Edmonton Oilers reveal Game 6 lines with chance to eliminate Kings
The Edmonton Oilers are looking to advance to the second round tonight, and they revealed the lines that they hope can finish the job.
Edmonton is back home for Game 6 at Rogers Place tonight after having rattled off three straight victories to give them a 3-2 series lead. This isn’t how the Kings envisioned the series going after grabbing an early 2-0 lead through the first two games. Yet, a determined Oilers club has clawed their way back into things with multiple comeback wins to give them a chokehold on the series.
Now, the Oilers will have their hometown crowd behind them as they look to eliminate the Kings once again.
Head coach Kris Knoblauch revealed Edmonton’s lines at this morning’s skate, where not many changes were made. OilersTV’s Tony Brar had the full lineup from Rogers Place.
EDM lines – Thurs. Morning Skate:
Draisaitl – McDavid – Perry
Kane – RNH – Hyman
Frederic – Henrique – Brown
Podkolzin – Janmark – ArvidssonExtras: Skinner, Kapanen, Jones, Ryan
Nurse – Bouchard
Walman – Klingberg
Kulak – EmbersonExtras: Stecher
Pickard
Skinner#Oilers— Tony Brar 🚀 (@TonyBrarOTV) May 1, 2025
While Knoblauch has been running different lines in practices over the last few games, this most accurately reflects the lineup that has been used recently.
Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl will play together on the top line in this potential close-out game. That dynamic duo will be joined by Corey Perry, who, despite his age, has been a very important player for the Oilers during this series and has developed chemistry with the two top dogs.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins will pivot a second line that includes Zach Hyman and Evander Kane. This line has also clicked over the last few games, giving Knoblauch some peace of mind in running 97 and 29 together and allowing this trio to pick up the slack.
Trent Frederic has looked better and better as the series has gone on, though he is still looking to get on the scoresheet. He will be joined on the third line by Adam Henrique and Connor Brown.
Viktor Arvidsson and Vasily Podkolzin are usually second-line forwards on this Oilers squad, but they have been relegated down to the fourth line with Mattias Janmark of late. It may seem like a punishment, but that line came together for the winning goal in the late stages of Game 5, so it’s no wonder they’ll stick together for this important one.
On the backend, we should expect a bit of shuffling as Game 6 unfolds. Darnell Nurse and Evan Bouchard have not had the best results playing together, but they will at least start on a pair tonight. Jake Walman could move up to pair with Bouchard at some point, but for the time being, he is skating on the second pair with a surprisingly good John Klingberg.
Troy Stecher remains an option for the Oilers, but it appears he will not be making his playoff debut as Brett Kulak and Ty Emberson round out the defensive group.
Between the pipes, Calvin Pickard looks set to make his fourth-straight playoff start for the Oilers. He has been excellent for Edmonton, posting three straight wins and having an impressive .913 SV% over that time. For now, he is the team’s starting goaltender while Stuart Skinner serves as his backup.
Game time is set for 8 p.m. MDT.