The Oilers were back on the ice Friday afternoon at the Harborcenter, conducting their first full practice since Henrique, Carrick and Stecher were added. Head Coach Kris Knoblauch liked what he saw from the squad as they prepped for the Sabres.
"Energy, excitement, wanting to put the game behind and moving on to the next day," he said. "If we're not striving to get better, then often you're going to duplicate what happened the night before. I liked our attitude. We can be disappointed with the game, absolutely. I think everybody is. But if we dwell on it too long, it doesn't help us. We need to move on, and I think everyone was upbeat and ready for the weekend."
Having new players on the roster presents a challenge for the bench boss as he must figure out the line combinations that will yield the best results. On Thursday, he started Henrique with Leon Draisaitl and Evander Kane, reuniting Zach Hyman, Connor McDavid and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins on the top line, with McLeod playing between Warren Foegele and Corey Perry.
Heading into Saturday against the Sabres, based on Friday's practice, Knoblauch looks to be deploying McLeod and Foegele on Draisaitl's wings, with Henrique in between Kane and Perry.
"I think for the long run it's best for us to do it way the lines are set up right now," the coach said of the top-nine deployment.