PROJECTED LINEUP: Oilers at Blues

ST. LOUIS, MO – The Edmonton Oilers will begin Thursday night's meeting with the St. Louis Blues at Enterprise Center using the same middle-six line combinations that helped lead to their five-goal third period on Tuesday against the Detroit Red Wings.

Dylan Holloway started that offensive outburst in Edmonton's 8-4 victory with his third goal of the season just 44 seconds into the final frame while playing on a line with Evander Kane and Leon Draisaitl. The 22-year-old will look to continue making the most of his top-six opportunity when he rejoins the two strong and skilled forwards tonight to provide an element of speed to the line combination.

"I'm playing with two great players. I think it's a great opportunity for myself and I'm really excited to see how things go," Holloway said.

"The big thing though is that I have got to stick to my game; definitely read off those guys, kind of let them talk to me and let them tell me what's what in the top six. But I think the big thing for me is just play my game, try and play as simple as I can and get them the puck."

Holloway has four points (3G, 1A) in 22 games this campaign and has been finding his foothold in the lineup after battling injury for a large part of his young career. The Calgary native missed nearly two months earlier in the season with a lower-body injury he sustained back on Nov. 13 against the New York Islanders.

"I think there's so much potential in Dylan, and I think he was starting to gain some traction before I got here and then the injury," Head Coach Kris Knoblauch said. "There was about four, five, maybe six weeks that he didn't get a play, but I think he's been building some traction, doing a lot of good things and here's another great opportunity for him. But it's also a great opportunity for those other two to have a guy with a little more speed and energy to get in on the forecheck and create turnovers for them so they can spend a little bit of time in the offensive zone.

"We'll see how it looks and hopefully, it's something we like."

Forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins will tie Mark Messier for the third-most games in an Oilers franchise history tonight when he pulls on the Blue & Orange for the 851st time.

On the fourth line, Mattias Janmark took line rushes alongside Derek Ryan and Connor Brown, signalling that Sam Gagner could be the 13th forward and the odd-man out tonight after the 34-year-old accrued 11:12 of ice time in Tuesday's win over the Red Wings.

Stuart Skinner will make his 37th start this season tonight against St. Louis. In his last 15 games, the Edmonton product has allowed just 26 goals and is 13-2-0 with a 1.73 goals-against average, .939 save percentage & one shutout over that span.

View the Oilers projected lineup vs. St. Louis:

Nugent-Hopkins - McDavid - Hyman
Kane - Draisaitl - Holloway
Foegele - McLeod - Perry
Janmark - Ryan - Brown

Nurse - Ceci
Ekholm - Bouchard
Kulak - Desharnais

Skinner
Pickard