Oilers at Avalanche
The Edmonton Oilers attempt to halt their 11-game slide on the road when they visit the Colorado Avalanche on Friday. Edmonton has not won away from home since defeating the New York Rangers on Nov. 9, falling to 0-6-5 since with a 4-3 overtime loss at Calgary on Wednesday. The Oilers squandered a 2-0 lead for the second straight game and had their 4-3 edge erased quickly before yielding the winning goal 1:08 into the extra session.
Colorado came out on the winning side of a see-saw battle with Philadelphia on Wednesday to avoid a third consecutive loss. Jarome Iginla tied the contest with a power-play goal at 12:48 of the third after the Avalanche blew a 2-1 advantage earlier in the period and Ryan O'Reilly tallied 4:40 into overtime as the club improved to 5-2-2 in its last nine. Borna Rendulic had a night to remember as the NHL's first Croatian-trained player scored his first career goal for Colorado.
TV: 9 p.m. ET, RSN West (Edmonton), Altitude (Colorado)
ABOUT THE OILERS (8-22-8): Edmonton lost a pair of players in Wednesday's loss but could get one back Friday. Tyler Pitlick suffered a lacerated spleen and was placed on injured reserve while defenseman Keith Aulie received a five-minute major and game misconduct for his illegal hit to the head of Calgary's Matt Stajan, which also earned him a two-game suspension the following day. Meanwhile, Benoit Pouliot practiced Thursday and may be in the lineup against Colorado after missing 18 contests with a broken foot.
ABOUT THE AVALANCHE (14-15-8): Rendulic made more history Wednesday, becoming the longest-tenured Croatian-born player in NHL history. The 22-year-old appeared in his fourth game, surpassing former defenseman Goran Bezina, who played in three contests with the Phoenix Coyotes in 2003-04. "A few years ago, I didn't even think (I was) going to be here and (was) going to be able to play and score goals in this league," Rendulic told the team's website. "I'm pretty sure my parents are really proud. They gave me everything when I was younger and they wanted me to succeed, and I'm pretty sure they're now really proud at home."
OVERTIME
1. Edmonton is 1-7-3 in its last 11 contests and has won only two of its last 23 (2-14-7).
2. D Nate Guenin's next game will be his 100th as a member of the Avalanche.
3. The Oilers recalled C Anton Lander from Oklahoma City of the American Hockey League.