The Oilers kick off a four-game road trip with back-to-back games in the state of Florida, starting in Sunrise against the Florida Panthers on Saturday afternoon.
You can watch the game on Sportsnet West or listen on the Oilers Radio Network, including 630 CHED.
Read the full game preview below, including our Pre-Game Report, videos, line combinations and more.

YOUR GAME-DAY ESSENTIALS
GAME DAY VIDEO
THE PANEL | Florida days
OILERS TODAY | at Panthers Pre-Game
PRE-GAME RAW | Nugent-Hopkins
PRE-GAME RAW | Rattie
PRE-GAME RAW | Nurse
PRE-GAME RAW | Oilers Head Coach McLellan
BY THE NUMBERS
Stats Comparison: Oilers vs. Panthers
Media Game Notes: Oilers vs. Panthers
2017-18 Oilers Player Statistics
2017-18 Panthers Player Statistics
Head-to-Head: Oilers vs. Panthers
2017-18 NHL Standings
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Inside The Oilers Blog

INSIDE THE OILERS

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

PRE-GAME REPORT

SUNRISE, FL - The Oilers open a four-game road trip with a tough test against the red hot Florida Panthers, who have a 9-1-1 record in their last 11 games but it's a place they've had success for a very long time as it's been 16 years since the Panthers defeated the Oilers at home (March 8, 2002) -- a string of eight straight Edmonton victories.
"They're on a roll," stated Oilers head coach Todd McLellan. "They're rallying right now for a couple of reasons and I think they're both great. One is their playoff push but two is the community. What happened here about a month ago, from that point on they've used that as a rallying point. Maybe I'm assuming something but their play has been tremendous since then. They've really come together as a team."
McLellan liked what he saw from the Oilers in their practice on Friday at BB&T Center with a high-tempo skate for the club.
"Like any of the games on this trip, we're going to have our hands full. It'll be a big challenge. I liked our practice today. I thought we had a lot of tempo, a lot of spirit in practice. Very competitive. Can that carry over into an afternoon game? Sometimes we've had good starts in those situations and other days not. We're hoping that today's practice can turn into a good one."
AFTERNOON DELIGHT?
The Oilers are 2-7 this season in afternoon games and historically have never been a stellar squad in games played midday. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins was asked about the team's afternoon record.
"I just don't think we play a lot of them," explained Nugent-Hopkins. "We rarely play them at home so it's definitely a different aspect. You get up, eat breakfast, go play. It's a lot different than making your way through the day and having the same routine as a night game. I don't know if it's an actual excuse but it's a reason that it could be."
Coach McLellan chalked it up to routine more than anything.
"We've had some good afternoon starts and we've had some poor ones. And we're not the only team in the League. It varies all over the place. Players are very routine driven and all of a sudden their routine is out of whack a little bit but that goes for both teams. They're used to playing evening games. One team's going to show up and likely play a little bit better than the other and that's the team that will win and it has to be us.
"We've tried different things. We've tried different meeting times, different approaches, we've met in the evening the night before. Show up to play, take responsibility."
OILERS LOOK TO CONTINUE STRONG PLAY
With a record of 3-1-1 in their last five games, it's a chance to build on the team's strong play of late as they look to finish the season on a high note.
"Throughout the whole year, we've wanted to find that consistency more. Early in the year we showed some promise, a lot of what we had last year but it just wasn't consistent enough. Lately I think it's been a little bit better but we've still got to play the full 60 minutes," said Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.
"We want to finish off the year in the right way these last 15 games or so. We're going to leave the season not the way we wanted to but we can take a little out of it if we finish hard here and play with some pride."
RATTIE RETURNS
Ty Rattie was recalled from AHL Bakersfield on Thursday and found himself on the top line with Nugent-Hopkins and Connor McDavid. Coach McLellan said it was likely that Rattie got into the lineup though the lines the team ran on Friday aren't set in stone.
"There's a chance he'll play there tomorrow," said McLellan. "We'll look at the structure of our lines as we come in the morning but he'll get an opportunity to play and play with some good players. We'll see if he can produce some offence and give him his opportunity."
McLellan added that he liked what he saw from Rattie several weeks ago when he suited up, for the most part.
"I thought when he played against Anaheim and San Jose he had a very good first game and our team was just average in the second game and he kind of fit the mould. We'll give him a chance and hopefully he makes it pay. He's a good player."
Rattie said he won't change his approach to the game even if he's playing with a talent like McDavid.
"I approach it like anyone else," he said."Just find him and obviously he knows a thing or two about scoring goals and making plays. It's easy, just get him the puck, get open, support him and try not to change your game too much."
McLellan added it was up to Rattie from here on out how often he plays and with whom.
"We'll give him more opportunities after that," McLellan said. "The players dictate their careers and where they play. We have to make decisions, we can't keep everybody. But the players usually make those decisions on how well they play and how well they perform. We're hoping he can come in and play real well so he can push."
LINEUP NOTES
Kris Russell (lower body due to blocked shot) and Pontus Aberg didn't skate today and both are unlikely to play on Saturday. These were the lines the team went with at practice, though McLellan said they weren't set in stone.
Nugent-Hopkins - McDavid - Rattie
Lucic - Strome - Puljujarvi
Caggiula - Draisaitl - Slepyshev
Pakarinen - Khaira - Kassian
Cam Talbot starts in goal on Saturday with Montoya a strong possibility for Sunday.
"There's a chance we'll split them," said McLellan. "Talbot will play tomorrow and then we'll see what happens after that."
-- Marc Ciampa, EdmontonOilers.com
Video: THE PANEL | Florida Days

PREVIEW

OILERS (30-35-5) at PANTHERS (35-26-7)
TV: 12:00 p.m. MDT; Televised on Sportsnet West
Head-to-Head:
Tonight's game is the second and final meeting between the two teams this season. The Panthers defeated the Oilers 7-5 on Feb. 12, in a game where forward Vincent Trochek notched a hat trick. Connor McDavid led the way offensively for Edmonton, scoring a goal and assist.
Oilers team scope:
The Oilers are on a two-game losing streak, having dropped back-to-back decisions to the Calgary Flames (1-0) on Tuesday and San Jose Sharks on Wednesday (4-3 in overtime).
Edmonton will open up their four-game road trip against the Panthers and will return home for a date against the Los Angeles Kings on March 24.
Panthers team scope:
The Panthers blanked the Boston Bruins 3-0 on Thursday. Nick Bjugstad scored a goal and assist, while Evgenii Dadonov piled up two helpers.
Florida is 8-1-1 in their last 10 games and find themselves three points out of the second Wild Card position in the Eastern Conference. The club has 77 points on the season.
By the Numbers:
Connor McDavid sits third in League scoring with 33 goals and 86 points in 70 games. He is behind Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov and Pittsburgh Penguins centre Evgeni Malkin.
The Oilers have the second-best penalty kill in the League since Feb. 15. The club has killed 90.2 percent of their penalties since that time overall. Only the Anaheim Ducks have a better penalty kill percentage during that span (91.4%).
Aleksander Barkov leads the Panthers in assists with 45 and points with 70. He already has 11 more points than his previous career-high, which was 59 in 66 games during the 2015-16 season.
Trochek is the club's power play specialist, scoring 13 goals and 24 points on the man-advantage this season.
Florida averages 34.3 shots for per game.
Injury Report:
OILERS -Kris Russell (lower-body) is day-to-day; Matt Benning (illness) is day-to-day; Pontus Aberg is day-to-day.
PANTHERS - Alex Petrovic (lower-body) is day-to-day.
-- Paul Gazzola, EdmontonOilers.com