassailable talent. Then Edmonton started this season 2-9-1, which sent coach Jay Woodcroft to the unemployment line in favor of Kris “No, I’m not related to Chuck” Knoblauch. The Oilers have won nine of 12 under Knoblauch and enter this game on a 7-game winning streak, most recently a 4-1 triumph over the New Jersey Devils on Sunday. It’s been the Edmonton offense steering the ship lately, as Edmonton has scored at least three goals in each of its last 13 games. While McDavid is the leading point-producer, he’s far from the only one lighting up scoreboards. Leon Draisaitl has 32 points (11 G, 21 A) in 25 games. Zach Hyman has 27 (team-high 15 G, 12 A) in 24, bolstered by a pair of hat tricks in the last month. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins has 24 (5 G, 19 A) in 25. Evander Kane is at 22 (12 G, 10 A) in 25. Evan Bouchard leads the blue line with 28 (8 G, 20 A) in 25. It’s a team which benefits from offensive contributions in multiple places beyond its unstoppable top duo of McDavid and Draisaitl.
Edmonton’s top two defensive pairings have positive possession metrics, too. Cody Ceci and Darnell Nurse have skated 339:09 together at 5-on-5, per Natural Stat Trick, and own a 50.35 percent shot attempt share and 51.89 expected goal share. Mattias Ekholm and Evan Bouchard have skated 337:23 and are even better at 61.67 and 63.88, respectively. And they’ve needed to be that, because goaltending again seems to be a problem. Jack Campbell has gone from struggling in the NHL to struggling in the AHL after hitting waivers last month. Stuart Skinner is the No. 1 goalie now, but a .888 save percentage and 3.03 goals-against average won’t inspire much confidence. Calvin Pickard is 2-1-1 with a .918 and 2.24, respectively, but that’s a very small sample and far off his career marks of .904 and 3.02. It seems like the Oilers’ postseason success or failure will hinge on whether or not Skinner takes the step forward that everyone in and around Edmonton is so desperately hoping for. Otherwise, another year ticks off that McDavid contract that expires in the summer of 2026, with Draisaitl hitting unrestricted free agency a year earlier.
Here’s what it’ll look like for Edmonton in this game:
As for the Blackhawks, some roster moves were made on Monday that affect the lower portions of the depth chart. But a bigger development arrived at Tuesday’s morning skate, which featured a noticeable absence:
We’ll have an update on Jones’ status after coach Luke Richardson meets with the media later on Tuesday afternoon. Playing without Jones is going to make this an even taller task for an already outmatched Blackhawks side, but Chicago has had a habit of playing up to its competition in several other instances through the first few months of the season. They’ll need to do that again on Tuesday to avoid being run out of the building.
[UPDATE] Here’s the update and it’s not great:
And, as is always as the case against Edmonton, staying out of the penalty box is a primary objective to keep the Oilers’ power play from going all Noisy Cricket on the Chicago PK.
Let’s go Hawks.
Tale of the Tape
Blackhawks — Statistic — Oilers
44.88 (31st) — 5-on-5 Corsi For — 55.41% (4th)
42.92% (31st) — 5-on-5 Expected goals for — 57.39% (2nd)
2.41 (31st) — Goals per game — 3.48 (7th)
3.44 (26th) — Goals against per game — 3.36 (22nd)
46.0% (30th) — Faceoffs — 51.1% (11th)
10.2% (29th) — Power play — 27.6% (4th)
77.0% (21st) — Penalty kill — 80.0% (17th)
How to watch
When: 9 p.m. CT
Where: Rogers Place, Edmonton
TV: ESPN
Webstream: ESPN+
Radio: WGN AM 720