Edmonton Oilers prepare to face red-hot Kaprizov and Minnesota Wild on Thursday – Edmonton

The Edmonton Oilers (10-8-2) face a tough matchup at Rogers Place on Thursday night when the hockey club takes on the surging Minnesota Wild (12-3-3) led by forward Kirill Kaprizov, who is currently on pace to score almost 150 points this season.

Kaprizov is riding a six-game hitting streak that has given him 12 points since it began.

The Oilers return to Edmonton for a two-game homestand after completing a three-game road trip that ended with a 5-2 victory over the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday.

In their last 10 games, the Oilers have a record of 6-3-1 and have scored an average of 3.3 goals per game. battle during that time. The Wild have an even better record over their last 10 games at 7-2-1. In that time frame, they have scored an average of 3.2 goals per game. match.

So far this season, the Wild have given up an average of just 2.33 goals per game. game, giving them the NHL lead in that statistical category.

The Oilers have been without winger Viktor Arvidsson since Nov. 12 with an injury, and in Tuesday’s game, winger Zach Hyman did not play in the third period after hitting earlier in the game.

Late Thursday morning, Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch confirmed that Arvidsson and Hyman would not play against the Wild. He said he thinks Hyman likely won’t play a game in the next four to seven days.

“It’s taking a little longer than we thought,” Knoblauch acknowledged of Arvidsson’s injury. “It’s one of those things where he would play if it was the playoffs, but where we are in the season, it’s better to recover and be able to come back 100 percent.

“So we’re still day to day.”

The team confirmed that newly acquired forward Kasperi Kapanen will make his debut with Edmonton. On Tuesday, the Oilers announced that the club had claimed the 28-year-old veteran off waivers from the St. Louis Blues.

“It’s been a hectic couple of days, but I’m happy to finally be here and get a game right away,” Kapanen told reporters after Thursday’s morning skate. “Just excited for the opportunity.”

“I’m happy to be back in Canada and just enjoying being in Edmonton. I know the fans love their Oilers here.”

Kapanen said he believes skating is his best attribute and hopes to bring energy to the team.”

“Just try to be some kind of factor out there to help this team win,” he said.

The Oilers have been without defenseman Darnell Nurse since Saturday’s overtime loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs. He suffered an upper body injury after taking a hit from Leafs forward Ryan Reaves.

Nurse carried the puck along the end boards in the Oilers’ zone and didn’t seem to see Reaves coming when he hit him high. Reaves was ejected from the game, and on Sunday the NHL announced that the Leafs player would be suspended for five games.

Nurse continued to skate with the team Thursday morning, but will not play in the game against the Wild.

Nurse spoke to reporters after the morning skate and confirmed that Reaves apologized to him and talked about how he felt about the play.

“In situations like that, it’s definitely on the player with the puck to be aware of where everyone else is on the ice,” he said. “With that said, even if you put yourself in a bad spot, there’s a lot of body on a 6-foot-4 hockey player to beat.

“You can argue about intent, but there are some guys in the league that every shift go out there and try to inflict pain. I think it’s pretty obvious what was going on there.”

Nurse said it is not yet clear to him when he will be able to play a game again.

“With these things, the timeline is a little bit up for more people,” he said. “What I feel sometimes is not a sign of what is to come.”

A number of hockey commentators have noted that Nurse played particularly well in the games leading up to the injury. The blueliner was asked if that makes the injury even more frustrating.

“It is what it is,” replied the nurse. “(You) move on and keep the momentum that was going on before that.”

Knoblauch has previously said he believes Nurse would likely be out for “five to 10 days” as a result of the hit that got Reaves suspended by the NHL.

On Wednesday night, the Oilers announced that the team had loaned defenseman Josh Brown back to the American Hockey League’s Bakersfield Condors.

–With files from The Associated Press

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