Oilersnation Pre Game Podcast with Tyler Yaremchuk

After blowing a third-period lead in Montreal to kick off their road trip, the Oilers will move on to play back-to-back games against the Ottawa Senators. The Oilers have been winning their fair share of games recently but they haven't exactly been playing their best hockey and Monday's game was a prime example of that. Yes, they got a point, but, there were far more negatives to pull from that game than positives. The next two games will be a great chance for the Oilers and their star players to bounce back. Not only have the Oilers beaten the Senators in each of their seven meetings this season but they've outscored them by 19 goals. It's basically been dominant win after dominant win. McDavid and Draisaitl, who didn't score against Montreal, have combined for 33 points in the seven games against the Sens.

After a very short stint at home, the Oilers are back on the road once again this week. They start a three-game road trip tonight in Montreal against a Habs team that has played them very well so far this season. The Canadiens are now 3-1-0 against the Oilers and a big reason why they've had so much success is that they've been able to shut down both Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl better than any other team in this division. The Oiler's big guns will look to get rolling tonight as the team looks for their second straight victory. Thanks to a win on Saturday over the Flames, the Oilers are basically locked into a playoff spot but if they want home-ice advantage in round one, winning games against Montreal will go a long way.

After getting thoroughly dominated by the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday night, the Oilers are back in action tonight for another Battle of Alberta. Edmonton has done well in these matchups so far this season, winning four out of the six, and now with Calgary ten points back of them in the standings, they can really put them away with a strong finish to the season series. The Flames have lost four of their last five while the Oilers have a record of 3-1-1 in their last five. Considering how the last game went for Edmonton though, they should be very motivated to bring their 'A' game here tonight against their provincial rivals.

The Oilers will take on the Montreal Canadiens tonight as they wrap up their eastern road trip. It's been a bit of a weird trip considering their first three games were wiped out because the Habs had to enter COVID protocol. Still, they can end the trip on a high note with a win tonight and considering the fact that the Habs haven't played a game in 10 days, I like the Oilers' chances of getting off to a good start tonight and walking away with two points. This is a very winnable game. Dave Tippett will roll with the same lineup as last game, with Mikko Koskinen starting between the pipes.

The Oilers will be looking to avoid a sixth straight loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs tonight as they play each other for the final time this season. Edmonton was really close to grabbing two points on Saturday night, they were eight minutes away to be exact, but they got a little unlucky and couldn't close out the game, which is uncharacteristic for this Oilers team. A bounceback tonight is important if they want to keep pace with both the Leafs and Jets in the North Division standings. This is also the start of back-to-back games for the Oilers, who will have a game tomorrow against Montreal after the NHL announced changes to the team's schedule. The next 48 hours will go a long way in determining if the Oilers will be fighting for home-ice advantage in round one of the playoffs.

Well, after a long week off, the Oilers finally return to the ice tonight to take on the Toronto Maple Leafs. This will be the first time that the Oilers have faced the Leafs since Toronto swept them in a three-game set almost a month ago. Since then though, these two teams have basically been polar opposites. The Oilers are 7-2-0 since those three losses to the Leafs while Toronto has just three wins in their last nine games. Like the Oilers, the Leafs have also had some time off recently. Tonight will be just their second game in the last seven days. Was the time off a good thing for Edmonton? What do they need to do to beat the Leafs tonight? I go through all of that today in the Pre Game Podcast (brought to you by YEG Burger & Nation Beer)!

Are the Oilers playing their best hockey of the season right now? They just might be. They've won three in a row and are coming off an incredibly impressive third-period comeback over the Winnipeg Jets. The Oilers will be looking to keep their hot streak going as they begin a five-game road trip tonight with a matchup against the Montreal Canadiens. The Habs have just two regulation losses in their last ten games but have just four wins in that span. The Habs will also be without Tyler Toffoli, who is top five in the NHL goal-scoring race, for this entire three-game set against the Oilers. A big run over this road trip would be huge for the Oilers, who can jump into first place in the North Division with a win tonight.

After grinding out a win on Thursday night, the Oilers will look to finish off their two-game set against the Winnipeg Jets by grabbing another two points. In game one, it was really the Connor McDavid show. Neither team seemed to have much in the tank. The pace wasn't overly quick and there weren't flurries of offensive chances but McDavid was able to produce offence when the rest of his team couldn't. Tonight, Dave Tippett will be looking for a more complete effort from his group as a regulation win would put them four points up on Winnipeg in the North Division standings. The Jets will have Connor Hellebuyck between the pipes tonight but their number one goalie has struggled lately, allowing at least three goals against in seven straight appearances. The door is open for an Oilers win.

The Oilers hit the ice for a second straight night and will be looking for a second straight win as they welcome the Winnipeg Jets to Rogers Place. The Oilers are returning home from a three-game road trip that saw them pick up just two points. Those points came last night though in a 7-3 thrashing of the Calgary Flames, who they now sit seven points up on in the North Division standings. Tonight, Edmonton will shift their focus on catching up to the Winnipeg Jets who are also coming off a win last night and while they have the same amount of points as the Oilers, they do have three games in hand. If Edmonton wants home-ice advantage in round one of the playoffs, winning these head-to-head matchups against the Jets will go a long way.

The Oilers will be looking to avoid a third straight loss tonight as they wrap up a two-game set against the Calgary Flames at the Saddledome. Edmonton lost their second straight one-goal game on Monday night and for the second straight time, they were really just a bounce away from forcing the game to overtime. Still, there were some glaring mistakes made by the team and there are things they'll need to clean up rather quickly if they want to avoid a costly losing streak. The team didn't just lose the game on Monday either, they also lost the services of Tyson Barrie and Jujhar Khaira. How could the lineup look without those? I go through that, my keys to the game, and more in today's Pre Game Podcast!