March 10, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Colorado Avalanche’s goalkeeper MacKenzie Blackwood (39) defends Edmonton Oilers’ center Connor McDavid (97) in the first game at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Image The Edmonton Oilers will try to get their Pacific Division title quest back on track when they visit the St. Louis Blues for back-to-back games on Friday.
Edmonton is just 4-7-0 in its last 11 games, showing little sign of the team rounding into playoff form. The Oilers have won the first two games of their current four-game road trip, but their momentum came to a screeching halt with a 7-2 loss to the Dallas Stars on Thursday.
It took less than 27 minutes for Dallas to build a 5-0 lead in another shaky defensive performance from an Oilers club that has allowed 3.45 goals per game this season.
“We gave (the Stars) a lot of free offense, and they’re a pretty good team on the rush,” Oilers forward Zach Hyman said. “That makes it hard to get out of the hole.”
The Oilers remain in first place in the Pacific Division, three points behind the Anaheim Ducks. However, there is no guarantee that Edmonton will be able to stay in the postseason as they compete for the Western Conference playoffs.
St. Louis is still in the race, 10 points behind Edmonton. But there are five teams remaining between the Blues and the final West wild card spot. The Blues have kept their slim playoff hopes alive with a six-game point streak (5-0-1).
During this hot stretch, forward Jimmy Snuggerud said the Blues have been “operating with a nothing-to-lose mentality. I think (we’re) coming out with energy and excitement every game to win hockey games.”
The Blues’ 3-1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday gave them two points against the Eastern Conference’s best team. Carolina had a 13-2 shooting advantage after the first quarter and took a 1-0 lead, but St. Louis counterattacked without scoring three goals.
Snuggerud scored both the tying goal and the game-winning goal on Thursday, as the rookie forward now has nine points (five goals, four assists) during his four-game streak with multiple points.
Snuggerud’s 15 goals put him part of the Blues team lead with Robert Thomas, Pavel Buchnevich and Jordan Kyrou. Thomas leads St. Louis in assists (28) and points (43).
Joel Hopper is expected to start in net for the Blues on Friday. Hopper has played a huge role in the Blues’ recent success. The goalie is 4-0-1 with a 0.948 save percentage and 1.59 goals-against average in his last five starts.
Connor Ingram served as Tristan Jarry’s backup against Dallas, so Ingram should be fine to start on Friday. A secondary collision forced Ingram to leave the Oilers’ 4-3 win over the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday early, but Ingram’s presence on the bench Thursday indicates he has been cleared to play.
Connor McDavid leads the NHL in assists (74) and points (110), and McDavid leads Edmonton with 36 goals.
Evan Bouchard has 16 points (4 goals, 12 assists) during a nine-game point streak. Leon Draisaitl has 15 points (five goals, 10 assists) during a seven-game point streak.
The Oilers were on a back-to-back second half run as they recorded a 5-0 win over the Blues in Edmonton on Jan. 18. The Blues beat the Oilers 3-2 on Nov. 3 during Edmonton’s previous visit to St. Louis this season.
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