Canadiens at Oilers
THE STORY: Two teams looking to avoid finishing last in their respective conferences square off Thursday as the Edmonton Oilers host the Montreal Canadiens. Edmonton sits 14th in the Western Conference, nine points ahead of the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Oilers, who trail the 13th-place Minnesota Wild by eight points, have lost three of their last four games overall and six of seven at home. Montreal is in the Eastern Conference basement, five points behind the Carolina Hurricanes and New York Islanders. The Canadiens are 0-1-0 on their four-game road trip and have dropped four straight away from home.
TV: 9:30 p.m. ET, TSN (Montreal), Rogers Sportsnet West (Edmonton)
ABOUT THE CANADIENS (25-32-10): Montreal demoted a pair of centers Wednesday, assigning Andreas Engqvist and Louis Leblanc to Hamilton of the AHL. Engqvist remains in search of his first NHL point as the 24-year old was minus-1 with four penalty minutes in 12 games this season after going scoreless in three contests last campaign. The 20-year-old Leblanc recorded three goals and four assists in 28 games this season, his first in the NHL. The Canadiens signed Patrick Holland to a three-year contract on Wednesday. The 20-year old, who has yet to make his NHL debut, has notched 24 goals and 77 assists in 66 contests with Tri-City of the WHL.
ABOUT THE OILERS (26-34-6): Jordan Eberle has had a superb sophomore season. The All-Star leads the team with 30 goals and has scored 12 times in his last 17 games. "For me, it's all about consistency," he said. "I've never been a guy to set personal goals as far as straight-up numbers. I've always wanted to play my best every night and be consistent. For the most part, with the exception of a few games, I've been fairly consistent." The 21-year old, who was drafted 22nd overall in 2008, recorded 18 goals in 69 contests during his rookie campaign.
OVERTIME:
1. The Canadiens have lost six of eight meetings with Western Conference opponents and five of six against the Northwest Division.
2. Edmonton has won three straight against Montreal and earned at least one point in each of the last nine games in the all-time series (6-0-3).
3. Montreal, which has lost nine of its last 11 games overall, has dropped four in a row at Rexall Place.