Blue Jackets at Oilers
Denied in their bid to complete a perfect three-game road trip, the Edmonton Oilers resume their pursuit of first-place Vegas in the Pacific Division. The schedule is set up for the Oilers to make a charge with 10 of their final 14 games at Rogers Place, beginning with Saturday's matchup against the Columbus Blue Jackets in the opener of a four-game homestand.
Edmonton had a three-game winning streak snapped in Thursday's 4-3 loss at Chicago, squandering a chance to draw even with the Golden Knights after a third-period rally fell short. “We battled really hard the whole year," defenseman Adam Larsson said. "To let it slip now is not something we want. We want to go for that No. 1 spot.” The injury-riddled Blue Jackets are holding down the top wild card spot in the East but blew a two-goal lead in an overtime loss to Calgary for their 11th defeat in 13 games (2-5-6). "It's disappointing, you have to be greedy this time of year," captain Nick Foligno said. "These are the ones that are going to get you in the playoffs, but when you're up 2-0 on the road especially, you have to find a way to win it."
TIME: 10 p.m. ET. TV: NHL Network, FS Ohio, CBC, CityTV, Sportsnet, Sportsnet360, Sportsnet One
ABOUT THE BLUE JACKETS (32-21-15): Goaltender Joonas Korpisalo, making his fourth appearance and third start since missing nearly two months while recovering from surgery to repair a torn meniscus, turned aside 34 of 37 shots and made some flashy saves in Wednesday's loss to Calgary. “That’s what I try to do: just not think about it, like it never even happened," Korpisalo said of his knee. "Just play. As the days go by, it’s just getting better.” Gustav Nyquist has scored in back-to-back games following a 13-game goal drought.
ABOUT THE OILERS (36-24-8): Leon Draisaitl set up a pair of goals in Thursday's game to give him six tallies and five assists during a four-game point streak and boost his league-leading point total to 110 -- 15 more than teammate Conner McDavid. Draisaitl had two goals as part of a three-point game in a 4-1 win at Columbus on Oct. 30 while McDavid collected an assist to give him five goals and 18 points in nine meetings against the Blue Jackets. Defenseman Oscar Klefbom (shoulder) is expected to return after a nine-game absence.
OVERTIME
1. Oilers F Ryan Nugent-Hopkins has six goals in the past eight games.
2. Blue Jackets C Pierre-Luc Dubois reached 30 assists for the second straight season.
3. Oilers F Josh Archibald signed a two-game contract extension Friday.