Oilers' Matt Benning: Sidelined with upper-body injury

Benning won't play Saturday against the Sharks due to an upper-body injury suffered late in Thursday's game against the Wild, Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal reports.

Although he doesn't light up the scorebook, Benning is a sound defender for the Oilers, leading to his plus-8 rating on the season. His absence Saturday opens the door for Kevin Gravel to join the pairings.