Oilers are making one subtle lineup change for Game 5 vs Stars

The Edmonton Oilers will be tweaking their lineup this evening as they prepare for Game 5 against the Dallas Stars.

The Oilers hit the ice for morning skate in Dallas, with everyone but Evander Kane taking part. The first line of Connor McDavid, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Zach Hyman will remain intact. The second line, featuring Leon Draisaitl, Ryan McLeod, and Corey Perry, will stick together as well.

Warren Foegele was skating on the third line with Adam Henrique and Dylan Holloway but appears to be a placeholder for Kane, indicating he will be a healthy scratch for the second-straight outing.

The fourth line will see a change, however, as Sam Carrick appears to be back in at centre, with Mattias Janmark and Connor Brown as his wingers. That means that Derek Ryan will be the odd man out tonight.

Oilers lines & pairings this morning:

Note: Kane* not on the ice

RNH – McDavid – Hyman
McLeod – Draisaitl – Perry
Foegele* – Henrique – Holloway
Janmark – Carrick – Brown
Gagner – Ryan

Ekholm – Bouchard
Nurse – Kulak
Broberg – Ceci
Kemp – Desharnais

Skinner
Pickard#Oilers

— Tony Brar 🚀 (@TonyBrarOTV) May 31, 2024

To no surprise, the defensive pairings will remain the same, meaning Vincent Desharnais will sit out once again in favour of Philip Broberg.

Ryan coming out of the lineup isn’t a major surprise, as he logged fewer than eight minutes of ice time in each of the past two games. While he is viewed as a big part of the Oilers penalty kill, he took a penalty at an inopportune time in the second period of Game 4. Though it was killed off, that may have played a part in Kris Knoblauch’s decision to scratch him.

Puck drop in what should be an intense Game 5 is set for 6:30 pm MT.

You might also like:
• Oilers playoff tickets are over $200 cheaper in Dallas than at home