PRE-GAME REPORT: Oilers at Jets

The Edmonton Oilers start a weekend back-to-back with a matinee road matchup against the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday.
You can watch the game on Sportsnet West or listen live on the Oilers Radio Network, including 630 CHED, starting at 2:00 PM MT.
Video: OILERS TODAY | Pre-Game at WPG 02.18.22

YOUR GAME-DAY ESSENTIALS
GAME DAY VIDEO
OILERS TODAY | Pre-Game at WPG
PRE-GAME RAW | Coach Woodcroft
PRE-GAME RAW | Hyman
PRE-GAME RAW | Ceci
RECENT VIDEOS
OILERS TODAY | Post-Game vs. ANA
POST-GAME RAW | Kane
POST-GAME RAW | Ryan
POST-GAME RAW | Coach Woodcroft
BY THE NUMBERS
Oilers Statistics
Jets Statistics
Head-to-Head
Game Notes
RECENT BLOGS & ARTICLES
BLOG: Friday's pre-flight practice
GAME STORY: Oilers 7, Ducks 3
RELEASE: Skinner loaned to Bakersfield
VIEWING INFORMATION
You can watch Saturday's game on Sportsnet West at 2:00 PM MT.
The latest news and notes from the team, including updates from Friday's pre-flight practice at Rogers Place.
**>> READ MORE IN THE INSIDE THE OILERS BLOG**
WINNIPEG, MB - What a week for Woodcroft.
It's now been one full week since Jay Woodcroft took over the head coaching duties of the Edmonton Oilers and the team has enjoyed nothing but success with their new bench boss, winning four consecutive games and outscoring their opponents by an 18-6 margin.
Three straight wins over division rivals in San Jose, Los Angeles and Anaheim have the Oilers right back in the hunt for the Pacific title as they're five points back of first-place Calgary and just two points behind second-place Vegas, with one game in hand on the Sin City squad.
"Winning three divisional games in a row at this time of the season was really important for us," forward Zach Hyman said following Friday's pre-flight skate. "The games are going to keep coming. It's a tight schedule, so you really need contributions from everybody."
Edmonton will look to extend the Woodcroft winning streak to five games on Saturday with a visit to Winnipeg to take on a Jets squad they've split the season series with thus far. Winnipeg won 5-2 at home on Nov. 16 but Edmonton exacted revenge two nights later at Rogers Place with a 2-1 shootout decision, setting up Saturday's season-series rubber match.
Video: RAW | Jay Woodcroft 02.18.22
"It's been a whirlwind," Woodcroft said of his first week back in Edmonton. "It's all happened very fast and right now that's the approach we've taken with the team. We just want to take care of today and be better tomorrow than we were today. That's the type of league this is. You have to continuously add layers to the onion in terms of growing your game each day."
FORWARD PROGRESS
One of the most noteworthy aspects of Edmonton's four-game winning streak since Woodcroft's arrival has been the wide array of offensive contributions among the forward group.
The Oilers had nine of their 11 forwards in the lineup contribute at least one point during Tuesday's 5-2 win in Los Angeles, and they did one better on Thursday as 10 of 11 forwards made it on the scoresheet in the 7-3 victory over the Ducks.
"Contributions come in all different ways, whether you're scoring or just generating momentum, and in our case we've gotten both from all the lines," said Hyman, who has scored in three of the four wins and also added an assist vs. Anaheim. "It definitely helps when that happens and guys start to feel confident in their abilities and their play. It's been a really good stretch for us."
"We want to make sure we keep lots of people involved," Woodcroft echoed. "We want to reward the people that are playing well. It's been a total team effort through these last four games."
Video: RAW | Zach Hyman 02.18.22
Rather than deploying a traditional 12-forward, six-defencemen lineup, Woodcroft has dressed one less player up front in favour of an additional blueliner in all four games which, according to Hyman, has been enjoyable for him and his fellow attackers.
"As a forward, it allows you to get into more of a rhythm because you get to play a little bit more," said Hyman, who had his third-highest TOI of the season on Thursday at 21:52. "More ice time for the guys up front allows us to feel more confident in our abilities and you're seeing contributions from all four lines, which is a big positive."
The odd number of forwards also allows the coaching staff to try a variety of line combinations throughout games, which Hyman said keeps the group engaged at all times.
"You're definitely alert, you're excited, you want to play as much as you can," he said. "You always want to play and be out there. It's great to play with all different players. Throughout the season, you play with a bunch of different guys. We have a deep roster and it's nice to utilize it."
PULJUJARVI PLACED ON IR
One forward who won't get an opportunity to keep producing on Saturday will be Jesse Puljujarvi, who was placed on injured reserve on Friday after leaving Thursday's game with a lower-body injury.
Video: ANA@EDM: Puljujarvi swipes in slick feed from McDavid
Coach Woodcroft said the Finnish winger is expected to miss four weeks, providing an opportunity for other forwards to step up on the right side in the interim.
"Next man up," said the bench boss. "We have good players. There's nice options. We're getting a lot out of a lot of people and it's a credit to the work that the players are putting in."
With Zack Kassian and Kyle Turris also sidelined, the two remaining healthy forwards who could draw into the lineup for Puljujarvi on Saturday are Tyler Benson and Brendan Perlini.
-- Ryan Frankson, EdmontonOilers.com
OILERS at JETS
STREAM: 2:00 PM MT; televised on Sportsnet West
Oilers Team Scope
Seven separate skaters contributed multi-point nights in a 7-3 victory over the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday as the Oilers improved their record against Pacific Division opponents this season to 13-3-0 and stretched their win streak under Head Coach Jay Woodcroft to four games.
The Oilers have outscored their opponents 18-6 over the four-game win streak while playing a strong team game focused on work ethic, strong forechecks, and a collective five-man approach to defending in the defensive zone.
Derek Ryan looks rejuvenated on the wing of the third line with Warren Foegele and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, with a goal and assist against the Ducks extending the Spokane, Wash. product's point streak to three games (1G, 3A).
Since being assembled in Woodcroft's winning debut against the Islanders on February 11, the line has combined to produce four goals and seven assists in three games.
"I don't know what the single thing is. I think [our line] is just working hard playing together and supporting each other," Ryan said. "I think we've been good on the forecheck getting pucks back, and that's huge at this time of year in this league. It gets hard. You have to score ugly goals, and I think we've done a little bit of that. It feels nice. We've got some confidence going, and that helps as well."
Jets Team Scope
In a similar fashion to the Oilers on Thursday, the Jets overturned a 2-0 deficit to the Seattle Kraken to sweep a home back-to-back with a 5-3 victory at Canada Life Centre after earning a 6-3 win over the Minnesota Wild the night prior.
Josh Morrissey broke a 3-3 tie with 6:10 remaining in the third period and Eric Comrie made 20 saves to secure the win for the Jets, who improved to 4-1-1 since the All-Star break as they try to get themselves back into the playoff picture with a 22-18-8 record -- three points behind the Los Angeles Kings for the second Wild Card spot.
"We know where we're at in the standings, and we need points and wins right now," Morrissey said. "I've liked where our game has been at since we've come back from the break, for the most part, and it was an emotional win for us last night and to rebound against a team that is coming in fresh and waiting for us here tonight."
By The Numbers
The Oilers are 1-1-0 against the Jets this season, dropping a 5-2 decision in Winnipeg on Nov. 16 before winning 2-1 in a shootout two nights later at Rogers Place... The Oilers have won seven of their last eight regular season meetings with the Jets, but Winnipeg won all four games of their 2021 first-round playoff series... Edmonton has also earned at least a point in seven of their last nine games in Winnipeg, posting a 5-2-2 record over that span.
The Oilers are 27-18-3 through 48 games this season, outscoring opponents 158-152, including a perfect 4-0-0 record since Jay Woodcroft took over as the 17th head coach in franchise history... Edmonton has outscored opponents 18-6 on their current four-game winning streak.
Prior to Friday's slate of games, the Oilers also had the fourth-best record in the NHL since Jan. 22 at 9-2-1 with a +14 goal differential over that span.
Edmonton has averaged 3.29 goals per game this season, which ranks ninth in the NHL... The Oilers have an even goal differential in the first period this season but are +4 in the second and +3 in the third... They also lead the league in games with multiple power-play goals scored with 11.
Injury Report
OILERS - Kris Russell (undisclosed) is on IR; Duncan Keith (upper body) is out 2-to-4 weeks; Zack Kassian (fractured jaw) is out 4-to-8 weeks; Kyle Turris (back) is on IR; Jesse Puljujarvi (lower body) is out 4 weeks.
JETS - Nathan Beaulieu (lower body) is on IR; Dylan Sanberg (upper body) is on IR; Nikolaj Ehlers (lower body) is on IR; C.J. Suess (hand) is on IR; David Gustafsson (lower body) is on IR.
-- Jamie Umbach, EdmontonOilers.com