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Edmonton Oilers Gearing Up To Make Several Changes Ahead Of Must-Win Game Six

Originally posted on Hockey Latest | By Tom Banks | Last updated Jun 16, 2025 3:05 PM ET

The Edmonton Oilers once again face elimination against the Florida Panthers in Game 6, and now, they're preparing to make several changes to the lineup.

Game 5 in Edmonton was a disaster for the Oilers, as the team put up a poor performance on home ice to fall 3-2 in their series against the Florida Panthers, with their opponents now having to save off elimination in Game 6 on Tuesday night.

There are many questions for the Oilers ahead of that must-win game, and now, their lines at practice have seemingly answered a few, including what changes are to be made.

According to their lines on Monday, Vasily Podkolzin is skating for Ryan Nugent-Hopkins who had the day off, with Kasperi Kapanen skating in his place on the fourth line, suggesting that a change could be made there, with John Klingberg getting significant time on the blue line as well.

However, TSN's Ryan Rishaug has revealed that they showed plenty of different looks in practice, noting that things could significantly change before Tuesday and another must-win game for Edmonton.

Perhaps the most intriguing change at this practice was that Stuart Skinner was in the starters net after Calvin Pickard gave up four goals in Game 5, and if the Oilers are to turn things around, Knoblauch needs to make the right call on his starters.

Ultimately, a lot of these changes could be nullified with Tuesday's skate on the morning of a must-win Game 6, but for now all we know is that Kris Knoblauch is shaking things up to see how it looks for the Oilers, and with the team having little margin for error, any change he makes will be under a microscope as this teams season is once again on the line.

This article first appeared on Hockey Latest and was syndicated with permission.

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