Oilers show off lines ahead of do-or-die Game 5
The Edmonton Oilers have touched down in Florida ahead of another do-or-die game against the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final.
Head coach Kris Knoblauch ran practice this morning and gave everyone a look at the lineup that he is expected to run in Game 5 tomorrow night. With the team coming off a massive 8-1 victory to stay alive in Game 4 over the weekend, there weren’t any changes made to that winning formula today.
Knoblauch ran the same lineup this morning. OilersTV‘s Tony Brar had the details at practice.
Oilers practice in Sunrise, FL:
• No Kane on the ice.
Foegele – McDavid – Hyman
RNH – Draisaitl – Holloway
Janmark – Henrique – Brown
McLeod – Ryan – Perry
Gagner – CarrickEkholm – Bouchard
Nurse – Broberg
Kulak – Ceci
DesharnaisSkinner
Pickard#Oilers— Tony Brar 🚀 (@TonyBrarOTV) June 17, 2024
There was still no sign of Evander Kane for the Oilers, as he missed the last two games of the Stanley Cup Final with an injury. His absence didn’t seem to affect the team in a bad way on Saturday night, as multiple players were able to step up and get on the scoresheet.
Though Knoblauch said there is a good chance that Kane could step into the lineup again this series, he did not clarify if he would get back into action for Game 5.
Three players who helped propel the Oilers to victory were a newly formed third line of Mattias Janmark, Adam Henrique, and Connor Brown. Those three combined for four points in Game 4 and created Edmonton’s first two goals.
The new-look top line will also stay in place, with Warren Foegele staying alongside Connor McDavid and Zach Hyman. That combo seemed to awaken the Oilers captain as he broke out with four points to lead the team in scoring in Game 4.
It’s also looking like the chemistry between Leon Draisaitl and Dylan Holloway will get every chance to grow on the second line with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins forming the Oilers’ second line.
The fourth line of Ryan McLeod, Derek Ryan, and Corey Perry also stayed intact.
On the blueline, Knoblauch has opted to keep the pairings the same, with Darnell Nurse skating alongside Philip Broberg on the second pair and Brett Kulak with Cody Ceci on the third pair. The ever-steady top pair of Mattias Ekholm and Evan Bouchard remains intact.
Stuart Skinner is coming off a brilliant 32-save performance in Game 4 and is looking to put in a repeat effort as the Oilers starter.
Game 5 in Florida is set for tomorrow night with a 6 pm MT start time.
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