HOCKEY: Oilers, with scoring touch revived, take on slumping Sabres

Oilers Look to Extend Hot Streak Against Slumping Sabres. The Edmonton Oilers are riding a wave of momentum and will aim to keep their streak alive when they host the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday.

Edmonton comes into the matchup having won two straight games and four of their last six (4-2-0), rebounding after losing four of five (1-3-1) earlier. The Oilers dominated at home in their most recent outing, defeating the Winnipeg Jets 6-2 on Saturday. That followed a 9-4 victory over the Seattle Kraken on Thursday.

“We look a lot more connected, we look a lot faster,” Edmonton center Leon Draisaitl said. “Obviously, we're looking to take steps and continue to get better. Sometimes you lose confidence in your own ability and the ability of the group a little bit, and then it takes a little [while] to get out of it. Hopefully, we can string a couple together here.”

Edmonton’s offense has surged in recent games, scoring at least four goals in each of their past four wins and putting up three in one of their two losses. At the end of a five-game slump on Nov. 20, the Oilers were averaging 2.96 goals per game. Entering Tuesday, that number has jumped to 3.31, ranking them seventh in the NHL.

“I think we're starting to get that feeling back,” forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins said. “You could see [during the skid] the way that we want to play creeping into our game, and it's never gonna go super smooth, but we know what we're capable of and it takes a lot of work. We're at our best when it's simple and we're working hard, and then our skill takes over from there.”

Buffalo, meanwhile, is midway through a season-high six-game road trip and is still searching for a win away from home. Their latest setback came Monday in Calgary, a 7-4 defeat to the Flames. Despite cutting Calgary’s lead in half four times, the Sabres could never equalize, and the Flames added two empty-net goals late in the third period.

“S--t game. Horrible game,” said Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin, who had a goal and an assist. “That's all I can say. The result, how the game ended. A lot of errors.”

The Sabres are 2-9-2 on the road this season, the worst mark in the NHL. Both road wins came beyond regulation—a Nov. 15 overtime victory against the Detroit Red Wings and a Nov. 29 shootout win over the Minnesota Wild.

“We need to win a game,” Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff said.

Buffalo’s penalty kill has been a strong point all season, ranking among the top three in the NHL. However, it has struggled on the current road trip, allowing four power-play goals on 11 chances. The Sabres took five penalties on Monday, and Calgary converted twice after 5-on-3 situations were reduced to 5-on-4.

“We've been pretty good all year not getting caught on 5-on-3,” Ruff said. “You've got to eliminate that. We know going into [Tuesday's] game … we can't give Edmonton five or six power plays.” -Field Level Media/Reuters Credit: Walter Tychnowicz-Imagn Images