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The Oilers look to stave off elimination from the 2020 Stanley Cup Qualifiers in a must-win Game 4 affair against the Chicago Blackhawks Friday at Rogers Place.
You can watch the game on Sportsnet or listen on the Oilers Radio Network, including 630 CHED.

INSIDE THE OILERS

News and notes from Wednesday, including a look at an article James Neal penned for The Players' Tribune.
>> READ MORE IN THE INSIDE THE OILERS BLOG

PRE-GAME REPORT

EDMONTON, AB - Activate survival mode.
The Oilers have ventured into must-win territory in their best-of-five Stanley Cup Qualifier against the Chicago Blackhawks.
Down 2-1 in the series with their backs against the wall and the threat of elimination apparent, the Orange & Blue will need to ensure they don't fall to the Chelsea Dagger one final time.
"We faced adversity all year," Alex Chiasson said Thursday.
"If there's a group that can do it, it's this group here. I've been on a winning team and we have a lot of the same ingredients as two years ago when I was in Washington. It's on us as players."
What's done is done and the only thing Edmonton can focus on is winning Friday's Game 4 to live to see another day.
"We knew Chicago wasn't going to get down easy," defenceman Oscar Klefbom said. "We have to step it up here and I think we're up for the challenge. We just need to focus on our game, play a solid fourth game here and then go on."
For Oilers Head Coach Dave Tippett, Game 4 will be the ultimate test of perseverance. Edmonton held a 3-2 lead late in Game 3 but had it upended in the final six minutes of play, ceding the game-winning goal with just 1:16 of regulation time remaining.
"You just got to manufacture a win," Tippett said. "We know we have to go out and play well as a group.
"If we don't, we probably won't play again."
LUCK OF THE PUCK
Sometimes a team gets a fortunate bounce, sometimes they don't.
That's the reality of hockey and in Wednesday's Game 3, many pucks didn't go the Oilers way.
All four of Chicago's goals featured a bounce in their favour and even the game-winning strike by Jonathan Toews caught a piece of Oilers defenceman Ethan Bear's stick to go in.
Coach Tippett felt his club was fine defensively Wednesday and understands the unpredictable nature of the sport.
"The last two games, we haven't given up a ton of chances," Tippett said. "You look at the four goals we gave up last night, three of them are deflections. The first goal hits Rusty (Kris Russell) in the back of the leg. The second goal, Toews doesn't even know he scores and it hits him in the leg. The fourth one was a deflection that we put in.
"It's not as if we're giving up a ton of chances, they're just going in our net."
Nobody dictates fluke breaks but the Hockey Gods themselves. The only thing the Oilers can control is how they perform as a squad.
"Stuff like that happens throughout a game," Chiasson said. "Mistakes like that, what are you going to do? We can all sit here, dwell and say they scored a few on lucky bounces but at the end of the day, our game wasn't as good as it needed to be."

HUB | Dig Deep

SIN BIN SERIES
Playoff hockey is a different game than the regular season.
Traditionally, referees put the whistles away in playoffs, blowing calls down only when there are offsides, icings, goalie freezes and of course, infractions worthy of a two-minute sit.
That hasn't been the case between the Oilers and Blackhawks. Thirty-one penalties have been called in the best-of-five series and the Oilers have been shorthanded 16 times.
The added special teams time causes select players - penalty killers or power-play specialists - to see more ice or less. The Oilers liked their 5-on-5 play against the 'Hawks but want to stay disciplined in Game 4 to ensure everyone remains engaged for a full 60 minutes.
"I'm not going to sit here and criticize all the calls," Klefbom said.
"We just got to be smart. Playoffs are a lot about special teams overall. We have to be a good team at 5-on-5 and right now it's a lot of penalty kill or power play."
The Oilers have killed 12 of the 16 penalties against, suppressing 75 percent of them. On the man advantage, Edmonton is 5-for-12 with a remarkable 41.7 percentage.
"There were some (penalties) that I didn't think were very good calls but there were some that were just poor plays on our part," Tippett said of his club's discipline.
"You can be better or do things that give you a better chance to win, longer-term, where those bad breaks or mistakes here and there don't affect the outcome."

PRE-RAW | Chiasson, Klefbom 08.06.20

LINEUP NOTES
Tyler Ennis was crunched in the numbers by Kirby Dach in the second period of Game 3. The winger will be sidelined indefinitely as a result, Coach Tippett disclosed Thursday.
"Enzo was a good player for us," he said. "He'll be missed in our lineup but it's an opportunity for someone else."
Forwards that could enter the Oilers lineup include Gaƫtan Haas, Patrick Russell, Joakim Nygard, Tyler Benson, Ryan McLeod or Cooper Marody. Tippett said that will be discussed by his coaching staff.
Adam Larsson was unfit to play in Game 3, forcing Caleb Jones into the mix. That could once again be the case come Friday. Tippett did not specify whether Larsson would be ready for Game 4, stating that he will be re-evaluated Thursday.
"We missed him last night," Klefbom said of Larsson, his regular defence partner.
"He's a gritty guy and good in the defensive zone. I have full confidence in the guys coming up but of course, I'm going to miss Adam."
It's also unknown whether Mikko Koskinen will make his third straight appearance in goal or if Mike Smith gets back in after starting Game 1.
Stay tuned for updates on Friday during warmups.
-- Paul Gazzola, EdmontonOilers.com

PRE-RAW | Coach Tippett 08.06.20

PREVIEW

OILERS (1-2-0) vs BLACKHAWKS (2-1-0)
TV: 4:45 p.m. MT; Televised on Sportsnet
Series Scope
After splitting the first two games 1-1, Chicago pulled ahead to take a 2-1 series lead in Game 3.
Despite Edmonton leading 3-2 late in the third outing of the series, Matthew Highmore evened the score at 14:16 of the 3rd left then Toews notched the winner with 1:16 left on the clock.
Connor McDavid (5G, 2A) and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (1G, 6A) have led the offence in the series, collecting seven points apiece. Leon Draisaitl (3G, 3A) has also contributed, scoring three goals and three assists in three matches.
Koskinen is 1-1 in the series with a 3.20 GAA and .886 save percentage. Smith started in Game 1 but was replaced midway through, stopping 18 of 23 shots for a .783 S%.
Toews and Dominik Kubalik have been the drivers for Chicago, with five points each. Patrick Kane and Kirby Dach have also pitched in with four points and so, too, has Chicago's back end. Olli Maatta (2G, 2A) has four points, Slater Koekkoek (1G, 2A) has three and Duncan Keith is up to three assists.
Goaltender Corey Crawford has played every game of the series for the 'Hawks. He has a 4.33 GAA and .859 S%.
Regular Season Head-to-Head:
The Oilers dropped their two visits to the United Center in 2019-20, yet both losses came at the tail end of road trips. Chicago snapped the Oilers flawless 5-0-0 season start, 3-1, on Oct. 14, then weathered Edmonton's late storm with a one-goal 4-3 win on March 5.
In the only meeting at Rogers Place, Draisaitl collected one goal and three helpers en route to a 5-3 victory on Feb. 11.
Draisaitl topped all skaters in points over the three-game season series, scoring one goal and six assists. The German has seven goals and 17 points in 15 career games against the 'Hawks.
Chicago kept McDavid off the scoresheet in the two outings he appeared in but the Oilers Captain has two goals and 10 points in 11 career matches.
Goalie Mike Smith is 12-11-1 with a .909 S% and .310 GAA vs. CHI in his career.
Kane collected two goals and two assists against Edmonton this season while Toews (2G, 1A), Saad (2G, 1A) and Adam Boqvist (1G,2A) had three points apiece.
Kane has 18 goals and 56 points in 43 career outings vs. Edmonton, while Toews has 19 goals and 42 points.
Crawford stopped 48 of 52 shots in two outings against EDM in '19-20, registering a goals-against average of 2.01 and .923 save percentage. The netminder is 11-7-0 in 20 career appearances versus the Oilers, tagged with a .911 S%, 2.47 GAA and one shutout.
Franchise Playoff Head-to-Head
The Oilers and Blackhawks have met four other times in the NHL playoffs ('83, '85, '90, '92), with Edmonton winning three of the matchups. This is the first time that the two organizations won't be meeting in the Western Conference Finals.
The Oilers are 13-10 all-time in the post-season versus Chicago. After sweeping the 'Hawks 4-0 in '83, Edmonton erupted offensively when the two clubs met again in the '85 West Final. The Orange & Blue outscored the Blackhawks 44-25, establishing the NHL record for most goals by one team in a Stanley Cup Playoff series. In their last post-season affair in 1992, Chicago swept Edmonton 4-0.
By the Numbers:
The Oilers are 5-for-12 on the power play, converting at a ridiculous 41.7 percent rating. ... Edmonton has 42 giveaways over three games, as opposed to Chicago's 32. ... The Oilers have won 55.2 percent of their faceoffs. ... Despite being good overall in the circle, the Oilers own a 47.6 percentage on power-play faceoffs and 46.9 percentage on shorthanded draws. ... Edmonton is averaging 30.7 shots per game and 31 shots against. ...
Chicago's PK sits at 58.3 percent after three games. ... The club is clicking at a 25 percent rate on the power play. ... Keith leads all defencemen in the series with 24:47 of average ice time. ... Maatta leads all playoff defencemen in even-strength scoring with four points.
Injury Report:
OILERS - Tyler Ennis (unfit to play) is out; Adam Larsson (unfit to play) is day-to-day.
BLACKHAWKS - No injuries to report.
-- Paul Gazzola, EdmontonOilers.com