PRE-GAME REPORT: Oilers at Blue Jackets

The Edmonton Oilers begin their final two-game road trip of the regular season at Nationwide Arena on Sunday afternoon against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
You can watch the game on Sportsnet West or listen live on the Oilers Radio Network, including 630 CHED.
Video: OILERS TODAY | Pre-Game at CBJ 04.23.22

YOUR GAME-DAY ESSENTIALS
RECENT VIDEOS
PRE-RAW | Coach Woodcroft
OILERS TODAY | Pre-Game at CBJ
OILERS TODAY | Post-Game vs. COL
POST-RAW | Kane & Smith 04.22.22
POST-RAW | McDavid & Draisaitl 04.22.22
BY THE NUMBERS
Oilers Statistics
Blue Jackets Statistics
Stats Comparison
Game Notes
RECENT BLOGS & ARTICLES
GAME RECAP: Oilers 6, Avalanche 3
VIEWING INFORMATION
You can watch Sunday's game on Sportsnet West at 11:00 AM MT.
COLUMBUS, OH - From clinching their spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs to Columbus, there's still work to be done for the Edmonton Oilers.
The Orange & Blue hope to keep their steady play under Head Coach Jay Woodcroft going and carry momentum from Friday's 6-3 playoff-clinching victory over the Colorado Avalanche into Sunday afternoon's meeting with the Columbus Blue Jackets in the first game of their final two-game road trip of the regular season.
Edmonton visits Nationwide Arena on Sunday for a matinee with the Blue Jackets before closing out their away schedule on Thursday against the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Paints Arena.
The journey to booking Edmonton's ticket to the postseason has been one thing, but it's a whole different challenge being the last one off the train at the end of the ride. The Oilers see their expedition to lift the Stanley Cup as only just beginning after they earned their place as one of the final 16 NHL teams that will compete for the honour.
"I think in a perfect world, we would've liked our season to be a little more even-keeled probably, but sometimes that's the way it goes," forward Leon Draisaitl said. "At the end of the day, we're in and that's all that matters. That was goal number one and we're happy about that. We're proud of ourselves, but we're a long way from done."
A 6-3 victory over the Avalanche on Friday night secured Edmonton's place in the postseason to the boisterous cheers of the Rogers Place faithful who watched the Oilers clinch their berth in the playoffs with an all-around effort against the Western Conference leaders -- a team they played well over the season series despite two extra-time losses in the two months prior.
That energy of Oil Country will be something to fight for over these four remaining regular-season games in hopes of preserving second place in the Pacific Division for home-ice advantage in the first round.
Video: POST-RAW | Jay Woodcroft 04.22.22
"I think that atmosphere, right? That's part of what we play for," Draisaitl added. "Obviously at the end of the day the main goal is to win a Stanley Cup, but it's fun to see these people come out and cheer us on. Even when it's not going our way, they seem to find a way to support us."
In addition to a stellar four-point night from Evander Kane, including his fourth-career hat-trick, Head Coach Jay Woodcroft is seeing a lot of physical sacrifice from his team that embodies itself in the tenacity of Kailer Yamamoto.
"I think there are different ways to be physical: sticking up for a teammate, holding your ground in a scrum, and going to the hard areas," Woodcroft said. "I think one of our most physical guys is maybe our smallest player in stature in Yamamoto. Winning 50-50 puck battles, blocking a shot, making a play on the wall… I think we've seen great improvement over the last two months in that regard, and those are the little things that go into winning. We've had the success we've had because players are laying it on the line in that fashion."
The physical element is an avenue of the game that bodes well for the Oilers with the grinding style of hockey that comes with playing in the postseason.
"You look at a guy like Yamamoto winning battles against guys that are double his size," Kane said. "All through our lineup, even Connor and Drai, you look at how heavy they are in the offensive zone. It spreads through the whole team when you see guys doing that kind of stuff.
"We're playing a type of hockey and a brand of hockey that allows you to be successful when the time counts."
STRENGTH THROUGH ADVERSITY
When faced with adversity, you can either rise to the occasion or let it take hold. The Oilers were not about to let the latter happen midway through the campaign.
"We talk about adversity all the time," Mike Smith said. "There are two ways to go about it -- feel sorry for yourself, or grab it and do something about it."
Smith had his own bouts with challenges throughout the season including injury, illness, and an inability to get back into a rhythm earlier in the year before finding his form down the stretch with eight straight wins and a 10-0-1 record in his last 11 appearances.
The 40-year-old's individual battle is one of many for the players who've pulled on an Oilers uniform this season that add up to a collective overcoming of the adversity they've faced as a team to clinch a playoff spot having been 10 points behind the Vegas Golden Knights for first in the Pacific Division at the time of Woodcroft's hire on Feb. 10.
Video: POST-RAW | Kane, Smith 04.22.22
It has ultimately brought the group closer together, and it could be happening at just the right time.
"It's hard to battle through those tough times and to do something about it," Smith added. "It has really taught this group a valuable lesson, and it's a valuable one going into the most important time of the year. There's going to be times in the playoffs where it isn't going to go your way but you just have to stick with it; stick together as a group and good things will happen."
Factors like injuries and illness don't take away from the skill that this Oilers group knew they possessed even when trying to navigate the toughest stretches of their season.
"We knew from the beginning that we were a good team. It was hard for us to stay healthy, and that's a big issue," Draisaitl said. "With that being said, every team goes through that and I thought, for the most part, we did a pretty decent job other than that long (2-11-2) stretch of sticking in the race. A lot of changes obviously, but we found our game. That's exciting and that's good news going into the playoffs."
ALL ABOARD
The Kane train has shown no signs of stopping since rolling into Oil Country 39 games ago.
As a free agent in late January, Kane weighed his options and saw the opportunity laid out in front of him in Oil Country with the potential to play alongside two of the world's best in McDavid and Draisaitl up front and the quality of individuals, both on and off the ice, he saw in the Oilers dressing room.
"When you're surveying the field and Edmonton's there and you see the lineup and the potential with the roster they had, it was extremely attractive and I'm very happy with my decision," Kane said. "The guys in the room have been phenomenal and we've really grown as a team, especially in recent months."
Kane's addition has come exactly as billed -- a dynamic offensive option who's capable of playing a physical game with an edge and having the potential to score 30 goals a season. He's exceeded that final detail in the 39 appearances he's made with the Oilers this season with 20 goals, which equates to a 50-goal pace.
"Anytime you join a team halfway through a season, it's going to take you more than a couple of games to get your game to where it was the previous year," he added. "You work hard on the ice to get it to that level and continue to develop chemistry with your linemates. I like where things are right now and I just need to keep building on that."
Video: POST-RAW | Draisaitl, McDavid 04.22.22
Woodcroft characterized Kane's performance on Friday as a fitting storyline to the Oilers clinching their playoff spot, as the 30-year-old has been a massively-important addition to the team and their hopes of securing a shot at the Stanley Cup.
"I thought he was a physical presence Friday]," he said. "He went to hard areas to have some success. I thought he added in an emotional attachment to the game that got everybody into it. I thought he was very good and it was nice to see him rewarded with a game like that."
Woodcroft continued: "I'm so happy for Evander. It's been an interesting year for him. I'm glad that he wanted to come to Edmonton and be a part of the Oilers organization. He's a big reason why we're at where we are right now. To see him have a game like that where we clinch a playoff spot, I think he's driven to show that type of play in a playoff series."
Make no mistake -- Kane has the skills befitting of a long playoff run, and his teammates know it.
"He's a gamer. He shows up to big games, he shows up to play, he plays hard, and he has a unique skillset about him," Draisaitl said. "He's a skilled forward, knows how to score, and has that physical element that's big in the playoffs. I think down the stretch here, and especially going into the playoffs, he's going to be big for us."
**LINEUP NOTES**
Coach Woodcroft spoke to the media pre-game on Sunday morning and confirmed that both Darnell Nurse and Jesse Puljujarvi will be out of the lineup after not traveling with the team on this two-game road trip.
[Video: PRE-RAW | Jay Woodcroft 04.24.22
Puljujarvi is still dealing with the effects of the illness that kept him out of Friday's win over the Avalanche, while Nurse was held out of traveling as a precaution due to a lower-body injury. The Oilers bench boss does not anticipate the defenceman being unavailable for the start of the playoffs in early May as he does not consider it to be any sort of major ailment.
Mikko Koskinen will be in the Oilers net against the Blue Jackets after being confirmed as today's starter by Woodcroft.
-- Jamie Umbach, EdmontonOilers.com
OILERS vs. BLUE JACKETS
STREAM: 11:00 a.m. MT; televised on Sportsnet West
Oilers Team Scope
The Edmonton Oilers clinched a berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs by downing the Western Conference-leading Colorado Avalanche 6-3 on Friday night at Rogers Place.
The Oilers trailed 1-0 through 20 minutes before taking over in the middle frame with four goals en route to improving to 16-3-2 in their last 21 games and booking their ticket to the postseason with 98 points and a 46-26-6 record.
"I think we're playing hard. We're playing hard, and we also got pushed by a good team [Friday]," Woodcroft said. "They had chances, but I liked our resolve and I liked our resiliency after finding ourselves down 1-0. I thought we got better as the game went on, and we're getting more and more comfortable in those types of games which is a good sign."
Evander Kane was the principal contributor, recording his fourth-career hat-trick in the second frame to go along with an assist in the third alongside Connor McDavid, who added three helpers to his league-leading points total of 116 points (43G, 73A) in 77 games.
"He was great," McDavid said of his linemate. "Obviously we didn't get off to the start we wanted. We came out in the second and I thought we did a lot of good things. Kaner scored some really nice goals for our group."
Kane now has 20 goals in 39 games as an Oiler -- a 50-goal pace -- and has become a critical contributor to Edmonton's turnaround of booking their ticket to the postseason after a tough mid-season stretch plagued by illness and injury.
Earning you playoff spot with two points against one of the league's best in the Avalanche is a strong statement for Edmonton, who will try to keep the momentum rolling through their final four games of the season into the playoffs with hopes of securing home-ice advantage in the first round.
"When you're playing good hockey against the best team in the league, you gain confidence," Mike Smith said. "[Friday] was no different. It was a game we wanted to make a statement in and keep the mojo going at home and clinch a playoff spot. When you play against the best teams in the league, you want to bring your game to the level you're capable of."
Blue Jackets Team Scope
Jack Roslovic scored in the first period, but Brady Tkachuk tied the game for the Ottawa Senators in the final frame before Tim Stützle scored the lone goal in the shootout to hand Columbus their fourth straight defeat with a 2-1 loss in Friday night's contest at Nationwide Arena.
"It's two young teams trying to battle at it," Roslovic said. "I'm not sure they were the better team tonight."
Roslovic has scored eight goals in his last six games for the Blue Jackets (35-36-7), who'll miss the playoffs this season for the second year in a row.
"We had some looks," Blue Jackets Head Coach Brad Larsen said. "We were hoping to cash in in the second when we missed the net. We had some looks early in the third. We just couldn't get the next one."
Columbus will already be looking towards next year's renewed excitement after being selected as one of four clubs to compete overseas in Europe as part of the NHL Global Series. The Blue Jackets will play two games in Tampere, Finland against the Colorado Avalanche in early November.
By The Numbers
The Oilers are 37-15-3-7 all-time vs. Columbus with a 14-9-3-5 away record... The last time these teams met was on Dec. 16 in Edmonton, with the Oilers defeating the Blue Jackets 5-2... Duncan Keith leads the Oilers with 40 career points (7G, 33A) vs. Columbus and has appeared in a team-leading 74 career games against Columbus... The Oilers clinched a 2022 playoff spot on Friday and have now made the playoffs three straight years -- the longest playoff stretch since the Oilers reached the postseason five times from 1996-97 to 2000-01... In the Oilers last 20 games, they have a record of 16-3-2... They have won four of their last five road games and 12 of their last 13 at home... The Oilers are 30-2-1 this season when scoring the first goal... Edmonton is also 29-0-0 when leading after one period and 34-1-1 when leading after two periods...
Mike Smith captured his eighth straight win vs. Colorado, ranking third for longest win streaks by an Oilers goaltender.... Smith trails Andy Moog and Tommy Salo with nine, and Grant Fuhr with 10... Connor McDavid posted his 212th career multi-point game on Apr. 22 vs. Colorado, the most among all players since his NHL debut in 2015-16... Leon Draisaitl ranks second with 169 multi-point games in that span... McDavid sits in sole possession of seven in NHL history for most multi-point games before their 26th birthday...
Injury Report
OILERS - Oscar Klefbom (shoulder) is on IR.
BLUE JACKETS - Adam Boqvist (lower body) is day-to-day; Zach Werenski (upper body) is day-to-day; Patrik Laine (upper body) is day-to-day; Yegor Chinakov (upper body) is day-to-day; Joonas Korpisalo (hop) is day-to-day; Boone Jenner (lower back) is on IR; Alexandre Texier (dislocated finger) is on IR; Daniil Tarasov (hip) is on IR; Nathan Gerbe (hop) is on IR.
-- Jamie Umbach, EdmontonOilers.com