Edmonton @ Arizona preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 27, 2018 ) Arizona 2, Edmonton 3

The Arizona Coyotes were making a charge up the Pacific Division in early December after ripping off four straight victories but they have stalled and are finding wins hard to come by. The same holds true for the sagging Edmonton Oilers, who are mired in a six-game losing streak and now must open a four-game road trip with a visit to the Coyotes on Wednesday night.

Arizona is 4-9-0 over its last 13 games and has won only once in regulation during that span while being limited to one goal or less in each of its last six losses, including a 5-1 drubbing by visiting Vegas on Sunday that left coach Rick Tocchet flustered. "I just saw a team go totally south on us," Tocchet said of his club's lackluster effort. "So maybe we have some players here that just can't do it regularly and we're going to have to find some players that will." Hitting the road may not be the worst thing for Edmonton, which has surrendered 29 goals during its slide and capped an 0-for-5 homestand with a 4-3 loss to Winnipeg on Monday. "We are making too many little mistakes and that starts with me and the top guys," Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl said. "We have to clean that up."

TV: 9:30 p.m. ET, Sportsnet, Sportsnet1 (Edmonton), FS Arizona Plus

ABOUT THE OILERS (18-18-3): Defensemen Brandon Manning and Alexander Petrovic, acquired in separate trades on Sunday, made their Edmonton debuts on Monday -- one day before coach Ken Hitchcock turned his attention to putting a spark in his offense. With the Oilers too reliant on top-line standouts Draisaitl and captain Connor McDavid, Hitchock moved Zack Kassian alongside his top two point producers while dropping Ty Rattie to the fourth line. "Rattie's playing well and he offers skill and speed to that (fourth) line," Hitchcock explained. "Kassian is going to bang bodies and create some space and room that we need."

ABOUT THE COYOTES (17-20-2): Forward Nick Schmaltz, who has five goals and 14 points in 17 games since he was acquired in a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks, did not practice Tuesday and was listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury. Forward Brad Richardson, sidelined for the past three games due to illness, centered a line with Alex Galchenyuk and Vinnie Hinostroza during practice and appears ready to return to the lineup against the Oilers. Galchenyuk supplied the only goal against the Golden Knights on the power play to extend his point streak to five games but he also finished the game with a minus-4.

OVERTIME

1. McDavid is averaging two points per game over his last 11 contests.

2. Arizona assigned G Calvin Pickard to Tucson of the American Hockey League on a conditioning loan.

3. Draisaitl has scored five times during a four-game goal streak and has amassed 19 points in the past 11 games.

PREDICTION: Oilers 4, Coyotes 3