The Edmonton Oilers are in town for a Western Conference matchup as the Colorado Avalanche continue their five-game homestand. The Oilers will play their second game of a back-to-back tonight after taking a 5-3 win over the Minnesota Wild.

Draisaitl is expected to be a core piece for the Oilers for the foreseeable future. He signed an eight-year, $112 million contract ($14 million average annual value) starting next season and is currently in the final season of an eight-year, $68 million contract ($8.5 million AAV) signed prior to the 2017-2018 season.

Edmonton Oilers star Leon Draisailt leads a talented field of NHL elite in the race for this season's Hart Trophy, highlighting his value to the team and league

Nathan MacKinnon has the inside track on his second-straight Hart Trophy winner. Here are four other names to watch in the NHL's MVP race.

Draisaitl's elite production has led the Oilers to a top-five position in the NHL standings and he is firmly in the mix to take home his second Hart Trophy. Per FanDuel Sportsbook, Draisaitl has the third-best odds to win the award at +320. Only Nathan MacKinnon at +280 and his Oilers teammate Connor McDavid at +300 have shorter odds.

It was hard-nosed blueliner Darnell Nurse who picked up the primary assist. His contribution was being ready to take a Draisaitl pass, and blast a solid attempt on net but have it stopped by Kings goaltender Darcy Kuemper. Instead, it was Draisaitl who did all the work to make this four-on-four goal happen.

This is the obvious one. Nathan MacKinnon leads the NHL with 68 points, seven more than Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl in second place. Also of note, he’s first in points per game at 1.58, narrowly ahead of the Art Ross winner last season, Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov at 1.57.

As the second half of the NHL season continues, the Edmonton Oilers and Tampa Bay Lightning are coming on strong. Both teams are jockeying for position within t

Draisaitl scored two goals and added two PIM in Saturday's 3-2 loss to the Canucks. Draisaitl got the Oilers on the board with a tight-angle shot on a loose puck and then added a power-play tally, with both goals coming in the second period.

Connor McDavid will lead the Edmonton Oilers against the Colorado Avalanche at Ball Arena, Denver in back-to-back games after playing the Minnesota Wild on Wednesday.

The Colorado Avalanche have found themselves in the middle of some abnormal rumors as one of their key superstars has appeared as a top trade candidate in the N

The entire post-game interview lasted a brisk 1:16. Draisaitl may have given a more "pissy" response in the past. This was notably calm and collected despite his obvious disappointment in the game's end results. This is a statement of Draisaitl's growth and maturity. He doesn't get too high when they win, and he doesn't get too low when they lose.