Edmonton Oilers News

Walman is battling an illness that prevented him from practicing on Wednesday. In his last five games, Walman has four points (1G / 3A) while averaging nearly 20 minutes of ice time per night.

Despite scoring two points (1G / 1A) for the Sabres on Tuesday night, Skinner suffered an upper-body injury at some point and received an MRI on Wednesday. If Skinner misses any time, expect JJ Peterka to be the main beneficiary, as he was stellar earlier this season during a brief stint where Skinner was out of the lineup.

The red-hot Oilers will return to Skinner on Tuesday in a favourable matchup against the injury-depleted Chicago Blackhawks. The Oilers are riding a seven-game winning streak, and, as such, are significant -448 road favourites against a Blackhawks club whose leading active point-producer only has 23 points (8G / 15A) in 33 games. In addition to the already advantageous circumstances for the Oilers, Skinner has been tremendous between the pipes. While winning his last five starts, Skinner has allowed two or fewer goals four times, boasting a sensational .948 SV%.

The red-hot Oilers will likely return to Skinner on Tuesday in a favourable matchup against the injury-depleted Chicago Blackhawks. The Oilers are riding a seven-game winning streak, and, as such, are significant -448 road favourites against a Blackhawks club whose leading active point-producer only has 23 points (8G / 15A) in 33 games. In addition to the already advantageous circumstances for the Oilers, Skinner has been tremendous between the pipes. While winning his last five starts, Skinner has allowed two or fewer goals four times, boasting a sensational .948 SV%.

After losing three straight games, the Oilers have won five in a row, three courtesy of Skinner, who will return to the crease on Tuesday. Skinner has saved 82 of 87 shots (.943 SV%) during his three-game winning streak and has been terrific dating back to late November, posting a .920 SV% in 12 games (10-2-0). The Oilers are -175 home favourites in a favourable matchup against a Philadelphia Flyers team that has lost two straight but defeated the Oilers 4-1 in their only other matchup this season.

Skinner will return to the crease for the Oilers in their first game back from the Christmas break in a favourable matchup against the San Jose Sharks. The Oilers, winners of two straight, are enormous -403 road favourites against a Sharks that has lost six straight (0-6-0), including a 5-1 loss last night at the hands of the Los Angeles Kings. Skinner has had an up-and-down last couple of weeks but is coming off an impressive 31-save performance (.912 SV%) in his most recent outing, a 4-3 victory over the New York Rangers.