Last year’s trip to Western Canada proved to be a turning point for all the wrong reasons for the Boston Bruins. The losses came in gut-wrenching fashion, including their last meeting against the lowly Edmonton Oilers who downed the Black and Gold in a shootout.

Tonight, the Bruins, winners of five straight, travel to Edmonton looking to extend their win streak to six and take care of business against an Oilers squad that is still somehow in rebuilding mode. It will be the first time the B’s run into former GM Peter Chiarelli, as he looks to finally get the Oilers back on track after his nine-year tenure in Boston.

Gametime: 9:30 p.m.
TV/Radio: NESN/98.5 The Sports Hub
Records: Bruins 13-8-1 (27 points), Oilers 8-15-2 (18 points)
Location: Rexall Place

Bruins projected lines

Frank Vatrano-Patrice Bergeron-Brad Marchand
Matt Beleskey-David Krejci-Loui Eriksson
Landon Ferraro-Ryan Spooner-Jimmy Hayes
Zac Rinaldo-Joonas Kemppainen-Brett Connolly

Zdeno Chara-Zach Trotman
Torey Krug-Adam McQuaid
Dennis Seidenberg-Colin Miller

Tuukka Rask
Jonas Gustavsson

Oilers projected lines

Taylor Hall-Leon Draisatti-Teddy Purcell
Benoit Pouliot-Ryan Nugent-Hopkins-Jordan Eberle
Lauri Korpikoski-Mark Letestu-Iiro Pakarinen
Jujhar Khair-Anton Lander-Matt Hendricks

Darnell Nurse-Andrej Sekera
Oscar Klefbom-Mark Fayne
Brandon Davidson-Justin Schultz

Anders Nilsson
Cam Talbot

Matchup to watch: Third and fourth line battles

Jimmy Hayes and fellow linemates Ryan Spooner and Landon Ferraro hope to provide a mismatch against the Oilers checking lines. (Photo by Joe Makarski, Bruins Daily).

From top to bottom, the Bruins have more depth than the Oilers. Edmonton does boast some talented players in Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Jordan Eberle, but they’ll have the task of going up against the Bergeron and Krejci lines. That should give opportunities for the B’s third and fourth lines to create opportunities against Edmonton’s bottom six and wear down the young Oilers squad.

With No. 1 pick Connor McDavid and Nail Yakupov on injured reserve, the Oilers have to rely on veterans Teddy Purcell and Benoit Pouliot to play top-six minutes while they heal. Edmonton still has some experience with Matt Hendricks, Mark Letestu and Lauri Korpikoski, but the size and speed in Boston’s third and fourth lines are a distinct advantage for the Black and Gold.

Still, members of the Bruins third and fourth lines, like Jimmy Hayes and Ryan Spooner, have had their share of struggles this season. The addition of Landon Ferraro, however, provides a little more stability on the B’s checking lines over the last two games. They could use that stability again tonight to start the road trip.

Storyline to watch: Can the Bruins avoid a letdown?

After their biggest win of the season against the Rangers, the Bruins are hoping to avoid a letdown against Jordan Eberle and the lowly Oilers. (Photo by Joe Makarski, Bruins Daily)

The Bruins earned their biggest win of their 2015-16 season against the Rangers the day after Thanksgiving. After five days off between games, they’re back in action tonight and are looking to avoid a letdown against the lowly Oilers.

When the Bruins faced the Oilers last year in Edmonton, they were still struggling and looking to get back on track with a win. That did not happen, and the loss proved to be pivotal as they ended up two points out of a playoff spot.

Certainly this is a different team, and the Bruins come into Edmonton at a different point in time compared to last year. Unlike the last meeting, they are coming in with some momentum and starting to establish an identity. The last thing that Claude Julien and company will want is a setback to derail all the positive things they’ve done during this win streak.

The message is simple for the Bruins tonight: take care of business in Edmonton, get two points and extend the win streak to six.