A few major switches could change up the Edmonton Oilers depth for the better.
A few major switches could change up the Edmonton Oilers depth for the better.
EDMONTON -- They can't win every game.
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The Edmonton Oilers drop Game two against the Dallas Stars by a 3-1 final score. The Oilers controlled the game for the entire first period and the majority of the second - but at the end of the day they came up short on goals.
Connor Brown potted the only Oilers tally of the game. He scored 44 seconds after the Stars' captain Jamie Benn opened the scoring of the game.
Unfortunately for the Oilers, their third line of Derek Ryan, Ryan McLeod and Warren Foegele has been underperforming. They've been caught on the ice for too many goals against - and I expect the Oilers will make a change or two for their first home game of the series.
Either McLeod should get moved to the wing - or spend a night in the penalty box. His speed is certainly welcomed to the Oilers on-ice product, but he needs another veteran center on his line to give him a boost.
Adam Henrique needs a place to contribute, and should be in the lineup for the next game. A line of Henrique centering Foegele and McLeod would still be a fast line - but Henrique would be an upgrade on Ryan in terms of offense and physicality.
I also have a lot of time for getting Sam Gagner into a game to center the fourth line instead of Sam Carrick. Carrick has added a lot of jam to the fourth line - but Gagner could add some speed and offensive flair that might tip the scales even more into the Oilers favor.
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For as good as Cody Ceci has been of late, getting him out of the lineup so that Troy Stecher can get his legs going would be a great idea. You could reunite the Vincent Desharnais and Brett Kulak pairing, but then you put a partner with Darnell Nurse who compliments his game a lot more than Ceci does.
The Oilers didn't play terribly last night - but a few small changes could make a big impact in the overall scope of the playoffs. Tell me what changes you want to see the Oilers make for Game three.
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