PROJECTED LINEUP: Oilers vs. Wild

EDMONTON, AB – The Edmonton Oilers will name an unchanged lineup from their 4-0 shutout victory over the Seattle Kraken on Saturday when they welcome the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday night to begin a five-game homestand at Rogers Place.

"I think last game was a step in the right direction," Leon Draisaitl said. "Certainly, it looked more like the group that we want to be and how we want to play. But one game is one game. You've got to do it over a span of time, and tonight is obviously a good opponent and a great chance to follow it up."

Goaltender Stuart Skinner will make his third straight start after following up allowing four goals on eight shots in an 8-3 defeat to the Dallas Stars last Tuesday with a 26-save shutout in Seattle this past Saturday – the ninth clean sheet of the 27-year-old's NHL career and his second of the season.

Skinner is poised to start against Jesper Wallstedt in the opposite crease, with the 23-year-old having won six straight starts and owning a 7-0-2 record with a 1.93 GAA and .938 SV% for the Wild so far this season.

Defenceman Jake Walman is unable to go tonight despite practicing with the Oilers on Monday and will miss a fourth consecutive game since blocking a shot during the second period of a 2-1 overtime defeat to the Tampa Bay Lightning back on Nov. 20. Walman will now put his focus on returning later this week either on Thursday or Saturday when the Oilers continue their homestand against the Kraken or Jets, respectively.

Forwards Jack Roslovic (lower body), Kasperi Kapanen (knee) and Noah Philp (undisclosed) all remain out and facing multi-week recoveries.

The Oilers will face stiff Central Division opposition for the third straight game at Rogers Place after the Stars and Avalanche came into Oil Country and earned big victories, so the Blue & Orange are hoping to start gaining some traction this season on home ice against one of the hottest teams in the NHL.

"Two of the last three games [at home] have been very underwhelming performances by our team against very good teams," Head Coach Kris Knoblauch said. "Minnesota is one of the best teams in the league right now, especially the way they're playing. It's going to be another test as we had in the previous games."

"We don't need to overthink it," Draisaitl added. "We've certainly laid a couple of complete eggs here at home, but just go out and keep it simple. It's a cliché, but just get to our game, make it feel like playing the game that we want to play, have that intensity, and we'll be fine."

The Wild are 11-1-2 over their last 14 games, having just had a seven-game win streak snapped on Saturday in a 3-2 shootout defeat to the Sabres.

"They've got a very good team, very explosive," Knoblauch said. "They've got some very dangerous players on their first and second lines, and also their defencemen – for the most part – all of them move the puck really well and get involved. Obviously, they're playing very well lately. I believe they've got 11 wins in the last 14 games.

"The goaltending that they get, when they do make mistakes, has been phenomenal during this stretch. So they've got a good team, and when they do make mistakes, they're getting some really key saves. They've got some very dynamic and dangerous players, and if you give them an opportunity, they capitalize on it."

View the Oilers Projected Lineup vs. the Wild below:

Savoie - McDavid - Hyman
Podkolzin - Draisaitl - Mangiapane
Henrique - Nugent-Hopkins - Janmark
Clattenburg - Lazar - Frederic

Ekholm - Bouchard
Nurse - Regula
Kulak - Emberson

Skinner
Pickard