Entering tonight's head-to-head contest, the Edmonton Oilers have five fewer points in the standings (55) than the Colorado Avalanche (60) to hold the best chance at obtaining the No. 1 overall selection in the 2011 NHL Draft. While there are still several weeks left to play, this will be a race to watch.
The Avalanche enter this game on a 10-game losing streak, not having won since Feb. 22 when they defeated the St. Louis Blues, 4-3 (their last win before that was also against the St. Louis Blues, Jan. 24). The current losing streak started with a 5-1 loss to the Oilers on Feb. 23. And on March 5, the Oilers beat the Avs once again, 5-1. The Oilers are 3-1 against the Avs and have one more game in April after tonight's contest.
The Oilers, meanwhile, enter the game on a five-game losing streak, their last win coming in that March 5 contest against the Avalanche. They scored four goals over their last five games.
The puck drops at 8:00 p.m. MT on Altitude2.