Vancouver @ Edmonton preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 16, 2019 ) Edmonton 3, Vancouver 2

A successful five-game road trip has helped keep the Edmonton Oilers relevant in the Western Conference playoff race. The club attempts to improve its chances when it begins a four-game homestand Thursday against the Vancouver Canucks.

Edmonton finished its 3-1-1 trek with three consecutive victories, including a 4-3 triumph in Buffalo on Monday that improved it to 5-1-2 in its last eight overall contests. The red-hot Leon Draisaitl and defenseman Darnell Nurse each recorded a goal and an assist against the Sabres for the Oilers, who are seven points behind Minnesota for the second wild-card spot in the West. Vancouver also trails the Wild by seven points as it rallied from a two-goal, third-period deficit at home on Wednesday to edge Toronto 3-2 after dropping three straight (0-2-1) and eight of its previous 10 (2-6-2). Defenseman Alex Edler scored 3:11 into the extra session for the Canucks, who are in the midst of a stretch during which they play only three of 14 contests on the road.

TV: 9 p.m. ET, Sportsnet Pacific (Vancouver), Sportsnet West (Edmonton)

ABOUT THE CANUCKS (28-30-9): Adam Gaudette recorded a pair of assists against the Maple Leafs, equaling the total from his previous 25 games. It was the second career two-point performance by the 22-year-old rookie center, who scored a goal and set up another on Feb. 14 at Los Angeles. Elias Pettersson, who leads the team with 56 points but has gone four games without one, needs four to tie the franchise record for most by a rookie shared by Ivan Hlinka (1981-82) and Pavel Bure (1991-92).

ABOUT THE OILERS (29-30-7): Draisaitl is riding a career high-tying 11-game point streak during which he has collected nine goals and eight assists. The 23-year-old German, who notched five tallies and 14 assists during an 11-game run from March 14-April 4, 2017, is second in the league with a personal-best 41 goals - five behind Washington's Alex Ovechkin. Captain Connor McDavid, who is eight points away from hitting the century mark for the third straight season, enters Thursday with a six-game streak of his own (two goals, eight assists) and has landed on the scoresheet in 14 of his last 15 contests (four, 18).

OVERTIME

1. Nurse has notched five of his career-high 34 points over his last four contests.

2. Canucks D Ben Hutton (foot) and C Ryan Spooner (groin) missed Wednesday's game and are day-to-day.

3. Edmonton LW Jujhar Khaira (lower body) was a full participant in Wednesday's practice and could be in the lineup against Vancouver after missing the last nine contests.

PREDICTION: Oilers 4, Canucks 2