Edmonton Oilers role new lines at practice, John Klingberg out
Photo credit: Yardbarker
The Edmonton Oilers are coming off a disappointing 4-3 loss at the hands of the Toronto Maple Leafs, and Kris Knoblauch is rolling with some new lines at practice today that were featured during that matchup.
Notably, John Klingberg was the extra defenceman in today's lineup, and all signs point to a potential healthy scratch after missing practice earlier this week due to illness.
Additionally, Mattias Ekholm was a last minute scratch last game due to illness. Thankfully, he's back in the lineup today and appears to be on the mend.
According to Liam McCormick of Oilers Daily, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins will center the second line with Victor Arvidsson and Zach Hyman. Jeff Skinner will be up on the third line with Adam Henrique and Kasperi Kapanen, and Podkolzin will play with Brown and Janmark on the fourth line.
On defence, Troy Stecher will come in for John Klingberg. This could also be a method to ease Klingberg into the lineup, but considering he played over 20 minutes against the Leafs, that seems unlikely.
Kris Knoblauch demotes Vasily Podkolzin
While Vasily Podkolzin has proven to be a workhorse for the team, he's failed to contribute offensively all season.
After an untimely high sticking penalty on Mitch Marner, it appears that Podkolzin is starting to lose favour with Kris Knoblauch and has been relegated to the 4th line.
With that being said, the Edmonton Oilers will look to get back in the win column when they take on a slumping St. Louis Blues team tomorrow night.
Hopefully, the Oilers secure a win, as a 3-game losing streak could be costly.
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