Victor Arvidsson Ruled Out With Injury, Oilers Coach Knoblauch Names Replacement at Practice
Moments ago, Oilers coach Knoblauch announced that forward Victor Arvidsson will miss tonight's game against the Nashville Predators, and defenceman Travis Dermott will come in to replace him.
The Oilers will play tonight's game with 11 forward and 7 defenceman, a formation that has worked well for them last season. This will allow depth defenders Travis Dermott and Troy Stecher to be mixed into the lineup, but also some double-shift opportunities for the Oilers' talented forwards.
While there was some discussion that the Oilers could call up a forward to replace Arvidsson tonight, it likely isn't worth disrupting a player like Noah Philp or James Hamblin from their regular schedules in the AHL for only one game. It's a very good sign that Arvidsson will likely be back for the next game.
Additionally for tonight's matchup, backup goalie Calvin Pickard will get the start - and he's continuing to erode that «backup» role. Pickard has now appeared in 6 games this season, while Skinner has started 11.
Right now, Pickard barely has a higher save percentage than Skinner, so their starting games could continue to even out. At this rate, it'd be surprising to see Skinner start close to 60 games against this year.
Tonight's game has a very good chance to be a historic night for Connor McDavid, the Edmonton Oilers, and the entire sport of hockey. McDavid came become the 4th fastest player in NHL history to reach 1000 career points.
Leon Draisaitl essentially guaranteed yesterday that McDavid will reach the milestone at home in front of their fans. We'll see tonight if the Oilers can deliver on that promise, and continue their trend of domination over the Nashville Predators.
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