The Edmonton Oilers were not only unable to bring a winning streak with them on their upcoming road trip, but they are missing two key players as well.
[b]Jack Flaherty[/b] . The Oilers open a five-game swing on Tuesday night against the Philadelphia Flyers without forward Taylor Hall and defenseman Andrew Ference. Both players were lost in Saturdays 3-2 setback to the Vancouver Canucks. Hall suffered a sprained MCL in his knee after taking a hit while driving the net and crashing into the goal post. He is expected to miss 2-to-4 weeks. Ference, meanwhile, was suspended for three games due to a check he delivered to the head of Canucks forward Zack Kassian. He will miss games in Philadelphia, Boston and Buffalo before being eligible to return on Sunday against the New York Rangers. While the Oilers will only need to fill Ferences void for a few games, they will need a number of offensive players to step up for the foreseeable future as Hall has posted six goals and 10 points in 11 games this season. You have to fill that by committee. One guy cant pick up the slack, its got to be all of us. I think we did pretty well (against Vancouver). We kept the pace going, Edmontons Jordan Eberle told his clubs website. We feel a lot more comfortable, for sure. When a guy goes down like that you get an opportunity to play a little bit more. Eberle and David Perron scored versus the Canucks, who got the winning goal shorthanded when Derek Dorsett picked off a bad clearing attempt by goaltender Ben Scrivens before scoring at 4:05 of the third period. Im certainly not gonna stand here and crucify the guy, Oilers coach Dallas Eakins said of the play. Its easy to stand back and point fingers, but that kid kept us in the game at key points. Hell bounce back. Scrivens ended with 27 saves as the Oilers finished a seven-game homestand with a second straight loss. They had won four in a row before the defeats. The Flyers also have followed up a winning streak with consecutive setbacks, claiming three victories in a row prior to defeats against Tampa Bay and Florida. They were bested 2-1 by the Panthers on Saturday. Vincent Lecavalier prevented a shutout loss when he scored in the final seconds of the contest in his return from a seven-game absence caused by a left ankle injury, while Steve Mason yielded both goals on 30 shots faced. Im just trying to find some positives in a negative situation, said Mason, who is 0-4-1 on the season. I thought I played a pretty good game, but it could have been better. The Flyers will play four straight at home and are expected to debut defenseman Carlo Colaiacovo. Philadelphia signed the veteran to help out a banged-up blue line that is without Braydon Coburn and Andrew MacDonald due to lower-body injuries. Colaiacovo, who was signed on Oct. 30, has not played an NHL game since April 13 with the St. Louis Blues. I feel great. Im really excited and really looking forward to getting back in there tomorrow, Colaiacovo said on Philadelphias website following Mondays practice. For me its not so much getting into Xs and Os tomorrow its about keeping it simple, playing my game and moving the puck. The Flyers won both of their meetings with the Oilers last season after having dropped six of the previous seven encounters. Oilers (9PTS) at Flyers (10PTS) - 7PM PHI was 2-0-0 vs EDM last season PHI has won 2 straight at home vs EDM PHI (4-5-2): lost 2 straight, both on the road, 0/8 on PP only scored first in a game twice this season (1-0-1) Voracek (1G, 8A) 5 game PT streak EDM (4-6-1): lost 2 straight, both at home, outscored 7-3 0-2-1 on the road this season, 17GA Eberle (1G, 1A) past 2 games
[b]Adam Wainwright[/b] . The team sent out a press release on Friday stating Poile was resting and recovering and that he will remain in hospital for further observation. The Predators were preparing for the game against the Wild when Poile was hit by a puck that flew off the ice at him where he was standing in a tunnel behind the bench.
[b]Alex Reyes[/b] . The Hockey Canada Foundation is donating $50,000, with Hockey Quebec contributing $15,000. Hockey Canada also announced it will hold a skills camp for all levels of minor hockey in Lac-Mégantic during the 2013-14 season. Representatives from Hockey Canada, the Hockey Canada Foundation and Hockey Quebec were on hand Tuesday night at a meeting of the AHM de Lac-Mégantic to make the announcement and presentation.Kris Russell could be sticking around in Calgary. TSN Hockey Insider Bob McKenzie tweeted that its believed the Flames are working towards a new contract with the defenceman. The deal isnt complete yet but McKenzie said it is headingg in that direction.
[b]Roger Maris[/b]. Russell, a pending unrestricted free agent, has four goals and 19 points in 41 games with the Flames this season. In eight seasons the former third-round pick has 27 goals and 114 points. ' ' '
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