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Devils make first appearance in Edmonton in six years

Dec 21, 2007 - 4:07 PM New Jersey (18-13-3) at Edmonton (16-16-3) 9:00 pm EST

EDMONTON, Alberta (Ticker) -- The New Jersey Devils might have forgotten it, but the Edmonton Oilers are still in the NHL.

The New Jersey Devils make their first appearance in the "Heartland of Hockey" in six years on Friday, when they visit the Oilers.

Due to the lockout and unbalanced schedule, the Devils have not played here since posting a 2-1 victory on December 30, 2001.

New Jersey has not lost in Edmonton since 1995, posting four wins and a tie in its last five trips to Rexall Place.

New Jersey is coming off a 5-0 loss at Vancouver on Tuesday, the seventh time the Devils have failed to score this season. Martin Brodeur matched a season high by allowing five goals on only 24 shots.

New Jersey is just 2-3-1 following a nine-game winning streak and is 1-2-1 in its last four road games after winning five straight away from home.

The Oilers are coming off an NHL-record fourth straight shootout on Tuesday, a 2-1 home loss to Dallas. Edmonton has at least one point in eight of 10 games while 10 of its 16 victories this year have come in shootouts.

"Who goes four shootouts in a row?" Oilers' coach Craig MacTavish said. "I can't explain it, that's for sure. The last two were good tough games against close-checking teams and for a young team, I thought we played exceptionally well positioning and had outstanding goaltending.

"We're pleased with the last couple games in terms of what we gave up and what we didn't give up."