Two of the NHL’s biggest stars go head-to-head Tuesday night when the Edmonton Oilers host the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The Oilers Connor McDavid has won the last two scoring titles and has 11 points in six games to start the season. Penguins captain Sidney Crosby has already cemented his spot as one of the greatest of all-time with three Stanley Cups.
“It’s his full 200-foot game,” McDavid said of what makes Crosby special. “He’s dominant in the face-off circle, solid defensively and obviously his offence speaks for itself.”
The two stars have played against each other four times so far. The Penguins have won all four games.
Defenceman Kevin Gravel and forward Cooper Marody will make their Oilers debuts. Both were recently called up from Bakersfield.
Gravel, 26, was signed as a free agent on July 1. He’s played 70 NHL games, all with the L.A. Kings. Marody, 21, will play his first NHL game. He was originally drafted by Philadelphia and acquired by Edmonton in a trade in March.
The Oilers expected lineup is:
Nugent-Hopkins – McDavid – Yamamoto
Rieder – Draisaitl – Puljujarvi
Lucic – Strome – Marody
Chiasson – Brodziak – Kassian
Klefbom – Larsson
Nurse – Russell
Gravel – Bouchard
Talbot
The Oilers and Penguins are on 630 CHED with the Face-off Show at 5:30 p.m. The game starts at 7 p.m.