The Edmonton Oilers (37-22-4) begin a four-game road trip on Monday evening when the hockey club faces off against the Buffalo Sabres (24-32-6).
The Oilers emerged as winners when they hosted the Dallas Stars on Saturday night, squeaking by the Central Division powerhouse with a 5-4 victory.
The Oilers have a 4-6-0 record in their past 10 games. The team’s players and coaches have spoken recently about the need to play better.
“We’re a team that’s been through a ton of adversity,” Oilers forward Zach Hyman said after Saturday’s win. “I’m not saying we’ve got our ‘A’ game back by any means; I think there’s a long way to go. But I wouldn’t count out our group of guys that we have here, the experience that we have here.
“I think we’re pretty confident in this group and we have a little stretch here to get to playing our best so that we’re feeling good going into the playoffs.”
Saturday’s game marked the Oilers debut for defenceman Jake Walman, who was acquired by the club ahead of the NHL trade deadline on Friday. Edmonton’s head coach Kris Knoblauch said Walman had a “heck of a start” as an Oiler.
“There’s so much we liked about his game,” Knoblauch said after Saturday’s game.
“Sometimes as a player, you have that adrenalin and you’re really excited about that one, but I think we’ll see a lot of play like he did tonight, and that’s why management thought very highly of him to trade for him, which I think is really going to pay off for us.”
Walman will likely play a big role on the Oilers’ blue line again on Monday as Edmonton confirmed that fellow defencemen Mattias Ekholm and John Klingberg remain out of the lineup with injuries. Forward Jeff Skinner, a former Sabre, is expected to be in Edmonton’s lineup after being scratched on Saturday.
Stuart Skinner is expected to start in goal for the Oilers on Monday night.
The Oilers have a 17-11-2 record on the road this season, while the Sabres have gone 15-14-3 at home.
— with files from The Canadian Press’s Shane Jones
