3 lineup changes the Edmonton Oilers should make for must-win Game 6
It’s crunch time for the Edmonton Oilers.
A disappointing Game 5 loss on home ice has pushed Edmonton to the brink of elimination. They will now need to secure two consecutive wins against the Florida Panthers to capture the Stanley Cup.
That starts on Tuesday night as the team will head back to the Sunshine State with their season on the line in Game 6. Some changes are needed for the Oilers if they want to give themselves the best chance.
Head coach Kris Knoblauch made a few critical changes in Game 5 that didn’t pan out, including starting Calvin Pickard in goal and replacing Kasperi Kapanen with Viktor Arvidsson.
Here are three lineup changes the Oilers should make to help keep their Stanley Cup chances alive:
1. Start Stuart Skinner
It’s time to hand the keys back to Stuart Skinner.
His last two starts didn’t look pretty, but there is an argument that he didn’t deserve getting the hook in either of those outings. In both Game 3 and Game 4, the team in front of him did little to help him out.
Skinner has a history of showing up in big-time moments, and there will be no brighter spotlight than these next two games. He has been the starter all season long and has once again helped this Oilers team get to the Stanley Cup Final.
Pickard has done excellently up to this point, but with the team on the brink of elimination, they should turn back to their starting goalie.
2. Time to take out Trent Frederic
Tough situations call for tough decisions, and taking out Trent Frederic is long overdue at this point.
The Oilers’ trade deadline acquisition is not 100 per cent healthy, and his on-ice impact has been next to nothing on this playoff run. He was supposed to bring an element of sandpaper for this team, but has wound up being a non-factor on most nights.
Edmonton has struggled getting the puck up the ice and needs more speed in its forward group to combat Florida’s relentless forecheck. Getting a player like Kapanen back into action, who has looked great in this series, would be far more ideal.
3. Re-insert John Klingberg
Putting Troy Stecher back into the Oilers lineup did have its merits, but it hasn’t gone quite to plan through two games.
The idea was that Nurse and Stecher had some great chemistry heading into this series, but the 31-year-old has been eaten up by the Panthers’ forecheck. At five-foot-10, Stecher has regularly been outmuscled by Florida’s much bigger forwards and has often been forced to wring the puck around the boards instead of looking for an outlet pass.
This played right into the Panthers’ cycle game and is a big reason why Edmonton is facing elimination. Stecher isn’t the only Oilers defenceman at fault for this, but he is the most obvious culprit to come out.
John Klingberg has also had some struggles handling the forecheck, but he is a much better puck-mover than Stecher. Edmonton needs to find a way to move the puck out of the defensive zone, and having Klingberg in the rotation will help that.