The Edmonton Oilers will face the vancouver Canucks on Saturday night from Vancouver as a part of CBC's Hockey Night in Canada schedule. That contest, as a game on North America's west coast, will be the late program for the evening of hockey. It features the 1-0-0 Oilers against the Canucks, a team making their 2017/18 season debut.

McDavid huge for Edmonton

Edmonton, considered to be one of the top teams in the NHL, enter the game having defeated the Calgary Flames in NHL action on Wednesday night. Connor McDavid was huge in the game as he scored all three of Edmonton's goals.

In what was otherwise a defensive battle, Cam Talbot played strongly in net for Edmonton. He posted a shutout in the opening game, perhaps distancing himself from some poor play during Edmonton's preseason. The Oilers did rely on Talbot heavily last season and that he played well to start the year is certainly a good sign for the club.

With McDavid having scored three goals in Edmonton's opening game, the Canucks will certainly be looking to defend against his offensive abilities. That could bring into play the other Oiler forwards, none of which tallied a goal in the season opener. Leon Draisaitl, Patrick Maroon, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins could all have an impact on tonight's game from Vancouver.

Draisaitl did have two assists in the opening game and he was an effective scorer last season.

Vancouver's goalies to be tested

The Canucks themselves enter the season with low expectations. One problem that they appear to have is an unclear situation between the goal pipes. Jacob Markstrom is considered Vancouver's No. 1 goaltender while Anders Nilsson is considered the backup.

Nilsson did enjoy a strong season last year in somewhat limited play. However, Vancouver doesn't have a clear shutdown goaltender entering the season. That Vancouver will face a team with outstanding forwards to open the season means there will be no time to warm up. The goaltending will likely have to be effective on Saturday night to prevent Edmonton from running up the score.

Besides the Edmonton/Vancouver game, there are numerous others on the NHL's schedule for Saturday night. No less than 15 games will be played as every team except for the Boston Bruins will be in action. The early game on Hockey Night in Canada will feature the Toronto Maple Leafs hosting the New York Rangers. That game starts at 7 PM ET while the Oilers and Canucks will meet at 10 PM ET.