Oilers Projected Lineup Today: Nugent-Hopkins Joins Injury Parade
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. (Perry Nelson-Imagn Images)When it rains, it pours.
Right now, the Edmonton Oilers are caught in a torrential downpour. Already missing Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Mattias Ekholm, Stuart Skinner, Evander Kane, Trent Frederic, and John Klingberg due to injury, the Oilers got some extremely unwelcome news on Wednesday: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is doubtful to play against St. Louis on Wednesday night.
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That means, despite Noah Philp's emergency recall, the Oilers will be forced to dress only 17 skaters for the second straight game. Would you believe that they also had two different players go to the dressing room with apparent injuries in their last game on Monday, and that neither of them were the now-injured Nugent-Hopkins?
Without their top three centers, it's hard to even guess what the Oilers' lineup will look like on Wednesday night. Philp and Henrique are the only natural centers left on the roster, while both Mattias Janmark and Kasperi Kapanen have spent time at the position at times this season.
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It's just the Oilers' luck, then, that this depleted lineup will have to face the hottest team in the NHL. The St. Louis Blues saw their twelve-game winning streak end on Monday against Winnipeg, but it's still worth marveling at their incredible hot streak.
The Blues have gone 18-3-2 since returning from the 4 Nations Face-Off, blazing a path from the bottom half of the league to an all-but-guaranteed playoff spot. They've been led in part by Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg, making it sting all that much more for the Oilers.
While they'll be without Holloway and #1 defenseman Colton Parayko on Wednesday, they're still in much better shape than the beleaguered Oilers. Edmonton will have to rely on their high-upside blueline and the continued great play of Calvin Pickard in net to have any chance because it's hard to see where the goals will come from.
The Oilers and Blues face off for the final time this season at 8:00 at Rogers Place.
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