EDMONTON – Happy Thursday.
It’s another game day for the Edmonton Oilers. It is the first elimination game in the Western Conference Final against the Dallas Stars.
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On Wednesday, they received bad news on Zach Hyman. A day later, the good news is at hand during the morning skate.
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Oilers Forward Lines
With Hyman on the shelf, Jeff “Can’t-Seem-To-Catch-A-Break” Skinner draws back into the lineup. Here is how they lined up at the morning skate.
Nugent-Hopkins - McDavid - Perry
Corey Perry gets elevated to a line with Connor McDavid and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Perry has shown that he can deliver in this position, and they will look for him to do just that.
Kane - Draisaitl - Kapanen
Now is the time for Evander Kane to leave his mark on this series. Hyman’s loss is massive – it’s not easy to make up 111 hits. If there is anyone who can pick up the mean streak Hyman had, it’s Kane. He’ll be skating alongside Kasperi Kapanen and Leon Draisaitl.
Skinner - Henrique - Frederic
Skinner hops back into the lineup alongside Adam Henrique and Trent Frederic. It’s time for him to show that he deserves to be in the lineup for the foreseeable future.
Podkolzin - Janmark - Arvidsson
Vasily Podkolzin, Mattias Janmark, and Viktor Arvidsson make up the most aggressive fourth-line configuration that can be mustered with this roster. Look for them to forecheck hard and often.
Oilers Defense Pairings
All signs are pointing to the return of Mattias Ekholm. This is how the defense pairings looked at the morning skate.
Ekholm - Bouchard
Pairing Ekholm with Evan Bouchard is the best way to get him up to speed. But this is the playoffs, and as long as things are going well, don’t expect Kris Knoblauch to hold back his minutes.
Nurse - Kulak
Two lefties together? In this economy? Darnell Nurse and Brett Kulak were great together during the regular season but have yet to find their groove in the postseason. We will see if they find their magic together in Game 5.
Walman - Klingberg
On any other team, you could find Jake Walman and John Klingberg on a first or second pairing – that’s how deep the Oilers are. Look for this pairing to bring physicality and quick puck movement, which have become their hallmarks.
Stuart Skinner will be the starting goalie, backed up by Calvin Pickard.
It’s time for the rubber to meet the road. Let’s see if the Oilers can finish the job tonight with this lineup.
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