Oilers reveal new forward lines without McDavid
The Edmonton Oilers have revealed their new-look forward lines without Connor McDavid.
This will be the first game of the season that the team will be without McDavid, who was injured over the weekend, which has caused quite a shuffle among the forward lines.
Head coach Jay Woodcroft appears to be running 11 forwards and seven defencemen, according to Sportsnet’s Jack Michaels.
Oil at Wild tonight on @Sportsnet at 7 MT.
Kane-Draisaitl-Janmark
Foegele-RNH-Hyman
Holloway-McLeod-Brown
Erne–RyanEkholm-Bouchard
Nurse-Ceci
Kulak-Desharnais/BrobergCampbell pic.twitter.com/l6eAIv1XgX
— Jack Michaels (@EdmontonJack) October 24, 2023
Leon Draisaitl will centre the team’s top line with Evander Kane and Mattias Janmark on the wings. Kane returns to the first line after a brief demotion to the third line, something he obviously wasn’t happy about.
Meanwhile, Janmark continues to accelerate up the lineup. The 30-year-old veteran started the season on the fourth line but was moved into a top-six role for Saturday’s game against the Winnipeg Jets. This is despite poor on-ice results, as he currently sports an xGF% of just 35.67 in all situations.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins looks like he will remain as the team’s second-line centre between Warren Foegele and Zach Hyman. This line was put together ahead of the team’s first win of the season in Nashville, scoring a combined nine points in a 6-1 victory.
Dylan Holloway has been promoted back to the third line with Ryan McLeod and Connor Brown. Despite zero points, Holloway has shown some heart with a few heroic shot blocks and a positive xGF% of 56.61 through five games.
"How's life been treating you lately?"
Me: pic.twitter.com/f0Fs4jZv6C
— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) October 20, 2023
The team’s defensive pairs remain unaffected by McDavid’s absence.
Between the pipes, it looks like Woodcroft has opted to go back to veteran Jack Campbell. This would be Campbell’s third start of the year for the Oilers. It’s been a rollercoaster start for the Michigan native, as he is off to a 1-2-0 record with a .902 save percentage.
Edmonton’s power play units also got a makeover, with Woodcroft giving fans and media a sneak peek at Monday’s practice at Rogers Place.
The Oilers are in Minnesota tonight to battle with the Wild at 7 pm MT on Sportsnet West.