EDMONTON, Alberta - The Nashville Predators are halfway to sweeping Western Canada after scoring a 4-1 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday.

Defenseman Mattias Ekholm scored twice, center Mike Fisher added a single goal and Filip Forsberg had the empty netter for the Predators, who defeated Winnipeg 4-1 on Thursday.

Nashville visits Calgary and Vancouver before heading into the All Star break.

"Goals are always nice to score, but it's not my No. 1 priority," said Ekholm. "Two points, that's what counts. On the road trip to start 2-0 is huge for us in the position we're in."

The Predators, chasing down a wild-card spot in the Western Conference, hope to accomplish their mission before they wrap up their trip. This helps.

"It was a really good road win for us," said head coach Peter Laviolette. "A big goal to answer their goal in the first period and Mattias had a heck of a game. I thought our guys played hard. They played hard, they played smart and we were able to chip in some timely goals.

"It wasn't going to be an easy game, (the Oilers) are playing hard, but I thought we were a bit more consistent tonight than we have been recently."

The Oilers begin their All-Star break Sunday, sitting last in the Western Conference with a 19-26-5 record.

"We had some guys who really came and participated and we had some passengers tonight," said Oilers coach Todd McLellan. "When you are as thin as we are right now, you can't have that."

Edmonton scored first with left winger Leon Draisaitl chopping a bouncing puck over the shoulder of Predators' goaltender Pekka Rinne at 11:54 of the first period. The goal was Draisaitl's second in three games after one in the previous 18.

The lead didn't last long as Nashville tied it 1:42 later when Ekholm capped a scramble in the Edmonton zone with his sixth goal of the season, sending the teams into the first intermission tied 1-1.

The only scoring of the second period came on a freak goal. The puck got caught up in the equipment of goaltender Cam Talbot for at least two seconds and popped out behind him and rolled into the net.

It was hard to imagine how the referee didn't lose sight of the puck, but play continued and the goal counted. Ekholm got credit for his second of the night.

"It wasn't pretty, both my goals weren't really how we drew it up," said Ekholm. "But we'll take it. When you shoot, sometimes you create some stuff and that's what happened tonight. It was a greasy road win for us, a good road win for us and we deserved the two points."

The Predators went up 3-1 at 52 seconds into the third period when Fisher shook Darnell Nurse in the slot and scored from close range.

The loss concludes a stretch in which the Oilers, who are minus their first- and second-line centers, played nine games and had seven flights in 16 days.

"It was a tough game for us, but I thought we battled hard," said winger Taylor Hall, who believes the Oilers finally succumbed to schedule and the injuries.

"They're a good team that comes hard and they have a healthy lineup and quite frankly we don't.

"Not only do we not have a healthy lineup, but our schedule has been terrible. So all things considered I think it was a pretty good effort."

The Oilers have nine days until their next game, and consider the time off a much-needed oasis.

"I want our group to rest and get as healthy as possible," said McLellan. "We have guys playing right now who are beat up pretty good. As much as we dislike being off that long, it might be a good thing for our team to try and get some bodies back."

NOTES: The Oilers placed D Brandon Davidson on injured reserve with an undisclosed issue. To fill his roster spot, D Griffin Reinhart was recalled from Bakersfield in the American Hockey League. ... Oilers C Connor McDavid, who has been out since Nov. 3 with a broken collarbone, will rejoin the lineup after the NHL All-Star Game break. ... The Oilers will have nine days between games because of the All-Star break and a scheduling quirk. ... Predators C Ryan Johansen put up nine points in his first seven games after being traded from Columbus. ... The Predators are just 6-10-2 against teams in their own division this season. ... F Colin Wilson didn't accompany the Predators on their four-game road trip and likely won't be back until after the All-Star break. He has been out since Jan. 8 with a lower-body injury.