The Edmonton Oilers host the Central Division-leading Dallas Stars at Rogers Place on Wednesday night.
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 6:25 p.m. MT, along with more exclusive live and behind-the-scenes content.

YOUR GAME-DAY ESSENTIALS

GAME DAY VIDEO
OILERS TODAY | Pre-Game vs. DAL
PRE-GAME RAW | Coach Woodcroft
PRE-GAME RAW | Ryan Nugent-Hopkins
PRE-GAME RAW | Mattias Ekholm
RECENT VIDEOS
PRACTICE RAW | Coach Woodcroft 03.15.23
COMMUNITY | Juno Cup
OILERS TODAY | Post-Game vs. OTT
BY THE NUMBERS
Oilers Statistics
Stars Statistics
COMING SOON: Stats Comparison
COMING SOON: Game Notes
RECENT BLOGS & ARTICLES
POST-GAME: Draisaitl's fourth 100-point season
FEATURE: The Simpson Swap
GAME RECAP: Oilers 6, Senators 3
VIEWING INFORMATION
You can watch Thursday's game on Sportsnet West at 7:00 PM MT.

INSIDE THE OILERS

News and notes from Wednesday at Rogers Place, where Head Coach Jay Woodcroft opted to give his players a rest day in advance of facing the Stars on Thursday.
>> READ MORE IN THE INSIDE THE OILERS BLOG

PRE-GAME REPORT

EDMONTON, AB - It's going to be a 'Star' studded affair at Rogers Place on Thursday night.
The Oilers will pit the NHL's top-two scorers up against a Dallas team loaded with high-end NHLers -- both in and entering their prime. Leading the charge for the Stars is young phenom Jason Robertson, who has been tearing up the league since he first debuted in the 2019-20 season. The 23-year-old currently sits eighth in scoring with 85 points (39G, 46A) in 68 games this season.
Robertson has been a revelation for the Stars since getting drafted in the second round (39th overall) in 2017. The sniper has 210 points in his first 200 NHL games and is only a goal away from his second consecutive 40-goal season. Mattias Ekholm, who had spent the last 11 years in the Central Division going head-to-head with the Stars, is well aware of how dangerous the Texas team can be.
"I've had some battles with them over the years. They're always a really heavy team. Got some big guys up front," Ekholm said. "They've added some skill with this Robertson that's coming up and seems to be scoring from everywhere, and they still have those veteran pieces with Jamie (Benn) and (Tyler) Seguin and all these guys that they're heavy on you. They're heavy on the fore check. They want to be aggressive. They do it really well."
The Stars have another secret weapon at their disposal for Thursday night. Goaltender Jake Oettinger has quietly established himself as arguably the best goaltender in the Western Conference this season. The 24-year-old is second to only Wild goalie Filip Gustavsson in both goals-against average (2.40) and save percentage (.920) among Western starters this season, but Oettinger has played in 20-more games than the Minnesota keeper.
"I've also been really impressed with that Oettinger goalie that they have," Ekholm said after morning skate. "He's really stepped it up for them. I think that's been something that has taken them a little bit to the next level as well."
The Stars still have a ton of experience to mix in with their dynamic young talents. Jamie Benn has revitalized his game this season with 65 points (29G, 36A) in 68 games after a trio of years hovering closer to 0.5 points per game than 1.0 points per game. Along with veterans Joe Pavelski, Tyler Seguin, and Ryan Suter -- the Stars have all the makings of a measuring stick matchup for an Oilers squad looking to be the best in the West.
"We know that they're obviously a good team. They don't make it easy for you out there at all. I think their veteran guys are still kind of who lead the way for them, and they've got a good group of young guys with a lot of skill who can make you pay," Ryan Nugent-Hopkins said. "I do think the way that they play, and their attitude comes from the older guys. So, it's a good challenge for us tonight, but I think we can build off our game against Ottawa."

GUT (AND FORE) CHECK TIME

One area that was emphasized by both the Oilers head coach and the players on Thursday morning was the Stars heavy forechecking ability. The Oilers defence will have their hands full on Thursday, making quick and clean zone exits a priority for the Oilers tonight. The morning skate had several drills dedicated to the art, and it's a challenge that Oilers Head Coach Jay Woodcroft believes his team is ready for.
"Very heavy (on The Stars forecheck). I think we're at our best, and we're at the top of the league when it comes to breakout execution, but we're at our best when we're a five-man clean exit team," Woodcroft said. "I think it does a few things. Number one, it sets us up to come at teams with speed and put other teams on their heels. Number two, it means the cleaner you are at breaking out, the more efficient you are at breaking out, the less time you spend in your own zone."
Cleaning up the defensive zone is always a point of emphasis for the Oilers and their coaching staff. Edmonton currently leads the NHL in goals for with 264 in 68 games (3.88 per contest), so holding an opposing team to three-or-less goals typically means victory for the Blue & Orange.
"I think we'd be the first ones to say we're not a finished product, we're a work in progress," Woodcroft said about the Oilers defensive game. "Right now, I think the big thing for us since Christmas time, would be the team record. I think it's 19-2-3, when we give up three-or-less goals, forget underlying numbers. Those are obvious things that say when we play towards a certain identity, when we play towards a certain template, more often than not we have success."
A tightened defensive side of the game and limited mistakes were the hallmarks of Woodcroft's Oilers team as they worked their way into the NHL playoffs last season. It's a formula that his current squad is looking to replicate in the final 14 games before this year's post-season.
"I mean, that's kind of theme the rest of the year is you can't give any teams easy chances. I mean, you saw what happened against Toronto. You make it too easy for teams at this point of the year, they're going to make you pay and there's no exception with this team," Nugent-Hopkins said. "(Dallas) has got a lot of talent, so you want to play that simple game, make it tough for their D to go get pucks, and just kind of establish our game down there and build off the first five minutes."
"I think we're going to find out where we sit after the game tonight, because it's not going to be a stick checking type of night here," Woodcroft added. "This is the type of game where you're going to have to chip bodies, you're going to have to play inside people's equipment, you're going to have to go to hard areas to find success throughout the year. I think we've risen to that occasion on numerous times, but we're going to have to do it against a really well coached group here in the Dallas Stars tonight."

FEELING EK-HOLM IN EDMONTON

It's been seven games in the Blue & Orange for Mattias Ekholm, and the Swedish defender is finally starting to feel comfortable in his new surroundings.
On the ice, the transition has been seamless for the 32-year-old -- since Mar. 1, Ekholm leads all Oilers defenders in 5-on-5 goals for percentage at 84.62 per cent. Jay Woodcroft has been a big fan of what he's seen from Ekholm once he hops over the boards.
"I think when you see how Matthias conducts himself on a daily basis, it's very impressive. He does everything hard. There's nothing soft about him," Woodcroft said. "He practices hard, he prepares the right way, he goes into battles hard. I just think it's a great example for not only our younger D, but for our team in general. If you looked up his playoff experience, you'd see that he leads us in playoff games. I think those are lessons he's learned along his journey in Nashville and the amount of playoff games that he played."
"I think he stepped in right away, established his game, and it was a hard game to play against for sure for a lot of years, so definitely happy to have him on our side," Nugent-Hopkins said about his new teammate. "He's such a good puck mover and such a good skater. Maybe you don't realize when you play against him just how good of a skater he really is. He can escape out of trouble in all areas on the ice, so he makes it a lot easier for us up front. He moves the puck when we're in the right spot, and obviously he gets the pucks through up top."
While Ekholm's on-ice game has remained the same, it's off the ice where things are finally starting to settle in for the rugged defenceman. He had spent his entire professional career in Nashville, establishing a life with his wife and kids. Uprooting that foundation takes a lot of time and effort, but it's slowly coming to fruition for Ekholm and his family.
"The organization has been great. I mean, my wife has done the heavy lifting when it comes to moving," he said. "We have kids, and we have a third one on the way, so there's been a lot, I'm not going to lie, but organization has been really helpful. There's been a lot of times where I've just been on the road. It's usually easy for the player, you're just focusing on the hockey part, but when you have a family and you have kids that you want to come up here, it takes a lt. Living in a house in Nashville for five years, it's amazing how much stuff you pile up and stuff you don't really need. You just throw it in a closet or a storage room and then now we found it. So, yeah, I've had a lot of help, and especially my family."
Ekholm is happy about the move on both a personal and professional level. He saw his former team make several NHL Trade Deadline moves that were more likely to help the Predators at the end of Ekholm's career, rather than his current prime. On a personal side, his family is from Sweden and the city of Edmonton fits their four-season loving lifestyle to a tee. While a trade can be a jarring experience for any NHLer, Ekholm has focused on the upside of new local and has already begun establishing roots in the city of Edmonton.
"I think it's all about a mindset and embracing it. You can feel sorry for yourself that you got traded. But to me, I'm 33 in May. Obviously, I had great memories in Nashville, great times there, but they were going to a place where they needed to rebuild or retool or what have you, and that might take a couple of years," Ekholm said. "For me, I am coming to team that's in a win now mode and has the pieces. It's just about putting it together. It's an awesome opportunity for me and I think that's just been really exciting."
"It was emotional, but as soon as I got on the plane to get here and played the first game, I think from that moment I've just been fortunate," he added. "I feel really fortunate about the place I am in, and the team I am in, and the chance that we have moving forward."
-- Michael Arcuri, EdmontonOilers.com

PREVIEW

OILERS vs. STARS
WATCH: 7:00 p.m. MT; televised on Sportsnet West
Oilers Team Scope
The Edmonton Oilers defeated the Ottawa Senators 6-3 to leap the Seattle Kraken into third in the Pacific Division on Tuesday night with 82 points and a 37-23-8 record.
Leon Draisaitl "was the best player on the ice" said Head Coach Jay Woodcroft, scoring twice to eclipse the 100-point mark for the fourth time in his career and make it 15 goals in the last 15 games for the German, who's on track to record his third career 50-goal, 50-assist season with six goals to go over Edmonton's remaining 14 regular-season games. Connor McDavid posted a goal and assist in the win to give him 129 points (56G, 73A) on the season, breaking the Salary Cap Era record of 128 set by Tampa Bay's Nikita Kucherov in 2018-19.
"I feel very fortunate. Obviously, very happy about it," Draisaitl said. "But this is my job. This is what I get paid to do, right? And I couldn't do it without any of these guys in here. I'm well aware of that and very appreciative of them finding me and putting me in the right spots, so very happy about that."
"He's a talented player and we're lucky we've got two of them on our team," Foegele added.
The Oilers have now won 16 of their last 26 games, earning at least a point in 21 of those 26 contests while going 7-1-4 in their last 12 games at Rogers Place -- the best home record in the NHL since Jan. 5.
A busy stretch of 18 games in 35 days and three road trips out east during that span factored into Woodcroft's decision on Wedneday to keep his players off the ice to rest and recuperate for Thursday's meeting with the Central Division-leading Stars.
"In conjunction with talking with our coaching staff and our people, we just thought that was the best decision for today," he said. "We didn't go on the ice, but that doesn't mean we didn't get better today. We treated today as a regeneration day to try and refill the energy reservoir so that we're ready to play against a really good team in the Dallas Stars tomorrow night."

Stars Team Scope
A six-game road trip has thrown a lot of challenges at the Dallas Stars, who dropped a 5-2 loss to the Vancouver Canucks last time out in the second of back-to-back games on Tuesday night.
The Stars travelled from Buffalo to Seattle on Friday for two games against the Kraken on Saturday and Monday, winning both by 4-3 (OT) and 5-2 scorelines. Forward Mason Marchment was sent home for reevaluation for a lower-body injury suffered in Monday's win before Tuesday's date with the Canucks, where the Stars conceded twice early and couldn't climb out of the hole.
"It's tough to climb out of that one. And the fourth game in seven nights with the travel we've done, it was a big ask. It was one of those nights," Head Coach Pete DeBoer said. "I think our game is better than that. I think you saw pieces of it. We played enough Dallas Stars hockey to hang around and give ourselves a chance, but not enough to win."
Dallas is missing also missing Tyler Seguin due to a leg laceration, but the Stars have attributed themselves well over the last 10 games with a 7-2-1 record to keep their place atop the Central Division despite the standings tightening with surges from the Minnesota Wild (7-0-3) and Colorado Avalance (6-3-1) in recent games.
Defenceman Miro Heiskanen had a goal and assist against Vancouver and is enjoying the most productive stretch of his career with an eight-game point streak (3G, 11A) dating back to March 1.

By The Numbers
The Stars have an NHL-high 54.9 faceoff win percentage this season... They have been consistently strong in the faceoff dot over the last six seasons since 2017-18, ranking in the top-six every year (1st, 2nd, 6th, 5th, 4th, 4th)... The Stars are one of four teams with a goal differential of +50 or greater... The Oilers at +38 rank sixth...
McDavid has a point in 23 of his last 24 home games (22G, 26A), including a point in all 14 of his home GP in 2023 (11G, 17A)... Not only does he have a point in a career-high 14 straight home games, but he has recorded multiple points in 8 straight (8G, 12A)... Draisaitl and McDavid were the first two players to reach the 100-point mark last season. Tuesday's win marked the second time in NHL history that the same teammates were the first two players to 100 points in consecutive seasons (the only other such instance was Phil Esposito and Bobby Orr of the Bruins in 1973-74 and 1974-75)... McDavid & Draisaitl are both approaching the 300-goal milestone... McDavid needs five goals and Draisaitl needs two... Since being acquired by the Oilers, Mattias Ekholm has been on the ice for 11 goals for and two goals against at 5-on-5, posting the best goals for percentage among Oilers defensemen (84.62 percent)...
Jason Robertson has 39 goals through 68 games this season, two shy of matching his career-high of 41 set in 74 GP in 2021-22... He also has 97 career goals in 196 GP and looks to become just the second player in franchise history with 100+ goals in his first 200 games (Dino Ciccarelli had 124 goals in his first 200 games)... Joe Pavelski ranks second among forwards in plus/minus this season, while his +33 on-Ice even-strength goal ifferential is third highest among all skaters... Wyatt Johnston has 18 goals and 33 points through 68 games this season... His 18 goals are the second most among rookies...

Injury Report
OILERS - Oscar Klefbom (shoulder) is on IR; Mike Smith (undisclosed) is on IR;
Ryan Murray
(undisclosed) is on IR.
STARS - Mason Marchment (upper body) is day-to-day; Tyler Seguin (lower body) is day-to-day; Scott Wedgewood (lower body) is day-to-day.
-- Jamie Umbach, EdmontonOilers.com