The Oilers have won four of their past five games (4-0-1) and are playing at home on New Year's Eve for the fourth time. They are 2-14-1 on New Year's Eve and have not won since defeating the Philadelphia Flyers 4-3 in Edmonton on Dec. 31, 1985. "This is huge, obviously," forward Leon Draisaitl said. "Divisional games are always big. We know they [Canucks] have been playing pretty good hockey lately, so we have to make sure we're ready. This is a big game for us." Draisaitl has seven goals and 15 points in his past 13 games. The Oilers are second in the Pacific Division; they have 44 points, the same as the Ducks, but have played one fewer game. They're also three points behind the first-place San Jose Sharks. "Our confidence is pretty high," Draisaitl said. "I think the last couple of games we've been playing really good and we've been getting together some wins and a lot of points over the last five or six games, which is huge." Defenseman Andrej Sekera will miss his second consecutive game because of an illness. Sekera participated in an optional morning skate Saturday but is not expected to play until the Oilers begin a four-game road trip at the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday. "He's lost a lot of weight and his energy level is low," coach Todd McLellan said. "We're hoping that he can build that back up in time to play in Columbus."
