Edmonton Oilers (18-20-3) (6th, Pacific)

Dallas Stars (23-16-3) (4th, Central)

1 PM MDT

American Airlines Center - Dallas, Texas

TV: Sportsnet West

Radio: 630 CHED

SB Nation Opponent: Defending Big D

BREAKDOWN

The Oilers squeaked a victory out against the Ducks on Thursday night. Kris Russell got the party started by scoring Edmonton’s first goal in two and a half games, and that would be all the goals scored in regulation by the good guys. Fortunately, the Ducks could only muster one goal along the way. You will not be surprised to know that it was scored on the power play. Oilers and Ducks took a 1-1 tie to the shootout, where Michael Cammalleri and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins would emerge as the heroes for the Oilers.

The first half of the 2017-18 season has concluded. It has not ended well. The Oilers have 18 wins in 41 games, and will need some kind of miracle in the second half to entertain playing into the spring months.

An afternoon in Dallas is the first of a five game road trip for the Oilers. Can the Oilers start building on their win against the Ducks?

Let’s go to the tape.

The Oilers are saying

“You can definitely feel there’s a rivalry there; two big, heavy teams going at it down low in front of the net. Emotions can run high in a game like this, especially a tight game. We did a good job handling ourselves against a very good team."

Source

That’s Oilers goaltender Cam Talbot after Edmonton’s 2-1 win over Anaheim this past Thursday. Talbot backstopped the Oilers to the victory with 33 saves.

The Stars are saying

“I like the way we fought. I like the way we battled...New Jersey is a heck of a hockey club. They’ve got a lot of elements that any coach would love to have. They’ve got a really, really strong team. Overall, this is a big win for us.”

Source

That’s Stars coach Ken Hitchcock on his club’s 4-3 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Thursday. Alexander Radulov had three points (1-2-3) and Ben Bishop turned aside 39 saves en route to a Dallas victory. The Stars are holding onto the first wild card spot in the Western Conference with 49 points, ten points ahead of the Oilers.

Have some of this

• MONTOYA: Montoya hasn’t been cleared to play yet, but he’ll be with the club on their roadie. The Oilers are back in action tomorrow against the Blackhawks in Chicago, so keep your eyes on who suits up tomorrow.
• MAROON: Patrick Maroon will be out for his second and final game of his suspension stemming from his hit on LA’s Drew Doughty.
• PK WOES: Did it get better on Thursday? Hell no it didn’t. The Ducks scored their only goal while on the power play. The home penalty kill hovers in the 50s, while overall the PK ranks dead last at 70.5%.
• Cam Talbot is the likely starter for the Oilers (15-13-2, .905 SV% / 3.00 GAA /1 SO). Ben Bishop (18-11-2, .915 SV% / 2.55 GAA / 4 SO) will start this afternoon’s game for the Stars.
• SICK BAY: Al Montoya (concussion) will be unavailable today for the Oilers. The Stars have no one listed on their injury report.