PROJECTED LINEUP: Oilers vs. Wild

EDMONTON, AB – Goaltender Tristan Jarry will get the start as the Edmonton Oilers aim to extend their winning streak to four games on Saturday night when they host the Minnesota Wild to continue their eight-game homestand at Rogers Place.

"It took a while, obviously, but it's nice to get over that hump and get three wins in a row, and we only have three games left," Zach Hyman said. "So you want to go into the break feeling good, and it's a big opportunity for us."

The Oilers will look to make it easier on themselves after needing a third-period comeback on Thursday to defeat the San Jose Sharks 4-3 in overtime, but know they'll be in for a tough matchup against the Wild, who own a 31-14-10 record this season and sit in second place in the NHL's Western Conference.

"Obviously, being able to capitalize when we can has been good, and the way we finished, we've had a long and hard push at the end of the games, and that's what we need to do," Head Coach Kris Knoblauch said. "We're very proud of how we play in the third period, and it's typically been our best period over the years, so that's usually when games are won and lost. But we'd like to make it a little easier going into those third periods."

Edmonton will host Minnesota for the second and final time this season after the Wild took both of their previous meetings this campaign, with the Oilers having already gotten a taste of their new-look lineup with defenceman Quinn Hughes in a 5-2 defeat at Grand Casino Arena back in December.

The Wild shut out the Oilers 1-0 in their first meeting of 2025-26 on Dec. 2 at Rogers Place.

"They're a very good hockey team," Knoblauch said. "They have some dynamic players – Kaprisov, Hughes, among others – but those two are among the best in the NHL, and obviously you have to be worried when they're on the ice. They can make plays, but they're also getting scoring throughout their lineup. Tarasenko and Foligno, I believe, have five goals in the last nine games each, and that's from their third and fourth lines.

"So as good as their top two lines are, and they are very good, they definitely have some guys who can score throughout their lineup."

After Connor McDavid and Evan Bouchard scored 2:06 apart in the final five minutes of regulation with the net empty, Zach Hyman scored the game-winner in the extra frame for his 20th goal in his last 25 games – the most in the NHL since Dec. 11.

"I feel good," Hyman said. "Coming off major surgery takes a little time to get back to feeling good, but I feel healthy now, and I feel strong. Our line's playing well, the team's playing well, so it helps playing with 97, and when he's on a roll like that, it's fun to be a part of. So just going to continue to press on here."

The Oilers scored four straight goals from defencemen in the second period of Thursday's win over the Sharks, and that confidence will look to be carried over into tonight for a big battle between two strong NHL bluelines.

"Obviously, there's confidence," Darnell Nurse said. "Guys jumping into plays, wanting the puck on their stick all game. I think that when you have that confidence, the group has confidence, and you want to get out there and make a difference in the right way. It goes a long way, so there's a lot of skill in our group on the back end."

View the Oilers Projected Lineup vs. the Wild below:

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

Ekholm - Bouchard
Nurse - Walman
Stastney - Emberson

Jarry
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