FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The Oilers are making some significant lineup changes ahead of tonight’s pivotal Game 4.
Coming off a 6-1 loss, possibly their worst performance of the postseason, the Oilers are inserting defenseman Troy Stecher for John Klingberg as well as adding winger Jeff Skinner and subtracting Viktor Arvidsson. This marks the first-ever Final appearance for both Stecher and Skinner.
“Everything’s a little bit magnified, but it’s just another game,” Stecher said. “I know what makes me a successful player. I know what adds to our group, and now it’s my responsibility to go there and do that. I play pretty simple games – advancing pucks, compete as hard as I can and try to add an energy to our group that way.”
Stecher is expected to be paired with Darnell Nurse, a partnership that fared well when the former was previously in the lineup. Stecher started the playoffs with an injury and was tabbed after the Oilers lost Game 3 of the second round to Vegas. The Oilers had a 5-1 record with Stecher playing before he was removed for Game 5 of the Western Conference final after Mattias Ekholm returned from a lower-body injury.
Skinner is expected to play on the third line with center Adam Henrique and Trent Frederic, who projects to slide over to right wing.
These are part of wholesale changes from the start of Game 3. All three defense pairings are different, and so are three of the four forward lines. Only the second trio of Leon Draisaitl between Evander Kane and Kasperi Kapanen remains intact.
“Felt that we have a lot of good players, a lot of good players who had been in and out of the lineup,” Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said. “Some players haven’t even seen any game action so far in this series. “Felt that we could use the change, have those guys come in, give us a boost.”