Edmonton Oilers lines and defence pairs expected for Game 1 of Stanley Cup Final
The Edmonton Oilers will open up the Stanley Cup Final tonight, and the projected lineup is looking a bit different.
Edmonton took to the ice for an optional skate at Rogers Place this morning ahead of Game 1 against the Florida Panthers. It was far from a full skate with just a handful of players choosing to take the option. It did, however, give some insight into which players could be drawing in and out of the series opener.
The biggest development is that Connor Brown, who missed Game 5 against the Dallas Stars due to an injury, is likely to return to the lineup.
“I plan on playing,” Brown told the media after the skate.
"We truly believe we belong here. We feel comfortable at this stage now, where I don't know if that could be said last year at the start of the series… Ready to go out there & prove it."
Connor Brown on the #Oilers return to the Cup Final.@Enterprise | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/kUHNajYD3i
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) June 4, 2025
Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch took a more cautious approach, telling reporters that Brown will take a warmup and a decision will be made after.
If Brown is ready, that means somebody will have to draw out of the lineup. Based on the morning skate, it does appear that Jeff Skinner will be the odd man out, despite scoring his first-ever Stanley Cup Playoff goal against the Stars.
This means that Viktor Arvidsson is likely to remain in to start the Stanley Cup Final.
There were no line rushes this morning, but it’s unlikely that the Oilers will stray too far from the lines they ran on Sunday. If that remains the case, it seems probable that Brown will stick on the third line alongside Adam Henrique and Trent Frederic.
Arvidsson, on the other hand, looks like he will remain on the fourth line with Mattias Janmark and Vasily Podkolzin.
Up in the top six, Edmonton ran a top line of Connor McDavid, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Corey Perry on Sunday. Leon Draisaitl will pivot the second line, most likely with Evander Kane and Kasperi Kapanen.
On the blueline, there are no changes expected with a healthy Mattias Ekholm set to anchor the top pair with Evan Bouchard. Jake Walman will likely remain with John Klingberg, while Darnell Nurse and Brett Kulak round things out.
For the Panthers, head coach Paul Maurice confirmed that AJ Greer will not play in Game 1, with Jesper Boqvist drawing in.
Stuart Skinner is the expected starter for the Oilers as he will battle with Sergei Bobrovsky on the other side of the ice.
Puck drop is set for 6 p.m. MDT.