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Edmonton Oilers promoting Savoie after forward line changes

Preston Hodgkinson
Preston Hodgkinson
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Oct 23 2025, 5:55 pm
Edmonton Oilers promoting Savoie after forward line changes
Rick Osentoski/Imagn Images

The Edmonton Oilers are promoting rookie Matt Savoie to the top line for Thursday night’s matchup against the Montreal Canadiens.

Head coach Kris Knoblauch continues to have the line blender out as the Oilers look to capture a second-straight victory. The team is back at Rogers Place after a lengthy five-game road trip that ended with a dramatic 3-2 OT victory over the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday.

Even though Edmonton came out with the win, there were still a lot of concerning things about their game. The offence still hasn’t woken up, and the Oilers blew a 2-0 lead early in the third period.

It appears that Knoblauch wasn’t satisfied as well, as Thursday’s morning skate featured a couple of changes to the forward lines. 880 CHED’s Bob Stauffer had the full lineup:

The biggest move is putting Savoie up on the top line to play beside Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. The 21-year-old has done just about everything he can to start his NHL career except score a goal, although he has had plenty of chances to do so.

Savoie is coming off an impressive performance against the Senators, where he assisted on Jake Walman’s OT winner and was among the most dangerous Oilers players. He has yet to get any significant time with either McDavid or Draisaitl so far this season, playing just a combined 8:57 with either player.

He will swap spots with Vasily Podkolzin, who moves down to the third line alongside Noah Philp and Trent Frederic. The second and fourth lines remain unchanged, with Curtis Lazar appearing to be a healthy scratch once again.

The defensive group is also staying static, with Jake Walman remaining on the second pair alongside Darnell Nurse. Troy Stecher remains the odd-man out with Alec Regula skating, but not yet ready to return from injury.

Calvin Pickard will get the nod in net tonight as he tries to improve a nasty 2-5-0 career record against the Canadiens.

Gametime is set for 7 p.m. MST.

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