For the second consecutive year, the Western Conference Final is a matchup between the Edmonton Oilers and Dallas Stars. And it begins tonight.
Edmonton has been off for an entire week after they defeated the Vegas Golden Knights last Wednesday, while the Stars defeated the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday.
This gave the team plenty of time to rest and recover after a couple of physical matchups immediately following a stretch of dealing with an injury plague late in the regular season.
However, even with the break, there is one notable absence at this morning’s skate. Here’s what the lineup was looking like as the Oilers took the ice in Dallas ahead of tonight’s game one.
No Connor Brown?
We will likely get an update soon on the status of Connor Brown, but as of right now, he was absent at morning skate with Viktor Arvidsson returning to the lineup to take his place.
This did not change the lines all that much as Arvidsson was dropped in exactly where Brown had been playing. But, his absence will be noted if he cannot play tonight.
Nearing the return of Mattias Ekholm?
We learned over the last couple days that the return of Mattias Ekholm is imminent. He is now a full participant with the main group at practice. And today, he is listed in the morning skate lines, albeit on the fourth defensive pairing.
He is not expected back until later in this series, likely game five or six, but his return to the ice is a huge boost for the team.
Luckily, the defence has found a way to lock in during the playoffs in his absence.
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it
Other than the Brown/Arvidsson swap, the lineup looks identical to what was used against Vegas last week. And why bother changing anything with how well the team performed?
Two consecutive shutout victories means the lines are working for now. The roster has a good balance of physicality spread through the lineup. And the depth scoring has been phenomenal thus far as every single forward has already scored a goal this postseason.
We are just a few hours away from puck drop on this series. Let’s go Oilers!
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