Predicted Oilers lineup tonight: Edmonton's projected lineup for game against Chicago Blackhawks| Oct 12th, 2024

The Edmonton Oilers will look to pick up their first win of the season when they host the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday at Rogers Place in Alberta. After a 6-0 trouncing by the Winnipeg Jets on Wednesday, the team will look to bounce back in a big way while fending off a Blackhawks team eager to pick up its first win of the season.

Ahead of tonight's game, the team will be dealing with the absences of wingers Evander Kane and Roby Jarventie. Kane, the 2021 Sharks Player of the Year, is still recovering from two procedures in September done to address a sports hernia. Meanwhile, Jarventie is dealing with a knee injury that sidelined him through training camp after undergoing knee surgery midway through last year.

With that in mind, let's take a look at the team's lines for Saturday's game against the Chicago Blackhawks.

Forwards

LW Connor McDavid - C Leon Draisaitl - RW Zach Hyman

LW Ryan Nugent-Hopkins - C Ryan McLeod - RW Kailer Yamamoto

LW Warren Foegele - C Derek Ryan - RW Evander Kane

LW Jesse Puljujarvi - C Noah Gregor - RW Brett Kulak

Defense

Darnell Nurse | Evan Bouchard

Tyson Barrie | Cody Ceci

Brett Kulak | Ty Emberson

Goalies

Calvin Pickard

Stuart Skinner

1st Power Play Unit

Zach Hyman | Ryan Nugent-Hopkins | Leon Draisaitl

Connor McDavid | Evan Bouchard

2nd Power Play Unit

Viktor Arvidsson | Adam Henrique | Jeff Skinner

Darnell Nurse | Mattias Ekholm

1st Penalty Kill Unit

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins | Mattias Janmark

Mattias Ekholm | Brett Kulak

2nd Penalty Kill Unit

Adam Henrique | Connor Brown

Darnell Nurse | Travis Dermott

Edmonton Oilers have their sights on a fifth Stanley Cup title following last year's narrow loss to the Florida Panthers

Last year, the Edmonton Oilers finished the season with the second-best record in the Pacific Division behind the Vancouver Canucks, who led the way with a 50-23-9 record and 109 points, edging out the Oilers by five points.

With many of their core players returning this season, expectations are sky-high. According to The Athletic, the four replica Stanley Cup trophies that decorate the team's dressing room have now been moved, leaving an obvious space meant for a fifth title.

The move is one that has lit a fire under an Oilers team that came within arms reach of winning it all last season. As defenceman Mattias Ekholm explained to the outlet, had the team managed to position themselves better heading into the playoffs, last year's Game 7 could have been played on their home ice.

“It’s great to be in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, but (because of) eight months earlier that could have been on home ice. That final series could have been a completely different thing," he said.

“It really does matter early on — and that’s something that we’ve learned the hard way. Hopefully, we’ve learned that lesson to know that we can’t take this lightly. We can’t think things are going to come easy — because they won’t.”

With expectations sky-high, the Oilers will look to pick up a win against Chicago tonight as they pursue the coveted Stanley Cup.