Edmonton Oilers lines for game one versus the Los Angeles Kings

Of note so far, Evander Kane remains out of the lineup but should be close. It begs the question of if teams are under a closer eye for LTIR usage as he is not magically ready for game one of the playoffs.

Trent Frederic is a game time decision, but playing him is risky considering how short lived his Oilers debut was. The last thing the team wants is for him to try and play but get hurt again shortly after the game starts.

Brett Kulak was away from the team to be with his family for the birth of his second child, but is en route to Los Angeles and is expected to play.

Jake Walman will be returning to the lineup, but with Troy Stecher still injured, one of Cam Dineen or Josh Brown will be in. Which of the two will be a game time decision.

Stuart Skinner will start game one after his impressive return to the lineup that saw him guide the team to victory over the Winnipeg Jets and shut out the San Jose Sharks.

Edmonton Oilers lines for game one

Early projections suggest a lineup looking something like this:

Zach Hyman – Connor McDavid – Connor Brown
Vasily Podkolzin – Leon Draisaitl – Viktor Arvidsson
Jeff Skinner – Ryan Nugent-Hopkins – Kasperi Kapanen/Trent Frederic
Mattias Janmark – Adam Henrique – Corey Perry

Darnell Nurse – Evan Bouchard
Brett Kulak – Jake Walman
Ty Emberson – Josh Brown/Cam Dineen

Stuart Skinner

Edmonton Oilers lineup thoughts

After such a strong end to the season from the Skinner/McDavid/Brown line, it is a bit unfortunate that they are unlikely to stick together into the playoffs. Given the chemistry between Hyman and McDavid, it makes sense to reunite those two. But the trio that concluded the regular season had some indisputable results.

If Frederic plays (and it sounds like he is going to) he will likely line up on the third line where he skated yesterday.

The defence does not look the way anyone hopes it would have. It will be a huge test for some of these players, and the team’s systems in general, on how they perform short two regulars. Nurse will be under a microscope from the moment the puck drops, and this will be a huge defining time in his career.