PRE-GAME REPORT: Oilers at Panthers

The Edmonton Oilers are in Sunrise on Saturday afternoon to take on the Florida Panthers for the first of back-to-back matinee matchups this weekend.
You can watch the game live on Sportsnet or listen live on the Oilers Radio Network, including 630 CHED, starting at 10:30 AM MT.
Video: OILERS TODAY | Pre-Game at FLA 02.25.22

YOUR GAME-DAY ESSENTIALS
GAME DAY VIDEO
OILERS TODAY | Pre-Game at FLA
PRE-GAME RAW | Coach Woodcroft
PRE-GAME RAW | Hyman
PRE-GAME RAW | Niemelainen
RECENT VIDEOS
ASK AN OILER | This Or That Pt. 1
OILERS TODAY | Post-Game at TBL
BY THE NUMBERS
Oilers Statistics
Panthers Statistics
Stats Comparison
Game Notes
RECENT BLOGS & ARTICLES
BLOG: Friday from Panthers Ice Den
GAME RECAP: Lightning 5, Oilers 3
BLOG: Benson buries first NHL goal
VIEWING INFORMATION
You can watch Saturday's game on Sportsnet at 10:30 a.m. MT.
SUNRISE, FL - The effort was there, the result was not on Wednesday when the Oilers opened their five-game road trip with a 5-3 defeat to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Edmonton out-shot the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions 30-23, but some tough bounces and lapses in their own end prevented them from picking up two points.
Next on the schedule, another strong Florida squad as the Oilers will tangle with the Panthers in a matinee matchup on Saturday. They're looking to parlay their strong bid in Tampa into a more favourable outcome against the top team in the Eastern Conference prior to Friday's games.
"In the Tampa game we obviously didn't get the result we wanted, but I think we can take a lot of good things from that and build off them," said forward Zach Hyman, who scored one of Edmonton's goals last game while Connor McDavid had the other two.
"It was a very competitive game and we did a lot of really good things, so we're going to carry that over. When you play like that, you're going to win more times than not."
Saturday's game against the Panthers is the first half of a difficult weekend back-to-back, as they'll also play Sunday against the Carolina Hurricanes, who have a chance to take over top spot in the conference from Florida when they clash with the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday.
Head Coach Jay Woodcroft said he hopes the stiff competition continues to bring out the best in his players this weekend.
"When you're playing against the best teams in the league, it brings out your competitive spirit," Woodcroft said. "It usually means the other team has some really good players and you're going to have to raise your level in order to compete against them."
Video: PRE-RAW | Jay Woodcroft 02.25.22
HYMAN'S HOT STICK
One player who has certainly elevated his play of late is Hyman, who has now scored in five consecutive games and six of the last seven. He has also added an assist in three of the last four games to give him 19 goals and 16 helpers on the season.
"I feel like with goal scoring you score in bunches sometimes," Hyman said of his hot streak. "It's nice to be in this rhythm, it's nice for the puck to go in the net, and I just worry about getting chances. If you're getting chances, good things will happen."
The 29-year-old, who has the longest active goal streak in the NHL, needs two more tallies to match his career high of 21 set in both 2018-19 and 2019-20, as well as six more points to match his personal best from 2018-19.
Video: PRE-RAW | Zach Hyman 02.25.22
Woodcroft said he has grown rather fond of the versatile winger over the past two weeks since he took over the bench boss duties from Dave Tippett.
"He's a very low-maintenance player," the coach said. "He gets what the team concept is, he understands his role on his line, his role on the team. He touches every situation as a player and I think his relentlessness is contagious. His teammates really appreciate what he brings to the rink every day, and as a coaching staff I know that we appreciate him as well."
NIEMO FINDING HIS GAME
From a player Woodcroft wasn't overly familiar with prior to his promotion from AHL Bakersfield, to another he knows quite well in defenceman Markus Niemelainen, who played 44 games with the Condors over the past two seasons.
The 23-year-old Finn is in his second stint with the Oilers this season and now has 14 games under his belt. He has become a fixture in the lineup over the past two weeks, logging 17-plus minutes in each of the last two games and earning more trust from the coaching staff.
"I think he's figuring out that he belongs at the National Hockey League level," Woodcroft said. "He brings a dimension to our team. He is someone that the opposition knows when he's on the ice. I see someone growing before our eyes each and every day here."
Video: PRE-RAW | Markus Niemelainen 02.25.22
The reason opponents are becoming increasingly aware of Niemelainen's presence is his physical play, as he currently ranks sixth (second among defencemen) in the NHL in hits per 60 minutes (19.95) among players who have made 14 or more appearances.
"I think I've played pretty well and it's nice to get more responsibility and more ice time," the native of Kuopio said of his play. "I think I'm defending pretty well, just trying to keep it simple."
LINEUP NOTES
During Friday's practice in nearby Coral Springs, the Oilers stuck with the same defence pairings and forward lines that they deployed Wednesday against the Lightning.
However, Edmonton's starting goalie will not be made public until Saturday's pre-game warmup.
-- Ryan Frankson, EdmontonOilers.com
OILERS at PANTHERS
STREAM: 10:30 a.m. MT; televised on Sportsnet
Oilers Team Scope
The Oilers had a day off Thursday following a 5-3 defeat the night prior to the Tampa Bay Lightning at Amalie Arena, where a late pushback from the Blue & Orange came up short after Connor McDavid (2G) and Zach Hyman (1G, 1A) scored in the third period to extend their respective point streaks.
McDavid has goals in six consecutive road games, while Hyman has tallied a goal in his last five contests.
Edmonton conceded three straight goals to the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions in the second period, but were able to threaten the Lightning in the final frame and limit the star-studded Lightning to 23 shots over the course of the full 60 minutes.
"I thought it was a competitive hockey game for our team tonight," Heach Coach Jay Woodcroft, who's lost two-straight games as Oilers bench boss after winning his first five, said post-game. "Coming in to face the two-time defending Stanley Cup champs, we gave up 23 shots on net.
"There were a few breakdowns and some weird goals ... Are there some things we can do better? Yeah, but in terms of the compete level of our team, coming into a tough environment, there were some real good signs tonight."
Saturday's contest against the Panthers marks the second of three games in a row for the Oilers against the top teams in the Eastern Conference, with the Carolina Hurricanes on tap for Sunday afternoon in the second game of the back-to-back.
Panthers Team Scope
After owning a 23-3-0 record on home ice this season at the start of their current three-game homestand that concludes Saturday afternoon against Edmonton, the Panthers have now dropped two consecutive losses at FLA Live Arena that include a 6-3 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday night.
The Panthers have now lost consecutive games on home ice for the first time since mid-December, but still lead the Atlantic Division with an impressive 35-12-5 record led by the exploits of NHL leading-scorer and assists leader Jonathan Huberdeau (18G, 56A) and four other skaters above 40 points.
"It's not going to be all sunshine and rainbows and all that stuff. Losing might be a good thing for our team," defenceman Mackenzie Weegar said. "We're going to face adversity at times throughout the year, and this is one of them. It's a big one against the Oilers on Saturday."
Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, who is expected to be Florida's starter on Saturday, stopped all 40 shots for the shutout against the Oilers back in a 6-0 win at Rogers Place on Jan. 20.
By The Numbers
The Panthers are 25-5-0 on home ice overall this season with 130 goals scored and 82 against... Florida's 130 goals at home leads the NHL... Huberdeau has 47 points (10G, 37A) in 28 home games this season, 11 more than the second-place Alex Ovechkin... The Panthers own the 16th-best powerplay (20.3 per cent) and 18th-best penalty kill (79.3 per cent) in the NHL...
Saturday's game will feature the NHL's top-three scorers in Huberdeau (74), Draisaitl (73), and McDavid (73)... Draisaitl has 20 goals and 18 assists in 26 road games this season after posting three assists in Wednesday's loss to the Lightning... Mason Marchment's six points (2G, 4A) back on Jan. 30 vs. Columbus represents the NHL's season-high for points in a game in '21-22... Anton Lundell's five assists also tied a season-high...
Injury Report
OILERS - Jesse Puljujarvi (lower body) is on IR; Kyle Turris (undisclosed) is on IR; Duncan Keith (concussion) is on IR; Zack Kassian (fractured jaw) is on IR; Kris Russell (undisclosed) is on IR.
PANTHERS - Joe Thornton (undisclosed) is on IR; Markus Nutivaara (lower body) is on IR.
-- Jamie Umbach, EdmontonOilers.com