20221122_SocialGameGraphics_2568x1444_GameDay

The Edmonton Oilers look to repond to Monday's defeat to the New Jersey Devils with a win over the New York Islanders at UBS Arena on Wednesday night.
You can watch the game on Sportsnet 360 or listen live on the Oilers radio Network, including 630CHED, at 5:30pm MT.
Subscribe to Oilers+ to unlock the Pre-Game Show that will begin at 5:00pm MT, along with more exclusive live and behind-the-scenes content.

YOUR GAME-DAY ESSENTIALS

GettyImages-1244995565

INSIDE THE OILERS

News and notes from Oilers practice at Sky Rink in Chelsea Piers on Tuesday, where Jack Campbell was back skating after breaking his nose off an errant puck in Monday's loss to the Devils.
>> READ MORE IN THE INSIDE THE OILERS BLOG

PRE-GAME REPORT

NEW YORK, NY - Identifying the challenges faced by the Edmonton Oilers towards building some momentum in their season begins internally with solidifying their identity as a team.
The Oilers are coming off a 5-2 defeat on Monday to a red-hot New Jersey Devils team that's now won 13 straight games, and now Edmonton is looking to get back to winning ways on this three-game road trip with a win over the New York Islanders on Wednesday Night at UBS Arena
Ever since the Oilers snapped a three-game losing streak on Nov. 8 against the Tampa Bay Lightning, every win the club has earned has been proceeded by a defeat, creating a limbo-like feeling in the Edmonton dressing room.
"I think we're trying to find our identity a little bit right now," forward Leon Draisaitl said after Tuesday's skate at Chelsea Piers in Midtown Manhattan. "Obviously, it's too much of an up-and-down in terms of wins and losses. We win one and start heading in the right direction, and then we don't play our best game; not a terrible game, but not our best and you're right back to kind of trying to find your identity again."
Rotating wins and losses is never what's wanted when it comes to cracking the Stanley Cup Playoffs in a league as tough as the National Hockey League, and the Oilers know what a strong of victories can do to help both their playoff hopes and their confidence in their own game.
"It's obviously not what we want, right? We don't want to be a .500 team," Draisaitl added. "We don't want to be a team that wins a game then loses a game. You want to be a team that wins three or four in a row. There are going to be some losses, but again, we're just trying to find our wins right now and find our identity a little bit."

RAW | Leon Draisaitl 11.22.22

Head Coach Jay Woodcroft and the players talked post-game on Monday about how self-inflicted individual errors are contributing to their struggles toward building momentum. On Tuesday, the Oilers practice at Chelsea Piers was their next opportunity to work away at some of those adjustments.
There's no panic in Edmonton's camp through 19-of-82 games, but they know internally that the onus is on them to improve in the areas they need to so they can correct their mistakes and get on a roll.
"It doesn't do anyone any good, but obviously there are areas that we need to do better and I think we're aware of that," Draisaitl said. "A lot of the stuff that we can do better is self-inflicted. We know how to fix them, we know how to do it better, so it's just a matter of getting out there and doing it."
SUPPORTING THE SOUP
Despite sustaining a broken nose off an errant deflection into the Oilers bench in the second period of Monday's loss, goaltender Jack Campbell was back on the ice at Tuesday's practice working on fine-tuning his game for a return to the crease on this road trip.
It's a sore wound, shown in a cut on the arch of his swollen nose, but Campbell's been feeling good about getting back to his game following a slow start to his Oilers tenure while Stuart Skinner's been playing well between the pipes over four consecutive starts.
"I feel great. A lot of good practice. The boys are sharp out there," Campbell said. "(Goaltending Coach Dustin Schwartz's) been running through some great drills, and my game feels really good."
The Port Huron, MI product has six wins in his first 10 starts but has struggled individually with a .873 save percentage and 4.27 goals-against average this season. Since allowing seven goals on 32 shots in a loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Nov. 10, Campbell has been grinding away with the help of Schwartz to return to his best for the benefit of himself and his teammates.
"Yeah, it's almost just taking a step back and just kind of taking a breath and going out and just working on the game, stopping and pucks in practice and just tightening up some details. That's about it," he said.
"This is going to definitely just keep making me stronger mentally and physically, and I'm just ready to help this team win and play to my ability."

PRACTICE | Regrouping

As a personable guy but also an ultra-competitor, Campbell wears his successes and struggles out in the open for all to see. Navigating the highs and lows of the season is still something he's working on improving as a 30-year-old with 145 appearances in the NHL and extended experience in the ECHL and AHL since being drafted in 2010 as a first-round pick of the Dallas Stars.
"I think it's just a balance that I'm still learning -- you've got to just be accountable, but you can't be getting too down," he said. "It's a lot of hockey with not too many days in between games, so I've just got to bounce back."
As for where believes is his most-confident mental and physical spot on the ice, it's a blend of joy and puck-stopping: "Just having some fun and stopping a lot of rubber," he added.
Campbell's battle to improve isn't one he's fighting alone. The Oilers admit to not playing their best game in front of their netminder when he's in the net, and the players are keen to give Campbell the support he needs to find his form.
"Yeah, we got to help him out more," Draisaitl said. "I think he would be the first guy to agree that he can better, but we have to, as a team, give him a game where he can find his game a little bit and not get 42 shots against. We've got to find a way to help him out a little more."

RAW | Jack Campbell 11.22.22

For the bench boss, Campbell's struggles are synonymous with Edmonton's poor starts this season.
"I think he's part of our team and our team can start better," he said. "If you look at last night's game, we turned the puck over which led to a penalty against and a goal against early, but I thought we controlled most of the first period. I thought the rhythm of that first period was to our advantage. We had numerous chances to score. The shots were 11-5.
"When it comes to Jack Campbell, we want to start well -- whether it's Jack Campbell, Stuart Skinner or Grant Fuhr in the net -- it doesn't matter who's in the net. We want to make sure that we're starting better as a team because I think when we start well, we play well. It's proven.
Woodcroft continued: "I think confidence is earned, and usually, it starts right here on the practice rink. Jack is a popular teammate. He works his tail off and he knows he's better than he's shown. We know he's better than he shown. He's put a lot of work in over the last week, and when he gets his next start, we're excited for him because he's a great teammate and someone people want to play hard for.
LINEUP NOTES
The Oilers shuffled their lines at Tuesday's practice, signalling the potential for changes to every forward unit when they take to the ice against the Islanders.
Warren Foegele appeared on the top line with Connor McDavid and Zach Hyman at practice, while Jesse Puljujarvi was elevated to the second-line, right-wing spot alongside Leon Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins after helping create two goals in the loss to the Devils with some hard work in front of the net.
Mattias Janmark, who skated on the top line for the last two games, was on the left flank of the third line Ryan McLeod and Klim Kostin. Brad Malone and Devin Shore both took reps on the fourth line between Dylan Holloway and Derek Ryan, with Shore getting the nod on Monday when Woodcroft elected to go with 11 forwards and seven defencemen.

RAW | Jay Woodcroft 11.22.22

Woodcroft wouldn't confirm Edmonton's starter for Wednesday but was pleased to see Campbell back on the ice for Tuesday's practice. Before the bench boss makes a decision, he hopes to confirm Campbell's health with jack himself and the team's medical staff.
"I just want to make sure that he feels good," he said. "I want to make sure the doctors sign off on it. It was just a freak thing that happened during the game yesterday. It went off someone's stick and hit him. When you're talking about goaltenders, you want to make sure that their vision is proper, that their head is in the right spot and that they're healthy going into a start. So for us, that's where we're at with him."
-- Jamie Umbach, EdmontonOilers.com

PREVIEW

OILERS at ISLANDERS
STREAM: 5:30 p.m. MT; televised on Sportsnet 360
Oilers Team Scope
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Leon Draisaitl scored in a 5-2 loss for the Oilers to Devils at Prudential Center that stretched the Devils' win streak to 13 games and secured the Newark, NJ side the season sweep.
"It was obviously a tough game, a tough loss. They're obviously a great team. They're obviously hot right now as well," goaltender Stuart Skinnr, who made 23 saves, said post-game. "They've got some great players that make some great plays, and that was just tough to lose -- especially two in a row to these guys. But all we can do is learn from our mistakes and move on."
The two sides power-play goals in the first period, but New Jersey played a tight game and was the benefactor of some mistakes in the middle frame from the Oilers to take a 3-1 lead that they wouldn't give up despite Nugent-Hopkins pulling one back in the final frame.
"When you play a team that's on the roll that they're on, they make you pay for those individual errors," Head Coach Jay Woodcroft said. "We were made to pay tonight on some of our mistakes."
Islanders Team Scope
The Islanders snapped a two-game losing streak and finished a four-game road trip an even 2-2-0 with an exciting 3-2 comeback overtime win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday that was finished off by Anthony Beauviller in extra time.
Their four wins when trailing after two periods this season is tied for the most in the NHL after only getting one win when trailing after two periods last campaign.
"When you've lost a couple it could be easy to just kind of pack it in," forward Cal Clutterbuck said. "But it's never really been our style."
Defenceman Noah Dobson recorded a goal and assist, and Josh Bailey added a goal. Clutterbuck recorded nine hits to become the NHL's all-time hits leader with 3,625 in the win, surpassing former Los Angeles King Dustin Brown (3,622).
"I guess one thing is that not many guys have records," Clutterbuck said. "The thing I'm most proud of is it's probably a record of longevity and consistency. And you know, it's just something that I'm proud of, I guess. It's something that it's a little bit of a validation of the amount of work I've kind of put into it and the consistency which I've been able to go out there and do it with."
The Islanders are 10-4-0 since losing four of their first six games.
By The Numbers
The Oilers continue to do well with the man advantage, going 1-for-4 on the power play on Monday vs Devils... It was their 21st power play goal this season & their 14th game recording a power play... Oilers have scored 31.8 percent of their goals on the power play this season... The Oilers currently have the second best power play in the NHL this season... They have finished in the top three in each of the previous three seasons but have struggled on the penalty kill this season, going 56-for-77... The Oilers are allowing 11.7 shots against per game in the first period this season -- second most in the NHL...
On Monday, the Oilers allowed five goals in a game for the fifth time this season... Excluding shootout goals, they've allowed at least four goals in 10 of their 19 games this season... The Islanders got another goal from a defenceman on Monday, as Dobson opened the scoring for his sixth goal of the season to make it 16 goals from Islanders d-men this campaign -- first in the NHL... The Islanders have been outscored in each of the first two periods, but they have a +12 goal differential in the third period... The Islanders have struggled on the penalty kill recently, allowing a PPG in 10 of their last 12 games...
Injury Report
OILERS - Tyler Benson (knee) is on a conditioning assignment in Bakersfield; Oscar Klefbom (shoulder) is on IR; Mike Smith (undisclosed) is on IR.
ISLANDERS - N/A
-- Jamie Umbach, EdmontonOilers.com