EDMONTON OILERS VS PITTSBURGH PENGUINS – 11/2/19

The Pittsburgh Penguins and Edmonton Oilers don't get to face each other very often, but the timing seems good for the first of their two meetings this season.

When they play Saturday afternoon at PPG Paints Arena, it will be a matchup not only of Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby and Edmonton's Connor McDavid, but apparently also the other star forward from each team.

Oilers winger Leon Draisaitl is flying with 12 goals and 25 points. Penguins center Evgeni Malkin is expected to return for the game after missing the past 11 games because of an unspecified injury.

McDavid, who has six goals and 23 points, and Draisaitl have Edmonton off to a strong start and sitting atop the Pacific Division.

"We're all aware how good he is on the ice and how lethal he is with the puck," Oilers defenseman Oscar Klefbom told the Edmonton Sun about Draisaitl, who scored twice Wednesday in a 4-1 win over Columbus. "Those two guys together, they are so hard to play against. For me as a defenseman, it's good to practice against them every day just to get used to it because they're two of the best players in the world, if not the best."

The Penguins feel pretty good about Crosby and Malkin, too. Crosby has five goals, 17 points.

While there has been lots of debate in recent seasons over whether McDavid has surpassed Crosby as the top player in hockey, Crosby and Malkin have won three Stanley Cups together. McDavid and Draisaitl have made the playoffs just once, in 2016-17, winning one round.

The two pairs present different problems for opponents. McDavid and Draisaitl usually play on the same line, while Crosby and Malkin center the Penguins' top two lines, respectively.

Pittsburgh, coming off a 7-1 win over Philadelphia on Tuesday, has been patting itself on the back for finding a style of play that is responsible while still allowing its skilled players to be creative and productive. The Penguins did that while enduring a stretch with several players, mostly forwards, out of the lineup because of injuries.

Both teams have had some concerns over their power plays recently.

Edmonton got a power-play goal from James Neal and a goal from Draisaitl just three seconds after a power play expired in the win at Columbus. Before that, Edmonton was on a 1-for-14 slide.

Oilers coach Dave Tippett said puck movement and a surprise element are crucial.

"Everybody scouts well, and if you're just doing the same thing all the time, it can get bogged down," Tippett said.

Pittsburgh has not notched a goal on the power play in seven straight games, although there haven't been a boatload of chances - just five over their past four games.

Against the Flyers, the Penguins were 0-for-3.

They also have had changing personnel on their power play units because of all the injuries. With a day off Thursday, the Penguins spent an extended amount of time working on special teams Wednesday. It was the first time since he got hurt that Malkin practiced with the top unit.

"With guys coming back and different guys moving in and out, it's a good opportunity to spend some time on it and just get familiar and make sure we're executing," Crosby said. "We'd like to get more than one or two (chances) a game. So if we start to get a little more, we want to make sure we take advantage of it.