PRE-GAME REPORT: Oilers at Avalanche

The Edmonton Oilers will visit Ball Arena for the second time this season on Thursday when they conclude back-to-back games against the Colorado Avalanche.

You can watch the game on Sportsnet at 7:30 MT or listen live on the Oilers Radio Network, including 880 CHED.

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PRE-GAME REPORT: Oilers at Avalanche

DENVER, CO – The Edmonton Oilers will wrap up back-to-back games on Thursday night with their second visit to Ball Arena this season to take on the Colorado Avalanche.

The Oilers picked up a 4-1 victory to open the season series back on Nov. 30 in Denver where Kasperi Kapanen, Vasily Podkolzin and Brett Kulak responded with goals for the Blue & Orange after Nikolai Kovalenko scored a first-period power-play goal to give the Avalanche the early advantage.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins added an empty-netter for a multi-point night, and Stuart Skinner made 27 saves for the Oilers, who’ve recorded an NHL-best 16-4-1 record since their last victory in the Mile High City.

On Wednesday, despite trailing the Minnesota Wild 2-0 in the first period off two power-play goals, the Oilers came back for a second straight game from a multi-goal deficit to claim a 5-3 victory, marking their fifth comeback this season after trailing by more than one goal.

"When things aren't going well, they don't pack it in," Head Coach Kris Knoblauch said. "I absolutely love the character of this team."

Connor McDavid had two goals and an assist, surpassing Jari Kurri for the second-most points in Oilers history with 1,044 and also Daniel Sedin for 81st on the NHL’s all-time scoring list. Wayne Gretzky is the captain’s next target for the franchise lead at 1,669 points – 625 away.

"Quite a remarkable feat for him to go up the scoring list as quickly as he has, and within an organization that has had so many significant players," Knoblauch said. "But I've seen so many remarkable things from him. He's a tremendous player and a great teammate. I said that I wouldn't be surprised anymore just because he surprises you so often, but it's a nice feat for him."

The Oilers are 15-0-2 in games this season when McDavid scores, but goaltender Calvin Pickard deserves his plaudits for how he locked down the crease, making game-defining saves on a two-on-none against Joel Eriksson-Ek in the second period and a huge pad stop on Marco Rossi late in the final frame.

"It was a pretty wild game," Pickard said. "It was 3-3 in the second period and I just wanted to hold them there. I knew we were going to score one or two more. I just wanted to keep it at three and it was a huge third period by us."

Pickard made a season-high 31 saves and won his third straight start, improving to 7-1-0 over his last eight starts.

"You just have to shut the door," Pickard said. "They had some good looks early in the second, and they ended up getting one, but it's still a one-goal game, and you just gotta keep hitting the ball back and keep the game close because we have a great team that can score goals, and we did that tonight.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins had a goal and an assist, and Vasily Podkolzin got credit for the game-winner in the 5-3 victory that lifted the Oilers record over their last 23 games to a league-best 18-4-1.

Edmonton is 4-4-0 in the second of back-to-backs this season.

Thursday’s meeting with the Avalanche will feature three of the NHL’s favourites for the Hart Trophy in Leon Draisaitl, Nathan MacKinnon and Connor McDavid, with Winnipeg's Connor Hellebuyck being the other name on that list and currently leading the charge

That list doesn’t include Cale Makar and Mikko Rantanen, or Oilers winger Zach Hyman, who since being left off Canada’s 4 Nations Face-Off roster has the second-most goals (12) behind Winnipeg’s Mark Scheifele (13).

Makar needs one goal to reach 100 for his career and can become the sixth-fastest defenceman to record a century of goals, while Rantanen’s 678 points are the third-most by a Finnish-born player through their first 615 career games in NHL history.