Panthers inserting pest into lineup against Oilers tonight
The Florida Panthers will be making a lineup change with a chance to win the Stanley Cup tonight versus the Edmonton Oilers.
After sitting as a healthy scratch for the final three games of the Eastern Conference Final, along with the first four games of this series, Ryan Lomberg will be suiting up tonight.
Paul Maurice says Ryan Lomberg will play Game 5
Sam Bennett, Aaron Ekblad and Matthew Tkachuk all skated today after taking a day off yesterday
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) June 18, 2024
Though Lomberg doesn’t provide much in terms of offence as proven by his five goals and seven points this season, he is one of the bigger pests in the league. His aggressiveness on the forecheck, paired with some antics after the whistles, often allows him to draw penalties. Despite standing at just 5-foot-9, he has proven to be a useful bottom-six forward through four seasons with the Panthers thanks to his highly energetic style of play.
“Great, great energy he brings to our room,” Paul Maurice said about Lomberg this morning. “But, to give him credit, he also brought it when he wasn’t in the lineup.”
Based on today’s morning skate, it appears that Steven Lorentz will be the man drawing out for Lomberg. Lorentz has suited up for 16 of the Panthers’ 21 playoff outings but has been used sparingly, averaging just 7:07 minutes in ice time.
As for the Oilers, their lines have yet to be determined. Not often do teams change a winning lineup, but Kris Knoblauch told reporters yesterday that Evander Kane has a good chance of playing again this series. Whether that comes in a must-win Game 5 tonight remains to be seen.
Puck drop is set for 6 pm MT, meaning we should know by warmups at roughly 5:30 pm whether or not the Oilers will be making any changes.
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