Oilers juggle lines once again after yet another ugly loss

The nightmarish start to the season continued last night for the Edmonton Oilers, as they lost their third straight in a 6-3 defeat at the hands of the Carolina Hurricanes.

This score was more flattering than what really took place, as the Hurricanes found themselves with a 4-0 lead less than 15 minutes into the first period. The Oilers were able to make things a bit more interesting from there, but it was apparent to most watching that the game was already long over.

With yet another loss, Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch has once again mixed up the lines as he attempts to get this team headed in the right direction. It appears Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl have been split up once again, as Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Zach Hyman skated alongside the Oilers captain this morning. Draisaitl, meanwhile, was centring a second line that featured Evander Kane and Connor Brown.

The third line will continue to feature Ryan McLeod and Derek Ryan, while Warren Foegele has been demoted there from the first line. As for the fourth line, it looks as though it will be Adam Erne, James Hamblin, and Mattias Janmark, with Sam Gagner being the odd man out.

The blue line appears different as well, as Cody Ceci was seen back on the top pairing alongside Darnell Nurse after being demoted to the third pairing prior to Wednesday’s game. Mattias Ekholm and Evan Bouchard will continue as the second pairing, with Brett Kulak and Vincent Desharnais paired as the third.

The @EdmontonOilers practice today:

RNH-McDavid-Hyman
Kane-Draisaitl-Brown
Foegele-McLeod-Ryan
Erne-Hamblin-Janmark/Gagner

Nurse-Ceci
Ekholm-Bouchard
Kulak-Desharnais
Broberg

Skinner
Pickard

— Bob Stauffer (@Bob_Stauffer) November 23, 2023

While Knoblauch deserves credit for trying to do everything in his power to get his team going, it doesn’t feel as though there is any particular line combination that will suddenly wake them up from their slump. If this team is to get going, they will need a collective effort from their entire group regardless of what the lines look like.

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