PRE-GAME REPORT: Oilers at Ducks

The Edmonton Oilers begin a three-game road trip through California on Sunday night when they face the Anaheim Ducks.
You can watch the game on Sportsnet West or listen on the Oilers Radio Network, including 630 CHED.
Video: OILERS TODAY | Pre-Game at ANA 04.03.22

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BY THE NUMBERS
Oilers Statistics
Ducks Statistics
Stats Comparison
Game Notes
RECENT BLOGS & ARTICLES

VIEWING INFORMATION
You can watch Sunday's game on Sportsnet West at 6:00 PM MT.
ANAHEIM, CA - The Edmonton Oilers start a three-game California road trip on Sunday beginning with the concluding contest of the season series with the Anaheim Ducks that they'll try to sweep for the first time since the 2002-03 NHL season.
Over their last 10 meetings with the Ducks, including 6-5 and 7-3 wins at Rogers Place earlier this season, the Oilers own a 6-1-3 record.
It's the first of three pivotal Pacific Division matchups for the Oilers on this road trip, beginning at the Honda Center where the Ducks are coming off a 5-0 shutout over the Arizona Coyotes that ended an 11-game winless skid that haltered their push for a playoff spot over the last month.
The Oilers pay a visit to the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday before another all-important meeting with the Los Angeles Kings, who continue to keep pushing the pace in the playoff race ahead of Edmonton despite their 4-3 shootout defeat at Rogers Place on Mar. 30.
The Orange & Blue look to keep operating with a playoff intensity in their game and build on a three-game win streak after matching their franchise-record ninth win in a row on home ice Friday with a 6-5 overtime victory over the St. Louis Blues.
"We're in a battle and have been playing playoff-style hockey now for a while," Zach Hyman said post-game on Friday. "I think playing against a team like St. Louis, who has won a cup, they're a veteran team, they play hard, and they play that playoff-style hockey. Those are games that are good for us, and games that we have to find ways to win."
"Playoffs are around the corner, so we have to be ready for it."
PLAYING WITH THE ADVANTAGE
Get ahead, then stay ahead.
They're a team that's excelling at putting pucks past NHL goaltenders right now, but protecting leads is where the Oilers are looking to make their biggest strides as they try to improve on their game and become a harder team to play against come time for the postseason.
The Oilers held a three-goal lead over the Kings this past Wednesday before two goals against in 14 seconds of the second period led to Edmonton needing the shootout to earn the extra point over their direct competitors for a Pacific Division playoff spot.
This past Thursday saw the Oilers spot themselves a 4-1 advantage over the Blues in the opening period, but they slowly let their opposition back into the game over the final 20 minutes to once again force extra time where the Dynamic Duo linked up in overtime to secure their ninth straight win at Rogers Place.
Video: PRE-RAW | Jay Woodcroft 04.03.22
Each game represents a learning opportunity for the Oilers, who despite their 24-2-0 record this season when scoring the first goal, have strides to make in that department when it comes to holding on to the advantage when they get it.
"I think it's important to play with the lead. I think that we have to learn how to play properly with leads," Zach Hyman said. "I think the LA game, we were up 3-1 and it goes to OT and a shootout. Then [Friday's] game, up 4-1 and up 5-3, so two leads that got away from us. I think it's important to learn from those.
"I think early on in the season, we were playing from behind a lot, so now we're playing with the lead. We have to protect the lead, we have to play smart, but I'm happy we got the two points though."
The Oilers have scored the sixth-most goals this season and five-plus in seven of their last 10 games, but the true test will come in limited opportunities in their own end as teams tighten up defensively and 6-5 games become less frequent than the 3-2 and 2-1 type of scorelines in the postseason.
"As you wind down, you learn to play playoff-style hockey, you learn not to take certain risks when the game is out of hand, and I think not giving them opportunities is the big thing. Making them create their own chances is important, and on a couple we gave them a chance."
LINEUP NOTES
Mikko Koskinen is the Oilers expected starter in Anaheim after starting the three games prior to Mike Smith getting the crease in Friday's 6-5 win over St. Louis.
Head Coach Jay Woodcroft will speak to the media ahead of Sunday's contest at 4:15pm MT on EdmontonOilers.com. The Oilers will not take part in a morning skate prior to the 6:00pm MT puck drop, and lines will be made apparent during warmup.
-- Jamie Umbach, EdmontonOilers.com
OILERS vs. DUCKS
STREAM: 6:00 p.m. MT; televised on Sportsnet West
Oilers Team Scope
The Edmonton Oilers secured their ninth straight home win at Rogers Place on Friday to match a franchise record, but it wasn't without the St. Louis Blues making it a challenge.
Two seperate 4-1 and 5-3 leads were erased by the Blues, who forced overtime against the Oilers before the Dynamic Duo connected to score the game-winner on McDavid's 39th goal of the season.
"Credit to them. I thought they did a good job kind of adjusting and making it hard on us," McDavid said post-game. "They got themselves back in the game, but ultimately we hung in there and got two points. It sounds cliché, but that's really all that matters at the end of the day."
The Oilers are winners of three straight and occupy the third spot in the Pacific Division with a 39-25-5 record.
Ducks Team Scope
Anaheim Ducks forward Trevor Zegras pulled off another highlight-reel lacrosse-style goal, while Anthony Stolarz recorded a 22-save shutout in a 5-0 blanking of the Arizona Coyotes on Friday night.
Zegras scored on the incredible play as part of a three-goal first period for the Ducks when he picked up the puck on his blade behind the net and put it into the top part of the net around his teammate Sonny Milano, who was positioned at the near post and did his best to avoid his teammate's maneuver.
Troy Terry, who recorded two assists and leads the Ducks in scoring this season with 31 goals and 25 assists, left the game when Arizona forward Jay Beagle was assessed a two-minute minor for cross-checking, a five-minute major for fighting, and a game misconduct for throwing a number of unexpected punches on Terry in the ensuing scrum after he hit Zegras from behind in the Coyotes crease.
Anaheim's 11-game winless streak prior to Friday's win dampened their playoff hopes, as they now own an overall record of 28-30-12 and sixth spot in the Pacific with 68 points.
By The Numbers
The Oilers and Ducks last met on Feb. 17 in Edmonton, with the Oilers winning 7-3... Derick Brassard leads the Oilers with 18 career goals vs. Anaheim, while Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are tied for the team lead in points with 29... Duncan Keith leads the Oilers with 51 career games vs. Anaheim... The Oilers own the third-best powerplay (26.0 per cent) and 21st-ranked penalty kill (77.2 per cent), while the Ducks have the 13th-ranked powerplay (22.1 per cent) and penalty kill (80.7 per cent)...
The Oilers currently have four players on point streaks: Connor McDavid - 11 games (10G, 11A); Leon Draisaitl - 10 games (8G, 8A); Zach Hyman - 5 games (3G, 3A); and Cody Ceci - 2 games (1G, 2A)... Draisaitl needs one goal to hit 50 goals and become the fourth player in franchise history with multiple 50-goal seasons... McDavid's five 100-point seasons rank second among active NHL players behind Sidney Crosby (6), Alex Ovechkin (4), Evgeni Malkin (3), and Joe Thornton (3)... McDavid has registered two four-point games this season, while Leon Draisaitl has notched five four-point games... McDavid (21) and Draisaitl (18) rank first and second in the NHL in four-point games since 2015-16...
Injury Report
OILERS - Oscar Klefbom (shoulder) is on IR; Kyle Turris (back) is on IR.
DUCKS - Ryan Getzlaf (lower body) is day-to-day; Jakob SIlfverberg (blod clot) is on IR; Max Jones (torn pectoral) is on IR; Ryan Kesler (hip) is on IR.
-- Jamie Umbach, EdmontonOilers.com