Oilers at Blue Jackets
THE STORY: There are several battles taking place in the Western Conference right now, with the Central and Pacific Divisions highlighting races at the top and 12 teams within at least four points of a playoff spot. The Edmonton Oilers and Columbus Blue Jackets are not in that mix. The Blue Jackets, who host the Oilers on Tuesday, have been sitting at the bottom of the NHL all season and let go of coach Scott Arniel on Jan. 9, replacing him with Todd Richards. Columbus has dropped two of three under its new boss while it looks forward to the future, giving more and more ice time to the younger players. The Oilers started out strong but have fallen into a familiar pattern of injuries and losses. Edmonton, which is without leading scorers Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Jordan Eberle until at least the All-Star break, seems destined for a third straight last-place finish in the Northwest.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, RS West (Edmonton), FS Ohio (Columbus)
ABOUT THE OILERS (17-23-4): Edmonton is 3-11-1 over its last 15 games while struggling on both ends. The Oilers have been outscored 50-31 during that span but did manage to snap a five-game skid with a 2-1 overtime triumph at home against the Los Angeles Kings on Sunday. Edmonton’s lone strength is on the power play, where it converts 21.3 percent of its opportunities - third-best in the NHL. The Oilers scored both of their goals on the power play Sunday, including Taylor Hall’s game-winner.
ABOUT THE BLUE JACKETS (12-27-5): Columbus ranks near the bottom of the league in nearly every team statistic including the penalty kill, where it stops only 76.7 percent. The Blue Jackets are 3-10-1 in their last 14 and have managed only one power-play goal in the last 10 contests. They are coming off a 2-1 setback to the San Jose Sharks on Saturday in which they allowed the game-winning tally with less than three minutes left in the third period.
OVERTIME:
1. Hall has nine points in the last nine games and seven - two goals - in four career games against Columbus.
2. Edmonton took the first meeting 6-3 at home on Dec. 2, and has won three of the last four in the series.
3. Columbus goaltender Curtis Sanford took the loss in the first meeting but owns a 6-3-1 record in his career against the Oilers.