Oilers-Wild Preview
edmontonoilers.com
EDMONTON OILERS (5-9-0) at
MINNESOTA WILD (8-4-2)
Start Time: 6:08 p.m. MST
Television: Rogers Sportsnet West (HD)
Radio: 630 CHED, Oilers Radio Network and online at edmontonoilers.com.
The Edmonton Oilers open a four-game road trip that takes them through the entire Northwest Division beginning tonight against the Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.
Edmonton will be looking to get back on track following back-to-back losses on home ice to the Detroit Red Wings and Nashville Predators.
In their last game, the Oilers dropped a 4-1 decision to the Predators that was closer than the score looked. Three third period goals by the visiting Predators, including one empty netter was the difference in the game.
Minnesota wraps up a four-game homestand tonight and are coming off a 4-1 win over the Calgary Flames Saturday night. Prior to that, the Wild had gone winless in five straight games. The winless streak came on the heels of a 7-0-1 start to the season.
One of the teams that got the better of the Wild during their drought was the Oilers. Edmonton defeated Minnesota 5-4 in a shootout at Rexall Place back on October 25. Prior to that meeting, the Wild defeated Edmonton 2-0 in Minnesota.
Just The Facts...
TONIGHT'S GAME AVAILABLE IN HD: For the first time, Rogers Sportsnet West will be broadcasting an Edmonton Oilers game in High Definition. It will be available to fans in the prairie region on Shaw Digital Cable (channel 291), Bell ExpressVu (channel 852) and Star Choice (channel 469).
OILERS TO WATCH: Dwayne Roloson will be the likely starter tonight against his old team. In 12 career games versus the Wild, Roloson has a record of 4-7-1 with a 2.39 goals-against average and .910 save percentage...
Ales Hemsky has picked up points in four of his last five games (four goals, one assist). That stretch started with his two-goal performance versus the Wild on Oct. 25. Hemsky also added the shootout winner in that game... Bryan Young plays his first game of the season tonight, replacing the injured Mathieu Roy in the lineup.
WILD TO WATCH: The importance of Niklas Backstrom to the succes sof Minnesota was never more prominent than the team's recent winless stretch. His return to the lineup on Saturday resulted in a 4-1 victory against Calgary. The Wild are also happy to have him in goal against Edmonton, a team he has owned throughout his career. He has shut out the Oilers in three straight games heading into tonight's action and is 5-0-0 overall with a 0.40 goals-against average and .981 save percentage... Marian Gaborik and Pavol Demitra both returned to the lineup from injury on Thursday against St. Louis. Both players had a goal and an assist in their returns to the lineup. Gaborik had two goals and an assist Saturday against Calgary.
ROSTER UPDATES: Edmonton –
Sheldon Souray (shoulder) is out. Ethan Moreau (foot) is out. Joni Pitkanen (knee) is out. Matt Greene (ankle) is out. Mathieu Roy (shoulder) is out; Minnesota – Dominic Moore (abdominal strain) is day-to-day.
FAST FACTS: With Edmonton's win on Oct. 25 versus Minnesota, the Oilers snapped Minnesota's six-game winning streak over Edmonton but the Wild have still won four straight games played here at Xcel Energy Center.... Minnesota is 8-9-2 against Edmonton in games played in St. Paul in their franchise history but they lead the all-time series overall with a record of 17-14-8... Minnesota is 3-2-1 against the Northwest Division this season. Last year they were an impressive 18-8-6 versus division opponents.
News Update
Oilers recall Bryan Young from Springfield - The Edmonton Oilers have recalled defenceman Bryan Young from the Springfield Falcons of the American Hockey League.
...more
The Answers
Pre-Game Audio...
- Will be available later today.
The Numbers
Odds and Ends
- Edmonton Oilers November schedule wallpaper - Put the Oilers' November schedule right on your desktop. ...more
BOSTON PIZZA GAME PREVIEW
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