Edmonton Oilers show off new-look lineup ahead of playoff opener
The Edmonton Oilers are set to embark on yet another quest for the Stanley Cup.
Game 1 of their first-round series against the Anaheim Ducks will go on Monday night at Rogers Place. The Oilers ended the season on a bit of a hot streak, going 6-2-2 in their last 10 games despite not having Leon Draisaitl in the lineup.
Questions have swirled around the status of Draisaitl and Jason Dickinson heading into the playoff opener, but those worries may be unfounded. The team took to the ice for practice on Sunday morning and showed off what could be their Game 1 lineup.
Both Draisaitl and Dickinson were practicing on the second and third lines, respectively. OilersTV’s Tony Brar had the full lineup.
EDM lines & pairings – Sunday’s practice:
Savoie – McDavid – Hyman
Podkolzin – Draisaitl – Kapanen
RNH – Dickinson – Roslovic
Dach – Henrique – Frederic
Lazar – SamanskiEkholm – Bouchard
Nurse – Murphy
Walman – Emberson
Stastney#Oilers— Tony Brar 🚀 (@TonyBrarOTV) April 19, 2026
Draisaitl was back skating in his usual spot with Vasily Podkolzin and Kasperi Kapenen on his wings. Podkolzin, in particular, has been a great fit with Leon over the past two seasons, with his relentless forecheck complementing Draisaitl’s possession game. Kapanen has struggled of late, but has had success with this pair earlier in the season.
According to Sportsnet’s Gene Principe, Draisaitl also rejoined Edmonton’s top power-play unit during practice. This means the league’s best PP has officially been reunited.
Back on @EdmontonOilers pp and on a regular line it certainly appears Leon Draisaitl is set for game 1 @NHL playoffs pic.twitter.com/znp8unORUX
— Gene Principe (@GenePrincipe) April 19, 2026
Connor McDavid remains on Edmonton’s top line with Matt Savoie and Zach Hyman. That trio came together in the final game of the regular season and looked fantastic, combining for eight points, including a hat trick from Savoie.
Dickinson has been nursing an undisclosed lower-body injury, but appears ready to go for Game 1. He was acting at the Oilers’ third-line centre alongside Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Jack Roslovic. Again, it’s a trio that has had success this season and should give Edmonton some strong depth down the lineup.
Rounding out the forward group, Colton Dach and Trent Frederic are looking to bring a physical game into the postseason. Those two have been hitting everything in sight this season, and their energy will be critical to Edmonton’s success. A struggling Adam Henrique will look to feed off that energy.
Both Curtis Lazar and Josh Samanski appear to be out of the lineup to start the postseason.
There were no changes made to the defensive group, with the usual six defencemen sticking with their regular pairs. Spencer Stastney looks to be the odd man out once again.
Between the pipes, Calvin Pickard has rejoined the team in practice, but it doesn’t appear he will dress for the playoff opener. Instead, that job will be handed to Connor Ingram, while Tristan Jarry takes over backup duties.
It remains to be seen if this is the exact lineup the Oilers will run in Game 1, but we don’t have to wait much longer to find out.