They may have already secured a spot in the playoffs, but the Edmonton Oilers are not resting on their laurels as they head into the final games of the regular season.
The Oilers can clinch home ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs by earning a point in Vancouver Saturday night. A win would also keep their hopes alive for finishing first in the Pacific Division.
“We know what’s at stake,” winger Milan Lucic said.
“It’s about proving to ourselves we can compete with the good teams in our conference and division. We’ve done a good job of that as of late.”
The last time the Oilers finished first in their division was in 1987, when the team won its third Stanley Cup.
The Oilers have won 10 of their last 12 games. They’re 2-0-1 against the Canucks on the season with all three previous meetings having been tight-checking and low-scoring.
“They’re a team with a lot of structure and they work really hard. They play our top guys really tough,” goalie Cam Talbot said.
Connor McDavid rides a 12-game point streak into the contest. He has 97 points and could become the first Oiler since Doug Weight in 1995/96 to have 100 points in a season.
The Oilers expected lineup is:
- Maroon – McDavid – Draisaitl
- Lucic – Nugent-Hopkins – Eberle
- Pouliot – Desharnais – Kassian
- Caggiula – Letestu – Pakarinen
- Sekera – Russell
- Klefbom – Larsson
- Nurse – Benning
- Talbot
The Oilers and Canucks are on 630 CHED with the Face-off Show at 6:30 p.m. The game starts at 8 p.m.
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