Ottawa @ Edmonton preview

Last Meeting ( Mar 23, 2019 ) Ottawa 4, Edmonton 3

Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl - the league leaders in points - play in front of the home crowd Wednesday when the Pacific Division-leading Edmonton Oilers take on the slumping Ottawa Senators. McDavid (19 goals, 32 assists) and Draisaitl (18 and 32) became the first teammates since Pittsburgh's Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr and Ron Francis in 1995-96 to reach 50 points in less than 30 games to start a season after recording two apiece in a 3-2 victory over Vancouver on Sunday.

Draisaitl netted two power-play goals Sunday and McDavid added two assists - one with the man advantage for his NHL-most 22nd power-play point with Draisaitl next at 18. “They’re good players,” Oilers coach Dave Tippett told reporters after his team ended a two-game slide Sunday. “You know they make stuff happen out there. I thought they both were really good tonight.” Ottawa’s roller coaster season marches on as the team battled back to a .500 record after a 1-5-1 start to the season, but are now spiraling downward after a 5-2 loss to Vancouver on Tuesday - the Senators fifth straight regulation defeat. Ottawa has combined to score six goals during its five-game rut, which continues a season-long trend as the club ranks 27th in the NHL in goals (71) and is tied with Anaheim with a league-worst eight power play tallies.

TV: 9:30 p.m. ET, TVA, Sportsnet West, TSN5

ABOUT THE SENATORS (11-16-1): Center Jean-Gabriel Pageau scored his team-best 15th goal Tuesday and is on pace for 44 goals and 61 points, which would shatter his career highs of 19 and 43 set in 2015-16. Goaltender Anders Nilsson gave up seven goals Friday in a loss to Minnesota and followed that up by recording 11 saves and surrendering four first-period goals to the Canucks. After finishing fourth on the team with 48 points a season ago, center Chris Tierney has managed three goals in 2019-20 and hasn’t found the back of the net in his past 19 games.

ABOUT THE OILERS (17-9-3): McDavid earned the NHL’s First Star of the Month for November that saw the 22-year-old produce a league-best 13 goals and 26 points in 14 games. Goaltender Mikko Koskinen is sporting a .921 save percentage with a 2.52 goals-against average while only losing in regulation twice through his first 14 starts (10-2-2). Zach Kassian (nine goals, 19 points), the team’s third most productive scorer while skating on the line with McDavid and Draisaitl, will miss his second straight game with a back injury.

OVERTIME

1. Edmonton D Matt Benning returned to the lineup Sunday after missing five games with a concussion but was promptly placed back on injured reserve and will miss at least the next three games.

2. The Oilers have the best success rate with the man advantage in the NHL (32.5 percent) while the Senators have the worst (9.0).

3. Ottawa G Chris Anderson is expected to return to the crease Wednesday after the 17-year veteran missed Sunday’s game with a lower-body injury.

PREDICTION: Oilers 5, Senators 3