EDMONTON, Alberta – Two of the best teams in the Western Conference will square off on Tuesday night, but their situations aren't similar.
While the Wild is cruising, on a season-long six-game win streak, the Oilers have stumbled lately and have lost two in a row ahead of hosting the Wild at Rogers Place in the first meeting of the season between these two conference rivals.
"It's certainly nice on the road when you come into buildings like this that have clearly special players that we feel comfortable not flipping guys on and off the ice trying to get a matchup," coach Dean Evason said, referring to the NHL's top two point-getters in Edmonton's Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. "Clearly, we'd like to have our special people against their special people. But sometimes you're not going to get it. So, everybody has to play the same way hopefully in all areas of the game not just defensively but through the neutral zone and offensively as well."
The Wild woNHL conference standingsn't make any lineup changes from the team's 4-3 shootout win on Saturday at home against Toronto.
That means goalie Cam Talbot will be back in net to kick off this four-game road trip, and captain Jared Spurgeon remains out with a lower-body injury.
On Saturday, the Maple Leafs erased a three-goal deficit in the second period and two goals came on the power play. With the Oilers boasting the NHL's best power play, the message Tuesday morning to Wild players was to stay out of the penalty box.
"It's a given," Evason said. "We all know the special people they have on their hockey club, and we give them continual opportunities not only to score on the power play but get confidence and touches, it's not in favor of us."
