preview_dec132018

The Oilers close out a two-game road trip with a match against the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday.
You can watch the game on Sportsnet West or listen via 630 CHED and the Oilers Radio Network.
Read the Preview then check back following Thursday's media avails for the Morning Skate Report.

INSIDE THE OILERS

News and notes from the Oilers Dressing Room including the activation of Drake Caggiula from Injured Reserve and recall of Caleb Jones.
>> READ MORE IN THE INSIDE THE OILERS BLOG

PRE-GAME REPORT

WINNIPEG, MB - The Oilers and Jets will put their streaks on the line Thursday as Edmonton enters the contest winners of four straight while Winnipeg is on a two-game heater of their own.
Bell MTS Place is not an easy arena to play in and the Jets are one of the best home teams in the National Hockey League. The home side is 11-4-2 in their building, outscoring their opposition 63-43 and also possessing the League's best home power play percentage with a 35.8 percent clip.
Oilers Head Coach Ken Hitchcock witnessed the Jets become a powerhouse from his time coaching in the Central Division with the St. Louis Blues and Dallas Stars. The bench boss alluded to the Oilers opponent in his pre-game avail.
"The biggest change for me is they go the distance," Hitchcock said. "They don't try to win early. They got great skill throughout their lineup and great transition skill on their back end but they trust their work.
"When you trust your work, you win a lot of games."
Edmonton is 1-3-0 in their last four meetings against the Jets but 4-1-0 in their last five on the road versus the club.
MIRACLE IN MANITOBA
When the two squads last met, the Oilers got down by a score of 4-1 to enter the third period but pulled out a three-goal final frame, tying the game up then winning it in overtime thanks to Darnell Nurse's showstopper.
Jets forward Adam Lowry scored twice in the opening 10 minutes of the game but Oilers Captain Connor McDavid and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins led the comeback, tallying four points apiece.
"Connor really went to another level in that third period," recalled Jets defender Josh Morrissey, who won the Western Hockey League's Ed Chynoweth Cup with Leon Draisaitl as members of the Kelowna Rockets in 2015.
"I think we didn't do as great of a job as we could have in limiting some of the chances he got but at the same time, players like that are going to make those plays."
Although they were able to claw out the victory, the Oilers don't want to get down early like they did last time.
"I remember us not having the start that we wanted," said Cam Talbot, who has won his past two games and will get the nod in goal. "They jump out pretty quick in this building. Any time you get down against them, it usually doesn't work out well for you."
The keeper did, however, like the fact that the Orange & Blue dug deep to overwrite the shortage and escape Manitoba with two points in the bag.
"We came out in the third, got a big goal from (Ty Rattie) Rats early and chipped away after that," he said.
"That was a confidence booster for us early on in the season."
Talbot enters the contest with a 7-9-1 record, posting a 3.12 goals-against average and .895 save percentage.
DEPLETED DEFENCE
Talbot will see a different defensive complexion in front of him on Thursday. With Oscar Klefbom and Kris Russell on Injured Reserve, Jason Garrison and Chris Wideman will slot into the lineup.
Garrison last played on Nov. 27, against the Dallas Stars and Chris Wideman's last appearance came on Dec. 3, versus the Stars as well. The two may not necessarily matchup against the potent prowess of Patrik Laine, Mark Scheifele or Blake Wheeler but will still see plenty of speed and skill nonetheless.
"Our job is to come in and just contribute in any way," said Garrison. "Play as a six-man unit back there and hopefully keep things simple in this building."
Hitchcock said he is fortunate to have two experienced blueliners as replacements for top-four regulars Klefbom and Russell.
"We're hopeful that we can continue to keep up the same pace," he said. "We're not going to know for a few games to see how these guys handle it but we're pretty lucky to get veteran players in there."
SPECIAL TEAMS SUPPRESSION - PART 2
Playing against teams with the top-ranked power play in the NHL seems to be a reoccurring ordeal for the Oilers.
On Tuesday, the Colorado Avalanche entered the match with the best man advantage in the League and the Oilers won that special teams battle by going 2-for-3 on the power play and 3-for-4 on the penalty kill.
On Thursday, the club will try to suppress the League's best power play once again, as the Jets are 30.3 percent on the man-advantage overall and 35.8 percent at home.
"It's obviously a challenge," said Talbot. "The number one thing is you have to play disciplined. You can't give them too many opportunities but when we do, we have to play disciplined in our box, know where the threats are and just continue to do what we're doing."
Edmonton's penalty kill ranks 23rd overall and on the road, with percentages of 77.3 and 75.4, respectively.
LINEUP NOTES
While the Oilers lose two top-four defenders, they gain a pair of forwards in Drake Caggiula and Tobias Rieder on Thursday. The two skated together on a line centred by Ryan Spooner. Ty Rattie and Valentin Zykov are expected to come out of the lineup as a result.
"We're expecting both Rieder and Caggiula to play and that will help us a lot," said Hitchcock, who had Rieder on his second power-play unit.
Rieder sustained an upper-body injury against the Montreal Canadiens on Nov. 13 and has seven assists in 18 games in the 2018-19 season. Caggiula, meanwhile, missed the past four games due to a thumb injury.
Edmonton also recalled defenceman Caleb Jones on Wednesday but he didn't skate due to his equipment not getting to the arena on time.
"Caleb's sticks showed up but his skates didn't," Hitchcock said. "So, we might even skate him later today if we can. If not, he'll be available to us for a little while."
Lines at morning skate appeared to be:
Draisaitl - McDavid - Chiasson
Khaira - Nugent-Hopkins - Puljujarvi
Caggiula - Spooner - Rieder
Lucic - Brodziak - Kassian
Nurse - Larsson
Gravel - Benning
Garrison - Wideman
Talbot
-- Paul Gazzola, EdmontonOilers.com

PREVIEW

OILERS (17-12-2) at JETS (19-9-2)
TV: 6:00 p.m. MST; Televised on Sportsnet West
Head-to-Head:
Tonight's game is the second of three meetings between the Oilers and Jets this season. Their third and final game against each other will be on New Year's Eve in Edmonton. The Oilers defeated the Jets 5-4 in overtime in their first date of the campaign.
Connor McDavid and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored four points each when the teams faced off on Oct. 16, and Darnell Nurse notched the OT winner for the 5-4 win after Edmonton was down 4-1 to enter the third.
McDavid has 12 points in nine career games against the Jets, while Winnipeg captain Blake Wheeler has 17 in 20 tilts against the Oilers.
Oilers team scope:
The Oilers enter Winnipeg riding a four-game winning streak, surpassing the St. Louis Blues, Minnesota Wild, Calgary Flames and Colorado Avalanche in the process.
In their most recent game, the Orange & Blue put aside the Avalanche 6-4, getting multi-point efforts from five players and a 39-save goalie clinic from Mikko Koskinen.
However, some unfortunate news arose following Tuesday's tilt, as Oscar Klefbom succumbed to a hand injury after blocking a shot in the second period.
As a result, the Oilers placed Klefbom on Injured Reserve, recalled Caleb Jones and activated Drake Caggiula.
Edmonton is 8-2-1 in their last 11 outings with Ken Hitchcock as head coach and own the fifth spot in the Pacific Division with 36 points.
Jets team scope:
Winnipeg is on a two-game success streak of their own, dismantling the Chicago Blackhawks 6-3 on Tuesday and overtopping the Philadelphia Flyers 7-1 on Sunday.
The Jets head into Thursday's affair with some knowledge of the Oilers recent improvement.
"I know they're playing a real heavy game right now,"
said
Adam Lowry. "They've had real strong goaltending lately and they've kind of found that scoring touch.
"They have a lot more to offer right now, I think."
Winnipeg is second in the Central Division with a 19-9-2 record and 40 points.
By the Numbers:
Connor McDavid is one point away from 300 in his career and five assists from 200. ... Eight of McDavid's 17 goals this season have come in the first period, two behind Kyle Palmieri for the League-lead in that regard. ... The Oilers are 8-2-1 since Hitchcock became head coach, averaging 2.27 goals-against per game. ... Edmonton is 4-1-0 in their last five road outings against the Jets. ... The Oilers are 8-4-0 in 2018-19 when facing the Central Division.
The Jets set a franchise record this year with 19 wins in the first 30 games of a season. ... Patrik Laine is tied for second in NHL goal scoring with 21 tallies, four back of leader Alex Ovechkin. ... The Jets currently boast the League's best power play with a 30.3 percent clip. ... At home, that man-advantage margin increases to 35.8 percent, which is also good for first. ... Winnipeg is ninth on the penalty kill with an 82.6 percent kill rate. ... The club is 7-0-0 when tied after two periods and 4-1-0 against the Pacific in '18-19.
Injury Report:
OILERS - Andrej Sekera (Achilles) is out; Oscar Klefbom (hand) is on IR; Tobias Rieder (upper body) is on IR.
JETS - Joe Morrow (lower body) is on IR; Andrew Copp (undisclosed) is on IR.
-- Paul Gazzola, EdmontonOilers.com