Nikolai Khabibulin News

A pair of Northwest Division clubs trying to get back in the win column will battle tonight in St.

Nashville Predators forward Steve Sullivan battles during first-period NHL action against the Edmonton Oilers at Rexall Place on Thursday.

Oilers goalie Jeff Deslauriers has gone from barely getting a game in once a month to being overworked.

As match-ups go, the suddenly struggling Edmonton Oilers couldn't find a less favourable one than Saturday's showdown against the Washington Capitals if they tried.

Edmonton Oilers president Kevin Lowe signs autographs for fans in Yellowknife when the team held its rookie camp in the northern city a couple of seasons ago.

Oilers goalie Nikolai Khabibulin had an injection of analgesic in his spine Tuesday in an attempt to remedy the back spasms, inflammation and soreness that have kept him out of the lineup for a month.

Forward Dustin Penner, seen fighting for the puck Friday amid a pack of St. Louis Blues, has been in the thick of things all season for the Edmonton Oilers.

Love 'em or hate 'em, shootouts are becoming a matter of course for the Edmonton Oilers.

Gilbert Brule scored twice, Dustin Penner had a goal and three assists and the Edmonton Oilers won their fifth straight road game, beating the St.

Edmonton Oilers goalie Jeff Deslauriers has stopped 125 of 137 shots in the team's four-game win streak.

The Edmonton Oilers' success on the road has been somewhat unexpected. The Tampa Bay Lightning are having a tough time anticipating what type of effort they'll have at the St.

Shawn Horcoff scored once in regulation and again in the shootout, leading the Edmonton Oilers to a 3-2 win over the Florida Panthers on Monday night.

They should have been roadkill. When the Oilers left Edmonton thousands of air miles ago, they had just two wins to show for the 12 NHL games they had played away from Rexall Place.

Buffalo Sabres winger drew Stafford and edmonton oilers defenceman Jason Strudwick watch as Stafford's shot gets past oilers goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin in Buffalo on Wednesday night.

The results have been rather erratic - a shutout one night, a blowout the next, and just for good measure, Jeff Deslauriers, the Edmonton Oilers pinch-hitting goaltender, has turned out a few mediocre outings as well.

The Nikolai Khabibulin watch continues, mostly because the injured Oilers goalie is nowhere to be seen.

With the Oilers opening a five-game road trip tomorrow in Detroit, goalie Jeff Deslauriers is looking to rebound after giving up four goals on 11 shots before getting the hook last week in Vancouver.

Nikolai Khabibulin tends the Oilers goal in a game early this season. Photograph by: Ed Kaiser, edmontonjournal.com Just when you think you've got it by the tail, life puts a fire hydrant in your driveway, an extra guy on special teams, or a kink in your starting goalie's back.

The challenge for the Edmonton Oilers heading into a five-game road trip isn't as much about climbing into a playoff spot as it is about digging out of the NHL basement.

Goaltender Roberto Luongo won't have Ales Hemsky in his face Saturday night, or for the rest of the season because of the latter's shoulder surgery.