PROJECTED LINEUP: Oilers at Penguins

PITTSBURGH, PA – Head Coach Kris Knoblauch will name an unchanged lineup against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday night when the Edmonton Oilers enter PPG Paints Arena in search of their fifth straight victory.

Winger Connor Brown will remain on the top line with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Connor McDavid as a reward for his recent hot streak, recording six assists in his last seven games and 11 points (3G, 8A) over his last 12 outings.

Coming off an adjustment season in 2023-24 where he recorded 12 points (four goals) in 71 games after playing only four matches the year prior due to a season-ending knee injury, the 30-year-old has surpassed those points totals in 41 fewer games and is playing some of the best hockey of his career.

"It takes a long time," Knoblauch said of Brown's recovery. "You're cleared to play, you're physically strong enough to play, but it takes a long time, and I've seen it with other players who have done the same thing. You saw during last year how he continued to build his game and he just kept on getting stronger and better as the season went on.

"The second half of the year was a pretty good performance by him. I know he wasn't putting up the points that he usually would, but then he really elevated his game in the playoffs, and his play pretty much all season has been how he had been through the playoffs."

Brown's strong play has allowed Knoblauch to have confidence in keeping him alongside two regular linemates in Nugent-Hopkins and McDavid, while allowing the Oilers to roll out a stacked third line of Zach Hyman, Adam Henrique and Jeff Skinner that gives Edmonton three capable scoring lines.

"We also got a 50-goal scorer on the fourth line," Knoblauch said, referencing 2011 Hart Memorial & Maurice 'Rocket' Richard Trophy winner Corey Perry.

"That [third] line is obviously very dangerous, and Rico's typically put up 15-to-25 goals, so it makes it a lot more difficult for the other team if they want to match up. A lot of teams have two good pairs that can play against those top lines.

"McDavid's on one, Draisaitl's on the other one, and now, that third line is pretty dangerous as well because you've got a lot of goals obviously with Hyman there with the season that he had, and you saw it the other night with Rico getting his goal, too."

Despite having last season's 50-goal scorer in Hyman playing in the bottom six, the bench boss is adamant that he'll eventually find his way back onto the top line with No. 93 and No. 97, whom he's played with consistently over his time in Edmonton as part of one of the NHL's most-effective lines.

"They'll definitely be together at some point," Knoblauch stated. "Right now, it's more just a reward for Brownie. He's been playing so well, and he'd been stuck on the third and fourth lines pretty much all the time. But since I've been here, he's moved up to that top line, and I think he's been doing a really good job.

"But I also see Zach Hyman as definitely being a top-six guy who can play those kinds of minutes. And obviously, when you scored 50-plus goals last year, you often don't get sent to the third line on a long-term basis."

Oilers captain Connor McDavid, who'll have his number retired by the OHL's Erie Otters on Friday, says it's taken a while for his team to find the right combinations up front, but that it looks like they're on the right track to finding the right consistency.

"We're deep up front. We got lots of good players up there," McDavid said. "It's taken a little bit to find the right combo of players, a little bit of juggling, but you're always going to get that when you got so many players that can play in the top six or top nine. So there's been a little bit of juggling and I don't think that's a bad thing. It keeps things interesting. It's always fun to play with different guys. That third line played really well in Boston."

Despite making no changes tonight, Knoblauch spent Thursday's morning skate at PPG Paints Arena playing around with the D pairings to help build further chemistry between his blueliners, who'll inevitably find themselves in situations where they're on the ice together.

"During practices, we mix it up," he said. "Oftentimes, they play with other guys during the game, whether it's after a penalty, a power play, somebody's in the box or whatever it is, just getting a little familiar with one other."

View the Oilers Projected Lineup vs. Pittsburgh below:

Nugent-Hopkins - McDavid - Brown
Podkolzin - Draisaitl - Arvidsson
J. Skinner - Henrique - Hyman
Kapanen - Janmark - Perry

Ekholm - Bouchard
Nurse - J. Brown
Kulak - Emberson

Skinner
Pickard