The Edmonton Oilers welcome the Philadelphia Flyers to Rogers Place at 7:00 p.m. MT on Tuesday night for a brief one-game homestand.
You can watch the game on Sportsnet West or listen live on the Oilers Radio Network, including 630 CHED.
Subscribe to Oilers+ to unlock the Pre-Game Show that will begin at 6:30 p.m. MT, along with more exclusive live and behind-the-scenes content.
PRE-GAME REPORT: Oilers vs. Flyers
The Oilers look to break their current four-game losing streak with a Tuesday night home game against the Philadelphia Flyers
By
Michael Arcuri & Jamie Umbach @EdmontonOilers / EdmontonOilers.com
YOUR GAME-DAY ESSENTIALS
© Lawrence Scott/Getty Images
GAME DAY VIDEO
OILERS TODAY | Pre-Game vs. PHI
PRE-GAME RAW | Coach Woodcroft
PRE-GAME RAW | Ryan Nugent-Hopkins
PRE-GAME RAW | Stuart Skinner
RECENT VIDEOS
OILERS TODAY | Post-Game vs. COL
POST-RAW | Coach Woodcroft
POST-RAW | Warren Foegele
POST-RAW | Tyson Barrie
BY THE NUMBERS
Oilers Statistics
Flyers Statistics
Stats Comparison
Game Notes
RECENT BLOGS & ARTICLES
GENE'S BLOG: Family Day
FUTURE WATCH: Tullio, Lavoie notch hattricks
BLOG: McDavid hits 100
VIEWING INFORMATION
You can watch Tuesday's game on Sportsnet West at 7:00 p.m. MT.
INSIDE THE OILERS
News and notes from the Oilers organization, including the latest Gene's Blog on Family Day and Raphael Lavoie & Ty Tullio both recording hat tricks for the Condors.
>> READ MORE IN THE INSIDE THE OILERS BLOG
PRE-GAME REPORT
EDMONTON, AB - Keeping a lead through regulation in recent games has been a struggle for the Edmonton Oilers that they're keen to reverse starting Tuesday against the Philadelphia Flyers.
The Oilers held two separate three-goal leads (3-0 and 4-1) on the New York Rangers in the opening period this past Friday before falling in the shootout to the Blueshirts, who chipped away at Edmonton's lead over the final 40 minutes.
Then, after staking themselves to a 3-0 advantage near the midway point of Saturday's matinee in Denver, the Oilers gave up five goals over the final 32:23 of the game before losing the extra point in overtime -- their third straight defeat beyond regulation.
"Obviously we don't want those last two games to go the way that they ended up going, but we can still take some positives out of it," forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins said. "We put ourselves in a good position both games, but especially later in the season, you've got to find a way to close out games and we didn't do that last couple of nights."
The Oilers find themselves losers of four straight (0-3-1), their longest losing streak so far this season, but have still only dropped one result in regulation over their last 15 games (9-1-5).
While there are positives to being beaten in regulation over your last 15 games, the key in the Oilers locker room for the players and coaches is turning more of those overtime and shootout losses into two points.
"We've lost one game in 15 games in regulation, so we're getting points every single game and we're doing the best we can," goaltender Stuart Skinner, who'll start in between the pipes tonight for the Oilers, said pre-game. "The job here is just to keep growing our game and keep getting better every day, and we're learning from our mistakes and we're going to keep on working towards those mistakes.
"We're just trying to get better every day, and it's always a good time to go on a run, especially now kind of getting closer to playoffs. Being able to find our game before playoffs start would be ideal."
The Flyers arrive at Rogers Place for the second of back-to-back games after defeating the Calgary Flames 4-3 on Monday night, ending a four-game losing streak of their own after their last win before the skid came over the Oilers back on Feb. 9 in the City of Brotherly Love.
"Obviously (Hart) is a good goalie and made some big saves for them, but at the same time, I thought that Philly played a hard game," Skinner recalled. "They didn't give up much, didn't make anything easy on us, and also they didn't take any penalties to get our power play rolling. So we've got to expect that same effort and attitude from them tonight and we've got a match that for sure.
Philadelphia has shared some of Edmonton's struggles in extra time, losing 8-of-10 games this season that have gone beyond regulation.
LOCAL BOYS BATTLE
"He's a fantastic goalie and I've been able to work with him a bit and become good friends, so it's always fun playing against him," Stuart Skinner said back on Feb. 9 after facing former minor-hockey opposition in Carter Hart.
"But it kind of pisses me off that he beat me."
Skinner and Hart treated us to a classic goaltender's duel last time these two teams met earlier this month at Wells Fargo Arena, with Hart making one extra save in the shootout to give the Flyers the extra point and himself the advantage in the first meeting between the two local Edmonton-area products in their NHL all-time head-to-head series.
"It was the first time I ever played against him in the NHL, which was a pretty cool moment," Skinner said. "We were talking and laughing about it after the game and he got the best in the last game, so hopefully it's the other way tonight."
The pair of NHL netminders opposed one another for the first time in Bantam during the 2012-13 Alberta Major Bantam Hockey League (AMBHL) season. Hart, a Sherwood Park native, suited up fittingly for the U15 AAA Flyers, while Skinner manned the crease for the South Side Athletic Club U16 AAA Lions before both rose through the ranks in WHL, AHL and now the NHL.
"That's kind of when we started playing against each other. We've been playing against each other for all the way up playing against each other in Junior and now in the NHL."
Hart played only 18 games at the AHL level with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms before making the permanent jump to the NHL with the Flyers. Skinner, conversely, has had a lot more time to percolate in the minors, playing in over 170 games at the AHL and ECHL levels.
Seeing Hart perform for Philadelphia was a major motivation for Skinner when he was still finding his way in the professional game during stops in Wichita and Bakersfield.
"Absolutely. We hang out in the summer," Skinner added. "I'm fortunate enough to get on the ice with him in the summertime. It's amazing being able to work with him. I trained with him in the gym for one summer, which was great. He's a hard worker, he's a great player, he's mentally strong and he's very motivated, so he's somebody who when you hang out, you get inspired."
The two netminders touched base before tonight's game at the benches during Edmonton's morning skate, sharing a laugh and a few words before Skinner returned to the Oilers starter's crease and switched gears toward how he needs to play tonight to get revenge on his former Bantam opposition.
"It's nice that we are friends because it keeps things a little bit lighter," Skinner said. "When I was in the American League or the Coast, he played in the NHL pretty quick, so it was awesome to kind of watch him and see what he was doing in the NHL. That also gave me the motivation that I can play at his level.
"Fate had it that we're both here now and I get to play against him tonight."
LINEUP NOTES
Defenceman Vincent Desharnais was recalled from the AHL's Bakersfield Condors earlier this morning after the Oilers played shorthanded with 17 skaters in Sunday's 6-5 overtime loss to Colorado.
The 6-foot-6, shot-and-chance-suppressing defender was loaned to the Condors before Friday's shootout defeat to the Rangers, but didn't appear in Bakersfield's weekend win over San Diego due to illness. Desharnais was summoned back to Edmonton this morning in advance of tonight's tilt with the Flyers and will have missed the Oilers last three contests.
Desharnais has four assists, is averaging 12:09 time on ice and has a +9 plus/minus rating in the 12 games he's suited up for the Oilers on the back end.
The team is 9-1-2 when the towering blueliner from Laval, QC is in the lineup.
"I think the record with him in the lineup speaks for itself," Woodcroft said. "I think in the last three games, which he has not played, we've dressed six defencemen and we've given up more goals than we'd like to give up.
"I think when he comes into the lineup, he provides a certain dimension, including a really good defensive play where he's hard below the dots. He makes it hard to get to our net and we're excited about returning him to the lineup tonight."
-- Jamie Umbach, EdmontonOilers.com
PREVIEW
OILERS vs. FLYERS
WATCH: 7:00 p.m. MT; televised on Sportsnet West
Oilers Team Scope
The Oilers have played 15 games in the last 42 days and only once they have failed to collect at least a point. Despite that fact, the team finds themselves mired in a 0-1-3 rut and a four-game losing streak. To make matters worse, the Oilers have lead by 3-0 margins in each of their last two games and have failed to come away with the win.
Edmonton is coming off a 6-5 overtime loss to the defending Stanley Cup Champion Colorado Avalanche on Sunday. The Oilers over came a quartet of early penalties, to take a 3-0 lead 7:37 into the second period. The Avalanche slowly chipped away before the middle frame was done with goals from JT Compher and Valeri Nichushkin.
Tyson Barrie and Mattias Janmark goals sandwiched a Nathan MacKinnon tally to give the Oilers a 5-3 advantage with 16-minutes remaining in the contest, but as has been the case of late, Edmonton was unable to hold on to the lead. Artturi Lehkonen would tip a JT Compher wrist shot by Jack Campbell for the Avalanche's fifth goal of the game with 4:18 remaining to send the game to overtime. Mikko Rantanen scored the game winner for his 36th goal of the season with 22 seconds left in the 3-on-3 overtime period to rob the Oilers of the extra point.
"It's important we look in the mirror here and determine how we're going to try and win hockey games. There were a lot of good things in that game, especially offensively," Head coach Jay Woodcroft said after the game. "We got contributions up-and-down the line up, but to dress it up as anything other than disappointing that we didn't defend the right way down the stretch would be false."
The Oilers were without a pair of forwards in Klim Kostin, who missed his second straight game, and Evander Kane. Kane's was ruled out with an upper-body injury that will keep him out day-to-day. Due to the injuries, the Oilers were forced to play their second consecutive game with only 19 skaters.
"You know what, I think that's excuses, and we're not in the business of making excuses," Woodcroft said. "We're in the business of getting better and that's what we're going to have to do, because six goals against not good enough."
Jack Campbell started his third straight game while Stuart Skinner recovers from an illness that kept him off the bench in Edmonton last Friday vs. New York.
Flyers Team Scope
The Flyers will come to Edmonton playing the second game of a back-to-back having taken on the Flames on Monday in Calgary.
Philadelphia picked up the 4-3 win over the other Albertan side with wade Allison notching the game winner at the 11:33 mark of the third period. Travis Konecny scored his team-high 27th goal of the season to open the scoring for the Flyers, however the sniper would leave the contest with an apparent upper body injury and his status for Tuesday is unknown. Nic Deslaurier scored his fourth goal of the season and Tony DeAngelo scored his 10th, while Mikael Backlund, Tyler Toffoli, and Andrew Mangiapane all netted for the Flames.
Flyers rookie goaltender Samuel Ersson started the game, turning away 32 of 35 Flames shots to push his record to a perfect 6-0-0 on the season.
The Oilers and Flyers got together back on Feb. 9 with Philadelphia picking up the 2-1 win in the shootout. It was the battle of the Edmonton area goaltenders with Stuart skinner and Carter Hart getting the start for their respective sides. Hart won the duel, stopping 34 of 35 shots in regulation and overtime, a feat that was matched by Skinner who turned away 35 of 36 Flyers attempts.
James Van Reimsdyk notched the shootout winner, while Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Morgan Frost also scored in the skills competition.
By The Numbers
The Oilers have lost four games in-a-row, their longest losing streak of the season... Edmonton's record in extra time is 2-8 on the season, trailing only the Flyers (2-10) for the league's worst record after 60 minutes... The Oilers have received an NHL high 421 points from Canadian born players this season... For the fifth time of his career, Connor McDavid became the first player to reach 100 points in a given NHL season... He is only the fifth player with six-or-more 100 point seasons before turning 27-years-old... Leon Draisaitl is currently two-points away from 700 in his NHL career... Ryan Nugent-Hopkins needs just three points to reach 600 in his NHL Career... Nugent-Hopkins next point will set a new career high for the longest serving Oiler, he is currently tied for his career high with 69 points on the season...
Philadelphia is 3-4-3 in their last 10 games and have gone to overtime four times over that stretch... Only Dallas, Calgary, and San Jose have more overtime losses than the Flyers 10 on the season... If Travis Konecny were to miss Tuesday's contest, Kevin Hayes would be the Flyers leading scorer with 17 goals...
Injury Report
OILERS - Oscar Klefbom (shoulder) is on IR; Mike Smith (undisclosed) is on IR;
Ryan MurrayÂ
(undisclosed) is on IR; Klim Kostin (ilnness) is day-to-day; Evander Kane (upper body) is day-to-day.
FLYERS - Cam Atkinson (neck) is on IR; Sean Couturier (back) is on IR; Ryan Ellis (undisclosed) is on IR; Zach MacEwen (jaw) is on IR; Tanner Laczynski (lower body) is day-to-day.
-- Michael Arcuri, EdmontonOilers.com