EDMONTON, AB – Head Coach Kris Knoblauch held his first pre-game skate on Monday as bench boss of the Edmonton Oilers ahead of tonight's matchup against the New York Islanders.
Knoblauch appears to be deploying Sam Gagner on the top line with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Connor McDavid, while Leon Draisaitl will centre his own line with Evander Kane and leading goalscorer Zach Hyman, who has seven goals through 13 games this season.
And there are just going to be times where they definitely will. Every game they're going to have shifts that they are together, especially like after penalty kills, after breaks, last shift in the periods and stuff like that. They will be playing together.
Connor Brown was the extra forward at the morning skate as he works his way back from an injury he sustained in a loss to the Dallas Stars on Nov. 2.
Netminder Stuart Skinner was in the starter's net once again and is slated to make his fourth straight start after stopping 17 of 18 shots in the Oilers 4-1 victory over the Seattle Kraken on Sunday.
Edmonton's defensive corps under new Assistant Coach Paul Coffey appears to include the same pairings prior to the coaching change.
View the Oilers projected lineup vs. the Islanders below:
Forwards
Nugent-Hopkins - McDavid - Gagner
Kane - Draisaitl - Hyman
Holloway - McLeod - Foegele
Lavoie - Hamblin - Ryan
Defence
Nurse - Ceci
Ekholm - Bouchard
Kulak - Desharnais
Goalies
Skinner
Pickard
