Oilersnation Pre Game Podcast with Tyler Yaremchuk

The Oilers begin a four-game set against the Vancouver Canucks tonight as they head down the stretch and look to finish their regular season on a high note. The Oilers have been the best team in the North over the last ten games, with seven wins, while the Canucks have been the exact opposite, winning just three of their last ten. Tonight could also very well be "clinch-mas" for the Oilers. If they just bring the game to overtime, they will officially lock up a playoff spot for just the third time in the last decade. Of course, the 100 point mark is still very much in reach for Connor McDavid and the Oilers are looking to grab home-ice advantage in round one of the playoffs on top of that. There is still plenty for the Oilers to play for in their final seven regular-season games.

The Oilers will be looking to bounce back tonight as they battle it out with the Flames for the final time this season. The Oilers came out on top in five of the first nine meetings but the Flames have won the last two games and in each of them, Edmonton did not have their 'A' game. So it's safe to say that Connor McDavid and company will be looking to have a bit of a bounceback performance tonight as they try to move a little bit closer to officially securing a playoff spot. It's the final Battle of Alberta of the season and hopefully, these two rivals saved the best for last.

The Oilers are back on home ice and looking to win their third game in a row tonight as they welcome the Calgary Flames to Rogers Place. This is the ninth Battle of Alberta of the season and the Oilers have come out on top in five of them so far. The series has lacked the fireworks and intensity that fans were hoping for but that may be a result of the Oilers comfortably sitting in a playoff spot while the Flames have struggled to stay in contention. Still, it's easy to get excited for a matchup between these two teams and for the Oilers, tonight they have a chance to keep pad their cushion on second place in the North Division. The Flames still have pride to play for so maybe tonight will end up being more heated than any of the other nine BOA's have been, but I'm not necessarily expecting it.

The wins just keep on coming for the Edmonton Oilers and tonight they'll be looking to give themselves a little bit of breathing room in the race for second place in the NHL's North Division. With the win on Monday night, the Oilers put themselves one point ahead of the Jets and they also have two games in hand. It's easy to see why a win tonight, which would be the Oiler's seventh over the Jets, would be huge. Edmonton has dominated the season series and that is in large part due to some incredible performances from Connor McDavid and Mike Smith. Monday's game was no exception. Smith made some huge saves early and McDavid was just on another planet. The Jets are banged up right now and struggling while everything seems to be going right for the Oilers. They'll look to keep things rolling in that direction tonight.

After four days off, the Oilers hit the ice tonight to start a two-game set against the Winnipeg Jets. With just 11 games to go in the season, the Oilers are still playing for home-ice advantage in round one of the playoffs and these final two head-to-head games against the Jets will go a long way in deciding that. The Oilers are catching a bit of a break for this one as the Jets will be without Nik Ehlers, who has been their most consistent and productive forward this season. The Jets will be dealing with a big loss while the Oilers will be making a pair of additions to their lineup with both Dmitry Kulikov and Ryan McLeod expected to draw in.

After a thrilling victory on Monday, the Oilers will be looking to finish up their two-game set against the Montreal Canadiens with a victory. The last meeting between these two teams had a little bit of everything. There was no shortage of physical play, some wild moments, and a beautiful goal from Connor McDavid. From an entertainment perspective, it had everything you could want. Tonight's game also gives the Oilers a chance to inch closer to the top spot in the division, which suddenly doesn't feel out of reach at all. There is still plenty for these teams to play for, even if the four playoff spots are essentially locked up.

Coming off one of their most complete performances of the season on the weekend, the Oilers will look to keep the ball rolling tonight as they host the Montreal Canadiens for the first of two games. Tonight also marks the Oilers' first home game in 17 days. The Oilers should be feeling good heading into this hockey game while the Habs might not be the most confident group right now considering they have just two wins in their last seven games. At the same time, the Canadiens have absolutely had the Oilers number so far this season. They've won four of the five matchups in the season series and have held Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl to just two points each in those games. The Oilers will look to break through tonight as they begin a two-game set against Montreal.

After a full week off, the Oilers are back in action tonight to take on the Winnipeg Jets. With only 14 games left in the season and a playoff spot essentially wrapped up, there aren't too many more important games on the Oilers' schedule. Tonight is certainly one of those games. The Oilers are currently five points back of the Jets in the North Division standings but do have two games in hand of them. A win tonight will go a long way in helping them catch Winnipeg and hopefully, secure home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs. We should see a rested Oilers group, although rest hasn't always helped them this season, but there really aren't any excuses for the club tonight. They should put their best foot forward in this one. They'll need to show well tonight because their opponent has been red-hot as of late.

The Oilers will be eyeing up their sixth win of the season over the Calgary Flames tonight, something they haven't done since 1985-86. The Flames are pretty much out of the playoff race but you know they'll still be fired up for the chance to beat their provincial rivals. The Battle of Alberta hasn't been as spicy as it was last season, but there have been some heated moments and I'm sure the Flames haven't forgotten how Mike Smith celebrated the last victory by yelling right at Matt Tkachuk. There are no free spaces on the bingo card in this division and if the Oilers want to grab two points and stay in second place in the North Division, they'll need to bring their 'A' game.

After winning their eighth straight game over the Ottawa Senators last night, the Oilers will look to complete the season sweep tonight with their second straight game in the nation's capital. It's been a dominant stretch for Edmonton but last night's win was closer than any of the others this season. They needed a really strong game from both Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl as well as some huge saves from Mikko Koskinen down the stretch. The Oilers have been very good in the second half of back-to-backs this season and the Sens just can't buy a break against Edmonton but can a ninth straight game really go the Oiler's way? At some point the law of averages has to come into play, RIGHT?