Leon Draisaitl takes on Luke Hughes on Nov. 4, 2024. (Perry Nelson-Imagn Images)The road trip continues.
After a demoralizing loss to the bottom-five Buffalo Sabres on Monday, the Edmonton Oilers are back in action tonight in New Jersey against the Devils, who sit third in the Metropolitan Division.
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While the Oilers are trying to get their legs under them and break out of their slump, the Devils are just trying to survive. In the space of a week, they've lost Jack Hughes, Dougie Hamilton, and Jonas Siegenthaler for the rest of the season. Only Hamilton has a slight chance of returning during the playoffs.
Any team would be reeling after losing both their best player and top defense pair at the worst possible time. That doesn't mean the Devils will be an easy out, though: they're 2-1 since Hughes went down on March 4th, and if any team has the depth to handle the loss of two top defensemen, it's the Devils.
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The Oilers, meanwhile, are making more adjustments to their lineup as they search for the right mix amidst their post-4 Nations downturn.
Jeff Skinner earns another shot in the top six, as the Oilers go back to their projected top two lines from the pre-season. Vasily Podkolzin shifts down to the third line, while Kasperi Kapanen moves back to center with Mattias Janmark out due to illness.
The blender is in full effect on the blueline, where pairings continue to be constantly shuffled around in the absence of Mattias Ekholm. Jake Walman and Brett Kulak will likely continue to share time with Evan Bouchard, while the rest of the lineup is up in the air. The good news for the Oilers: it's hard to go wrong with a blueline this deep and talented.
Things are getting dire quickly for the Oilers; while they're not in danger of losing their playoff spot, they're just one point ahead of the Los Angeles Kings for second in the Pacific Division with one fewer game remaining. The two teams seem to be on a collision course yet again -- the Oilers will want home advantage if they play Los Angeles in a fourth consecutive postseason.
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