PRE-GAME REPORT: Oilers vs. Capitals

The Edmonton Oilers host the Washington Capitals at Rogers Place on Wednesday night in the first of a five-game homestand.
You can watch the game on Sportsnet or listen on the Oilers Radio Network, including 630 CHED.
Video: OILERS TODAY | Pre-Game vs WSH 03.09.22

YOUR GAME-DAY ESSENTIALS
GAME DAY VIDEO
OILERS TODAY | Pre-Game vs. WSH
PRE-GAME RAW | Coach Woodcroft
PRE-GAME RAW | McDavid
PRE-GAME RAW | Keith
RECENT VIDEOS
PRACTICE | Power Boost
COMMUNITY | Brodziak on Ukraine 50/50
Spectacular NWT Play of the Week
BY THE NUMBERS
Oilers Statistics
Capitals Statistics
Stats Comparison
Game Notes
RECENT BLOGS & ARTICLES
BLOG: Tuesday's practice updates
FUTURE WATCH: Forwards prospects firing on all cylinders
RELEASE: Niemelainen loaned to Bakersfield
VIEWING INFORMATION
You can watch Wednesday's game on Sportsnet at 6:00 PM MT.
News and notes from Oilers practice at Rogers Place on Tuesday where the power play was the focal point of the skate after an 0-and-4 night against Flames in Monday night's defeat in Calgary.
**>> READ MORE IN THE INSIDE THE OILERS BLOG**
EDMONTON, AB - With 25 games left on the schedule and Alex Ovechkin & the Washington Capitals set to enter Rogers Place on Wednesday night, the Edmonton Oilers push for a playoff spot has already begun.
Every contest from here on out will have a playoff-like approach from the Oilers, who currently sit three points out of the final Wild Card spot in the Western Conference that's currently occupied by the Dallas Stars.
"They certainly will," McDavid said of the post-season feel around the coming games. "Obviously the playoffs have started for us; they started even a while ago. We're in the thick of it trying to chase down a playoff spot, and these points matter each and every night."
The remaining 25 games total up to 50 points available to the Oilers to work themselves back into the post-season picture, with Head Coach Jay Woodcroft keeping the focus on what's immediately ahead of his team to best manage the players' preparation and effort levels.
"When we talk about that, keeping the picture small and staying in the present focusing on what's immediately before you, I think what we're trying to do is realize that there are two points up for grabs today," he said. "That's what our concentration and focus are on.
"That doesn't mean we're not aware of what's happening around the league or how many points are available throughout the rest of the season. We are, but what's immediately before us and what's in our control is our effort and execution level tonight. This game is worth two points, and that's what we're setting out to get tonight."
Since going 5-0-0 to start the Woodcroft era, the Oilers are 2-5-1 over their last eight games despite the Oilers bench boss identifying some positives in the team's desire to play a strong even-strength, physical game.
"If you look at the way our team has played over the last six games, I think we've given up seven even-strength goals against over that time," he said. "That's indicative of a willingness to play the game hard and do a lot of really good things 5-on-5. We don't feel that we've scored enough 5-on-5 over that period of time, so there are things that we want to inject into our offensive game -- a little bit more hardness and a little bit more substance offensively -- and I think when you talk about our special teams, that applies to both things as well.
Video: PRE-RAW | Jay Woodcroft 03.09.22
Defenceman Duncan Keith understands the urgency to accrue points, but identified the Oilers team performance in Monday's loss to Calgary as a good foundation to contest two points every night from here on out despite the result.
"The situation we're in right now is at the end of the day, we need to get wins and points because it's a tight race," he said. "I think that if we continue to have that team-first mentality where we play a good team game, we're going to get points most nights."
"I think the focus is on 5-on-5 play, and I thought last time we were right there with Calgary, a good team, and we had] a lot of guys missing. That's where we're at right now."
The Oilers keyed in on the power play at Thursday's practice, with Woodcroft breaking down the missing element down to one simple sentence: "A level of grittiness to our power play; a willingness to get pucks to the net and fight it out in the hard areas for those second and third opportunities," he said.
After performing at historic levels earlier in the season, captain Connor McDavid hopes to be part of a second-half power-play resurgence to get the man advantage back contributing to more victories.
"Obviously it's important. Our power play is something that's been very good for us over the last couple of years, and obviously, it's been letting us down a bit the last little while, so we've got a find a way to get that going," he said.
"Maybe just being a little more aggressive and attacking the net a bit more. I think we've got away from that."
**OVI CHASES HISTORY**
The Oilers will try to prevent Ovechkin from taking sole possession of third place on the NHL's all-time scoring list after the Capitals sniper scored twice in a 5-4 win over the Flames on Tuesday night to tie Jaromir Jagr on 766 goals.
"Obviously it's exciting going against one of the game's all-time greats," McDavid said. "He's been a force in this league a long time and he's chasing down some pretty special players ahead of him, so it's fun to kind of watch from afar."
Earlier this season in Washington, the McDavid vs. Ovechkin duel was put on hold after the Russian forward was a late omittance from the lineup after entering COVID-19 Protocol. Ovechkin continues to produce at the age of 36, scoring 36 goals in 56 games this season.
"He finds a way to produce each and every year," McDavid said. "Age doesn't seem to bother him much and he's still moving great and shooting the puck like he always has. He's still such a force out there, so he doesn't seem to be slowing down."
Oilers defencemen and blueliners around the league are always conscious of the shot Ovechkin possesses that has yielded 766 goals in 1,253 NHL games, and the threat has not decreased with age.
"Any time you get to play against him is a game where you see where he's at and know when he's on the ice," Keith said. "He doesn't need much space, much time to score goals, and obviously we've seen lots of that over the years. But it's always a special game playing against the best players.
"It's no different really than any other great player, but with Alex, his shot is so deadly that you could be close, be on him, and he still gets it off because it's so powerful. He's proven that time and time again."
[Video: PRE-RAW | Connor McDavid 03.09.22
Along with incredible skill, Woodcroft picked out Ovechkin's energy as one of the defining characteristics of one of the most prolific goalscorers of his generation who'll certainly be one of the competing forces on the ice on Wednesday night.
"He's been great for the National Hockey League, and you don't score as many goals as he has without his talent. But what I think stands out about him is his passion to play the game," Woodcroft said. "Even as he works through this stage of his career, it's quite evident he's someone else who is also driven.
"In terms of game-planning for him, you have to understand when he's on the ice, you have to make sure you're taking away his time and space. But he's a big man that gets his shot off, and he's playing the game the right way. It's going to be a challenge for us tonight, but it's one we're up for."
BIG KEITH TO LITTLE BRO(BERG)
Keith has observed the skill, size and puck sense of Philip Broberg first-hand in a pairing with the Swedish blueliner over recent games as the two develop chemistry in a two-man defensive unit blending experience with youth.
"I like him. He's a big, strong guy and I think his size alone allows him to play a certain game," Keith, the veteran of 17 seasons, said of the rookie. "I think it's only been a few games, but we've developed some chemistry and that's got to continue to progress there. He's got a lot of confidence joining the play, and he's got the offensive ability as well."
"It's a good sign for the team and the organization."
Video: PRE-RAW | Duncan Keith 03.09.22
Broberg played a career-high 22:34 in Monday's match in Calgary, nearly eight minutes above his season average time on ice, in what could've been his most-impressive game as an Oiler where he was regularly jumping into the play and generating a couple of solid offensive looks.
Woodcroft characterized Broberg's last two games as excellent, with his positive play being reflected in a big increase in minutes that was also out of necessity with the omittance of Tyson Barrie and Evan Bouchard from the lineup.
To the bench boss, Keith has been a terrific example for Broberg who learns through experience as a fast-skating d-man who uses his legs to escape trouble and hop in on the rush.
"I think Duncan is professional's professional; someone you can learn a lot from not just in listening to him, but in watching him and how he prepares, conducts himself, how he recovers, and the minutiae of his day," he said. "Those are all great lessons for a 20-year-old d-man in Philip Broberg.
"That said, I think over the last few games that's been a good pair for us and Broberg brings something to the table for that pair."
LINEUP NOTES
Mikko Koskinen will be back between the pipes for his third start in four games after the Finn stopped 26 of 29 shots in Monday's 3-1 loss to Calgary.
Koskinen is 19-9-3 with a 3.05 goals-against average, .904 save percentage and one shutout in 32 games (30 starts) this season.
In his morning media avail, Coach Woodcroft revealed that defenceman Markus Niemelainen returned to Bakersfield earlier this week as he awaits the birth of his first child.
Wednesday's skate was optional, so lines will be made apparent during warm-ups before a 6:00 p.m. puck drop at Rogers Place.
-- Jamie Umbach, EdmontonOilers.com
OILERS vs. CAPITALS
STREAM: 6:00 p.m. MT; televised on Sportsnet
Oilers Team Scope
The Edmonton Oilers focused on improving the power play at Tuesday's practice after going 0-for-4 with the man advantage in Monday night's 3-1 defeat to the Calgary Flames in the Battle of Alberta.
Head Coach Jay Woodcroft said in his post-practice media availability that he thought the Oilers power play wasn't "anywhere where we needed to be" in Monday's loss, with its lack of production contributing to a challenging loss that saw his side drop their sixth game in eight contests.
"We had a few chances, but not at the level we wanted to create," Woodcroft said. "I don't think our power play yesterday was a momentum generator for our team, and a key factor in us not winning the game was the frustration that we felt on it."
Evan Bouchard was back on the ice after recovering from a stomach bug that will keep netminder Mike Smith out of the lineup for Tuesday's meeting with Washington. Tyson Barrie is day-to-day with an upper-body injury, while both Jesse Puljujarvi and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins remain week-to-week.
After the skate, defenceman Markus Niemelainen was loaned to the Bakersfield Condors.
Capitals Team Scope
Alex Ovechkin scored goals No. 765 & 766, including the empty-netter, to tie Jaromir Jagr for third all-time in NHL scoring in a 5-4 victory for the Capitals over the Flames on Tuesday night. The Russian now trails only Gordie Howe (801) and Wayne Gretzky (894) for the most in NHL history.
"Obviously, it's always nice to hear those kind of milestones, numbers," Ovechkin said. "It's pretty big, obviously, and how I always said, being with those names and in this company, it's a pretty cool moment."
The Capitals have won three straight for the first time since Nov. 24-28 after losing their previous three contests. Tuesday's stop in Calgary was the first of three Western Canadian stops in four days, having lost all three of their home dates earlier this season against the Oilers, Flames, and Canucks.
By The Numbers
The Oilers are 12-4-0 in their last 16 home games vs. Washington, outscoring them 61-39... The Oilers are 7-5-1 since Jay Woodcroft took over as head coach on Feb. 10... The Capitals have scored first an NHL-high 37 times this season... The Oilers are 17-0-0 when scoring first & 13-23-4 when trailing first this season...
Ovechkin has scored 36 goals in 56 games this season... He passed Marcel Dionne for fifth (731) against the New York Rangers on Oct. 13, and Brett Hull for fourth (741) against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Nov. 12... Connor McDavid needs one goal for his sixth-straight season with 30+ goals... McDavid has one goal in his last 16 home games...
Iya Samsonov is 6-8-2 in his last 18 games after going 11-1-1 in his first 14 games... Mikko Koskinen is 7-1-2 in his last 11 games (10 starts) but has lost back-to-back starts... Koskinen is 2-0-0 with a 2.97 goals-against average and .891 save percentage in two career starts vs. Capitals
Injury Report
OILERS - Tyson Barrie (upper body) is day-to-day; Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (upper body) is on IR; Jesse Puljujarvi (lower body) is on IR; Zack Kassian (fractured jaw) is on IR; Kris Russell (undisclosed) is on IR.
CAPITALS - Carl Hagelin (eye) is on IR; Joe Snively (upper body) is on IR.
-- Jamie Umbach, EdmontonOilers.com