PREVIEW: Oilers vs. Mammoth

The Edmonton Oilers begin a two-game road trip against the Utah Mammoth at Delta Center on Tuesday.

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PREVIEW: Oilers vs. Mammoth

SALT LAKE CITY, UT – The Edmonton Oilers will continue their push for the playoffs when they start a two-game road trip this week with a visit to Delta Center on Tuesday to take on the Utah Mammoth.

The Blue & Orange are 4-0-0 against the NHL's newest franchise and will make their first of two visits to Utah over their remaining 11 games of the regular season, having already beaten the Mammoth 6-3 back at Rogers Place back on Oct. 28 in their first meeting.

Edmonton dropped the final two games of its homestand that finished 2-2-0 after falling 5-3 to the Lightning on Sunday, going 0-for-3 on the power play and conceding two shorthanded goals – one an empty-netter to secure Tampa Bay's victory. Nikita Kucherov had four points (2G, 2A) to overtake Connor McDavid in the NHL's scoring race.

With the Pacific Division being wide open this season, the Oilers have a chance to make a strong final push to secure the division title, knowing that despite some hardships this year, they're still in a playoff spot with the chance to win it.

"It's been up and down. A trying year for sure," McDavid said on Monday. "With that being said, we're 71 games in and still in a playoff spot; still with a chance to win the division.  When you look at it that way, there are a lot of positive things.  

"So it doesn't really matter how we got here. It doesn't really matter the division you play in. We're 11 games left with a chance to get in, and not only get in, but even win our division. So we'll look at the positives there."

However, their main focus remains on getting into the playoffs

"We've got to get in first," McDavid added. "I think that's obviously the unique situation, so you can't just say, 'We'll be ready to go'.  And when the playoffs come, we've got to find a way to get in. We've got 11 games left to secure our spot and it starts with a couple of big ones on the road."

Head Coach Kris Knoblauch said on Monday that goalie Tristan Jarry will start one of the two games on the road, with the Oilers set to face the Golden Knights on Thursday before they return home for an afternoon meeting with Anaheim on Saturday.

Ingram started the previous five games for the Oilers and made 23 saves in Saturday's loss to the Lightning. Jarry has been working to recapture his form from losing five of his last six appearances, with the only win coming in relief against Colorado on Mar. 10.

"You just want to beat your best every time you get the opportunity," Jarry said. "It goes for anyone on the team: whenever they get the opportunity to set foot on the ice, they always want to be at their best.

"That's why you want to play at this level, and that's why you're challenged so much at this level, because you can't take a night off or you can't take a practice off.  You have to always be sharp because the players are just so good in this league and everyone works so hard. So to be able to stay at that level and compete at that level, it takes a lot."