Oilers at Canucks
The top-heavy Edmonton Oilers received significant contributions from a pair of unlikely sources to enjoy one of their most lopsided wins of the season. Fueled by a rash of secondary scoring, the Oilers bid to record back-to-back victories for the first time in over five weeks when they visit the Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday.
Vancouver native Milan Lucic and Zack Kassian each tallied twice to double their respective season goal totals as Edmonton matched its highest scoring output of the campaign with Monday's 7-2 romp over Buffalo. "The main thing is we found a way to win the game and that's got to be the mindset going into (Wednesday) as well," the 30-year-old Lucic said. "This is a time of year where we need to string a few wins together, especially with four games before the break." The Oilers have won four of seven to find themselves even in points with the Canucks, who are keeping their fingers crossed that rookie star Elias Pettersson (club-best 22 goals, 42 points) will return to the lineup after missing the last three games with a sprained right knee. "He wants to play, we want him to play," Vancouver coach Travis Green said of the 20-year-old Swede. "But we're not going to rush him back and have him play where he's at risk because he's not moving around well enough. We're going to do right by him."
TV: 10 p.m. ET, Sportsnet West (Edmonton), Sportsnet Pacific (Vancouver)
ABOUT THE OILERS (22-21-3): Captain Connor McDavid scored and set up a goal versus the Sabres to push his point streak to five games (five goals, three assists) and increase his team-leading totals in tallies (28), assists (41) and points (69). The former Hart Trophy recipient registered three assists in a pair of 4-2 losses to the Canucks last month while fellow former top overall pick Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored a goal in each contest. Leon Draisaitl, who collected a goal and an assist in the Dec. 27 loss to Vancouver, has scored eight times in his last 11 games to reside one tally shy of 100 for his career.
ABOUT THE CANUCKS (21-21-5): A date with Edmonton could be just what the doctor ordered for Bo Horvat, as the 23-year-old has mustered just two of his club high-tying 20 assists (with Pettersson) in his last seven outings. "This has a big-game feel to it," Horvat said following Tuesday's practice. "We're tied in points, so tomorrow is a four-point game. We need those points. We skated hard today, and we'll be ready to go tomorrow." Horvat notched a goal and two assists over the first two meetings while Jacob Markstrom totaled 50 saves in those outings to improve his career mark to 7-4-1 versus Edmonton.
OVERTIME
1. Edmonton G Mikko Koskinen, who has turned aside 91 of 100 shots in four starts this month, will look to avenge his last game versus Vancouver in which he yielded four goals on six shots before being pulled on Dec. 27.
2. Canucks RW Brock Boeser has two goals and two assists versus the Oilers this season.
3. Edmonton claimed F Colby Cave (one goal, four assists in 20 games) off waivers from Boston on Tuesday.