BLUE JACKETS (17-5-4) at OILERS (15-11-5)
9 p.m. ET; SNW, FS-O, NHL.TV
Blue Jackets team scope
Columbus Blue Jackets captain Nick Foligno will return to the lineup after missing the past two games with the flu. Foligno has 10 goals and 22 points in 24 games this season. "It was not enjoyable at all, so it's good to be back and get over it," Foligno said. "When you step away, you get to see the game from a different angle and realize how well we are playing, and the areas we can improve in and try to bring that into the game tonight." The Blue Jackets are on a six-game winning streak and have points in 13 of their past 14 games (11-1-2). Their record is nine straight wins from March 18 to April 4, 2015. "We're only a quarter of the way into this [season] and we haven't really done anything, I keep saying that because it's true," Foligno said. "You measure success by how you do in the playoff and we're a long way away from that. It has to be a work mentality, a humble mentality, but an honest mentality too. We know we're doing something special here, but it has to continue." Forward Sam Gagner leads the Blue Jackets with 11 goals, and has three goals and three assists in his past three games. "I've gotten a great opportunity to play important minutes, I'm out there at important times of the game," Gagner said. "I really relish that opportunity. I want to be counted on in those opportunities and I've enjoyed that."
Oilers team scope
Defenseman Brandon Davidson will play his first game for the Edmonton Oilers since injuring his shoulder in the season opener against the Calgary Flames on Oct. 12. Davidson missed 30 games. "I feel like Christmas came early," Davidson said. "I'm excited. I'm ready to go. I think that the medical staff and the training staff has done a tremendous job of getting me to this point and I'm just ready. I'm ready to go play, I'm tired of sitting around. I want to make an impact. It's been going pretty well for the guys and I just want to be a bigger part of that." Edmonton ended a four-game losing streak (0-1-3) with a 3-2 win against the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday. "We're trying to become that defensive team that allows our skill to score some key goals and our power play to win us hockey games," said forward Mark Letestu, who scored twice in the win against Winnipeg. "The structure for us isn't going to change much, but we have to limit these guys [Columbus] on the power play, otherwise it could be a long night." The Oilers play the second of a three-game homestand. "Columbus do score a lot of goals, but they prevent a lot too," coach Todd McLellan said. "Their ability to play either way makes them special, I think, and they're the top two or three teams in the League right now."
Blue Jackets projected lineup
Brandon Saad -- Alexander Wennberg -- Nick Foligno
Boon Jenner -- Brandon Dubinsky -- Cam Atkinson
Scott Hartnell -- William Karlsson -- Josh Anderson
Matt Calvert -- Lukas Sedlak -- Sam Gagner
Markus Nutivaara -- Ryan Murray
Scratched: Oliver Bjorkstrand, Scott Harrington
Injured: David Clarkson (lower body), Dalton Prout (back)
Oilers projected lineup
Milan Lucic -- Connor McDavid -- Drake Caggiula
Patrick Maroon -- Ryan Nugent-Hopkins -- Jordan Eberle
Benoit Pouliot -- Leon Draisaitl -- Jesse Puljujarvi
Tyler Pitlick -- Mark Letestu -- Zack Kassian
Brandon Davidson -- Matt Benning
Scratched: Anton Slepyshev, Matt Hendricks, Dillon Simpson
Injured: Iiro Pakarinen (knee), Andrew Ference (hip), Darnell Nurse (foot), Eric Gryba (undisclosed), Mark Fayne (lower body)
Status report
Bjorkstand will sit with the return of Foligno to the Blue Jackets lineup. … Puljujarvi is expected to play after being a healthy scratch the past two games … Edmonton assigned defenseman David Musil to Bakersfield of the American Hockey League to make room for Davidson on the roster.
Who's hot
Saad has two goals and three assists in his past five games … Atkinson has two goals and two assists in his past two games. … Draisaitl has three goals and two assists in his past four games … Letestu has two goals and an assist in his past three games … McDavid has a goal and four assists in his past four games.
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