Edmonton Oilers defenceman Mattias Ekholm Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports

Mattias Ekholm, Jeff Skinner return to Oilers lineup for Game 5 against Stars

Originally posted on Oilersnation | By Zach Laing | Last updated May 29, 2025 1:15 PM ET

While the Edmonton Oilers will be without either Zach Hyman or Connor Brown, they will be getting some reinforcements for an elimination Game 5 against the Dallas Stars.

Mattias Ekholm and Jeff Skinner took part in their morning skate and are set to hit the ice Thursday night.

Ekholm, who has dealt with a lower-body injury for two months, returned to his spot alongside Evan Bouchard on the top pairing. Skinner, meanwhile, played in the first game of the playoffs but has been a healthy scratch since, will skate on Edmonton’s third line alongside Adam Henrique and Trent Frederic.

The rest of the lineup will see Connor McDavid centre Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Corey Perry, the second line has Leon Draisaitl between Evander Kane and Kasperi Kapanen and the fourth line sees Mattias Janmark centring Vasily Podkolzin and Viktor Arvidsson.

On the blue line, it’s Darnell Nurse and Brett Kulak as Jake Walman and John Klingberg remain together.

The @EdmontonOilers morning skate:

RNH-McDavid-Perry
Kane-Draisaitl-Kapanen
J. Skinner-Henrique-Frederic
Podkolzin-Janmark-Arvidsson

Ekholm-Bouchard
Nurse-Kulak
Walman-Klingberg

Skinner

— Bob Stauffer (@Bob_Stauffer) May 29, 2025

The Oilers had options for what to do with their lineup, with some — including this scribe — thinking running 11 forwards and seven defencemen could be the way they go.

It’s an indication that the Oilers feel confident in Ekholm’s health, a good sign after he was hurt in late March, only to return for a mid-April game against the San Jose Sharks and reaggravating his injury.

Skinner will look to provide some jump having missed the previous 14 playoff games. He said Thursday he’s

“I feel good — I’m excited to get going,” said Skinner Thursday. “Guys have been battling hard for a while and it’s nice to get in and try to contribute.”

When it comes to his game, Skinner said he’s looking to “keep it simple.”

“The guys have been playing really well, battling really hard,” he said. “They’ve had a good thing going, and I’m going to come in and try to help them out.”

The Stars, meanwhile, held an optional skate Thursday, though DLLS Sports’ Sam Nestler expected to see Ilya Lyubushkin return to the lineup.

Puck drop between the Oilers and Stars is set for 6:00 pm MT Thursday night.

This article first appeared on Oilersnation and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: