The Oilers have an opportunity on Saturday to get back to .500 just in time for the Christmas break with a game against the Montreal Canadiens.
You can watch the game across Canada on Sportsnet or listen on the Oilers Radio Network, including 630 CHED.

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BY THE NUMBERS

Media Game Notes: Oilers vs. Canadiens
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Head-to-Head: Oilers vs. Canadiens
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Inside The Oilers Blog

INSIDE THE OILERS

News and notes from Friday's Oilers practice and media availability.
>> READ MORE IN THE INSIDE THE OILERS BLOG

PRE-GAME REPORT

EDMONTON, AB - How do you build off a 6-2 win?
It seems unlikely the Oilers will match their previous results against the Canadiens, having beat them by that score back on December 9, in Montreal. The Canadiens should come to town eager to bring a much more competitive effort.
"I think it was a little bit of a product of maybe their not-so-good performance - they may not have had their A-game," Oilers Captain Connor McDavid said of the previous meeting against Montreal. "But we can expect their best game (Saturday) night."
"I don't know if you build off all the offence," Oilers winger Mark Letestus said. "I don't think the expectation is you're going to get that many. Our special teams were good that night. That's something we'll try and stick with, maybe build off that, and how we went after their goaltender. It wasn't necessarily that we scored, but the way we scored - being around the net, tip-ins, deflections, rebounds. That's the kind of stuff you can build off."
"It was one of our more consistent 60-minute games we've played this year," said Oilers centre Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. "Definitely a positive game for us. We can learn from that. But more than anything, we take last night's win and use that coming into tomorrow."
Just like how the Oilers used a previous loss to St. Louis to motivate them, and then translated that into a 3-2 win over the Blues on Thursday, the Canadiens will look to do the same.
"I think it still sits with you," said Letestu. "Speaking from experience, we've been on the other end of a few of those games, particularly last game against St. Louis. They gave it to us pretty good here and there. We tried to use it to motivate us. I expect a similar thing in their room. They're not going to be happy getting beat the way they did on home ice and I expect them to be a pretty desperate group coming off whatever happens in Calgary."
CAGGIULA TENACIOUS
When Drake Caggiula is at his best, he's like a bulldog on the ice. He barrels his way into prime scoring areas, finishes his checks, attacks pucks, and makes an impact. He showed signs of that kind of performance against St. Louis, even scoring the game-winning goal.
"He's tenacious on the puck," said Nugent-Hopkins. "He keeps a lot of pucks alive, gets in there and is good on the forecheck, and then he's got the skill and the finish to make plays around the net."
Caggiula has five goals and four assists in 24 games this season.
IT STARTS WITH TALBOT
The Oilers are starting to exhibit signs of the poise and resiliency they had last season. In close games lately, the team has played calm in the face of adversity. That was fully on display against St. Louis, when Edmonton came back from two deficits.
A lot of that calm and poise comes from their goaltender Cam Talbot.
"It definitely starts with him," said Nugent-Hopkins. "When he's making big saves in key moments, it allows us to give our pushback. You saw that against the Blues. It gives us a lot of confidence. When he's on his game, we want to play hard for him. We want to play hard for him every night. It starts with him. We get our confidence from him."
Talbot made 34 saves against the Blues. He has won his last six starts.
"Early in the game, St. Louis was carrying the play," said Letestu. "They had a lot of good looks and Cam made some great saves. I don't think Cam is any different than any core piece. The more of those guys you have in your lineup the better off and the more poised you're going to be. Reggie is back on the blueline, Larsson, and those are veteran, core guys and when you have them in your lineup it gives you confidence. You feel like you have your best group and you're going to get through anything."
LINEUP NOTES
At Friday's practice, the lineup looked unchanged from the team's win over the Blues. The club is not expected to skate or hold a media availability on Saturday, ahead of their game against the Canadiens.
-- Chris Wescott, EdmontonOilers.com

PREVIEW

OILERS (16-17-2) vs. CANADIENS (16-15-4)
TV:5 p.m. MST; Televised on Sportsnet
Head-to-Head:
The Oilers and Canadiens have met once this season so far, resulting in a 6-2 victory for Edmonton. In that game in Montreal back on December 9, five different Oilers players scored. Jujhar Khaira potted two goals, while Laurent Brossoit made 22 saves on 24 shots.
This is the final of two meetings this season between the two teams.
Oilers team scope:
The Oilers are winners of three straight for the first time this season. They also have five wins in their last seven games.
Edmonton's last victory came against the St. Louis Blues on Thursday night. Cam Talbot made 34 saves in that one, while the team got goals from Michael Cammalleri, Connor McDavid and Drake Caggiula.
The team's game against Montreal closes out their pre-Christmas schedule. They'll fly to Winnipeg on December 27.
Canadiens team scope:
The Canadiens are winners of three of their last four games since losing to the Oilers on December 9. They have beaten New Jersey, Vancouver and Calgary, while losing to Ottawa.
The Canadiens beat the Flames in Calgary on Friday night by a score of 3-2. Following the Christmas break, Montreal is right back on the road in Carolina, Tampa Bay and Florida to end 2017.
By the Numbers:
Cam Talbot has won his last six starts between the pipes. Connor McDavid leads the Oilers in scoring with 41 points (13-28-41) in 35 games. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins has the most goals on the team (14) through 35 games. Phillip Danault leads the Canadiens in scoring with 21 points (7-14-21) in 35 games.
Injury Report:
OILERS -O. Klefbom (upper body) is on IR
CANADIENS -A. Hemsky (upper body) is on IR, A. Montoya (concussion) is on IR, A. Lehkonen (lower body) is on IR, S. Weber (foot) is on IR
-- Chris Wescott, EdmontonOilers.com