The Edmonton Oilers welcome the Arizona Coyotes to Rogers Place for a Wednesday night matchup.
You can watch the game on Sportsnet West or listen live on the Oilers Radio Network, including 630 CHED.
Subscribe to Oilers+ to unlock the Pre-Game Show that will begin at 8:00 p.m. MT, along with more exclusive live and behind-the-scenes content.

YOUR GAME-DAY ESSENTIALS

GAME DAY VIDEO
OILERS TODAY | Pre-Game vs. ARI
PRE-GAME RAW | Coach Woodcroft
PRE-GAME RAW | Connor McDavid
PRE-GAME RAW | Evan Bouchard
RECENT VIDEOS
PRACTICE | Friendly Competition
RAW | Coach Jay Woodcroft
RAW | Nick Bjugstad
RAW | Mattias Janmark
BY THE NUMBERS
Oilers Statistics
Coyotes Statistics
Stats Comparison
Game Notes
RECENT BLOGS & ARTICLES
BLOG: Oilers press on
POST-GAME: Coach's challenge is clutch

VIEWING INFORMATION
You can watch Wednesday's game on Sportsnet West at 8:30 PM MT.

INSIDE THE OILERS

News and notes from Oilers practice at Rogers Place on Tuesday.
>> READ MORE IN THE INSIDE THE OILERS BLOG

PRE-GAME REPORT

EDMONTON, AB- You might want to put your pyjamas on before this one.
Tonight's matchup between the Edmonton Oilers and Arizona Coyotes is slated for an 8:52 p.m. MT puck drop at Rogers Place as the second of two games on the NHL's Wednesday slate of matches and a doubleheader on the Sportsnet and TNT networks.
"We wanted to make sure that we skated today. Otherwise, it's a really long day," Woodcroft added.
The Oilers are accounting for the late-evening start time by moving their morning skate back a half hour, while assuring they get their legs moving before a longer-than-usual wait in between practice and their date with the Desert Dogs.
"Definitely a little bit. Obviously, we skated here at 11, so a little bit pushed back," captain Connor McDavid said. "It kind of just pushes your whole day back a bit, but it's a really late start time."
Wednesday night will be the third time this season that the Oilers have had a game begin beyond 8:30 p.m.
Both late starts ended in 5-4 and 6-3 respective victories for Edmonton over the Chicago Blackhawks and Dallas Stars early this season, with one instance coming as the first of a back-to-back in late November and early December that concluded 22-and-a-half hours later with a 5-3 loss to the Minnesota Wild.
"Those are things well beyond the control of the coach or well beyond the control of the players," Woodcroft said. "Our job is to be ready whether it's at five o'clock, six o'clock, seven o'clock or 8:52."
What's well in Edmonton's control, however, is their goals against that the club is keen to limit down the stretch in preparation for the post-season.
Despite earning the victory and their fourth win in a row last time out against the San Jose Sharks, the Oilers allowed seven goals - three of which were overturned - in a 5-4 overtime result at Rogers Place on Monday where defenceman Mattias Ekholm scored twice before Darnell Nurse scored the game-winner on a breakaway.

"You definitely don't want to be giving up four or five goals a game," defenceman Evan Bouchard said. "We know we have the firepower to put up the same amount, but during playoff time, it's about keeping it out of our net and we've shown we can do that. It's about doing it on a consistent basis."
In order to "bridge the gap" to the league's best teams, as mentioned by the bench boss following Tuesday's team meeting and practice, the statement of reducing their goals against as a factor of success in that department was reaffirmed by the players in the locker room.
"I think it's everyone buying in," Bouchard added. "If there's one mistake, don't let it pile into two mistakes and three mistakes. It's about bailing each other out, not leaving our goalies out to dry too much. They've made some huge saves and won a lot of games for us this year, so I think the big thing is once there's a mistake, don't let it pile up."
The Oilers are scoring at a rate of 3.93 goals-per-game, the best in the League, but are shipping the 11th-most goals per game as well at 3.31 -- two spots behind Arizona at 3.44.
"Certainly it's always about keeping the puck out of the net for our group, and we haven't been doing a good job with that lately," McDavid added. "We've been finding ways to get wins, which is always a positive sign, but I haven't loved where our game has been at, and we got to make sure it's in order coming down the stretch."

THE DOGS ARE HOWLIN'

The Coyotes are not the same pack they once were early in the season.
Thanks to a 6-1-2 stretch over their last nine games, Arizona has separated itself from the NHL's bottom four of Columbus, San Jose, Chicago and Anaheim with a 27-33-11 record and 67 points.
The Coyotes lost 2-1 in Winnipeg to the Jets on Tuesday night in the first of a back-to-back, snapping their eight-game point streak and the most productive stretch for the Desert Dogs this season.
"Yeah, they're dangerous," McDavid said. "They've got some really good players over there and you're seeing what they're doing. They've been really good lately, and we've got to be ready."

Forward Clayton Keller has been one of the League's best since the NHL All-Star Break, recording the second-most overall points in that span behind Connor McDavid with 35 points (14G, 21A) in those 21 games.
The 24-year-old winger has more even-strength points (27) than McDavid (26) during that span and could become the first Coyotes player since Keith Tkachuk recorded 86 points in 1996-97 to record 80 in a season.
Defenceman Michael Kesselring, who was part of the trade between these two clubs at the Deadline that saw Nick Bjugstad join the Oilers, is expected to suit up in his sixth NHL game after playing 19:30 in Wednesday's loss in Winnipeg.

BOUCHARD BUILDING

Soaring above the 26-minute mark for the fourth time in his career on Monday night was Bouchard, who's taken advantage of extra responsibility since the Trade Deadline.
Since the acquisition of Mattias Ekholm from Nashville in a package that included Tyson Barrie, the Oakville, Ont. product has been strapped to the Swede's side and has seen a boost to his results, while taking on more power-play minutes.
"I think it's (gone) pretty well," Bouchard said. "I think the more you play, the more confident you are and the more confident you feel. To have a partner like Ek there supporting me makes me feel really confident in how I want to play to my abilities. I think he's helped me out a lot."

"I think he's had some good moments for sure," Woodcroft added. "I think Ekholm's effect on Bouchard can't be lost on anybody as well. I think that pairing's been very good. They've been moving pucks."
Bouchard has benefitted from Ekholm's steady defensive play that's allowed him to push forward into the play more often, while being able to absorb some lessons from the Swede in their own end.
"He's definitely a great teammate. He's a presence out there. You kind of know when he's on the ice with his physical play, steady play and a steady presence. Even the offensive contributions last game, he was massive offensively and defensively and I think it's really paying off here with the team."
Bouchard has accrued 39:52 of power-play ice time since joining a pairing with Ekholm on Mar. 1, almost 17-and-a-half minutes more than the club's next defenceman in Darnell Nurse (12:19) during that time.
-- Jamie Umbach, EdmontonOilers.com

PREVIEW

OILERS vs. COYOTES
STREAM: 7:00 p.m. MT; televised on Sportsnet West
Oilers Team Scope
The Oilers come into Wednesday night's contest winners of four-straight games, but still with lots of work to be done as they build their game for the NHL post-season.
Edmonton picked up a 5-4 overtime win over the San Jose Sharks in a wild affair at Rogers Place on Monday night. An NHL record of four goals were overturned by coach's challenges on the night, with three of the calls coming in the Oilers favour.
The game was a battle of Swedish defencemen nicknamed EK, with both Mattias Ekholm and Erik Karlsson notching a pair of goals on the night. The Oilers other trade deadline acquisition in Nick Bjugstad scored his third goal since being acquired by the Blue & Orange back on Mar. 3.
Kailer Yamamoto became the ninth Oilers forward to break double-digit goals on the season (excluding Bjugstad who has 16 on the year, but only three with Edmonton) when he slid a loose puck by a sprawling James Reimer for his 10th of the season.
Ekholm's second goal of the game, a slap shot from in tight that beat Reimer in the top corner, sent the game to overtime where another Oilers defender called game. Darnell Nurse scored his eighth goal of the season on a breakaway in the 3-on-3 period to give the Oilers the full two points on the night and push their record to 8-2 over the last 10 games.
"I would say that the first thing is that you acknowledge that going 8-2 is not an easy feat, so it's a credit to our players. You don't have that record unless you've done some things very well," Head Coach Jay Woodcroft said after Tuesday's practice. "But we're walking through this thing with our eyes open. We tell each other the truth. We have areas of our game that have to continue to get better, areas of our game that we have to continue to grow, areas of our game that we have to maintain. That's what we do on a daily basis, whether we're in March, which we are now, or in November. That's what you got to do is continually making sure that you're doing your work, that you're seeing things clearly, that you address things head on."
"Things don't just get swept under the rug here," he added. "We're very clear about addressing the areas of our game that have to improve, but at the same time, I would go back to that the team is 8-2 in the last 10 games."

Coyotes Team Scope
Arizona comes to Edmonton playing some of their best hockey of the season, with the desert club winning six of their last eight contests and a 6-1-1 record.
The Coyotes suffered their first regulation loss since Mar. 3 in a 2-1 loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday night. Arizona was able to out shoot the Jets, directing 30 pucks towards Connor Hellebuyck in the evening -- marking just the ninth time they have surpasses their opponent in shots for this season.
Former fifth-overall pick Barrett Hayton notched the Coyotes lone goal on the night, shovelling his 15th of the season by Hellebuyck on a rebound in front of the crease at the 11:46 mark of the second period. Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz picked up the assist on the goal, with the two forwards being a major bright spot in a lacklustre Coyotes season. Keller, Arizona's lone NHL All-Star nominee, has already set career-high's across the board with 32 goals, 44 assists, and 76 points in 71 games this year.
Schmaltz has missed some time this season, but has still 48 points (21G, 27A) in just 52 games. Since being acquired by the Coyotes from the Chicago Blackhawks back in 2018-19, the 27-year-old has recorded 197 points in 253 NHL games.
Goaltender Karel Vejmelka picked up the hard-luck loss, allowing two first period goals by Nikolai Ehlers and Adam Lowry for his 20th loss of the year.

By The Numbers
In the Oilers last four games against the Coyotes they are 4-0-0 with 27 goals for and only seven conceded... Edmonton has earned at least a point in 24 of their last 29 games and are 19-5-5 over that stretch... Only the Carolina Hurricanes and the Colorado Avalanche have a better record than the Oilers since Jan. 11... Edmonton has only one regulation loss at home in their last 15 games... The next power-play point by Connor McDavid will set the NHL salary cap record with 62, surpassing Sidney Crosby's record set in 2006-07... Likewise, Leon Draisaitl's next power-play goal will set the PPG goal record with 28, surpassing Ilya Kovalchuk's record set in 2005-06... McDavid, Draisaitl, and Evander Kane are all within three goals of 300 in their career (three, two, and one away respectively)...
The Arizona Coyotes have been out shot in an NHL high 62 of their 71 games this season, a league worst 87.3 per cent... However, the Coyotes are tied for the league lead in wins when getting out-shot with the Boston Bruins with 22... Arizona has the NHL's second worst shot differential heading into Tuesday's action at -10.11 per game... The Coyotes have the NHL's worst road record at 7-22-8... In their last 28 road games, the Coyotes have only won twice... Clayton Keller comes into Wednesday's game riding a nine-game point streak... Keller's 34 points in 20 games since the All-Star break is the most by any player not named Connor McDavid or Nathan MacKinnon...
Injury Report
OILERS - Oscar Klefbom (shoulder) is on IR; Mike Smith (undisclosed) is on IR;
Ryan Murray 
(undisclosed) is on IR;
Ryan McLeod
(undisclosed) is day-to-day.
COYOTES - Josh Brown (undisclosed) is day-today; Zach Kassian (undisclosed) is day-today.
-- Michael Arcuri, EdmontonOilers.com