Gibson is 8-2-1 in his past 11 starts with a .923 save percentage. Backup Ryan Miller went 1-3-0 with 14 goals-against and an .874 save percentage in four starts in his absence. The Oilers are 14 points behind the Minnesota Wild for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference, and trail the Calgary Flames and San Jose Sharks by four points each for second place in the Pacific Division. The Ducks are two points out of the second wild card and two points out of second place in the division.
Players to watch
Oilers forward Connor McDavid has nine points (seven goals, two assists) in his past three games. In his past 13 regular-season and playoff games against the Ducks, he has 13 points (five goals, eight assists). Ducks forward Rickard Rakell has four goals in his past three games and nine points (four goals, five assists) during a five-game point streak. His 23 assists this season tied his career high (2015-16).
They said it
"Every game from here on out is a must-win." -- Oilers forward Jujhar Khaira "We need to make sure we're desperate when we go on the ice here in the next stretch of games." -- Ducks defenseman Josh Manson
Puljujarvi will remain on the top line with McDavid after moving there in a 5-2 loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday. … Vermette is expected to return after he was a healthy scratch for the first time this season in a 4-3 overtime win at the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday. Vermette is second in the NHL in face-off win percentage (60.2) among players with at least 500 draws.
Stat pack
Edmonton has trailed 2-0 in four of its past five games (2-1-2) and 16 times this season. … The Ducks are 18-10-3 with Getzlaf in the lineup this season and 8-9-7 without him.
