EDMONTON, AB - The Oilers need no extra motivation coming into tonight's game. From here on out, the team needs to be sharp and give their best effort from the opening puck drop, if they want any chance of getting back in the playoff race.
"It's that time of season," said defenceman Oscar Klefbom. "Every point is very important. But if we just focus on our game and play our game like we have the last couple of games we should be fine, but we have to be ready when the puck drops. They're a desperate team, they want the points as much as we do, we've got to be ready."
"Obviously, every game is important now," said Oilers Captain Connor McDavid. "This game is no different. We need to find a way to win."
Despite the importance of a game like tonight's, there are positive vibes around the Oilers locker room. They are winners of three straight.
"When you get a streak going, you have a really good feeling, you get that momentum and you have a really good feeling going into games, even when that puck hasn't even dropped yet. You have a really good feeling on how it's going to turn out," said Klefbom. "We want to keep going with that momentum."
BE AWARE OF THE WEAPONS
A glance at the Eastern Conference standings shows Buffalo at the bottom, with a -58 goal differential and only 33 points this season. But if you dwell too much on their lack of team success, you risk overlooking the weapons they have that can certainly hurt you.
"Definitely can't take them lightly," said Oilers Head Coach Todd McLellan. "We were obviously beaten by them in their building. They were the better team. We want to make amends there if we can tonight by putting up a better effort and obviously the points are important to us. Jack Eichel, Ristolainen, Okposo, I thought those players were dangerous last night when they played against Calgary. They created a number of scoring chances. Ryan O'Reilly in the circle. They've got some quality players and they're a dangerous team."
The Oilers lost the previous meeting 3-1 in Buffalo back on November 24. Edmonton didn't score in that game until there was only 20 seconds left on the clock.
"They're maybe not in a very good spot in the standings, but they're still a good team," said McDavid. "They beat us pretty handily in Buffalo, so we definitely owe them a good one."
"They have some really good players, obviously, especially in the offensive zone," said Klefbom. "They have some really good players with a lot of skill who can shoot the puck. If we're not ready, they're going to punish us right away. We've got to be ready when the puck drops."
Specifically, the Oilers know just how dangerous Jack Eichel can be. The Sabres leading scorer has 45 points (19-26-45) in 47 games. He scored the overtime winner for Buffalo last night in Calgary.
Edmonton will try and get Eichel off his spot by playing a physical game.
"It's like every other first-line player," said Oilers defenceman Adam Larsson. "Play him hard, stay close, and make life hard for him. He's a player you have to be aware of."
LINEUP NOTES:
The Oilers look to roll out a very similar lineup that they did against the Canucks on Saturday night, which gave them a 5-2 victory. A change is Anton Slepyshev will step into the forward ranks, replacing Michael Cammalleri.
"Get in, get things done, get some traction as a player, and turn one day into two days," McLellan said of their expectations for Slepyshev.
Cam talbot gets the start between the pipes.
-- Chris Wescott, EdmontonOilers.com
