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Oilers welcome Thrashers for afternoon clash

Feb 19, 2011 - 4:18 PM (Sports Network) - The Edmonton Oilers will have an opportunity to accomplish something they haven't done in more than two months when the NHL's current bottom feeders wrap up a long homestand with this afternoon's tussle with the sputtering Atlanta Thrashers from Rexall Place.

After losing 12 times in a span of 14 outings and starting off their current six-game residency with three consecutive defeats, the Oilers have suddenly caught fire as of late. The team finally got back on the winning track with a 4-1 decision over Dallas on Tuesday, then followed up by downing Montreal by the same score Thursday night.

Ales Hemsky led the way offensively by scoring twice in Thursday's triumph, while Jordan Eberle began a three-goal outburst in the third period when he tallied nearly four minutes into the final session to snap a 1-1 tie.

Nikolai Khabibulin made the lead stand for Edmonton by turning aside 36-of-37 shots, the veteran goaltender's second straight victory following a personal 14-game losing streak.

The Oilers, who still stand last in the NHL with 44 points, have now prevailed in back-to-back contests for only the third time this season, and first since the club ripped off four wins in a row from Nov. 29-Dec. 4.

"We are a proud organization," Edmonton head coach Tom Renney said after Thursday's tilt. "We want to represent Edmonton and our fans the way they would like us to, and that means flat-out hard work and showing up every night."

Hemsky is one Oiler who has shown up recently, having recorded six points (3 goals, 3 assists) over his last four games, while Eberle has registered four goals and four assists in eight games since returning from an ankle injury.

Atlanta, on the other hand, has yet to break out of its prolonged slump. Thursday's 4-3 setback at Phoenix was the Thrashers' sixth loss (1-5-1) in seven February matchups, and the team is a troubling 3-9-4 since Jan. 7.

That slide has placed the Thrashers on the outside of the Eastern Conference postseason picture, with Atlanta entering today's play four points in back of Carolina for the eighth and final playoff seed.

Atlanta had taken a 3-2 lead on second-period goals by Rich Peverley and Andrew Ladd, but the Coyotes scored twice later in the frame to forge ahead and kept the Thrashers off the board over the final 20 minutes.

Peverley added two assists in addition to his goal, but he was traded to Boston on Friday as part of a four-players deal. The Bruins sent forward Blake Wheeler and defenseman Mark Stuart to Georgia, while Peverley and defenseman Boris Valabik were shipped to Beantown.

"This deal improves our hockey club in both the short and long-term," said Thrashers general manager Rick Dudley. "With Blake Wheeler, we are getting a versatile two-way forward, and Mark Stuart will help anchor our already strong group of defensemen as we make a push toward the playoffs."

The 24-year-old Wheeler contributed 11 goals and 27 points in 58 games for the Bruins this season. Stuart has been limited to 31 games this year, thanks to a broken bone in his right hand suffered in early December. The 26-year-old posted just one goal and five points this year with Boston.

Wheeler and Stuart are expected to make their Thrasher debuts today.

The Thrashers have dropped four straight on the road, but did come through with an overtime victory in their most recent visit to Rexall Place, which took place during the 2008-09 campaign. That win halted a three-game skid for Atlanta in Edmonton.

Atlanta also bested the Oilers in Georgia by a 3-2 count last season.