Corey Perry will make his Edmonton debut when the red-hot Oilers entertain the Nashville Predators on Saturday.
Perry, who signed a one-year, $775,000 contract on Monday, skated on a line with Dylan Holloway and Ryan McLeod during Friday’s practice.
The 38-year-old Perry had four goals and five assists in 16 games before being released by the Chicago Blackhawks in November for engaging in “unacceptable” conduct, according to the club.
“I think our players have a lot of respect for him because of the way he plays, and I think they have a lot of respect for what he can provide for our team,” Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said. “I think our team feels we’re preparing for something, that we’re just trying to get better, and I think he will help us.”
Edmonton became just the sixth team in NHL history to win 15 consecutive games, and the fifth to do so within a single season, with a 3-0 blanking of the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday.
The Oilers improved to 23-3-0 over their last 26 games and are now 25-6-0 since Knoblauch took over as head coach in November. The Oilers also are 13-0-0 against the Western Conference under Knoblauch.
“We’re just playing good enough to win right now,” Knoblauch said. “I think we’ve got a lot more in our group. As a coaching staff, we’re always pushing our guys to try and get better at something each day. And right now, I think we’ve been good enough to win games, and that’s about it.”
Forward Zach Hyman, the team leader with 29 goals in 43 games, has three goals over his past four games. Center Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is riding a four-game point streak, and captain Connor McDavid has points in 17 straight home games (11 goals and 25 assists).
Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner is expected to get the start Saturday. He is 18-2-0 with a .933 save percentage and 1.80 goals-against average in his last 20 starts.
The Oilers and Predators split the first two meetings this season, with Edmonton winning 6-1 in Nashville on Oct. 17. The Predators picked up a 5-2 victory in Edmonton on Nov. 4.
Nashville scored three third-period goals to earn a 3-2 win over the Minnesota Wild on Thursday. The victory ended a two-game losing skid.
“I really liked our start,” Nashville coach Andrew Brunette said. “I thought we dictated the pace of play. Got a little cute with the puck in the offensive zone. I think (in) the second (period), we got in a little penalty trouble, self-inflicted, lost a little bit of momentum, and I thought we came out in the third, had a great third period.”
Nashville, fourth in the Central Division, is 13-9-1 on the road this season and 5-5-0 in their last 10 games.
The Predators are led offensively by forward Filip Forsberg, who has 23 goals and 50 points in 48 games. Captain Roman Josi has two goals and nine assists in his last eight games. The Predators are 30-3-3 all-time when both Josi and Forsberg find the back of the net in the same game.
Goaltender Juuse Saros is 19-18-1 this season with a 2.91 GAA and a .904 save percentage.
Nashville wraps up the three-game road trip on Monday in Ottawa.
–Field Level Media