For the first time since December 2019, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl started a game together on the same line Monday night when the Oilers hosted the Ottawa Senators. The result? A 3-2 victory to push the Oilers to 16-11-0 on the season. McDavid finished with two assists, while Draisaitl scored a goal.
That said, don’t assume the dynamic duo will be attached at the hip for the rest of the season. On Tuesday, after practice at Rogers Place, Head Coach Dave Tippett was noncommittal about keeping the two together moving forward.
“Day-to-day,” Tippett said when asked how long the line would stay together. “Depending on how the game goes, it could be shift-to-shift. You get a read on your team every day in where you’re at. Sometimes you just play a hunch that it’s time to put them together and maybe get a bounce. As the season goes on, there are just different times that come along.”
The duo was reunited, with Kailer Yamamoto on the right wing, during Saturday night’s victory over the Calgary Flames. The Oilers, coming off three straight losses, were putrid in the first period of action and trailed 1-0 in the second when the change was made.
Yamamoto and McDavid both scored, and the Oilers won 3-2. Jesse Puljujarvi, who also scored, found the back of the net while on the ice with McDavid and Draisaitl.
After a solid stretch for Edmonton’s depth players, the offense in the bottom-six has largely dried up over the last five games. Only Alex Chiasson, who scored on Monday against the Senators, has scored from a depth spot in the last five games.
It was time for a different look to jolt the lineup.
“You’re looking for a different look just to jumpstart your group and that’s what we did,” Tippett continued. “Went back with them last night and I thought the line was very good. The other thing is we want to try to get a read on the other lines. How the rhythm of your lineup goes when you do have them together. Just felt like it was the right time to try it.”
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