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We asked for changes. We got changes.
Oilers morning skate:
— Bob Stauffer (@Bob_Stauffer) May 23, 2021
from an "eye-in-the-sky"
Draisaitl-McDavid-Puljujarvi
RNH-McLeod-Kassian
Shore-Khaira-Archibald
Ennis-Haas-Yamamoto
Nurse-Bear
Kulikov-Larsson
Koekkoek-Barrie
Smith
#NHLJets projected lineup for Game 3 vs #Oilers
— Ken Wiebe (@WiebesWorld) May 23, 2021
Connor-Scheifele-Wheeler
Ehlers-Stastny-Dubois
Copp-Lowry-Appleton
Perreault-Thompson-Lewis
Morrissey-DeMelo
Forbort-Pionk
Stanley-Poolman
Hellebuyck
Brossoit
*cracks knuckles
Which one of these is the second line?
- Line one stays the same. The Oilers are loading up on the top line, and I get it, I just don’t like it. It’s a super line. You’ve got the top two scorers in the league with Puljujarvi, the only goal scorer for the Oilers so far this series. It’s great if it cashes.
- Which one of these lines is the second line? Is it RNH - McLeod - Kassian? If this is what helps get Zack Kassian going, I’m for it. Real line blender stuff. RNH is the only reason this could reasonably be construed as the second line. I’d probably put Leon Draisaitl on this line, and would entertain running McLeod as a RW.
- I feel safe in reasoning that Shore-Khaira-Archibald is the only third line here. Archibald has been a real energy player for the Oilers over the past two games, though it hasn’t translated to anything on the scoresheet. Devin Shore comes in for James Neal, which is probably an upgrade at this juncture. Of note, Dominik Kahun doesn’t appear on this line card.
- The second line might be Ennis - Haas - Yamamoto. I’ve got a vibe that this could start the game as the fourth line, but may well end up as the second line depending on how it goes. It’s fast, and that’s what’s needed.
On defence, Nurse is with Bear (which is the correct call). There’s still no Caleb Jones, but Tyson Barrie gets paired with Slater Koekkoek. This is reasonable, I’d expect Barrie to play as much power play time as allowed.