Tonight, the Edmonton Oilers will look to snap a two-game skid when they face off against the Vancouver Canucks in a highly-anticipated divisional matchup. With Connor McDavid back in action, the Oilers will be looking to pick up a big win as the team works towards making another deep playoff run.
Ahead of tonight's game, however, the team will be without Evander Kane and Mattias Janmark. Kane is still out after undergoing surgery to repair both hip adductors, two abdominal tears and two hernias.
Janmark is listed as day-to-day with an undisclosed injury following a crash into the boards. The expectation is that he won't be sidelined for much longer, however, he will miss tonight's game against Vancouver.
With that in mind, the Oilers lines for tonight's game are projected to be as follows:
Forwards:
- LW Jeff Skinner - C Connor McDavid - RW Zach Hyman
- LW Vasily Podkolzin - C Leon Draisaitl - RW Viktor Arvidsson
- LW Adam Henrique - C Ryan Nugent-Hopkins - RW Connor Brown
- LW Noah Philp* - C Derek Ryan - RW Corey Perry
Defense:
- Mattias Ekholm - Evan Bouchard
- Darnell Nurse - Troy Stecher
- Brett Kulak - Ty Emberson
Goalies:
- Stuart Skinner
- Calvin Pickard
Powerplay:
- Zach Hyman, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Leon Draisaitl, Evan Bouchard, Connor McDavid
- Corey Perry, Jeff Skinner, Adam Henrique, Darnell Nurse, Mattias Ekholm
Penalty Kill:
- Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Drake Caggiula, Mattias Ekholm, Brett Kulak
- Adam Henrique, Connor Brown, Darnell Nurse, Ty Emberson
Looking at the Edmonton Oilers' season so far and upcoming games as the team looks to get back on track following Connor McDavid's injury
After a crushing Game 7 loss in the Stanley Cup Finals, the Edmonton Oilers entered this season with high hopes as they sought to make a deep playoff run. Despite that, they have struggled to find consistency, losing three games to start the season.
While they bounced back with a two-game win streak following three straight losses, the wins and losses then came in pairs. They lost back-to-back games in mid-October to the Stars and the Hurricanes, before rallying with a two-game win streak against the Penguins and the Red Wings.
Then, against the Blue Jackets on on Oct. 28, Connor McDavid suffered an ankle injury. In his absence, the team had a 2-1 record.
When he returned to the ice earlier this week, the Oilers lost 4-2 against the Vegas Golden Knights, bringing their record to 6-7-1. With the team sitting fifth in the Pacific Division, they will look to get back on track in tonight's game against the Canucks.
From there, the team will play back-to-back games at home against the Islanders and the Predators, before hitting the road for a three-game stretch that will begin with a game against the Maple Leafs next Saturday.