PROJECTED LINEUP: Oilers at Jets

WINNIPEG, MB – Making the same 'pick' as last time in Winnipeg.

After he 'picked' apart his hometown team 10 days ago with 41 saves, it'll be goaltender Calvin Pickard's crease again for the rematch on Thursday night at Canada Life Centre, as the Edmonton Oilers look to build upon their last victory on Tuesday and take advantage of a struggling Winnipeg Jets squad.

Pickard was sensational in a 3-1 win over the Jets back on Dec. 29, with nine of his saves coming while shorthanded and his teammates laying their bodies on the line late in the third period after Adam Lowry managed to beat the Oilers' netminder for the only time less than six minutes into the final frame.

The 33-year-old from Winnipeg will have a chance to replicate that showing with the start on Thursday night, but Head Coach Kris Knoblauch is hoping his players can make it much easier for him with the help of a well-rounded offence that can keep the puck in Winnipeg's zone to minimize defending.

"Calvin played an outstanding game the other night, and hopefully, we don't need as many saves as we needed from him," Knoblauch said. "Hopefully, we can sustain a little more pressure in the offensive zone and not have to defend as much. We generated a couple of goals, one off the end of a power play for our second unit and our fourth line, with Jones and Lazar chipping in there with that goal.

"Just having a little more sustained balance attack, we won't have to defend as much."

Last year's Presidents' Trophy winners find themselves dead last in the NHL with a 15-21-5 record, having lost 10 games in a row (0-6-4), but that's not something the Oilers are focused on, knowing how they're built and how solid they looked during their last meeting despite coming away with the loss.

"They've lost that many in a row, but I don't see a team that's really struggling that much," Knoblauch said. "I think they've been very unfortunate where a lot of things haven't gone their way. Definitely, they've got more to give and play better, but I think a lot of circumstances are from not getting the breaks.

"Looking back to our game the other night, it was just over a week ago, where probably that was a game they deserved to win, and things just didn't go their way, and that happens in the NHL. It just seems like they've had a long stretch of things not going their way."

With Adam Henrique being placed on IR on Wednesday and expected to miss time, the Oilers will go with some new-look lines in the bottom six that were inspired by some of the play they saw when they went down to 11 forwards in the first period of Tuesday's 6-2 win over the Predators at Rogers Place.

The third line of Matt Savoie, Isaac Howard and Jack Roslovic looked like a lethal combination with speed, balance and skill and could get a long run-in together with Edmonton's top six looking fairly set after Kasperi Kapanen returned to the second line and scored in his return from injury against Nashville.

"That third line played really well the other night, and hopefully they can replicate that," Knoblauch said. "That line playing the way they did, they generated a lot of scoring chances. Those three can all skate. They're all fast, especially Roslovic playing out of the middle, so I think they can hopefully generate a little bit of chemistry and build something.

"Because Henrique will be out, hopefully that's a line we can keep together for a while."

Howard liked what they brought as a line on Thursday and is looking forward to growing their chemistry in the hopes of being reliable depth scoring for the Oilers, with Roslovic moving to the middle and having 12 goals and eight assists in 30 games this season.

"I thought we created some good chances that game," he said. "I think we're a fast, creative line. I think we use that to our advantage just by staying on pucks, second efforts and then making some plays to the inside, getting some shots and some good looks."

"[Jack's] very reliable and smart player out there, so I find it very easy to play with him. Obviously, we had a good game together last game, so I'm excited to get another crack at it tonight."

As per Thursday's morning skate, Trent Frederic is poised to fill the spot of Henrique and play on the fourth line with Mattias Janmark and Curtis Lazar.

View the Oilers Projected Lineup vs. Winnipeg below:

Nugent-Hopkins - McDavid - Hyman
Podkolzin- Draisaitl - Kapanen
Howard - Roslovic - Savoie
Janmark - Lazar - Frederic

Ekholm - Bouchard
Nurse - Stastney
Stillman - Emberson

Pickard
Ingram