The Edmonton Oilers appear to be making a change to their back end for Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals.
Per morning skate it appears as if Cody Ceci will be a healthy scratch, with Vinny Desharnais taking his spot alongside Darnell Nurse.
This move will come as a welcomed decision among Oilers fans as the combination of Ceci and Nurse had become simply unplayable.
Method to the madness
Up until tonight, Ceci has played in all 19 playoff games for the Oilers and ranks eighth on the team in total ice time, and fourth at 5v5. That being said, out of all skaters who have appeared in a playoff game, Ceci ranks 18th on the team at 5v5 in terms of CF%. That puts him last on the list in terms of all defensemen, just below his frequent partner in Nurse.
He’s also dead last on the team in xGF% at 36.2%, as well as the worst defenseman on the team in SCF% and HDCF% at 5v5. Combine that with his decisions against the Florida Panthers in Game 1 that cost the team the opening goal, and it’s safe to say he is failing the eye test and the numbers test.
Desharnais has had slightly better numbers in his 15 games during this postseason run, and at this point just getting Nurse away from Ceci is worth the experiment alone.
The Oilers cannot afford to go down 0–2 in the series, so this decision from Kris Knoblauch is perfectly timed.
Photo by Ethan Cairns/Icon Sportswire
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