Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl make their feelings known about facing Nathan MacKinnon's star-studded Avs line

Connor McDavid will lead the Edmonton Oilers against the Colorado Avalanche at Ball Arena, Denver, on Thursday in the second game of a back-to-back set after facing the Minnesota Wild on Wednesday.

McDavid and Leon Draisaitl from the Oilers will go up against Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen from the Avalanche. These four players are among the top goals and point scorers in the league this season.

McDavid has 17 goals and 42 assists for 59 points. Draisaitl has a league-leading 31 goals and 63 points. MacKinnon has 15 goals and 53 assists for a league-best 68 points. Rantanen has 25 goals and 60 points.

McDavid talked about the challenge of playing against Colorado’s star players.

"It's always fun. You know, they're a great challenge. So is Minnesota. Don't want to look past them," McDavid said. "They're playing some really good hockey. But obviously, whenever you get that many stars in one game, it's always fun. Great challenge. That five-man unit they put out there with McKinnon, Makar, Toews and Rantanen and all those guys it's pretty tough."

Draisaitl also acknowledged the difficulty of facing Colorado's line.

"Really good players, obviously that line is as dynamic as it gets," Draisaitl said. "But it's always a challenge against them. We also got some great players ourselves."

Both teams are strong offensively. The Oilers averaged 3.26 goals per game and have the eighth-best power play at 24.3%. The Avalanche score 3.32 goals per game and are 17th on the power play with 21.6%.

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Connor McDavid's lone goal helped Oilers defeat Kings

The Edmonton Oilers won 1-0 against the Los Angeles Kings on Monday. Connor McDavid scored the only goal on his 28th birthday. It was McDavid's 72nd game-winning goal, tying a franchise record by Glenn Anderson.

Stuart Skinner made 31 saves for the Oilers, earning his second shutout of the season. The Oilers' defense was strong, and Skinner stopped key shots, including a save on Anze Kopitar early in the game.

Connor McDavid’s goal came in the second period after a pass from Leon Draisaitl and Darnell Nurse. Darcy Kuemper made 29 saves for the Kings, but they couldn't score.

The Oilers have won six of their last seven games, improving to 27-13-3. The Kings have lost two straight games after winning five in a row.