ilers: @ :sharks: PreviewLast 10: Oilers 1-8-1; Sharks 7-2-1 Teams going in opposite directions!
Season series: This is the third of four meetings. On Nov. 27, each team scored 3 goals in a wild third period before Joe Pavelski scored the game-deciding shootout goal to give the Sharks a road win. Patrick Marleau had a hat trick for San Jose, and Ryan Potulny scored twice for the Oilers. On Jan. 2, San Jose jumped out to a 3-0 second-period lead en route to a 4-1 home victory that included goals by Jamie McGinn, Douglas Murray, Dany Heatley and Marleau.
Big story: The Oilers are playing their second game since announcing that goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin, signed to a four-year free agent contract last summer, would be undergoing surgery on his back to repair a herniated disc. As a result, he will most likely be lost to the team for the remainder of the 2009-10 regular season.
"(Jeff Deslauriers and Devan Dubnyk) are our options right now and I'm fine with that," GM Steve Tambellini told the Edmonton Journal. "There was so much push last season for JD to get some playing time, and he is getting it this year. He's had some really good games and others he'd like back. Devan was probably the No. 1 goalie in the American League last year, playing over 60 games. Devan deserves a chance here, too."
Who's hot?: For the Oilers, Sam Gagner has a goal and 4 assists in six games, Patrick O'Sullivan has a goal and 4 assists in four games and Denis Grebeshkov has a goal and 2 assists in four games. … For the Sharks, Heatley has 3 goals and 3 assists in five games, Dan Boyle has a goal and 5 assists in five games and Marleau has 2 goals and an assist in three games.
Injury report: For the Oilers, Khabibulin (back), Mike Comrie (mononucleosis), Marc Pouliot (pubic bone) and Ales Hemsky (shoulder surgery) are on injured reserve. The Sharks have no injuries to report.
