The Edmonton Oilers had a busy practice on Tuesday morning.
The big news was the presence of the injured Connor McDavid, Trent Frederic, and Evander Kane in non-contact jerseys. None of the three will play against the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday night, but it's an encouraging sign for each of them as Frederic skates with his new team for the first time, and the door is open for McDavid to return during their four-game road trip.
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The rest of the roster will have a formidable challenge in front of them as they take on the division-leading Golden Knights, who come into Tuesday's game riding a six-game win streak.
That hot streak, coupled with the recent injuries to McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, has effectively buried any chance the Oilers had at catching Vegas for the Pacific Division crown. The Golden Knights are nine points up on the Oilers with nine games remaining in the regular season.
EDM lines & pairings - Tuesday Morning Skate:
— Tony Brar 🚀 (@TonyBrarOTV) April 1, 2025
Podkolzin - Draisaitl - Arvidsson
Hyman - RNH - Kapanen
Skinner - Janmark - Brown
Jones - Henrique - Perry
(Kane - McDavid - Frederic)
Walman - Bouchard
Nurse - Stecher
Kulak - Emberson
Pickard
Rodrigue#Oilers
Absent from Oilers practice was Mattias Ekholm, still struggling with a nagging injury that's kept him out of the lineup for the past two games. He's missed eight of the Oilers' eighteen games since the 4 Nations Face-Off. With Ekholm out, Jake Walman will remain on an offense-heavy top pairing with Evan Bouchard.
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Up front, Jeff Skinner will slide back down to the third line, where he acquitted himself very well in McDavid and Draisaitl's absence, while Kasperi Kapanen brings his speed to Ryan Nugent-Hopkins' second line.
The first line remains the same from their win over Calgary on Saturday, though Draisaitl will almost certainly see minutes with almost every winger as Kris Knoblauch double-shifts him against Vegas' deep lineup.
With Stuart Skinner still out day-to-day, Calvin Pickard will get his third consecutive start for the first time this season. Pickard rebounded from his debacle in Seattle with a solid 26-save win over the Flames on Saturday, lifting his record to 18-8-1 despite an .899 save percentage.
The puck drops between the Oilers and Golden Knights at 8:00 PM, on Sportsnet.
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