Ducks at Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers continue to be a puzzling group -- just when it seems they are putting it together, they can't figure it out as they host the surging Anaheim Ducks on Thursday. Edmonton lost 5-0 to Los Angeles on Tuesday - its second straight 5-0 setback at home - and is 0-4-0 since Christmas after allowing three power-play goals during a five-minute major, dropping its home penalty-killing percentage to an all-time NHL low 55.6.
"We just completely erased a four-game win streak we had just before the Christmas break,'' Edmonton's Milan Lucic told reporters after Tuesday's loss left the Oilers eight points out of the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. "There's no reason why we shouldn't have picked where we left off. Forty-two games left, running out of time. Can't keep coming up with the same excuses night in, night out." Edmonton gets its first chance this season to exact a bit of revenge from Anaheim, which erased 2-0 and 3-2 series deficits to eliminate the Oilers in seven games in the 2017 Western Conference semifinals. The Ducks have won three straight and five of their last six games following Tuesday's 5-0 victory at Vancouver, and find themselves in playoff position as they continue to mesh after a rash of injuries forced them to piece together a lineup on a nightly basis for a majority of the season. The newly formed line of captain Ryan Getzlaf with wings Rickard Rakell and Antoine Vermette has exploded for six goals and seven assists in the last two games for Anaheim.
TV: 9 p.m. ET, FS Prime Ticket (Anaheim), Sportsnet Oilers (Edmonton)
ABOUT THE DUCKS (19-14-8): Rakell has scored in six straight games and leads the club with 15 goals and 31 points while Vermette (eight goals, 16 points this season) has scored in back-to-back games for the first time since Dec. 9-11, 2016. Getzlaf, who is two assists shy of 600 for his career, has two goals and 14 assists in 11 games since returning from a facial fracture. John Gibson (13-12-4, 2.70 goals-against average, .922 save percentage) is expected back in goal, trying for his third straight victory and third in four games after backup Ryan Miller shut out his former team Tuesday.
ABOUT THE OILERS (17-20-3): Reigning Hart Trophy winner Connor McDavid (team-high 45 points) has gone three straight games without a point for the first time in his career. Cam Talbot (14-13-2, 3.08, .903) continues to struggle as he's allowed 18 goals during the losing streak after a breakout 2016-17 season in which he was 42-22-8, 2.39, .919. Edmonton will be without Patrick Maroon, who was suspended two games Wednesday after his shoulder hit to the head of Kings defenseman Drew Doughty on Tuesday resulted in a five-minute major and game misconduct.
OVERTIME
1. Anaheim RW Ondrej Kase (nine goals in 27 games) missed Tuesday's game with the flu.
2. The Oilers, who are fifth in the league in road penalty killing at 85.1 percent, are tied for the fifth-most goals allowed in the league at 3.25 after finishing with the eighth-fewest at 2.52 last season.
3. The Ducks have won 20 of their last 27 games in Edmonton.