Oilers could shuffle up forward lines in advance of Game 2 against Flames
Edmonton Oilers coach Jay Woodcroft looks to be shaking up his forward group in advance of Game 2 of the Battle of Alberta against the Calgary Flames.
Connor McDavid will continue to be flanked by Leon Draisaitl, and the duo will be joined by Evander Kane, who had previously shuffled through centres alongside Zach Hyman.
Hyman will instead slide onto Ryan Nugent-Hopkins’ wing opposite Jesse Puljujarvi. Warren Foegele will draw into the series for the first time alongside Ryan McLeod and Kailer Yamamoto. Yamamoto had previously been skating on the top line alongside McDavid and Draisaitl.
Derek Ryan will centre wingers Josh Archibald and Zack Kassian on Edmonton’s fourth line.
The new forward set was debuted in the morning skate.
“You’re not going off what we showed in morning skate, are you?” Woodcroft questioned when asked about a potential shakeup.
The Oilers’ trail the series 1-0 after a 9-6 loss that saw Edmonton erase two four-goal deficits in the highest-scoring Battle of Alberta playoff game in NHL history.
“I think it’s a balancing act,” Woodcroft said. “You want to show confidence in your team and your players, but at the same time you understand that each game is important and we don’t have a lot of time in order to wait for people to find their games. For us, we’re trying to make the best decisions possible.
“In terms of trying to ice a lineup that best suits us to win, we’re confident in the people we will dress.”
Here’s a full look at Edmonton’s potential lineup ahead of Game 2:
Evander Kane — Connor McDavid — Leon Draisaitl
Zach Hyman — Ryan Nugent-Hopkins — Jesse Puljujarvi
Warren Foegele — Ryan McLeod — Kailer Yamamoto
Josh Archibald — Derek Ryan — Zack Kassian
Darnell Nurse — Cody Ceci
Duncan Keith — Evan Bouchard
Brett Kulak — Tyson Barrie
Mike Smith
Smith will return between the pipes after being pulled 6:05 into Game 1. He allowed three goals on 10 shots before being replaced by Mikko Koskinen.