Blues at Oilers
Edmonton coach Ken Hitchcock is upset with how teams are playing Connor McDavid and hopes the two-time reigning Art Ross Trophy winner is afforded a bit more space when the Oilers host the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday. Edmonton fell to 9-3-2 since Hitchcock replaced Todd McLellan on Nov. 20 with Sunday's 4-2 loss at Vancouver as McDavid extended his point streak to nine games with an assist despite limited room to work his magic.
"We're a league that's supposed to showcase our top players and you don't want to give him all the freedom," Hitchcock told reporters. "He's not allowed to play give and go. It's give and hold. We're going to have to figure out how to fight through it." McDavid, though, is still managing to get things done as he sits third in the league with 49 points after accumulating six goals and 10 assists during his streak. “He goes into areas that make me feel uncomfortable on the bench but he doesn’t have a problem doing it,” Hitchcock told the Edmonton Sun. “He’s doing things that are uncomfortable with the puck. You spend your whole life teaching it and he already does it. It’s a hard thing to teach and when a player has it in his DNA already it’s pretty good, you really feel like you’re fortunate to watch something like that.” St. Louis is tied for the third-fewest points in the NHL after a 7-2 loss to Calgary on Sunday came on the heels of winning three of four.
TV: 9 p.m. ET, FS Midwest (St. Louis), Sportsnet One (Edmonton)
ABOUT THE BLUES (12-15-4): Vladimir Tarasenko (nine goals, 20 points), whose averaged better than 37 goals and 34 assists over the last four seasons, hasn't recorded a point in his last seven games. Ryan O'Reilly (team highs of 13 goals, 31 points) was kept off the scoresheet for the fourth time in six games Sunday. Jake Allen was pulled before the second period Sunday for the second time in four starts after allowing four goals on 16 shots in the first stanza, and is 2-2-0 with a 4.99 goals-against average and .854 save percentage during that span.
ABOUT THE OILERS (18-13-3): Alex Chiasson (15 goals, 19 points) scored for the third straight game Sunday and continues to produce since joining McDavid and Leon Draisaitl on the top line. Draisaitl (16 goals, 42 points) had his five-game point streak snapped Sunday (three goals, 12 points). Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (31 points) scored Sunday and has five of his 11 goals this season in the last seven games.
OVERTIME
1. The Oilers and the Blues each yielded three power-play goals in their last contest, dropping St. Louis into a tie for ninth in the league in penalty killing percentage entering Monday at 82.2.
2. The Blues have lost six straight versus the Pacific Division (0-5-1).
3. Edmonton prevailed 3-2 in a shootout Dec. 5 in St. Louis in the first of three meetings this season and has won six of the last eight encounters.