The Oilers will go with 11 forwards & seven defencemen for the second straight game when Adam Henrique receives the Silver Stick for reaching 1,000 NHL games before facing the Rangers
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EDMONTON, AB – The Edmonton Oilers will celebrate Adam Henrique’s 1000th NHL game before going with 11 forwards and seven defencemen for the second straight game on Thursday night at Rogers Place against the New York Rangers.
The 35-year-old forward will receive the Silver Stick from General Manager & Executive VP of Hockey Operations Stan Bowman tonight and become the first player in franchise history to play his 1,000th NHL game in an Oilers uniform after reaching the milestone in last week’s 3-2 victory over the Senators.
“You keep saying that, and it doesn’t seem real,” Henrique said pre-game. “It feels like the birthday that doesn’t end here, which has been great, but it’s very special. I’m very honoured to be the first Oiler to do it, and it’s one of those things that I really had nothing to do with. I just happened to be that guy, but it’s something that’s pretty special. This organization’s been amazing to me and my family since I’ve been here, and it’s certainly something I’m very proud of.”
After the Oilers players surprised him in customized ‘RICO’ shorts last week, and his family also surprised him by making the trip to the nation’s capital, Henrique is lookign forward to celebrating the milestone once again – this time at home – in front of family, friends and fans.
“Everybody made it in late last night,” he said. “Like I said before, it’s as much for me as it is for my family. They deserve just as much of that credit, and all the memories that have gone into this that we’ve been able to share together. It’s always chaotic on our family end, but I certainly wouldn’t change a thing.”
Adam speaks before his 1000th NHL game celebration tonight
Head Coach Kris Knoblauch is naming an unchanged lineup from Tuesday’s 6-3 victory over the Utah Mammoth, which featured a five-goal second period from the Oilers and six different players recording multi-point nights in a come-from-behind effort.
Going with 11 forwards enables Coach Knoblauch to double shift either Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl on the fourth line, giving his Dynamic Duo more ice time while also giving more opportunities to the rest of the forwards. With one fewer forward, each player has a role and can get more involved.
“I think we’ve got enough forwards that can double shift and get a little more ice time,” Knoblauch said. “I think we’ve got enough specialty players for penalty kill and power play that we don’t need that extra forward. We did it the other day, and we’re doing it today. I’m not sure we’re going to do it Saturday. But something that I’ve found is that it’s much easier actually with 11 forwards than it is 12 with the players that we have right now, so we’ll try it for a while.”
“It was something I was thinking about in the summertime that would work better for the flow and getting everyone involved, because with you Leon and Connor taking up as much ice time as they do on separate lines, the third and fourth line get iced out. Maybe it’s only one or whatever it is, but I feel that it’s just easier managing the bench with the forwards.”
Defensively, it’s a different story with one extra blueliner to shuffle through the combinations, so it’s a tougher task for Assistant Coach Mark Stuart and his defencemen to try and keep the chemistry going tonight for the entire group.
“On the flip side, it’s more difficult for the defencemen,” Knoblauch said. “Not having a regular partner and having that seventh guy and trying to work him in makes it a little more difficult on the back end, for sure.”
Kris discusses the lineup before the Oilers host the Rangers
View the Oilers Projected Lineup vs. the Rangers below:
Nugent-Hopkins – McDavid – Mangiapane
Podkolzin – Draisaitl – Roslovic
Savoie – Henrique – Frederic
Howard – Tomasek
Ekholm – Bouchard
Nurse – Walman
Kulak – Emberson
Stecher
Skinner
Pickard
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