Oilers tinker forward lines ahead of Game 5 versus Kings

The Edmonton Oilers were able to pick up a huge Game 4 win on Sunday to take a 3-1 series lead over the LA Kings, but it didn’t come with a flawless performance.

The Oilers had managed just a single goal on only 13 shots by the time the final horn had sounded. That was all they needed, however, as Stuart Skinner had the best playoff performance of his young career, kicking aside all 33 shots he faced.

To the credit of the Oilers, they were able to keep a lot of the Kings shots from the perimeter and didn’t allow a ton of second chances. Still, they’ll be looking for a much bigger showing from their offence when they try to wrap up the series tomorrow night, and head coach Kris Knoblauch has made one small change with his forward lines in an attempt to make that happen.

The top two lines will remain intact, with Connor McDavid centring Adam Henrique and Zach Hyman, while Leon Draisaitl will play down the middle with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Evander Kane on his sides.

There will be a slight change in the bottom six as Dylan Holloway has been promoted to the third line and will play with Ryan McLeod and Corey Perry. Meanwhile, Warren Foegele has dropped to the fourth line, where he is expected to line up alongside Derek Ryan and Mattias Janmark.

Oilers lines & pairings at practice on Tuesday:

Henrique – McDavid – Hyman
RNH – Draisaitl – Kane
Holloway – McLeod – Perry
Foegele – Ryan – Janmark
Gagner – Carrick – Brown

Ekholm – Bouchard
Nurse – Ceci
Kulak – Desharnais
Broberg – Stecher

Skinner
Pickard#Oilers

— Tony Brar 🚀 (@TonyBrarOTV) April 30, 2024

The change doesn’t come as a major surprise as Holloway has looked dangerous in limited minutes with two goals through four games. While Foegele has a goal and an assist, he has yet to play at the level he did throughout the regular season. Perhaps the change will provide the spark the Oilers are in search of.

The Oilers and Kings are in the second of their first two-day break of the series. Game 5 will be played tomorrow at Rogers Place, with puck drop set for 8 pm MT.

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