Columbus Blue Jackets (11-9-3) at Edmonton Oilers (13-10-2)
TV: Sportsnet 1. Radio: 880 CHED.
TIME: 7 p.m. Thursday
Odds: Oilers – 260, Blue Jackets + 210
THE SETUP
The Oilers are 6-3-1 in their last 10, but saw a three-game win streak come to an end in a 1-0 shutout at the hands of the Pacific Division-leading Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday. The Blue Jackets are also on a run of 6-3-1 and coming off a shutout loss Tuesday, as they fell 3-0 to the Calgary Flames. The big difference between these two teams is the Oilers occupy the last wild-card spot in the Western Conference, while the Blue Jackets are on the outside looking in at the playoff picture.
SKINNER SOLID
Stuart Skinner has been a big factor in the Oilers finally earning a bit of breathing room above the .500 mark. While he is 8-7-2 with a 2.97 goals-against average and .889 save percentage, those numbers have slowly and consistently begun to climb thanks to an impressive mark of .945 save percentage over the three-win streak.
CAUSE FOR CONCERN?
The Oilers have been shut out four times over the first 25 games of the season, and were 27 seconds away from a fifth. Nothing about this roster hints as to why their offence has failed to show up for 20 per cent of its games this season. There hasn’t been much of a bounceback either, as Edmonton is 1-2 with a goal differential of 11-9 after getting shut out the previous game.
THE POLL
With eight of their next nine at home before the Christmas break, how man will the Oilers win?
- >8
- >6
- >4
- >2
- 0
THE QUOTE
“If you have players never making mistakes, they’re probably never creating much. And if there are mistakes happening with players who aren’t creating much, then you’ve got a big problem.”
• Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch
THE LINEUPS
COLUMBUS
Forwards
Voronkov – Monahan – Marchenko
Sillinger – Fantilli – Johnson
Aston-Reese – Danforth – Olivier
Van Riemsdyk – Kuraly – Lablanc
Defence
Werenski – Fabbro
Provorov – Sererson
Christiansen – Harris
Goalies
Merzlikins
Tarasov
EDMONTON
Forwards
Nugent-Hopkins – McDavid – Kapanen
Podkolzin – Draisaitl – Brown
Skinner – Henrique – Janmark
Ryan – Perry
Defence
Ekholm – Bouchard
Nurse – Stecher
Kulak – Emberson
Dermott
Goalies
Skinner
Pickard
INJURIES
BLUE JACKETS: F Yegor Chinakhov (upper body)
EDMONTON: F Zach Hyman (undisclosed)
E-mail: [email protected]
On Twitter: @GerryModdejonge
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