Oilers at Panthers preview

OILERS (30-21-6) at PANTHERS (30-21-6)
4 p.m. ET; FS-F, SNW, NHL.TV

The forward was suspended for kicking Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Erik Cernak in a 3-1 loss on Thursday.
The Oilers, who are 2-3-0 in their past five games, will also play their third straight game without center Connor McDavid, who is out 2-3 weeks because of a left quad injury.
Florida, which is coming off a 6-2 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday, is 1-4-1 in its past six games and has been outscored 24-12 in that span.
The Panthers defeated the Oilers 6-2 at Rogers Place on Oct. 27.

Players to watch

Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl has seven points (three goals, four assists) in his past three games and leads the NHL with 90 points this season.
Panthers forward Mike Hoffman has six points (three goals, three assists) in his past seven games.

They said it

"After losses, we're down for 15 minutes and then you've got to shut it off, shake it off and keep playing. It's a new day tomorrow. Leaders in here are really good at emphasizing that." -- Oilers forward Kailer Yamamoto
"They've got a strong team game. They've improved in that area. Obviously, they've got some key players that you've got to be aware of, but they're missing the [most key player] maybe in the game. It's something to be aware of with that group."-- Panthers coach Joel Quenneville

Oilers projected lineup

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins -- Leon Draisaitl -- Kailer Yamamoto
Sam Gagner -- Gaetan Haas -- Alex Chiasson
Josh Archibald -- Riley Sheahan -- Markus Granlund
Jujhar Khaira -- Colby Cave -- Patrick Russell
Darnell Nurse -- Ethan Bear
Oscar Klefbom -- Adam Larsson
Caleb Jones -- Matt Benning
Mike Smith
Mikko Koskinen
Scratched:William Lagesson, Tyler Benson
Injured:Connor McDavid (quad), Kris Russell (concussion), Joakim Nygard (hand), James Neal (ankle)
Suspended:Zack Kassian

Panthers projected lineup

Jonathan Huberdeau -- Aleksander Barkov -- Evgenii Dadonov
Mike Hoffman -- Vincent Trocheck -- Brett Connolly
Frank Vatrano -- Dominic Toninato -- Colton Sceviour
Mike Matheson -- Noel Acciari -- Mark Pysyk
MacKenzie Weegar -- Aaron Ekblad
Riley Stillman -- Anton Stralman
Keith Yandle -- Josh Brown
Sam Montembeault
Sergei Bobrovsky
Scratched:Denis Malgin, Jayce Hawryluk
Injured:Brian Boyle (upper body), Chris Driedger (lower body)

Status report

Bobrovsky and Hawryluk, a forward, each missed practice Friday because of an illness. … Acciari practiced Friday and is expected to play after leaving in the second period against the Flyers with an upper-body injury. … Granlund was recalled from Bakersfield of the American Hockey League on Friday after the Oilers placed McDavid on injured reserve, retroactive to Feb. 9. … Sheahan, who finished last season with the Panthers, is expected to play in his 500th NHL game.

Stat pack

Florida is 0-for-11 on the power play and has allowed one shorthanded goal in its past four games. … Nugent-Hopkins has five points (one goal, four assists) in his past three games. … Dadonov doesn't have a point in his past six games.