EDMONTON, AB- The Oilers look to capitalize against an injury-ridden New Jersey Devils team tonight in their final game of a four-game home stand at Rogers Place.
The Devils were shelled for nine against the Calgary Flames last night ahead of completing a set of back-to-back games tonight, but the Oilers aren't looking past what they're able to control in a bid to win their fifth game out of six and gain more ground in the race for the wild card.
"Putting up nine would be nice of course, but we've got to focus on playing a tight game," defenceman Matt Benning, who goes tonight after taking a hard hit on Monday, said. "We can't count on scoring a lot of goals every game. We've got to play a 3-2 game or a 4-2 game, so I think it's a league that's a race to three or four goals then after that it's all about defending."
Film analysis this morning stuck to what the Devils are able to do well, and how the Oilers can continue to employ what's worked during a positive 7-2-1 run in their past 10 contests.
"This is not the time to be focused on the opposition, it's the time to be focused on ourselves," Oilers Head Coach Ken Hitchcock said. "Our starts are good because we're emotionally engaged right off the bat.
"We're understanding much more now about how much our forecheck and puck control in the offensive zone leads to scoring chances. We're establishing that early in games, early in periods, and it's allowing us to control the tempo of the game more."
ENERGY EFFICIENCY
It's a different feeling when you're winning.
The Oilers have been riding the charge of a rejuvenated playoff push, and the feeling is electric.
"The energy levels are completely different," Khaira said. "When you're losing, nobody has fun, it's tough to sleep, you come to the rink and it's not the same. You don't have the same energy, but when you're winning there's an extra little jump.
A positive stretch of 7-2-1 in their last 10 games after going 1-8-3 in their previous 12 has put the Oilers back in the mix in the Western Conference, six points back of the Arizona Coyotes with a game in hand and 13 games left on the schedule.
"The grind of losing can really eat at you, so a stretch like this is awesome to be on," Khaira continued. "Everybody in the dressing room feels good about it, and we want to keep this feeling the rest of the season."
Scoreboard watching has become inevitable, but for the Oilers players and management, they invoke different reactions.
