Oilers announce injury updates, make major change with top prospect Matthew Savoie

It's the first Oilers practice since snapping their losing streak against the Carolina Hurricanes last time out. Hopefully, the win and some added rest will do them some good.

The Oilers saw a few notable absences at practice with Mattias Ekholm, Viktor Arvidsson, and Brett Kulak not on the ice. After practice, Coach Knoblauch confirmed the two Swedish players were just taking some maintenance time, and Kulak is Ill.

Connor McDavid also could've taken maintenance after the 4 Nations Faceoff, but Knoblauch couldn't keep the captain off the ice. McDavid has played a gruelling schedule recently, and fatigue could be playing into his current slump.

Additionally, the Oilers are expecting to see top prospect Matthew Savoie back in the lineup. Even with Arvidsson out of the lineup, the Oilers wings look incredibly deep - and Savoie has looked great in the top 6 next to Leon Draisaitl.

It was puzzling to see Savoie get pulled from the lineup after three good games during this call-up stint. He's certainly outperformed some veteran forwards in those games, which could force the Oilers into some tough deadline decisions.

Finally, the Oilers coach revealed that Darnell Nurse is likely to re-enter the lineup after missing the last two games. The Oilers defenceman sustained an injury against the Tampa Bay Lightning, but thankfully it was a minor issue.

Coach Knoblauch was also asked about Evander Kane's injury status amid trade rumours and reports of a conflict, but the Oilers coach offered practically no new information - he's still out indefinitely.

Hopefully the Oilers can keep up the momentum against a rebuilding opponent in the Anaheim Ducks tomorrow night, finally back at home in Edmonton.