Oilers at Golden Knights preview

OILERS (33-22-8) at GOLDEN KNIGHTS (34-22-8)
10:30 p.m. ET; ATTSN-RM, SNW, NHL.TV

The Oilers, 5-2-2 in their past nine games and 12-5-3 in their past 20, are tied with the Vancouver Canucks for second place in the Pacific, two points behind the Golden Knights.
Vegas eyes its seventh consecutive victory; its season-long six-game winning streak also is the longest active stretch in the NHL. The Golden Knights are 9-2-1 in their past 12 games after going 1-5-1 in their previous seven games.
Nick Cousins will make his debut for Vegas after the forward was acquired in a trade with the Montreal Canadiens on Monday.
Goalie Marc-Andre Fleury will start; Robin Lehner, acquired in a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday, will be the backup.

Players to watch

Oilers center Leon Draisaitl (37 goals, 62 assists) is one point from his second consecutive 100-point season. He has scored a goal in three consecutive games.
Golden Knights forward Max Pacioretty has six points (three goals, three assists) in a four-game point streak.

They said it

"It's a really big hockey game. All hockey games are big for us right now. It's a tight race. Tonight is a big one." -- Oilers captain Connor McDavid
"They'll be a good challenge. They're already a fast team and skilled team up front. They added depth, added speed [acquiring forwards Andreas Athanasiou and Tyler Ennis in trades on Monday]. It'll be fun." -- Golden Knights goalie Marc-Andre Fleury

Oilers projected lineup

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

Golden Knights projected lineup

Jonathan Marchessault -- Paul Stastny -- Reilly Smith
Max Pacioretty -- William Karlsson -- Mark Stone
Nick Cousins -- Chandler Stephenson --
Nicolas Roy
William Carrier -- Tomas Nosek -- Ryan Reaves
Brayden McNabb -- Nate Schmidt
Alec Martinez -- Shea Theodore
Nick Holden --
Zach Whitecloud
Marc-Andre Fleury
Robin Lehner
Scratched: Deryk Engelland, Jon Merrill
Injured: Alex Tuch (lower body)

Status report

Edmonton did not hold a morning skate Wednesday. … Cousins is expected to skate at left wing on the third line. … Martinez, who played on the third pair in his first three games with Vegas, will play with Theodore on the second pair.

Stat pack

The Oilers and Golden Knights will meet twice more after Wednesday (March 9 and 31, each at Edmonton). … McDavid has 15 points (seven goals, eight assists) in nine games against Vegas. … Karlsson, who had a hat trick at the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday, is two goals shy of 100 in the NHL. … Martinez has four points (two goals, two assists) in three games since Vegas acquired him in a trade with the Los Angeles Kings on Feb. 19.