Knoblauch: Oilers will ‘likely’ make one lineup change for Game 4 against Panthers

The Edmonton Oilers just might be ready to shake things up a little bit.

After dropping Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final on home ice to the Florida Panthers and Game 3 on the road in Florida Monday night, Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch said his coaching staff could be looking to make a lineup change ahead of Game 4.

“We will have likely a lineup change,” said Knoblauch Wednesday. “We haven’t confirmed that. We haven’t discussed that with our players yet, but there are some things that we’ve been thinking about, and there might be a lineup change.”

Knoblauch didn’t divulge much into what that roster move could look like, but reading the tea leaves, there are a few options the team has. First and foremost, it could come in the crease with Calvin Pickard replacing Stuart Skinner between the pipes. Skinner wasn’t as sharp as he needed to be in Game 3, placing the blame on himself that was quickly washed away by Oilers captain Connor McDavid after the game.

There could be a change in the forward group. Trent Frederic — for as feisty as he was in Game 3 — hasn’t seemed to be on the top of his game against the Panthers, and the Oilers bottom-six has struggled to find their way onto the score sheet. Would they consider swapping him for Jeff Skinner in hopes of providing an offensive spark for that group?

Then there’s the blue line — a spot where you could logically see a change coming, with Troy Stecher replacing John Klingberg. The latter hasn’t been sharp in the Cup Final so far, as the Oilers have been outscored 5-1 with him on the ice at five-on-five through three games. While three of those goals against and the one for have come in the 33 minutes he’s played with Jake Walman, Stecher could come in and help mix up the defensive pairings.

Stecher has shown an ability to help calm down Darnell Nurse’s game in the regular season and in these playoffs, and the Oilers know what they’d get out of him, Knoblauch said.

“Troy has been very valuable to our team through the regular season, the playoffs, and I think probably one thing that we, as coaching staff, appreciate a lot from Troy is just how dependable he is,” he said. “No matter if he’s playing big minutes regularly, hasn’t played for a long period of time, anytime that we’ve needed him, he’s given us really good minutes and usually not making mistakes. And as a defenceman, that’s really important.”

While the roster move remains uncertain, Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli said Wednesday he would make two: swapping Stecher for Klingberg, and starting Calvin Pickard over Stuart Skinner.

“I think this is their only opportunity to make a change (in goal) if they wanted to,” he said on Daily Faceoff LIVE. “If you lose Game 4 and you go back to Edmonton 3-1, you’re not putting Cal Pickard in for an elimination game with Florida’s chance to win the Cup.

“I think we’ve seen it time and time against Stuart Skinner finds the reset to be valuable. I thought he was overamped, overhyped, out of position in Game 3 in Florida. It’s demonstrable how much more calm Cal Pickard is and much more calm the Oilers play in front of Cal Pickard. Goaltending change, one, and two, I don’t think John Klingberg has given you a lot this series, so with that, bring Troy Stecher back in, have him play with Darnell Nurse and have him be the Nurse whisperer and re-jig your pairings from there.

“It doesn’t need to be drastic, this isn’t a panic move. I just think those two changes out the Edmonton Oilers in the best position to succeed in Game 4 and get back to level ground. And then, depending on how the game goes, go back to Skinner for Game 5.”

Game 4 is set for Thursday night at 6:00 PM MT in Florida.