OILERS (21-20-3) vs. COYOTES (19-21-3)
TV: 8:00 p.m. MST; Televised on Sportsnet and Hockey Night in Canada
Head-to-Head:
This is the second meeting between the Oilers and Coyotes this season after Edmonton came out as 3-1 winners in the first contest on January 2.
The Oilers host the Coyotes again on February 19 before wrapping up the season series back in Arizona on March 16.
Oilers team scope:
Captain Connor McDavid scored with eight seconds left in regulation then sniped in the shootout to lift the Oilers to a 4-3 SO win over the Florida Panthers on Thursday.
The Oilers are in the middle of a three-game home set, having started it with the win on Thursday. Prior to coming home, the Orange & Blue began 2019 on a Pacific Division road swing, with their first game of the new calendar year being against the 'Yotes. The club was able to escape Arizona with the W, snapping a six-game skid in the process.
Edmonton finished their trip 2-2-0, capturing victories over Arizona and the Anaheim Ducks but falling to the Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks.
The squad is 3-7-0 in their last 10 outings and sit two points out of the final Western Conference wild card position.
Coyotes team scope:
The Coyotes are in the middle of a three-game road trip, beating the Vancouver Canucks 4-3 in OT on Thursday.
Brad Richardson leads the 'Yotes in goals with 11 while Clayton Keller paces the team for the lead in points with 30.
Injuries have hampered the club of late, as leading-scorer Richardson is out, in addition to six other key Coyotes being sidelined. Arizona is sixth in the Pacific with 41 points and 5-4-1 in the last 10 games.
By the Numbers:
Connor McDavid is fifth in National Hockey League scoring with 66 points (26G, 40A) in 43 games, while his Team Pacific teammate Leon Draisaitl is 12th with 54 points (23G, 31A) in 44 matches. ... The Oilers are 6-8-1 versus the Pacific this season. ... Edmonton is 9-3-0 when leading after the first period and 11-1-1 when leading after 40 minutes.
The Coyotes have scored 29 third-period goals this season, ranking 31st in that regard. ... Arizona does boast the League's best penalty kill with an 88.5 percentage, allowing just 15 goals on 131 attempts. ... On the road, the 'Yotes PK is second overall with an 87.3 percent clip.
Injury Report:
OILERS - Alex Petrovic (concussion) is day-to-day; Kailer Yamamoto (upper body) is day-to-day; Oscar Klefbom (hand) is out indefinitely; Andrej Sekera (Achilles) is on LTIR.
COYOTES - Christian Dvorak, Jason Demers, Antti Raanta, and Nick Schmaltz are all on IR with lower-body injuries; Brad Richardson (upper body) is on IR; Michael Grabner (eye) is on IR; Josh Archibald (personal reasons) is day-to-day.
-- Paul Gazzola, EdmontonOilers.com