Concerning signs at Oilers practice and coach Knoblauch decides to shake up lineup
After the franchise record 16 game win streak was ended after the All Star Break, the Edmonton Oilers are slowly crashing back down to earth. They've now lost three straight games, and they haven't looked good in the month of February as a whole. At practice today, several insiders noticed a sluggish attitude from the players, Connor McDavid joked that he would never score again, and Coach Knoblauch decided to shake up the lines yet again.
Ahead of their game against the division rival LA Kings tonight, it's definitely not encouraging to hear the players seem defeated before the game begins. Connor McDavid hasn't scored in nine games, and even he was making wry jokes today that he may never score again. Still, it was clearly just a joke - he's not turning into Jack Campbell.
As an actual measure to change the direction of the team, coach Knoblauch has once again changed up the lines for tonight's game - and these line changes are coming more fast and furious. Draisaitl and McDavid have been reunited on the top line, Mattias Janmark has been promoted to the second line, and the bottom six group is almost completely new. Arguably, this gives the Oilers just one real strong line, with a much weaker second line and bottom six.
We'll have to see tonight if the Oilers super line including McDavid and Draisaitl can be enough to overpower the depth of the LA Kings. This could be yet another playoff preview tonight, and ahead of the deadline, the front office will be putting a lot of weight into this game.
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