Oilers at Coyotes
The Edmonton Oilers are battling for first place in the Pacific, but they have been unable to solve the worst team in the division in two meetings this season. Edmonton has registered points in eight of 10 games this month and will go for its third consecutive victory when it visits the struggling Arizona Coyotes on Wednesday night.
The high-scoring Oilers became the first team in the Western Conference to amass 100 goals in Monday's 3-2 win at St. Louis, but they scored only three times in two losses to the Coyotes late last month. Captain Connor McDavid set up the winning goal against the Blues to become the first player in the NHL to hit the 40-point mark. Arizona dropped two in a row after opening a five-game homestand with a 4-2 loss to Calgary on Monday. However, the Coyotes have won five straight meetings against the Oilers, including six in a row in Arizona.
TV: 9:30 p.m. ET, Sportsnet West (Edmonton), FSN Arizona-Plus
ABOUT THE OILERS (17-12-5): Forward Tyler Pitlick scored for the second time in three games at St. Louis, but he was injured in the game and wearing a walking cast. Coach Todd McLellan moved Ryan Nugent-Hopkins -- who scored the OT game-winner -- alongside Leon Draisaitl and Patrick Maroon and liked what he saw. "(They) held onto pucks down low and made it hard for the (other) team, those are all real good signs for us," McLellan said. "Tyler Pitlick, before he got hurt, was a catalyst in creating some physicality and energy. We'll miss him."
ABOUT THE COYOTES (11-16-5): With Max Domi (hand) set to sit out his seventh straight game, there has been a revolving door on the top line with Martin Hanzal and Radim Vrbata. Next up for an audition is 2015 first-round draft pick (No. 11 overall) Lawson Crouse, who skated with the No. 1 unit at Monday's practice. “Crouse is a hard guy to play against,” coach Dave Tippett said of the 19-year-old Crouse. “He finishes checks. He’s hard on puck battles. He’s a guy that has earned his minutes. He continues to grow as a player."
OVERTIME
1. Coyotes G Mike Smith has owned Edmonton with a 15-1-1 record and 2.24 goals-against average.
2. McDavid, the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2015, has yet to go more than two games in his career without a point.
3. Coyotes captain Shane Doan remains one shy of his 400th career goal.