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Oilers-Canucks Preview

Dec 25, 2009 - 11:08 PM By ANTHONY GIORNALISTA STATS Senior Writer

Edmonton (15-18-4) at Vancouver (21-16-0), 10:00 p.m. EDT

The Vancouver Canucks' longest homestand of the season has been largely successful. They certainly haven't had any difficulty there when facing the Edmonton Oilers in 2009-10.

The Canucks will try to come away with a third straight win over the struggling Oilers on Saturday night in the finale of an eight-game stretch at GM Place.

Starting with a victory over Atlanta on Dec. 10, Vancouver (21-16-0) has gone 5-2-0 at home to boost its record there to 15-6-0. Only Central Division-leading Chicago has more home wins with 16.

After losing 2-1 at Edmonton on Oct. 19, the Canucks have bounced back with two straight home wins against the Oilers (15-8-4). Roberto Luongo stopped 27 shots in a 2-0 triumph Oct. 25 and seven players found the back of the net for Vancouver in a 7-3 win Nov. 28.

The Canucks went 4 for 5 with the man advantage in that contest, and are 11 for 26 in their last five home games versus the Oilers, winning four. This will be Edmonton's final regular-season visit to Vancouver.

Daniel and Henrik Sedin combined for a goal and three assists in the last matchup against the Northwest Division rivals. The twins continued their scoring surge on the homestand with each recording a goal and two assists in a 4-1 win over Nashville on Tuesday.

Daniel Sedin has had five goals and five assists on the homestand while Henrik has totaled two goals and nine assists.

"The last couple of weeks we've felt good, we're moving the puck well and we know where each other are so it's fun," said Henrik Sedin, who is third in the NHL with 47 points (16 goals, 31 assists).

In the last five home games against Edmonton, Daniel Sedin has three goals and three assists while Henrik has a goal and three assists.

Luongo is 11-5-1 with a 2.08 goals-against average since Nov. 14, and has fared well at home against Edmonton in recent seasons, going 7-1-1 with a 1.77 GAA and two shutouts in nine games.

With Nikolai Khabibulin still sidelined by a sore back, the Oilers have been going with youngsters Jeff Deslauriers and Devan Dubnyk, but neither has played particularly well. Following a 3-1 loss to Minnesota on Wednesday, Deslauriers has lost his last four starts with a 3.81 GAA while Dubnyk, who didn't face the Wild, has surrendered 10 goals in his first two NHL games this season.

In last month's loss to the Canucks, Deslauriers was pulled after allowing four goals in the first 8:25. Dubnyk stopped 21 of 24 shots the rest of the way.

The Oilers rebounded from that rout with a season-high five-game winning streak, but come in looking to avoid a sixth straight loss.

"If we can just get rid of some of those boneheaded soft plays, we'll get there," Edmonton coach Pat Quinn said.

Robert Nilsson scored the against the Wild, giving him four goals and four assists in his last 10 games. The left wing had only one goal and three assists in his first 12 contests.

Fellow left wing Dustin Penner, who leads the Oilers with 19 goals and 19 assists, has been held off the scoresheet in three of his last five games. He had no points in four games against the Canucks before posting a goal and an assist in the teams' last meeting.