Music: {allcanada} PENGUINS (8-4-0) at OILERS (5-8-0)

Thursday, November 5, 2015

{allcanada} PENGUINS (8-4-0) at OILERS (5-8-0)

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Friday, November 6, 2015

9:00 PM ET

PENGUINS (8-4-0) at OILERS (5-8-0)

TV: SN, ROOT

Season series: The Pittsburgh Penguins were 2-0-0 against the Edmonton Oilers last season. Goalie Marc-Andre Fleury made 22 saves in a 2-0 win at Rexall Place on Feb. 15. After blowing a 4-0 lead, Steve Downie and Patric Hornqvist scored 1:06 apart to give the Penguins a 6-4 victory March 15 at Consol Energy Center. Pittsburgh center Sidney Crosby had four points (goal, three assists).

Penguins team scope: Pittsburgh was expecting to face Edmonton's Connor McDavid for the first time, but McDavid sustained a fractured left clavicle Tuesday. "I was looking forward to playing against him, honestly," center Eric Fehr told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review after practice Thursday. "There's been a lot of hype the past couple years. He's one of the up-and-coming stars. It's always fun playing against those guys." Forward David Perron, who scored his first goal in 24 games Wednesday, has embraced his blue-collar role on a line with center Evgeni Malkin. "My job when I play with [Malkin and Phil Kessel] is to get in on the forecheck, work hard and get pucks back to them," Perron said. "That's what I did Wednesday. I have to keep doing that." Pittsburgh has won five straight and is 8-1-0 after starting the season with three losses. Fleury has won seven straight against the Oilers with a 2.15 goals-against average.

Oilers team scope: Edmonton will play its first game without McDavid, who is out indefinitely, but forward Jordan Eberle will make his season debut after being sidelined with a shoulder injury sustained in a preseason game Sept. 29. "I'm as ready as I'm going to be," said Eberle, who skated to the right of Taylor Hall and Leon Draisaitl at practice Thursday. Draisaitl was moved to his natural center position from right wing on a line with Hall and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins that combined for 20 points in the past three games. "We have to look at the rest of the team and we can't rely on one line," coach Todd McLellan said. Nugent-Hopkins took McDavid's place at center between Benoit Pouliot and Nail Yakupov. "I've played with Pouliot a little bit last year and really enjoyed playing with him, and we had some success at the end of last year," Nugent-Hopkins said. "It was fun, so hopefully, the chemistry picks up from there."