• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

Sliding Oilers return home to face Sens

Nov 17, 2011 - 4:15 PM (Sports Network) - The Edmonton Oilers are back home and will entertain the Ottawa Senators tonight at Rexall Place.

Edmonton went 2-4 on a six-game road trip and dropped a 6-3 decision at Chicago on Sunday. Ryan Smyth, Jordan Eberle and Shawn Horcoff all scored for the Oilers, who have lost three in a row and got 29 saves from Nikolai Khabibulin.

"It's probably a little bit of a wake-up call for everyone in here," Horcoff said about the team's recent struggles.

Oilers defenseman Cam Barker missed his second straight game with an ankle injury. Smyth has eight goals and four assists in his last eight games.

Edmonton, which is a solid 6-1-1 at home, will also host Chicago on its brief homestand before hitting the road again for a four-game trek through Dallas, Nashville, Minnesota and Colorado. It is shooting for five straight wins at home, something the team hasn't accomplished since going 7-0-0 at Rexall Place from Feb. 4-March 2, 2008.

The Senators have won two straight games since a five-game slide and will continue a six-game road trip this evening.

Ottawa is 2-1 on the trek and posted a 3-1 win at Calgary the last time out on Tuesday, as Bobby Butler registered a pair of third-period goals and Daniel Alfredsson also lit the lamp.

Craig Anderson stopped 38 shots for the win and leads the NHL with 17 games played this season.

"Craig Anderson was solid in our net and gave us a lot of confidence," Senators head coach Paul MacLean said. "I thought the team as a whole played real good."

The Senators will also visit Vancouver and Pittsburgh on the road swing, and is 4-5-0 as the guest this season.

Ottawa and Edmonton split two meetings a season ago, but the Senators have won seven of the previous eight games in this series. Ottawa has won its last four games at Rexall Place.