Preview: Edmonton Oilers drop projected lineup against Colorado Avalanche
The Edmonton Oilers are gearing up for a thrilling showdown against the Colorado Avalanche, and the team aims to tie the Las Vegas Golden Knights for 1st place in the Pacific Division.
Oilers projected lineup
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins - Connor McDavid - Zach Hyman
Vasily Podkolzin - Leon Draisaitl - Viktor Arvidsson
Mattias Janmark - Adam Henrique - Connor Brown
Corey Perry - Noah Philp - Kasperi Kapanen
Mattias Ekholm - Evan Bouchard
Darnell Nurse - Josh Brown
Brett Kulak - Ty Emberson
Scratched: Derek Ryan, Jeff Skinner, Troy Stecher
Injured: None
Status report: The Oilers did not conduct a morning skate Thursday following a 5-3 win at the Minnesota Wild on Wednesday.
Avalanche projected lineup
Artturi Lehkonen - Nathan MacKinnon - Jonathan Drouin
Joel Kiviranta - Mikko Rantanen - Logan O'Connor
Ross Colton - Parker Kelly - Juuso Parsinen
Jere Innala - Casey Mittelstadt - Jason Polin
Devon Toews - Cale Makar
Samuel Girard - Josh Manson
Keaton Middleton - Calvin de Haan
Mackenzie Blackwood
Scott Wedgewood
Scratched: Sam Malinski
Injured: Valeri Nichushkin (lower body), Oliver Kylington (upper body), Miles Wood (upper body), Gabriel Landeskog (knee), Tucker Poolman (head)
Status report: Girard will return after missing three games with an upper-body injury. Rantanen, who played a handful of shifts at center during a 3-2 overtime win against the New York Rangers on Tuesday, will center the second line Thursday.
Notably, Edmonton Oilers forward Jeff Skinner will be healthy scratched for a fourth straight game, and it appears that Kris Knoblauch is slowly phasing him out.
Additionally, Stuart Skinner gets the nod between the pipes as he aims to notch his 10th win this season.
