The Edmonton Oilers will be without several regulars tonight in their game versus the New York Rangers.
Zach Hyman, who missed Thursday night’s game versus the Minnesota Wild, will remain out tonight. Viktor Arvidsson will also remain out of the lineup, marking the sixth-straight game he’s missed.
Head coach Kris Knoblauch informed media members this morning that defenceman Evan Bouchard is a game-time decision, as per Tony Brar of Oilers TV. The 25-year-old missed today’s morning skate with an undisclosed ailment.
Lineup notes:
Bouchard is “50/50” for tonight.
Darnell Nurse returns to the lineup.
Arvidsson & Hyman are out. #Oilers
— Tony Brar 🚀 (@TonyBrarOTV) November 23, 2024
The good news, as Brar also mentioned, is that Darnell Nurse will be returning to the lineup. The veteran blue liner hasn’t played since taking a high hit from Toronto Maple Leafs forward Ryan Reaves exactly one week ago.
While getting Nurse back is great news, being without Hyman, Arvidsson, and potentially Bouchard will be tough for an Oilers team facing a strong team in the Rangers tonight. It comes at an unfortunate time, as they’ve struggled as of late, having lost three of their last four games.
Though the season is still relatively early, the Oilers have disappointed thus far, sitting with an average-at-best record of 10-9-2. They currently find themselves three points shy of the Calgary Flames for the final wild-card position in the Western Conference.
To no surprise given their record, several of their top stars have struggled through the first 21 games of the season. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins has found the back of the net just twice, while Hyman has only eight points. Goaltender Stuart Skinner has been far from his best as well, posting a 3.33 goals against average (GAA) along with a .876 save percentage (SV%) through 14 starts.
The Oilers will try and get things turned around tonight, though it will be difficult to do so without some of their key contributors in the lineup. Puck drop in tonight’s outing is set for 7 pm MT.
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