As the calendar flips to 2026 on the East Coast, the Boston Bruins find themselves in Edmonton, Alberta, as the Edmonton Oilers host a New Year's Party for the Bruins.

Since trading Stuart Skinner, Edmonton has received excellent goaltending, no matter who’s in net. I prefer five-on-five save percentage in evaluating goalies, as it’s a level playing field and is the largest game state. Here’s a look at five-on-five save percentages in the nine games.

Bouchard has the most points (37) of all Edmonton defensemen. The 26-year-old blueliner is skating on the first pair with Mattias Ekholm, and is averaging 24:16 of total ice time per night. Bouchard has seven goals in 40 games, which leads the Oilers' defensemen, too.

My Bruins vs. Oilers predictions and NHL picks expect a convincing win from Edmonton with superstar Connor McDavid taking center stage tonight. The Edmonton Oilers are trending in the right direction with an active 9-3-1 stretch that has positioned them atop the Pacific Division, and they’re also up to 10-3-3 on home ice for the campaign.

However, when the two elite talents are off the ice, Edmonton scores 1.17 goals per 60 and owns a 29 percent goal percentage. The terrible offence hides a positive fact: The third and fourth lines are surrendering just 2.81 GA per 60. That’s a solid, workable number, meaning offensive upgrades are vital to the current lines.

McDavid scored the overtime goal for Canada in the championship game at the 4 Nations Face-Off to win 3-2 against the United States on Feb. 20. The four-team tournament, also featuring Sweden and Finland, gave hockey fans a sense of what to expect at the Olympics this upcoming February.

This in from Bob Stauffer of Oilers Now, news that the Oilers have boosted embattled winger Andrew Mangiapane from the pressbox, where he sat out the last game, to the second line. Mangiapane will be on the second line with Leon Draisaitl and Vasily Podkolzin, a trio that has had some success in the past.

Speaking of the Flyers, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported last Saturday that they're in contract talks with Christian Dvorak. The 29-year-old center joined them last summer on a one-year, $5.4 million deal. Because he's on that one-year contract, the earliest he can sign an extension is Jan. 1.

December is a pivotal month in the NHL. While the midpoint of the schedule hasn’t quite arrived, there have been more than enough games for teams to get a sense of their strengths and weaknesses, and potential for success moving forward.

Andrew Mangiapane has one foot out the door, looking like a member in shaky standing with the Edmonton Oilers.

The Oilers' stars shine, but when they're off the ice, Edmonton's offense plummets. This depth deficit is a glaring weakness the team has to address.