"Let the old man retire" "Oilers in 6" - NHL fans react as Oilers' HC Kris Knoblauch hints at Corey Perry's return for Game 3

The Edmonton Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch has hinted at the return of veteran forward Corey Perry for Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final. NHL insider Elliotte Friedman reported the news on X on Wednesday.

"Per Kris Knoblauch: Corey Perry very likely to come back. Not worried about Darnell Nurse’s availability," Friedman tweeted on X.

Fans reacted to the news on the platform.

"Oilers in 6 is freee," an enthusiastic fan tweeted, expressing confidence that Perry's return could be a game-changer for the Oilers.

"I think the most helpful ability Nurse can offer at this point would be unavailability," another fan tweeted.

"just let the old man retire oh my god," a fan tweeted.

Here are some more reactions from fans on X:

"Need Perry to be in the line up for handshakes when they happen to see the look on his face," one fan tweeted.

"Doesn’t matter what they do. Series is over in four or five at the most," a fan tweeted.

"Nurse will play alright but he will be even more useless than normal," another fan tweeted.

"The way he plays I wouldn’t be worried about it either," a fan tweeted.

Corey Perry's role in Edmonton Oilers' lineup adjustments

The Edmonton Oilers are looking to revitalize their lineup for Game 3 against the Florida Panthers, trailing 2-0 and scoring just one goal in the series. Coach Kris Knoblauch kept the top line, Connor McDavid, Zach Hyman and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, intact but made other changes in the lineup.

The second line features Ryan McLeod, Leon Draisaitl and Dylan Holloway. Adam Henrique centers the third line with Mattias Janmark and Connor Brown. The fourth line includes Warren Foegele, Sam Carrick and Corey Perry.

Derek Ryan skated as an extra. Evander Kane missed practice but is expected to play, potentially altering the bottom-six forwards. On defense, Darnell Nurse missed practice.

Mattias Ekholm and Evan Bouchard are the top pair, with Brett Kulak and Philip Broberg next. Vincent Desharnais and Ben Gleason form the third pair, though Gleason might play instead of Nurse. Cody Ceci remains a healthy scratch.