The Oilers are expected to make a few changes to their lineup for Game 4 against the Golden Knights on Monday night at Rogers Place as they have the opportunity to take a 3-1 lead in the series
EDMONTON, AB – Expect changes to the lineup for the Edmonton Oilers in Game 4 against the Vegas Golden Knights, but we’ll have to wait until warmups on Monday night to see exactly who’s coming in or out.
“We’ll have some lineup changes,” Head Coach Kris Knoblauch said. “There’ll be some game-time decisions, but there’ll probably be a few switches.”
The Oilers didn’t run line rushes at this morning’s pre-game skate at Rogers Place, but defenceman Ty Emberson was on the ice with the team’s other scratches, while Troy Stecher was off early to give us a hint that he’ll come in for Emberson as one of Knoblauch’s potential changes on the back end.
Forward Kasperi Kapanen was also off earlier than Viktor Arvidsson, which could mean the Finnish winger will swap places with the Swede up front.
“I think we’ve got guys who aren’t playing right now that have a lot to offer,” Knoblauch said. “Whether we need a little more speed, physicality, defensive responsibilities, offence or whatever it is, I think we’ve got some guys that haven’t been playing that can come in and give us a little boost. We’ll be making one, maybe two changes and hopefully, that’ll give our team a boost.”
Kris speaks ahead of Game 4 against the Golden Knights on Monday
Coach Knoblauch hopes that injecting an extra element of speed into the lineup will help the team cope with the Golden Knights’ fast transition game.
“It’s important. Their D are aggressive, they don’t allow entry easily, and they don’t back off. So that creates a little less room and you’re confronted quicker,” Knoblauch said. “So it’s important that if you’re not carrying that puck, you’re depositing somewhere where we can recover it, making it difficult for them. Even if you don’t recover that puck, you’re making it harder for them to transition, get it back out and you just have to play the game.
“It’s almost monotonous and it’s tiring, but it’s important to play that style of hockey against good defensive teams. And right now, there are eight teams left, and there’s not a bad defensive team left, so that’s the way the game is right now.”
Vegas captain Mark Stone left Game 3 with an upper-body injury, but was on the ice for the Golden Knights’ morning skate in his regular top-line spot with Ivan Barbashev and Jack Eichel to signal his likely participation tonight when the visitors try to even up the series heading back to Vegas for Game 5.
Goaltender Stuart Skinner will get the start again for the Oilers, with Calvin Pickard still day-to-day with an injury he sustained in Saturday’s Game 3 win.
Connor speaks before Game 4 against the Golden Knights at Rogers Place
View the Oilers Projected Game 4 Lineup vs. Vegas below:
Hyman – McDavid – Perry
Nugent-Hopkins – Draisaitl – Janmark
Kane – Henrique – Brown
Podkolzin – Frederic – Kapanen
Nurse – Bouchard
Walman – Klingberg
Kulak – Stecher
Skinner
Rodrigue
