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Drouin-Deslauriers powering success for Oilers

Nov 13, 2008 - 11:34 AM Toronto (6-6-4) at Edmonton (8-6-1) 9:00 p.m. EST

EDMONTON, Alberta (Ticker) -- Rookie goaltender Jeff Drouin-Deslauriers made sure the Edmonton Oilers' return home was a pleasant trip.

After a pair of strong performances, Drouin-Deslauriers hopes to lead the Oilers to their third straight win on Thursday when they host the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Edmonton has played 12 of its first 15 games on the road and ended a seven-game swing with back-to-back victories on the strength of some solid goaltending by Drouin-Deslauriers. The 24-year-old made 37 saves in his second career start, helping the Oilers claim a 2-1 victory against the New Jersey Devils on Sunday.

That performance earned Drouin-Deslauriers a second straight appearance on Monday, and he didn't disappoint, stopping 40 shots and all three attempts in the shootout as Edmonton skated away with a 3-2 win over the New York Rangers.

Drouin-Deslauriers hopes to be in net against the Maple Leafs, who fell to 1-3-1 over their last five games after suffering a 4-3 loss to the Calgary Flames on Tuesday.

Toronto was 4-1-0 during its previous five games before hitting a rough patch but has found success recently against the Oilers. The Maple Leafs have won two in a row and four of the last five meetings with Edmonton.