Anaheim Ducks (16-17-4) at Edmonton Oilers (22-12-3)
TV: Sportsnet West. Radio: 880 CHED.
TIME: 7 p.m. Friday
Odds: Sharks +350, Oilers -465
THE SETUP
The Oilers have lost two of their last three (1-1-1), including a 5-3 defeat in Anaheim on Dec. 29, which kicked off a three-game win streak that the Ducks will bring into Rogers Place. Prior to that, Edmonton had won 11 of 13 games, but suffered back-to-back defeats for the first time since Nov. 18, before bouncing back with a 4-1 win over the visiting Utah Hockey Club on New Year’s Eve.
LEON ALONE ON TOP
Leon Draisaitl leads the league with 27 goals and sits second overall with 56 points in 37 games. Both he and Connor McDavid are on 12-game personal point streaks. Troy Terry leads the Ducks with 31 points (13 goals, 18 assists), to sit tied for 56th overall in league scoring.
HYMAN THE LOW MAN
Connor Brown remains on the top line next to Connor McDavid, while Zach Hyman has been bumped down all the way to the third line. Hyman has gone goal-less in the past three games after a run of 10 goals in eight games. But this could be as much about kickstarting a stagnant third line as it is rewarding Brown’s efforts with increased ice time.
THE POLL
Does Connor Brown deserve an opportunity on the Edmonton Oilers top line?
- Yes
- No
- It doesn’t matter who they put there, as long as Connor McDavid is on it.
THE QUOTE
“They’re a good team, they work hard and they have some skill up front, so we obviously need to rebound from that game (against Anaheim). But last game (against Utah), we played a better brand of hockey. We came out of the break, and it was a back-to-back – not to find any excuses, but hopefully now with a couple of days rest, we’ll be ready to go.”
• Oilers defenceman Mattias Ekholm
THE LINEUPS
ANAHEIM
Forwards
Vatrano – Strome – Terry
Killorn – Carlsson – Leason
Gauthier – McTavish – Fabbri
Johnston – Lundestrom – Harkins
Defence
Lacombe – Gudas
Mintyukov – Trouba
Dumoulin – Helleson
Goalies
Gibson
Dostal
EDMONTON
Forwards
Nugent-Hopkins – McDavid – Brown
Podkolzin – Draisaitl – Arvidsson
Hyman – Janmark – Kapanen
Skinner – Henrique – Perry
Defence
Ekholm – Bouchard
Nurse – Stecher
Kulak – Emberson
Goalies
Skinner
Pickard
INJURIES
DUCKS: None
OILERS: None
E-mail: [email protected]
On Twitter: @GerryModdejonge
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