Edmonton Oilers show off lines ahead of Game 2 in Dallas
The Edmonton Oilers hit the ice for morning skate ahead of Game 2 with some different forward lines than we’ve recently seen.
Jeff Skinner, who has yet to play since Game 1 of the first round, was spotted skating on the third line alongside Adam Henrique and Evander Kane.
Skinner was serving as a replacement for Connor Brown, who was not on the ice this morning with what the team is calling a maintenance day. The 31-year-old also had a maintenance day prior to Game 1 versus the Dallas Stars, and shortly after today’s skate, it was confirmed that he will indeed be able to go once again this evening.
Connor Brown will play Game 2 vs. DAL (was not on the ice for Morning Skate). #Oilers
— Tony Brar š (@TonyBrarOTV) May 23, 2025
The rest of the Oilers’ lines up front remained the same, as Connor McDavid will continue to stick with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Zach Hyman on the top line, while Leon Draisaitl will be down the middle with Vasily Podkolzin and Kasperi Kapanen on his wings. The fourth line of Trent Frederic, Mattias Janmark, and Corey Perry also remained intact, meaning Viktor Arvidsson will remain out as a healthy scratch.
The blueline pairings will also remain the same, meaning that Evan Bouchard and Brett Kulak will continue in their top pairing role, while Darnell Nurse and Troy Stecher round out the top four. The third pairing will continue to consist of Jake Walman and John Klingberg.
The @EdmontonOilers morning skate in Dallas:
RNH-McDavid-Hyman
Podkolzin-Draisaitl-Kapanen
Kane-Henrique-J. Skinner
Frederic-Janmark-Perry
Jones-Ryan-ArvidssonKulak-Bouchard
Nurse-Stecher
Walman-Klingberg
Ekholm-EmbersonSkinner
Rodrigue*Brown not on the ice
— Bob Stauffer (@Bob_Stauffer) May 23, 2025
To no surprise, Stuart Skinner will get the nod in Game 2. A shaky Game 1 performance has resulted in plenty of scrutiny, but given that Calvin Pickard remains out with an injury, head coach Kris Knoblauch has little choice but to go back with the 26-year-old.
It’s quite understandable why Knoblauch would want to go with the same lines. The Oilers were the better team at even strength in Game 1, and held a 3-1 lead after 40 minutes before imploding in the third. They’ll be looking to even up the Western Conference Final tonight in what should be another thriller at the American Airlines Center.