YOUR GAME-DAY ESSENTIALS
BY THE NUMBERS
2016-17 Head-to-Head: Oilers vs. Jets
Oilers/Jets Stats Comparison
Game Notes: Oilers at Jets
2016-17 Oilers Player Statistics
2016-17 Jets Player Statistics
2016-17 NHL Standings
GAME DAY VIDEO
OILERS TODAY | Chris Wescott reports on the key storylines prior to tonight's game
PRE-GAME RAW | Draisaitl
PRE-GAME RAW | Letestu
PRE-GAME RAW | Caggiula
PRE-GAME RAW | Oilers head coach Todd McLellan
WEDNESDAY'S VIDEOS
OILERS TODAY | Looking for a Spark
PRACTICE RAW | Maroon
PRACTICE RAW | Nugent-Hopkins
PRACTICE RAW | Oilers head coach Todd McLellan
WEDNESDAY'S BLOGS
BLOG: Wednesday practice updates
FUTURE WATCH: Caleb Jones
BLOG: Keying in on communication
MORE INFORMATION
You can watch tonight's game on Sportsnet Oilers within the Oilers region. It can also be seen in the Jets region on TSN3.
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Injury Report
Set your lineup for tonight with Oilers Fantasy Hockey
UPDATES
Inside The Oilers Blog

INSIDE THE OILERS

News and notes from Wednesday's Oilers practice and media availability.
>> READ MORE IN THE INSIDE THE OILERS BLOG

PRE-GAME REPORT

WINNIPEG, MB - Power-play improvement, secondary scoring and shoring up defensive play will all be paramount for the Oilers tonight as they visit the Winnipeg Jets, looking to end their three-game losing skid.
It'll be the second straight all-Canadian matchup for the Oil as they're coming off a disappointing 4-2 defeat against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday at Rogers Place. Prior to that, Edmonton suffered consecutive losses to the Arizona Coyotes in a home-and-home set, though they did receive a single point from Friday's 3-2 shootout decision.
After holding down first place in the Pacific Division for most of the season thus far, the 12-10-2 Oilers are now tied with the Anaheim Ducks for second spot behind the San Jose Sharks. Head Coach Todd McLellan was asked following the morning skate what his team can do to get their game going in a positive direction once again.
"Flat-out defending better," he said. "Our five-on-five play hasn't been where it needs to be defensively, and I think that happens sometimes when some of your key people go dry offensively. You begin to cheat and look for shortcuts… We've got to get some jump back in our stride, get back to being a fast team and executing properly."
POWER-PLAY FOCUS
After outscoring their opponents 16-5 in three straight victories over the Dallas Stars, Chicago Blackhawks and Colorado Avalanche, Edmonton's offence has lost its rhythm with just five goals on the current three-game skid. The power play, in particular, has struggled, going 0-for-12 in the last three games following a 4-for-10 success rate vs. Chicago and Colorado.
"The power play was a focal point after our game against Toronto," McLellan said. "It performed at a poor level and can certainly use a little polishing up."
In addition to spending plenty of time during practice working on their PP, the Oilers have shuffled their man-advantage personnel in an attempt to create a spark. Mark Letestu is expected to move up to the top unit. The veteran, who has two goals and four assists in 21 games, said the PP groups need to get more pucks to the net with a purpose.
"Finishing is always a big part of it, but we've got to shoot the puck more, and when we get a chance to shoot, we've got to put it on net," Letestu said. "We watched a lot of the goals that happen around the league and a lot of it is the shot and the rebound. We've just got to get that first shot there and let some of our big bodies go to work."
SECONDARY SCORING
The newly-announced NHL Third Star of the Month for November, Connor McDavid, has either scored or assisted on four of the team's last five goals. That stat is certainly a positive for the captain; however, the Oilers know they need to get other players and forward lines contributing if they want to get back to their winning ways.
"Secondary scoring is going to be a big thing," said Drake Caggiula, who's looking for his first NHL goal to go along with two assists in six games thus far. "You can't just have one guy or one line driving the bus. We need all four lines clicking, and it doesn't necessarily mean scoring goals, but everyone has got to be contributing."
LINEUP NOTES
Thursday's morning skate was optional, so the team did not take forward line rushes. However, Leon Draisaitl is expected to move to the right wing with McDavid at centre and Milan Lucic on the left side.
"The last couple games I've been put with Connor for a little bit," said Draisaitl, who's in a three-way tie for second in Oilers scoring with 17 points. "We had a little bit of chemistry and we'll see how it goes tonight."
McDavid was one of the players absent for the skate, which is a rare but welcomed move for the captain, according to his coach.
"He's been encouraged to miss a few now and then, with the amount of minutes and the strain that's put on him as a player. " McLellan said. "As long as he's ready to go and he's feeling good, he'll manage his minutes."
While the forward lines were not confirmed, no changes are expected on defence and Cam Talbot is projected to start between the pipes for the 23rd time in 25 games.
-- Ryan Frankson, edmontonoilers.com

PREVIEW

OILERS (12-10-2) at JETS (11-12-2)
TV: 6:00 p.m. MT; Televised on Sportsnet Oilers
Head-to-Head:
This game marks the second of three meetings between the Oilers and Jets this season and the second and final game in Winnipeg. The next time these teams will face each other is on December 11th in Edmonton.
The last time these teams met was on October 23rd in Winnipeg for the Heritage Classic at Investors Group Field. The Oilers defeated the Jets by a score of 3-0. Cam Talbot stopped all 31 shots for the shutout and Darnell Nurse, Mark Letestu and Zack Kassian scored for the Oilers.
Oilers team scope:
The Oilers are winless in their last three games (0-2-1) after being on a three-game winning streak prior to that. They currently sit in a tie for second place in the Pacific Division, one point behind division-leading San Jose.
Forward Milan Lucic has 18 points (8G, 10A) in 28 career games against Winnipeg. ... In 12 career games against Winnipeg, forward Jordan Eberle has seven career points (3G, 4A). ... Forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins has eight points (3G, 5A) in eight career games against Winnipeg. ... In 18 career games against Winnipeg, forward Benoit Pouliot has eight points (2G, 6A). ... Defenceman Kris Russell has six points (1G, 5A) in 11 career games against Winnipeg.
Despite missing seven games to injury, defenceman Kris Russell has reclaimed the team lead in blocked shots, with a total of 43 blocked shots in 17 games. He ranks 28th in the NHL, and ranked third in the NHL at the time of his injury on Nov. 2.
Since returning from injury, Russell has 12 blocked shots in six games.
Jets team scope:
After dropping all five games on a recent road trip, the Jets are back in the win column having won each of their last two games.
With Tuesday's win, the Jets have won five in a row at MTS Centre, outscoring their opponents 21-6 in the handful of games…The Jets are 8-4-0 at home this season and have outscored their opponents 38-28 on home ice…The Jets are in a stretch of five of seven games at home.
The Jets are 2-1-0 against Pacific Division this season…Their only loss is against the Oilers, while the Jets have picked up wins against the Arizona Coyotes and Los Angeles Kings…Winnipeg plays five games against Pacific Division teams in December and all are against the three Canadian teams in the division (Edmonton - 2, Vancouver - 2, Calgary - 1)…Last season, the Jets went 12-8-1 against Pacific Division teams.
Goaltender Connor Hellebuyck has started the last five games for the Jets, during which he has stopped 150 of 162 shots for a .926 save percentage…He's increased his season save percentage to .915, which is nearly back to his career mark of .917…After two shutouts at home, Hellebuyck's shutout streak ended at 174:54 on Tuesday, which is a franchise record for most consecutive minutes at home without allowing a goal…He made 89 saves during the streak…He's 5-0 in his last five home starts with a 1.18 goals-against average and .961 save percentage.
Mark Scheifele and Patrik Laine scored on Tuesday to move into a three-way tie with Boston's David Pastrnak for second in NHL goal scoring with 13 goals…It marked the seventh time this season Scheifele and Laine scored in the same game…The Jets are the only team in the NHL to have two players in the top 10 in NHL goal scoring.