A stretch of three games in four nights leading into the Christmas break starts Friday night for the Edmonton Oilers when they host the Pittsburgh Penguins.
“I love games around Christmas when you’re on the road,” joked head coach Dave Tippett, when asked about the potential distractions of the holiday season.
“It’s always fun around Christmastime,” said forward James Neal. “There’s a little bigger buzz around the arena. Everyone is in the festive spirit. They’re enjoying themselves a little bit more.”
The Oilers will be more festive if they can bank some wins before the break. They have just one win in their last six games.
“Everyone is trying to go into the break feeling good,” added Neal. “You see the standings. You need the points. You can go from first place to out of the playoffs in a few games.”
Tippett continues to move the forwards around.
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Against Pittsburgh, Connor McDavid and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins will play on a line with Zack Kassian. McDavid, Nugent-Hopkins and Leon Draisaitl were all on different lines Wednesday against St. Louis and Monday in Dallas.
“Just continue to look for a little more five-on-five play if we can,” said Tippett. “You have to find a way to play a complete game. A little more five-on-five scoring would help.”
The Oilers expected lineup is:
Nugent-Hopkins – McDavid – Kassian
Neal – Draisaitl – Gagner
Nygard – Haas – Chiasson
Khaira – Sheahan – Archibald
Klefbom – Larsson
Nurse – Bear
K. Russell – Jones
Smith
Oklahoma State running back Chuba Hubbard will drop the puck in a pre-game ceremony honouring his season with the Cowboys. Hubbard, 20, led the NCAA in rushing with 1.936 yards. It’ll be the first time the Sherwood Park native will attend an Oilers game.
Catch the Oilers and Penguins on 630 CHED with the Face-off Show at 5:30 p.m. The game starts at 7 p.m. Edmonton will host Montreal on Saturday then play in Vancouver on Monday.
The Oilers beat the Penguins 2-1 in overtime on Nov. 2 with Mike Smith making 51 saves.
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