Oilers Coach shifts lines at practice with Mattias Ekholm absent, John Klingberg in
The Edmonton Oilers too to the ice for practice today with coach Knoblauch mixing up the lines for a different look and without Mattias Ekholm or Kasperi Kapanen present. John Klingberg will also enter the lineup.
Mattias Ekholm has now missed two practices recently, but it's still likely maintenance to heal up a minor injury - probably the same with Kasperi Kapanen.
Oilers coach looking for three balanced lines in new combinations at practice
The Oilers are returning to a line combination they used previously this year, featuring Zach Hyman on the third line with Jeff Skinner. According to reporter Tony Brar, the lines at practice were as follows.
Connor Brown will move up to the first line right wing alongside Connor McDavid and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. The second line will remain intact, and Jeff Skinner will move up to the third line and join Zach Hyman with Adam Henrique to create a third line that can play a 200 foot game. Janmark bumps down to center the fourth line.
Without Ekholm in the lineup, Nurse moves up to play first pairing minutes with Bouchard. John Klingberg will play on the second pair with Brett Kulak.
Oilers defenceman Mattias Ekholm confirmed to be playing through injury
Earlier this week, Ekholm was considered a game time decision with a minor injury.
It may be ideal that Ekholm would get some time off with the 4 Nations Faceoff to rest up any minor injuries to prepare for the stretch run of the Oilers season, but Ekholm has been selected for Team Sweden. There's no indication he's backing out like Alex Pietrangelo did.
It'll be interesting to see how long Knoblauch is willing to stick with this iteration of the Oilers lineup again this season. The fact they're trying it again suggests there is some belief in this approach of three balanced lines.
The Oilers next suit up against the Detroit Red Wings on home ice tomorrow night. Hopefully, John Klingberg can make his Oilers debut and the team can begin their real evaluation of their new player.
