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Oilers-Blue Jackets Preview

Nov 15, 2009 - 11:13 PM By SANTOSH VENKATARAMAN STATS Senior Writer

Edmonton (8-9-2) at Columbus (10-6-2), 7:00 p.m. EDT

The Columbus Blue Jackets are giving Mathieu Garon the opportunity to start for the time being.

Garon will be in net for Columbus on Monday night to face the Edmonton Oilers in the finale of a four-game homestand.

Columbus (10-6-2) bounced back from a 9-1 loss to Detroit on Wednesday for a 3-2 shootout victory over Anaheim two nights later. Garon made 32 saves Friday to improve to 3-1 with a 2.60 goals-against average in four starts.

"Well, I think that's what we needed," Garon said of the overall effort. "As a team we worked hard, we dominated and we wanted to get back on track and that's what we did tonight."

Coach Ken Hitchcock announced over the weekend that Garon would start again Monday. Steve Mason, last season's Calder Trophy winner, is 7-5-2 with a 3.67 GAA in 2009-10.

Mason gave up eight goals in the loss to Detroit. He went 33-20-7 with a 2.29 GAA last season and was the runner-up for the Vezina Trophy.

Rick Nash and Kristian Huselius scored for Columbus on Friday. Nash has seven goals in his last seven games and has scored in five straight home games.

Huselius was activated before the game after missing four contests with an arm injury and helped provide the Blue Jackets with some better energy.

"We competed really hard," Hitchcock said. "It was a big time game. We worked a lot harder and the level of determination was 10 times better than it was against Detroit."

The Blue Jackets will be trying to slow down Edmonton winger Ales Hemsky, who has seven goals and 15 assists in his last 12 games against them, with 12 points in the last four. Hemsky had a goal and four assists and linemate Dustin Penner finished with two goals and three assists in a 6-4 victory Oct. 22.

That's the only loss for Garon this season as Columbus blew a 4-1 lead. Garon is 2-6-1 with a 3.73 GAA in nine starts against the Oilers.

Edmonton (8-10-2) is wrapping up a five-game trip. The Oilers won the first game, 5-3 at Colorado last Sunday before losing the next three.

The latest setback was a 3-2 loss in Atlanta on Sunday, when Edmonton squandered a one-goal lead after second-period goals by Penner and Shawn Horcoff.

"We are a team that finds a way not to do the right thing," Oilers coach Pat Quinn said. "We missed our assignments today and instead of walking away with something to work with, we walk away with nothing but maybe a moral victory."

Oilers goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin made 27 saves in the loss. Khabibulin could get the night off in favor of backup Jeff Deslauriers, who has a 1.96 GAA this season.