OilersNation has reported:

The Edmonton Oilers face the Utah Mammoth again Saturday with their penalty kill under pressure after allowing five goals in their last five games. Utah’s power play ranks first in the NHL at 37.5 per cent, and has scored multiple goals with the man advantage in a league-best five games this season.

Edmonton has allowed nine goals over its past five games, a stretch that has also reflected strong goaltending, organized five-on-five play and a steady forecheck. The penalty kill has accounted for five of those goals, making it a concern for new associate coach DJ Smith after the unit struggled during the postseason.

The Oilers’ penalty kill is operating at 68.2 per cent this season, fifth worst in the NHL. Opponents have scored on the power play in five of Edmonton’s seven games. Utah converted twice in Thursday’s meeting, taking advantage of a double-minor penalty against Josh Samanski for high-sticking and a bench minor.

“I think we’re just attacking,” Barrett Hayton said of the Mammoth power play’s success. Hayton extended his point streak to five games.

“Obviously that first unit’s been so good snapping around, they’re so dangerous, and I think they’ve done a great job kind of keeping that mindset. We just try to do the same thing, to be honest.”

Edmonton had killed eight consecutive penalties before Utah scored the game’s only goal, but the matchup was marked by physical play and friction. Jack McBain hit Leon Draisaitl in a vulnerable position, and Mikhail Sergachev cross-checked Connor McDavid. Logan Cooley is also expected to embrace the physical side of the game as the clubs meet again soon after Thursday’s contest.

“We didn’t like how it seemed like we lost a little more of the puck battles and physicality to start the game,” Connor Murphy said. “We have to take ownership in our own building to be able to be the ones coming out on top and executing in those plays.”

“I felt like our guys, especially coming from our top line, Connor and those guys, were throwing their bodies around and showing true leadership of what we need to be like behind them.”

The quick rematch offers Edmonton another chance to respond. The Oilers are 6-1-1 and sit three points behind Vegas for first place in the Pacific Division standings, which remain an early-season snapshot. A split of the two games would add points for Edmonton.

“They got as balanced a lineup as you’re going to see throughout the league,” McDavid said of Utah. “They play four lines. Big. Fast. There’s a lot to like over there, but I thought we did a good job of kind of bending the game back. I thought they were better maybe in the first half, and thought we were better in the second half. So another chance Saturday.”

Thursday’s 1-0 result was Edmonton’s first regulation loss to the Mammoth since the franchise moved to Utah. The Oilers remain 5-1-1 all-time against them.

Edmonton is also expected to get forward Zach Hyman back from injury for Saturday’s game. Jason Gregor reported that Hyman would return, with Colton Dach and Jake Walman also likely to play. Their availability would give the Oilers more lineup options after the team felt short on forwards in its previous two games.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is expected back late next week. Until then, one possible adjustment would be to break up Edmonton’s top line to generate offence elsewhere, particularly with Minnesota and Carolina coming up after Utah. But the line of McDavid, Draisaitl and Vasily Podkolzin has been productive enough to make a change difficult.

Natural Stat Trick figures cited for the trio show that in six games together, and 83 minutes 22 seconds at five-on-five, the line has outscored opponents 11-1. Its expected goals percentage is 69.46 per cent, while its actual goals percentage is 91.67 per cent. The trio has also held a 52-18 advantage in scoring chances, 22-9 in high-danger chances, 43-26 in shots and 102-52 in shot attempts.

The figures for the rest of Edmonton’s play when that line is off the ice, along with Evan Bouchard and Mattias Ekholm, point to a different result. The Oilers have been outscored 8-3 in that time, with a 29.21 per cent expected goals percentage and a 27.27 per cent actual goals percentage. They have been outchanced 80-34, outmatched 33-14 in high-danger chances, outshot 78-36 and outshot-attempted 171-86.

Hyman could take his customary spot on McDavid’s wing. Another option would be to form a separate line with Dach and perhaps Hallander or Frederic, decisions for coach Mike Babcock to consider.

Walman’s return would also affect the defence, with Shakir Mukhamadullin a likely candidate to leave the lineup. Mukhamadullin scored his first goal on a pinball-like ricochet in the third period Thursday, but struggled against Utah’s fast and potent attack. Ty Emberson has been effective under the circumstances and should remain on the right side, with a possible role on the penalty kill.

Edmonton’s own power play could help offset Utah’s advantage. The Oilers are converting at 21 per cent, below their past standards, while the Mammoth penalty kill is at 75.9 per cent. Edmonton went zero-for-two on the power play Thursday.

McDavid leads the NHL in scoring with 18 points. Jack Eichel is second with 16, although he has played two more games. Bouchard has 15 points and leads defencemen, while Sergachev is tied for third among defencemen with nine points.

At the faceoff circle Thursday, Edmonton won 58.5 per cent of draws. Draisaitl went nine-for-12, and Owen Michaels won nine of 15. Kailer Yamamoto has appeared in three games and recorded a point in each.

Utah’s Clayton Keller scored twice Thursday, with Nick Schmaltz assisting on both goals. The pair have been involved on the same goal seven times this season; only McDavid and Draisaitl have combined on more.

Tristan Jarry is set to start in goal for Edmonton on Saturday. He is 1-0-1 lifetime against Utah, with a 3.98 goals-against average and an .837 save percentage. The Mammoth had not announced whether Karel Vejmelka would start again or former Edmonton Oil King Sebastian Cossa would get the net.

Saturday’s game will be followed by a five-game homestand for the Oilers. The close scheduling gives both teams another meeting after a physical game, with Edmonton looking to improve its penalty kill against the league’s most productive power play.