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OILERS (21-26-5) at MAPLE LEAFS (27-19-6)



TV: RDSI (HD), SNET-W, SNET-0



Last 10: Edmonton 5-4-1; Toronto 5-4-1.



Season series: This is the first of two meetings between these cross-conference clubs. Toronto and Edmonton split the 2010-11 season series with each team getting a win on the road.



Big Story: While no player has been hotter than the Oilers' Sam Gagner over the last two games, it's the Maple Leafs that are in better shape as a team. Gagner jumped ahead of Wayne Gretzky on Saturday for the Oilers' team record with his 11th straight point, but Edmonton still has plenty of ground to make up to get back into the Western Conference playoff picture. Meanwhile, the Maple Leafs will try to extend their winning streak to three, while maintaining their eighth-place standing in the East. The visiting Oilers will attempt to grab their fourth straight win.



Team Scope:


Oilers: An overall three-game winning streak has given the Oilers a spark, but, as of Sunday, the Western Canadian club sat seven points behind the West's 12th-place Phoenix Coyotes. However, coach Tom Renney and company will still try to put on a quality showing down the stretch if only to provide some confidence going into yet another off-season with likely no playoff showing.



A repeat performance of Saturday's 5-4 shootout win over Detroit would be much needed as Edmonton will try to break free of a current six-game road losing streak. Gagner tallied two power-play goals and an assist Saturday, but was not a factor in Jordan Eberle's game-tying fourth goal with just under 40 seconds left in regulation.



"It's a big win for us," Gagner told NHL.com after the game. "Especially the way we did it, coming back at the end. I knew I wasn't going to get another eight-point night. But even after the points kept coming our line was still creating."



Maple Leafs: With an aggregate score of 6-0 over its last two games, Toronto appears to be clicking at just the right moment. But the Leafs are far from in the clear as they will have to fight off the recently upstart 9th-place Washington Capitals as well as continuing to battle with a number of teams all sitting within reach above them in the standings.



Continued strong performances from their goaltenders will need to occur if the Leafs are to maintain their playoff position in the East. James Reimer has been up to the task with 74 saves over consecutive shutouts.



"We did what we needed to a couple of nights ago in Pittsburgh and here again tonight," Reimer said following the Leafs' 5-0 win over Ottawa on Saturday. "Right from the get-go I thought we played real smart, honest hockey."



Who's Hot: Gagner is in the midst of a three-game point streak with 6 goals and 6 assists over that span. ... Phil Kessel and Tyler Bozak both had a goal and 2 assists in the win at Ottawa on Saturday.



Injury Report: The Leafs' Darryl Boyce (back spasms) has missed the last eight games. ... Now that forward Ryan-Nugent Hopkins (shoulder) returned to the lineup Saturday, the Oilers should boast a fully healthy lineup Monday.



Stat Pack: Gagner's 11 points over the last two games jumped him from 200th place on this season's NHL scoring leaders list to 90, as of Sunday night's games.



Puck Drop: It's always a time to celebrate when a player totals 11 points over two games, but it couldn't have come at a better time for the struggling Gagner. The fifth-year forward had just 22 points through 43 games before the hot streak.



"I'm just feeling way better about how I am playing. I want the puck. I want to be the guy," Gagner told reporters after Saturday's shootout win.

James Reimer just wants to contribute. Recently, he's been the driving force behind the Toronto Maple Leafs.



Sam Gagner's staggering scoring production is doing the same for the Edmonton Oilers.



Reimer should get a shot to give the Maple Leafs a third consecutive shutout for the first time in over 81 years when they face Gagner and the surging Oilers on Monday night at Air Canada Centre.



Reimer, 23, became Toronto's No. 1 goaltender last season, going 20-10-5 with a 2.60 goals-against average as a rookie. Concussion-like symptoms and inconsistencies have prevented him from maintaining his status in 2011-12.



That appears to be changing after a 12-game stretch that included 3-5-3 record and 3.21 GAA after returning from his injury.



Reimer has stopped all 74 shots he's faced over the last two games, leading the Maple Leafs (27-19-6) to a 1-0 win over Pittsburgh on Wednesday and a 5-0 romp at Ottawa on Saturday. Those performances, which included a career-high 49 saves versus the Senators, give him three shutouts on the season to match his rookie total.



The All-Star break enabled Reimer to regroup.



"I really wanted to step it up a bit and the only way I know how is to work hard and do what I think is right and so I went home and got in a little better shape (during the All-Star break)," said Reimer, who would be facing Edmonton (21-26-5) for the first time. "I never could have guessed that it would come with back-to-back shutouts. That's a lot of fun to experience."



While Reimer has Toronto in position to go for its longest string of shutouts since a five-game run from Nov. 13-22, 1930, Gagner and the Oilers will try to spoil that bid in an effort to win a fourth straight game.



Gagner has six goals and six assists over the last three games, a stretch that includes tying a franchise record with eight points in an 8-4 win over Chicago on Thursday. He followed that up with two goals and one assist before scoring again in the shootout of Saturday's 5-4 win versus Detroit.



"Sam has been a lot of fun to watch," rookie center Ryan Nugent-Hopkins said Saturday. "I'm really happy for him. It was a big character win for us."



Gagner's scoring outburst has been a welcome change after he managed just one point in the previous eight games to the Oilers' winning streak. He has 11 goals and 22 assists on the season, and two goals and two assists in six meetings with Toronto.



"I'm just feeling way better about how I am playing," Gagner said. "I want the puck. I want to be the guy."



Phil Kessel was that guy again for the Maple Leafs, scoring one goal and assisting on two more Saturday. The All-Star right wing leads Toronto with 27 goals and is tied with Joffrey Lupul with a team-leading 54 points.



Kessel has four goals and two assists in his last four games against Edmonton, including one of each in a 4-1 road victory Dec. 14, 2010.



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The Denver Nuggets and Houston Rockets are both struggling offensively after putting together impressive runs last month.

The Nuggets will try to avoid losing a season-high third straight when they host the Rockets on Monday night.

After winning six in a row and eight of nine, Denver has dropped four of five, including the last two of a back-to-back-to-back stretch. The Nuggets (15-9) averaged 110.4 points during their excellent nine-game stretch, but have been held under 100 points in three of the five games since.

They are looking to bounce back after a 117-97 loss to Portland on Saturday. Denver trailed by as many as 27 before cutting the lead to three in the third, but Portland went on a 14-2 run to put the game away.
"We just need to start being more physical," said Corey Brewer, who scored 14 points off the bench. "The last couple games we haven't had the physicality we need."

Danilo Gallinari scored 16 of his 20 points in the first half. He's averaging 14.4 points the last five games after averaging 25.5 during the previous four.

Nene has also seen a drop-off over the last several games as he struggles to maintain consistency. He had four points on 1-of-5 shooting Saturday and has scored 24 points in the last three. During Denver's run last month, he averaged 16.4 points while playing in five of those six wins.

After a tough stretch, the Nuggets play their next three at home. They are 7-4 at the Pepsi Center, losing the last two by four points each.

Houston (13-11) is dealing with similar offensive struggles. After averaging 103.3 points during a seven-game winning streak last month, the Rockets have dropped four of seven while getting held to fewer than 100 in three straight.

Luis Scola and Kyle Lowry each scored 24 points Saturday, but Houston fell 100-91 at Minnesota. The Rockets trailed 55-42 at the end of the first half after allowing the Timberwolves to shoot 57.5 percent. They were outrebounded 48-37.

Leading scorer Kevin Martin, who averages 19.9 points, was held to two points on 1-of-10 shooting.
"We just started out with no defensive intensity," coach Kevin McHale told the Rockets' official website. "We can't be a pretty team, we can't be a team that just goes out there and plays easy; we've got to be a team that's going to go out there and fight like we did when we got mad."

Scola and Minnesota's Kevin Love were involved in an altercation when Love stepped on Scola's face and chest after knocking him to the ground on a drive. Love said it was unintentional and a Wolves spokesman said the big man apologized to Scola after.

The incident did spark a late rally by the Rockets. They want to take that intensity into Denver while trying to improve on a 3-8 road record.

"Everybody wants to win, everybody wants to play hard - that's not the question," Scola said. "We just need to find a way to do it because when you do the right thing, everything rolls better and you can see how everything goes better and better and better."

Houston and Denver split their four meetings last season, with the Rockets winning the last two.

The Denver Nuggets and Houston Rockets are both struggling offensively after putting together impressive runs last month.



The Nuggets will try to avoid losing a season-high third straight when they host the Rockets on Monday night.



After winning six in a row and eight of nine, Denver has dropped four of five, including the last two of a back-to-back-to-back stretch. The Nuggets (15-9) averaged 110.4 points during their excellent nine-game stretch, but have been held under 100 points in three of the five games since.



They are looking to bounce back after a 117-97 loss to Portland on Saturday. Denver trailed by as many as 27 before cutting the lead to three in the third, but Portland went on a 14-2 run to put the game away.



"We just need to start being more physical," said Corey Brewer, who scored 14 points off the bench. "The last couple games we haven't had the physicality we need."



Danilo Gallinari scored 16 of his 20 points in the first half. He's averaging 14.4 points the last five games after averaging 25.5 during the previous four.



Nene has also seen a drop-off over the last several games as he struggles to maintain consistency. He had four points on 1-of-5 shooting Saturday and has scored 24 points in the last three. During Denver's run last month, he averaged 16.4 points while playing in five of those six wins.



After a tough stretch, the Nuggets play their next three at home. They are 7-4 at the Pepsi Center, losing the last two by four points each.



Houston (13-11) is dealing with similar offensive struggles. After averaging 103.3 points during a seven-game winning streak last month, the Rockets have dropped four of seven while getting held to fewer than 100 in three straight.



Luis Scola and Kyle Lowry each scored 24 points Saturday, but Houston fell 100-91 at Minnesota. The Rockets trailed 55-42 at the end of the first half after allowing the Timberwolves to shoot 57.5 percent. They were outrebounded 48-37.



Leading scorer Kevin Martin, who averages 19.9 points, was held to two points on 1-of-10 shooting.



"We just started out with no defensive intensity," coach Kevin McHale told the Rockets' official website. "We can't be a pretty team, we can't be a team that just goes out there and plays easy; we've got to be a team that's going to go out there and fight like we did when we got mad."



Scola and Minnesota's Kevin Love were involved in an altercation when Love stepped on Scola's face and chest after knocking him to the ground on a drive. Love said it was unintentional and a Wolves spokesman said the big man apologized to Scola after.



The incident did spark a late rally by the Rockets. They want to take that intensity into Denver while trying to improve on a 3-8 road record.



"Everybody wants to win, everybody wants to play hard -- that's not the question," Scola said. "We just need to find a way to do it because when you do the right thing, everything rolls better and you can see how everything goes better and better and better."



Houston and Denver split their four meetings last season, with the Rockets winning the last two.