It appears Connor McDavid is way ahead of schedule in his injury recovery and looks ready to return to the Edmonton Oilers lineup.
While the original prognosis for the Oilers captain was that he’d be out for two to three weeks, McDavid participated fully in this morning’s skate and was on a line of his own. This makes it appear that he is ready to go for tonight’s game against the Vegas Golden Knights.
With that, Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch has made extensive changes to the team’s forward lines. McDavid has reclaimed his role as the team’s top-line centre, but he will have a new winger with Jeff Skinner getting a bump on the left wing while Zach Hyman returns to his usual place on the right side.
OilersTV’s Tony Brar was the first to report the lines this morning.
EDM Morning Skate:
Skinner – McDavid – Hyman
Podkolzin – Draisaitl – Arvidsson
Henrique – RNH – Brown
Janmark – Ryan – PerryEkholm – Bouchard
Nurse – Stecher
Kulak – Emberson/DermottSkinner
Pickard#Oilers— Tony Brar 🚀 (@TonyBrarOTV) November 6, 2024
McDavid getting back into game action will be huge for this Oilers team. They fared well in the three games that he missed, rolling with a decent 2-1-0 record in that span. Having their captain back in the lineup allows for a lot more flexibility in the forward group.
Leon Draisaitl will slot back down in his usual second-line spot alongside Vasily Podkolzin and Viktor Arvidsson. That is a trio that looked dynamite together in McDavid’s absence and did a fine job filling in as the team’s top line in a pinch. Giving them second-line minutes should give them some more favourable matchups.
One of the biggest lineup shocks in the demotion of Ryan Nugent-Hopkins to the third line. RNH has not looked like his usual self to start this season so a demotion into the bottom-six makes sense. It could also provide a spark for a third line that has struggled to score. He will be flanked by Adam Henrique and Connor Brown.
Lastly, Derek Ryan will play in his second-straight game on the fourth line. This time it appears he will bump Noah Philp out of the lineup and act as the fourth-line centre. Mattias Janmark and Corey Perry round out the forward group.
No changes on the blue line as Troy Stecher remains in that second pair spot with Darnell Nurse. Ty Emberson and Travis Dermott were rotating on that third pair with Kulak but it’s safe to say the former will probably get the nod.
Stuart Skinner is the presumptive start against Vegas. He’s coming off a 4-2 win over the Calgary Flames this weekend and is looking to find some consistency in his game.
Puck drop for McDavid’s return to action is set for 6:30 pm MT on Sportsnet.