San Jose Sharks left wing Dany Heatley (15) scores past Colorado Avalanche goalie Craig Anderson (41) in the third period of their NHL hockey game in San Jose, Calif., Friday, Oct. 30, 2009. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)

MORNING SKATE SHAKE-UP

Forced to accommodate Ales Hemky's injury and incorporate Oilers call-ups Colin McDonald and Ryan O'Marra, Head Coach Pat Quinn debuted more new lines during Friday's morning skate.

Shawn Horcoff centred Patrick O'Sullivan and Jean-Francois Jacques during the skate, while Dustin Penner and Sam Gagner played with Gilbert Brule. Andrew Cogliano, Ryan Potulny and Ethan Moreau formed the third line, with recent additions McDonald and O'Marra playing with Zack Stortini.

HEMSKY QUESTIONS CONTINUE

Quinn had no news concerning Hemsky's upper body injury.

"He's at the doctor's right now to be looked at and discuss whatever findings they found from being examined yesterday," the Coach said. "So I can pretty much say he won't be playing today and it might still be a while. It's day to day , I guess."

When asked about Hemsky's indefinite absence from the line-up, Penner said the whole team needs to come to the rescue.

"When a player like that goes down, one that's as good as Hemmer is, the whole team has to step up, specifically the guys that were looked upon before he went down, to carry the load. So more falls on the top two lines, their shoulders."

SUMMER SAGA, THE SEQUEL

Dustin Penner will be getting more attention than usual tonight, and not just because of Hemsky's absence. This summer's reported trade involving Penner, Cogliano and Ladislav Smid for Dany Heatley dominated hockey headlines, and tonight's game marks Heatley's first appearance in Edmonton since he rejected the Oilers offer.

After the Sharks morning skate, Heatley said that he's "moved on" but anticipates a vocal reaction from the Rexall Place crowd.

"The way things happened, I think a lot of people took it the wrong way, and we'll see what happens," he said. "Whether they're cheering or other things, as long as they're loud and making noise, it's fun. . . . A lot of guys get booed and a lot of guys get cheered, and I think that's the fans' right and that's what makes the game great."

Penner also said that he has moved on.

"It's going to be in the back of my mind because you guys (the media) keep driving it into there, but other than that, it's not his fault, it's not me, Cogs, or Ladi's fault, it was done above our heads."

Last 10 -- San Jose 5-2-3; Edmonton 3-5-2

Season series -- Friday's matchup at Rexall Place marks the first meeting of the season between the two clubs. The Sharks went 3-0-1 against Edmonton in '08-09, outscoring the Oilers 12-7. Edmonton leads the all-time regular season series 39-28-12-2.

Big story -- With the Sharks boasting one of the NHL's most potent lineups, the Oilers would like to have Nikolai Khabibulin back in goal to face fellow Russian netminder Evgeni Nabokov -- both veterans will be vying for the starting spot on the Russian National Team for the Winter Olympics. But Khabibulin has been battling a bad back, and that might mean a third-straight start in net for Jeff Drouin-Deslauriers, who has allowed just two goals in his last two games after getting shelled for five in his first game spotting the ailing Khabibulin.

Team Scope:

Sharks -- The Sharks are coming off a 7-2 loss to Chicago on Wednesday in which their vaunted power play allowed three shorthanded goals. San Jose has lost just twice in regulation during November and is certain to come out eager to atone for the rout by the Hawks. San Jose still leads the overall standings with 36 points, with Chicago just two points behind.

Oilers -- With a six-game road trip looming, Edmonton will hope to conclude its five-game homestand with a flourish. The Oilers are 2-2-0 on the homestand, mixing encouraging wins over Phoenix and Colorado with losses to Chicago and Los Angeles. They have won only four of their past 16 games following Wednesday's 3-1 loss to the Kings, and things may get even tougher if the back injury to Khabibulin and an upper body injury to Ales Hemsky keep both out.

Who's hot -- Before the Sharks' meltdown against Chicago, Dany Heatley and Patrick Marleau had combined for 32 goals through 25 games. Heatley alone has 19 points in his last 18 games. … Oilers defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky has seven points in his last five games.

Injury report -- San Jose captain Rob Blake has returned to practice, but is still sidelined with an upper body injury suffered in a Nov. 4 game at Columbus. Forward Devin Setoguchi remains on injured reserve list with a lower body injury, and forward Brad Staubitz remains out of the lineup for a few weeks after taking a puck in the face during practice. Center Torrey Mitchell has just finished his conditioning assignment in Worcester. The Oilers may be without Hemsky, who left midway through Wednesday's loss with an upper-body injury after being drilled into the boards by Michal Handzus. The Oilers are also without defenseman Denis Grebeshkov (partially torn ACL), Mike Comrie (mononucleosis) and Robert Nilsson (concussion). Forward Fernando Pisani remains out with ulcerative colitis, while forwards Marc Pouliot and Ryan Stone and defenseman Taylor Chorney are on IR.

Stat pack -- Only the second-seeded Blackhawks have more home wins (10) among Western Conference teams than the Oilers (8), while San Jose became the last team in the entire NHL to lose in regulation at home this season with Wednesday's loss to Chicago.

Puck drop -- "It was one of those games that was up there for grabs by one of the two teams and they got it and we didn't," Oilers coach Pat Quinn said of his club's 2-1 loss to Edmonton. "We played just poorly enough to not win it and they played just well enough to win it. They're going home with two points and we are sucking wind."