CANUCKS (16-18-3) at OILERS (19-12-6)
10 p.m. ET; CBC, SN, NHL.TV
Canucks team scope
The Vancouver Canucks are trying to win their third straight game, something they haven't done since winning their first four games of the season. They defeated the Anaheim Ducks 3-2 in overtime Friday and Los Angeles Kings 2-1 on Wednesday. They came back from a two-goal second-period deficit against the Ducks and center Henrik Sedin scored in overtime. "We didn't get off to a great start, but I thought we took over halfway through the first and we played even with them," Sedin told the Canucks website Friday. "It was a good comeback win for us, and to get two points here after L.A. too is huge for us." The Canucks did not have a morning skate Saturday. They are nine points behind the Edmonton Oilers in the Pacific Division standings. The Canucks lost their first game against the Oilers this season 2-0 in Vancouver on Oct. 28. "They [Oilers] are a big team, they have lots of speed and they are hard to handle back-to-back," Canucks coach Willie Desjardins said Friday. "We're just focused on this one [Friday] and [Saturday] going in there we know what to expect. We know they're going to be good and we know we have to be ready. It's a big game for us." Canucks forward Daniel Sedin is one assist from 600 in the NHL. Jacob Markstrom is expected to start in goal after Ryan Miller made 24 saves in the win Friday.
Oilers team scope
The Oilers have won four of their past five games (4-0-1) and are playing at home on New Year's Eve for the fourth time. They are 2-14-1 on New Year's Eve and have not won since defeating the Philadelphia Flyers 4-3 in Edmonton on Dec. 31, 1985. "This is huge, obviously," forward Leon Draisaitl said. "Divisional games are always big. We know they [Canucks] have been playing pretty good hockey lately, so we have to make sure we're ready. This is a big game for us." Draisaitl has seven goals and 15 points in his past 13 games. The Oilers are second in the Pacific Division; they have 44 points, the same as the Ducks, but have played one fewer game. They're also three points behind the first-place San Jose Sharks. "Our confidence is pretty high," Draisaitl said. "I think the last couple of games we've been playing really good and we've been getting together some wins and a lot of points over the last five or six games, which is huge." Defenseman Andrej Sekera will miss his second consecutive game because of an illness. Sekera participated in an optional morning skate Saturday but is not expected to play until the Oilers begin a four-game road trip at the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday. "He's lost a lot of weight and his energy level is low," coach Todd McLellan said. "We're hoping that he can build that back up in time to play in Columbus."
Canucks projected lineup
Daniel Sedin -- Henrik Sedin -- Jayson Megna
Loui Eriksson -- Brandon Sutter -- Markus Granlund
Sven Baertschi -- Bo Horvat -- Alexandre Burrows
Brendan Gaunce -- Michael Chaput -- Jack Skille
Alexander Edler -- Troy Stecher
Luca Sbisa -- Christopher Tanev
Jacob Markstrom
Ryan Miller
Scratched: Andrey Pedan, Anton Rodin, Alex Biega
Injured: Derek Dorsett (back), Erik Gudbranson (wrist), Philip Larsen (upper body), Jannik Hansen (knee)
Oilers projected lineup
Milan Lucic -- Connor McDavid -- Jordan Eberle
Patrick Maroon -- Ryan Nugent-Hopkins -- Leon Draisaitl
Matt Hendricks -- Mark Letestu -- Zack Kassian
Benoit Pouliot -- Drake Caggiula -- Jesse Puljujarvi
Kris Russell -- Matthew Benning
Brandon Davidson -- Eric Gryba
Scratched: Taylor Beck, Jordan Oesterle,
Injured: Iiro Pakarinen (knee), Andrew Ference (hip), Darnell Nurse (foot), Mark Fayne (lower body), Tyler Pitlick (knee), Andrej Sekera (illness)
Status report
Miller is not expected to play, but he is one win away from 350 in the NHL. … The Oilers recalled defenseman Jordan Oesterle from Bakersfield of the American Hockey League on Friday for insurance because a flu bug is making its way through the locker room.
Who's hot
Eriksson has two goals and two assists in his past four games. Henrik Sedin has scored the game-winning goal in two straight games. … Maroon has three goals in his past four games. Draisaitl has one goal and five assists in his past five games.
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