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Avs visit Oilers for battle between struggling teams

Mar 19, 2011 - 3:22 PM (Sports Network) - Colorado's second 10-game losing streak of the season has made the race for the top pick in the next draft an interesting one.

The Avalanche will once again try to avoid their longest losing streak in over 20 years as they visit the only team in the NHL with fewer points than them, the Edmonton Oilers, at Rexall Place.

Colorado is 1-18-2 in its last 21 games, including an 0-9-1 mark over its last 10 games. The Avs' dual 10-game slides this year are their longest since relocating to Denver from Quebec and longest since a club-record 14-game slide from Oct. 21-Nov. 19, 1990.

The Avalanche's 60 points lead only the Oilers' 55 in the overall standings. The team that finishes the season with the fewest will have the best chance at landing the first overall pick of the 2011 draft.

Colorado will try to avoid going winless on a four-game road trip this evening after Thursday's 5-2 setback in Calgary. The Avs have lost seven straight and 12 of their last 13 on the road.

Mark Oliver scored his first NHL goal and Cody McLeod netted a late power-play tally for the Avalanche, who got 23 saves from Peter Budaj.

"I was pretty emotional with certain things going on in the game," said Avs head coach Joe Sacco.

Both Adam Foote (foot) and Milan Hejduk (shoulder), who remains stuck on 899 career games, missed Thursday's loss, while defense man Erik Johnson suffered a leg injury in the first period and did not return. All three are questionable for tonight.

The Avalanche and Oilers will close the regular season against each other at Colorado on April 10 and Edmonton has taken three of four this season, including back-to-back 5-1 victories in Denver. The most recent meeting between the teams took place on March 5.

Edmonton hasn't won since, dropping five straight. Its latest setback came on Thursday, a 3-1 home loss to Phoenix.

Magnus Paajarvi provided the lone goal and Nikolai Khabibulin gave up three goals on 17 shots for the Oilers, who haven't lost six straight since a seven- game skid from Dec. 21-Jan. 4.

"I think as far as Phoenix goes, they wanted an easy game," said forward Jordan Eberle. "But we were going on the forecheck and it seemed like we were outplaying them for most of the game. Our power play (which was 1-for-9) probably killed our momentum but I would say that 5-on-5 we were playing them well."

Though defenseman Theo Peckham could play tonight for the first time since Feb. 27 due to a concussion, but the Oilers remain without Ales Hemsky, Taylor Hall, Sam Gagner and Shawn Horcoff due to injury.

Edmonton is 12-20-4 at home this season and has won three of its last four versus Colorado at Rexall Place.